Page 4 of Scoring the Mountain Man

“Yeah, I've been watching,” I admit with a grimace.

“Then I don't need to tell you anything,” he tells me.

“No, you don't,” I say dryly.

“Well, I better head back down to the team. Do what you're told, will you?”

A grunt is my only response.

“Oh, by the way, be nice to your physical therapist,” he says with a smirk as he walks out the door.

What does he know that I don't?I think to myself.

CHAPTER 2

Aubrey

When I walk into the office, the receptionist tells me Doctor Joyner is waiting for me in her office. I nod and make my way to the locker room to drop my stuff off before I head to her office.

When I walk into Emily’s office, she quickly hands me a file as I sit down in front of her desk.

“What’s this, Em?” I ask.

Emily and I have been friends since middle school, both choosing the same career path when we entered college. When we graduated, Emily knew she wanted to open her own physical therapy practice with an emphasis on sports medicine, which is my specialty. When she asked me to be a partner with her, there was no way for me to say no.

Of course I agreed, and two years later, here we are, the most requested and respected practice in Ashwood and the surrounding state of Montana.

“Your new patient,” she says, pulling me from my thoughts..

“New patient?” I ask as I open the file and see Jaxon Wilde’s name. My heart flutters in my chest.

Jaxon is my brother's best friend and completely off limits, but I've had a crush on him since I was a teenager.

I heard about the game when he got injured, but I didn't think I would be the one working with him. I thought he would be staying with the team and close to the hospital there.

“Jaxon Wilde?” I whisper as I close the file and blow out a breath.

“Are you going to be okay with this?” she asks, knowing how I have always felt about Jaxon. She’s the only one I ever told.

“When is his appointment?” I ask her, not answering her question.

“Ten o’clock, so you better hurry,” she tells me.

“Ten o’clock?” I look at the clock and see it’s only nine fifteen. “Why do I need to hurry? He won’t be here for another forty-five minutes,” I say looking at Emily with confusion.

“Umm, Aubrey, you will need to go to his place, as he prefers not to come into the office.”

“What? I have to go to his place? Why wasn’t I given more notice? I don’t know what he needs right now,” I screech.

“Calm down. This is his first consultation. He hasn’t seen a physical therapist since his surgery. You need to check to see if the swelling in his knee has gone down and if he’s ready for physical therapy,” she tells me softly.

“Oh,” I whisper. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Are you sure you want to do this? I can get someone else to do his therapy?” she offers.

“No, I can do this. It’s just Jaxon. It’s not like I didn’t grow up with him. I mean, I’m not a teenager any more,” I say, though I don’t know who I’m trying to convince more, myself or Emily.

“If you’re sure, then you better go. He’s staying at the cabin in the mountains,” she tells me.

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