Whispers (Argent Springs) (14 page)

It looked like Rick had been right on the
matchmaker part. “Um, because first of all, I’m not ready for a relationship. I
thought you understood that.”

“I understand that
you
don’t think you’re
ready, but that’s one thing us old people have come to understand. Time and
love don’t coordinate schedules. It happens when it happens.”

Erin shook her head. “Even so, both parties have
to want a relationship, and in this case, Rick’s not looking for anything
serious, either.” He’d made that more than clear.

“He would be if the right woman came along, and
look, here you are.”

“Oh, Aunt Annabelle. If life were only that easy.”

“It’s only as difficult as you make it,” she
countered.

Erin could see she was on the losing end of this
argument, so it was probably best to change the subject. “I think we were
talking about Rosa, not my love life.”

Annabelle looked at her with clear eyes that
promised a future conversation on the topic. “So we were. Well, she seems harmless
other than playing matchmaker herself. We think after her disastrous marriage
and the affair that ended up being the death of her, she’s trying to make
amends by helping other couples.”

“What else does she do?”

“You’re the first person to claim her touch as far
as I know, other than Henderson. Most people just sense a presence and smell
the lavender. I hope she won’t scare you away.”

Erin snorted. Surprisingly, she wasn’t at all
afraid. “Not a chance. I love it here.”

“Would you consider staying another week? I feel
like we haven’t had long enough.” Her aunt’s pleading gaze tugged on her heart,
not that she needed any extra persuading.

“I might not have a job if I do.” Suddenly that
didn’t seem to matter so much. It wasn’t as if she’d been working her dream job
and making an irreplaceable salary. “But I think I’ll take that risk. I
actually considered working as a massage therapist here if I could find a good
place to set up shop.”

“That’s a great idea.” Annabelle gave her a
hopeful smile. “You could offer massages to the skiers and summer vacationers.
Maybe partner with the hotel, and they could advertise and rent space to you.”

“That sounds promising.” Two weeks with her
long-lost aunt was not enough, and the thought of heading back to lonely Salt
Lake seemed so bleak. Another puzzle piece in her life shifted into place.

“Good. I’m glad. We’ll walk over to town after
lunch and make some inquiries.”

The front door slammed, startling them both.

“Annabelle?” Rick’s voice echoed through the house.

Her aunt’s features crumpled into a frown. “What
on earth is he doing home?”

Annabelle grumbled as she set her lunch plate
aside and stood. Erin did the same and followed her out into the hall.

Rick leaned against the door, his face as white as
a sheet, his features contorted with pain.

“Oh my god,” Erin said and pushed past Annabelle.
“Are you okay?”

He grimaced. “I’ve done something to my back. I
lifted a small motor and kind of twisted at the same time, and shit…I know
better.”

“Let’s get you off your feet,” Annabelle said. “You’ll
be more comfortable upstairs in your room if you can make it.”

Rick glanced up the polished wooden steps and
groaned. “I can make it. Can you call Doc Albert, Annabelle? See if he can stop
by?”

“Of course, love. Can you help him upstairs,
Erin?”

Erin nodded and hurried forward, slipping beneath
his arm. She wrapped an arm around his waist, her fingers pressing into his
solid flesh in order to get a good hold on him. The scent of grease and
gasoline hit her, stirring up needs she preferred to ignore. It had been two
years since she’d been this close to a man, and damn if it didn’t feel good.
“You’re freezing. Where’s your coat?”

“I left it at the shop.” A heavy sigh slipped from
his lips as he settled his weight against her and they moved toward the stairs.
“I didn’t lock up, either. Do you think you could go back and do that for me?”

“Sure. Whatever you need.”

He leaned on her as they made it up the first
step. “Shit,” he hissed. “I must have pulled something good.”

She didn’t know how to respond, so she stayed
quiet and allowed him to focus on making progress up the stairs. She remained
next to him as they traveled down the hall and she opened his door. Once
inside, he let go of her and made it to the closer of the two beds in the room
before he bent over and rolled onto the mattress.

He released another groan. “Dammit.”

“I’m sure it’s a lower back strain. You’ve
probably pulled a muscle, and it’s screaming in response.”

“I think it’s more than that.” He inhaled a deep
breath and closed his eyes.

“Strains like that can be pretty painful. You’re
in great shape, so I doubt you’ve ruptured a disk or something like that. Some
muscle relaxers and a couple days of rest, and you’ll probably feel much
better.”

“What are you, a damn doctor?” His tone held a
bite that sank deep into her heart. Part of her ached from it, but another,
stronger part reared up.

“No, I’m not a doctor, but I am a massage
therapist, and I’ve seen my share of messed up backs. I’m trying to help here,
and I don’t appreciate your tone.”

He lifted his eyelids a touch, and a jolt of
energy shot through her. “I’m sorry. I just—”

“Hurt. I know. Let me go see if Annabelle has
reached the doctor. Where are the keys to your shop?”

He dug into his pocket and struggled to pull them
free. Erin placed a hand over his, stilling his motions, before she moved his
hand and pulled the keys out herself.

“I’ll be back in a minute.”

*        *        *

Goddamn if his whole back wasn’t on fire. Rick
tried to lift his head to fix his pillow and every fucking muscle in his back
spasmed. He dropped back down with a groan. If he could just chill for a few
minutes, he was sure his muscles would ease.

Footsteps sounded in the hall, and he moved his
gaze to the open doorway. Annabelle appeared with a concerned look on her face and
a sandwich in her hands. Erin followed behind her.

Annabelle stepped close to the bed and put a warm
hand on his shoulder. “Doc won’t be back in town until tomorrow. He has some
muscle relaxers at his house you can have to help ease the pain. I’ll send Erin
to fetch them. We’ve brought an ice pack that will help, too, and Doc said to
give you one of my painkillers. But you’ll need to eat something with it, or it
will tear up your stomach.”

“Shit.” He didn’t want to spend the day all doped
up on pain killers and muscle relaxers, but he supposed he didn’t have a
choice.

“There’s not much else we can do, love. If you’re
in that much pain, we have to fix it.”

And he was. “I know.” He didn’t like being down,
didn’t like not being able to take care of things.

Erin moved closer, and he couldn’t resist
outlining her curves with his eyes. Funny how the sight of her stole some of
his pain.

Annabelle swatted his arm. When he lifted his gaze
to hers, she deliberately glanced at Erin before looking at him again as though
to say, yeah, you’re busted. “I asked if you can roll onto your side so we can
get the pack beneath you.”

She said it as though she’d actually asked the
question out loud, but he was pretty sure she hadn’t. “Uh, yeah. I think so.”

Erin moved next to the bed, and when he started to
roll, she gave him a small push to help. He held his breath as pain washed
through him. A second later, she released him, and he swallowed his retort as
he fell back onto the bed. He’d already complained enough for the day.

A moment later, a chilled sensation soaked through
his shirt to his skin, instantly giving him a small measure of relief. “Thank
you.”

Erin leaned over him, her mass of curls falling
forward as she fluffed the pillow behind him. He turned his head so that one
strand of hair caressed his cheek.

Ah, damn. It had been an innocent enough gesture
on his part, but he’d caught a whiff of her shampoo, causing attraction to slam
into him. He couldn’t look away or ignore her now. Her nearness was the only
pain killer that was available to him at the moment, and he wasn’t about to
reject it.

She straightened. “How does that feel? Any
better?”

“It’s good,” he managed, suddenly grateful for the
pain that kept his desires from manifesting physically and letting both women
in the room know where his thoughts had headed.

“Good neck support will take some of the strain
off your back,” Erin said as though she’d needed a reason to be close to him.

He wasn’t about to argue with her.

“Aunt Annabelle has the pain killer for you. Take
it and eat something while I go lock up your shop and stop by the doctor’s
house. His wife is there and will give me the meds.”

He stared up at her, admiring the green flecks in
her hazel eyes, and the way she placed one hand on her hip as she gave him
orders like she wouldn’t take any more sass from him. That was okay. As long as
she played nurse, he didn’t intend to give her any grief. “I will.”

She stepped back, a surprised look on her face.
“Good then. I’ll be back. Once the pain has calmed a little and you feel like
moving a bit, I’ll check out your back muscles. I should be able to feel if
something’s strained, or if it really could be a disk.”

Annabelle took her hand and squeezed it. “That’s
so nice of you, Erin. I’m sure Rick would be grateful.”

He sure as hell wasn’t complaining about having
her hands on him. “Yeah, thanks.”

She turned and left the room. A second later,
footsteps sounded on the stairs.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like her,” Annabelle
said, breaking the fog that had clouded his brain.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Annabelle tsked. “You can’t fool me. I saw you
looking at her like a man starved for love.”

“For sex maybe,” he said under his breath.

She sat the plated sandwich on his belly. “I heard
that.”

“What do you want me to say, Annabelle? You parade
every single available woman in front of me. What do you think I’m going to think
about?”

“Because I want you to be happy. Bite,” she said,
ignoring his question as she held the sandwich to his mouth.

He lifted his arm, ignoring the pain shooting
across his lower back. “I can feed myself.”

“Being alone for too long is not a good thing. Melinda
left over seven months ago. She’s not coming back, and you need to face it.”

Shit. If he could get up and walk away, he would,
but Annabelle had him trapped in his own bed.

“I know that,” he said with more snap than he
intended, but his old friend didn’t flinch. She was a tough old broad, for
sure. “I’m finished with her.”

She leaned closer. “Are you lying to me, Rick
Hartigan? Just to make me go away?”

“I’m not. God, Annabelle, what do you want me to
say? I finally pulled my head out, okay? It’s over whether I wanted it or not.
End of story.”

“I’m sorry, love. I know she hurt you.” Annabelle
sighed, and he recognized the care and concern on her face. She’d been like a
second mother to him. “Like I said, I just want you to be happy. Erin is a good
girl. Why don’t you give her a chance?”

“You can’t make people fall in love. It doesn’t
work that way.”

She sat on the edge of the bed, looking older and
wearier than she had in a long time. “You know I worry about you like you were
my own son.”

His heart softened. “I know. But I’m not alone. I
have you.” He took her hand and squeezed. There would never be another lady
like his dear Annabelle. Though Erin might give her a run for her money if
given enough time.

“I wish you’d at least consider Erin.” She batted
her lashes, and even at her age, her flirtatious manner didn’t fail her. But
they were done talking about his love life.

He shifted a little on his bed to make more room
for her, and his muscles tightened again, but at least the pain wasn’t quite so
piercing this time. The cold must be doing something for him. “How was
your
date this morning?”

Her eyes lit up. “Well, he’s no Henderson, but I
like him. He’s a great cook and conversationalist, and an even better kisser.”

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to think about another
man hugging my surrogate momma.”

She winked. “Too bad. I’ll kiss him again if I get
the chance.”

Rick couldn’t help but chuckle. “You live every
minute, don’t you?”

She snorted. “That’s what life’s for, isn’t it?”

“It is.” He took another big bite of his sandwich,
chewed and swallowed it down. “Have I eaten enough for you to hand over that
pill now? I’m not hungry, but I sure would like something to take off the
edge.”

She pulled the white pill from a pocket in her
apron. He’d known that was exactly where she would have kept it. She handed it
to him, along with a glass of sweet tea. “I’ll leave you in peace now. See if
you can rest. I’ve learned sleep, if you can get it, is the best thing to take
you out of your misery.” She stood and patted his shoulder before heading
toward the door.

“Annabelle?” he called after her, and she turned.
“Thanks. You know I love you.”

Her eyes grew teary. “I love you, too, Rick. You
sleep so you can feel better.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

*        *        *

Erin walked slowly into Rick’s muted room, the
last vestiges of afternoon sun barely reaching his windowsill. Waning light
coaxed shadows from the corners as deep breaths came from the direction of his
bed. She seriously hated to wake him. She’d disturbed him earlier when she’d
brought a muscle relaxer to him. He’d taken it and then had promptly gone back
to sleep.

But dinner time was close, and she needed to know
if he was okay. She was almost certain his pain came from strained muscles, but
what if she was wrong?

The floor creaked beneath her feet as she
approached his bed, but his breaths remained even. He’d rolled onto his side
with one hand flung out over the edge of the bed. The fact that he wasn’t flat
on his back was a good sign.

She took advantage of his unconscious state to
look at him closer.

He
was
attractive, no doubt, with his wide
shoulders and trim waist. Even relaxed, his thigh muscles and biceps seemed
powerful. When she’d walked up the stairs with him, side by side, he’d seemed
so perfect next to her. But then, she shouldn’t even be having thoughts like
those. Especially not about him. He’d made it clear where he stood.

She couldn’t forget that he’d said if he was
looking, he’d be looking at her. But he was waiting for another woman and
wasn’t interested in her that way, and she could respect that. She wasn’t interested,
either.

But if she was, it
might
be with someone
like him.

Only someone less argumentative.

She smiled. He’d let her win a round earlier,
which had surprised her. She never thought she would see the day, but he’d also
been in a place of pain, so maybe that’s why he let things go.

The phone on his bedside table buzzed, and she
automatically looked at it.
You’re breaking my heart
flashed across the
top of the screen along with Melinda’s name. Erin blinked as guilt lashed at her
for catching part of an incoming text message and invading his privacy.

Had something happened between them? It definitely
sounded like it.

She glanced between Rick and his phone, his deep,
restful breaths the only sound in the room. She shouldn’t do it. It wasn’t
right.

It nearly killed her to not open his text.

She watched him for a few more seconds as she
tried to decide what to do. If a massage would help, she’d be more than happy
to lend her skills. But he was still sound asleep, and her presence in his room
hadn’t affected that.

Between hurting his back and dealing with his
personal life, he’d probably had a hell of a day.

She placed a hand on his forehead, his skin warm
and smooth beneath her fingertips. She wasn’t sure why she touched him, maybe
just to reassure herself that he was okay.

The arm he’d had hanging over the edge of the bed
was suddenly around her, catching her across the backs of her thighs just below
her butt.

“Erin,” he mumbled, still groggy from sleep.

She’d been caught in her perusal, and now he had
her trapped. “Yes?”

“You’re here.”

“I came to see if you’re okay.” She gently removed
his arm from around her, certain he hadn’t meant to be so personal with her.
“How are you feeling?”