Page 19 of Keep On Loving You

“Are you okay?”

Kat tried to roll over, so as gently as he could, Andy helped her to her back. He didn’t miss the wince of pain as she changed positions. Her sunglasses had flown from her face in the crash, and she had chunks of mud and dirt on her cheeks and eyelids as she slowly fluttered them open and looked up at him. “What just…did I…”

“I think you thought you might be able to fly,” he said with a chuckle. “And for a moment, you did. It was the landing that wasn’t so hot.”

She scowled and moved to smack him, but gasped in pain instead.

“Where does it hurt?” Andy instantly went into caretaker mode. He scanned her body with trained eyes.

He pushed the memory of the last time he let his gaze track over her naked body out of his head. If there was ever an inappropriate time to let his mind wander into that dangerous territory, this was it.

“Is it your wrist?”

“I think so.” She nodded and held out her left hand. “I must have landed on it.”

Andy tugged his gloves off and cradled her arm gently in his hands. “What about the rest of you? Anything else hurt?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Without removing her biking glove, Andy prodded her wrist gently. Kat gasped, and when he looked at her, he saw the glisten of tears in her eyes. She was trying hard to be brave, but he could see how badly it hurt.

Andy glanced around, but Chase and Annie obviously had the good sense not to follow them down the trail they took and no doubt were waiting for them at the parking lot.

“I can call for EMS,” Andy suggested. “Or if you think you can walk down, we?—”

“I can walk.” Kat’s lips were pressed together in a line.

She was stubborn, that was for sure. It was one of the things that was so great about her. Still, he wasn’t about to let her walk out of the trails if she had other injuries.

She must have seen the hesitation in his eyes, because she quickly added, “Honestly, Andy. Nothing else hurts. Just my wrist. I can walk just fine.”

He contemplated calling EMS anyway, but ultimately, he decided to try it her way. “Okay,” he said reluctantly. “Let’s get you on your feet before we make any decisions.”

A few minutes later, Andy had gathered up her bike—which miraculously didn’t have nearly as much damage as its rider—pulled Kat out of the bushes, and dusted her off. He wouldn’t admit it, but Andy took full advantage of the fact that she had a sore wrist to help her brush the dirt off her.

With Kat cradling her injury, Andy was left to negotiate both bikes out of the trails. Neither of them moved quickly, but fortunately, they weren’t far from the parking lot wherethe others were likely waiting. As soon as they got close enough, Andy abandoned one of the bikes, jogging one ahead, before circling back to grab the other.

Andy directed Kat to sit on an overturned log while he quickly went to tell Chase and Annie, who were already loading their bikes onto their bike rack, of the accident. It took a bit of convincing, but finally, Chase and Annie agreed to let Andy take Kat to the medical clinic to have her wrist looked at without making a big deal of the crash so Kat didn’t feel embarrassed.

Judging by the way Annie winked at him, Andy was fairly sure that Kat had told her friend all about theirhappy for nownight in Vancouver, and that Annie obviously didnotdisapprove. Not that he had time to think about what that might mean. He had one thing to do now, and that was to take care of Kat.

Chapter Eight

“I can do it,”Kat said for what had to have been at least the eighth time since walking through the front door of her condo. They’d been at the medical center for most of the day, waiting first to be seen by a doctor, and then for the results of her x-ray that told her she’d have to wear a cast for the next few weeks.

“I’m sure you can.” She didn’t miss the trace of laughter in Andy’s voice as he continued to hold his hand out so he could help her out of the sweater Andy had lent her and that she was currently struggling with. “I was merely offering to help,” he said. “You know, because of your newly cracked wrist and the fact that you’re on heavy painkillers.” He shrugged casually and chuckled. “But if you don’t think you need me…”

Andy grinned broadly, then slowly and dramatically turned away, holding his arms out, until Kat finally sighed heavily and gave in.

“Okay, fine.” She mumbled the words under her breath. “You can help me.”

Andy turned to face her, his grin even wider, if it were possible.

She’d never had an easy time accepting help from anyone. Ever. Maybe it was the fact that she was the youngest of five siblings, but she’d always had an intense urge to prove herself, in all ways. Even so, Kat couldn’t deny how nice it felt to have Andy there with her today. She’d tried to hide how much pain she was in on the trail, and then again when the doctor examined her. If Andy had noticed, he thankfully hadn’t mentioned it. Instead, he’d reached for her good hand and squeezed while the doctor did his thing.

He pulled the sweater gently from her good shoulder and stepped back.

“It’s not broken,” Kat said. “It’s only a tiny fracture.”

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