Page 5 of A Soldier's Return

Her stomach felt hollow, her nerves tight, but she wasn’t sure if that was in reaction to the injury or from the unexpected pleasure of skin against skin. He was a doctor taking a look at an injury, she reminded herself, not a sexy guy wanting to hold her hand.

Melissa aimed a glare at Fiona, who had started the whole thing. The dog had planted her haunches in the sand, tail wagging, and seemed to be watching the whole episode with an expression that appeared strangely like amusement.

“It doesn’t feel like anything is broken. You can move it, right?”

He held her hand while she wiggled her fingers, then rotated her wrist. It hurt like the devil, but she didn’t feel any structural impingement in movement.

“Yes. I told you it wasn’t broken. It’s already feeling better.”

“You can’t be completely sure without an X-ray, but I’m all right waiting forty-eight hours or so to check it. I suspect a sprain, but it might be easier to tell in a few days. Do you have a way to splint it? If you don’t, I’m sure my dad has something at the office.”

“I’ve got a wrist brace I’ve worn before when I had carpal tunnel problems.”

“You’ll want to put that on and have it checked again in a few days. Meanwhile, ice and elevation are your best friends. At least ten minutes every two hours.”

As if she had time for that. “I’ll do my best. Thanks.”

A sudden thought occurred to her, one she was almost afraid to entertain. “How long will you be in town?”

When he was making arrangements to be gone for his surgery, Wendell had hoped Eli might be able to cover for him at the clinic. The last she had heard, though, Eli’s hadn’t been able to get leave from his military assignment so his father had arranged a substitute doctor through a service in Portland.

Given that Eli was here, she had a feeling all that was about to change—which meant Eli might be her boss for the foreseeable future.

“I’m not sure how much time I can get,” he answered now. “That depends on a few things still in play. I’m hoping for a month but I’ll be here for the next two to three weeks, at least.”

“I see.”

She did see, entirely too clearly. This would obviously not be the last she would see of Eli Sanderson.

“I need to go. Thanks for your help,” she said quickly.

“I didn’t do anything except take a look at your injury. At least promise me you’ll raise it up and put some ice on it.”

Considering she was scheduled to work at his father’s clinic starting in just over an hour and still needed to shower, she wouldn’t have time for much self-pampering. “I’ll do my best. Thanks.”

“How far do you have to go? I can at least help you walk your dog home.”

“Fiona isn’t my dog. She belongs to my neighbor. We were just sort of exercising each other. And for the record, she’s usually very well behaved. I don’t quite know what happened earlier, but we’ll be fine to make it home on our own. I don’t want to disturb your run more than I already have.”

“Are you sure?”

“We don’t have far to go. I live at Brambleberry House.”

His expression registered his surprise. “Wow. You’re practically next door to my dad’s place.”

They couldn’t avoid each other, even if they wanted to. She didn’t necessarily want to avoidhim, but considering she was now bedraggled and covered with sand, she was pretty sure he wouldn’t be in a hurry to see her again.

“Thanks again for your help. I’ll see you later.”

“Remember your RICE.”

Right. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. The first-aid prescription for injuries like hers. “I’ll do my best. Thanks. See you later.”

This time as she headed for the house, Fiona trotted along beside her, docile and well behaved.

Melissa’s wrist, on the other hand, complained vociferously all the way back to the house. She did her best to ignore it, focusing instead on the unsettling encounter with Dr. Sanderson’s only son.

Eli told himself he was only keeping an eye on Melissa as she made her slow way along the beach toward Brambleberry House because he was concerned about her condition, especially whether she had other injuries from her fall she had chosen not to reveal to him.

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