Page 38 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
“It’s got to be my fault. I’m the one who okayed the building. I could’veswornit was structurally sound enough to be in. I never would’ve taken any of you in if it was close to collapsing.”
Karen laid a hand on his arm. “Of course you wouldn’t have. There must’ve been some flaw that showed up in the past while. The big rainstorm we had the other day—maybe it messed with the footing.”
Zach threw himself back in the chair, legs stretched out in front of him, utter dejection on his face. “Doesn’t make sense.”
“Doesn’t help anything for you to beat yourself up over something we can’t change,” Karen said dryly. “And you tell me. You think Finn will give you hell for this?”
He hesitated. “Probably not, but we’ve already established that he’s kind of a dumbass.”
A snort of amusement escaped her before she could stop it. The next thing to arrive was a wave of emotion that overwhelmed her. Tears rushed upward, and the next thing she knew, Zach pulled her against his chest and patted her back as she cried her eyes out.
“Hey. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. That stubborn bastard will be bossing us around in no time. Hell, he’s probably telling the doctor how to fix his leg right now. Opinions? He’s always got a few.”
It had to be partly from memories as well as the current tension, because Karen wasn’t the type to lose it like this. Hospitals were not somewhere she enjoyed, and she would admit that to anybody who asked.
But her loss of control was humbling, nevertheless. Slowly letting the tension go, her breathing evened out. Zach patted her back the same way Tamara would’ve. His hug was comforting, like having family to hold.
Finn’s words came back to mind. How he trusted Zach implicitly.
While Karen wasn’t certain what exactly she was signing on for, she knew her future involved being with Finn, at least for the summer.
She gave Zach a final squeeze then pulled herself together, accepting the tissues he handed her to wipe her face dry.
The smile she put on was a little on the watery side, but it was an attempt. “Thanks. Itwillbe okay, but you know he’s stubborn.”
“As the day is long,” Zach offered.
Karen ran through options quickly. “I don’t know what they’re fixing, but I know how it felt when I broke my leg. What can we do to make the time when he gets out of here easier?”
Zach considered. “Depending on what type of cast he gets, he might not be able to drive.”
“Skip that part for now,” Karen suggested. “How are you guys set up at the house? Will he be able to get around safely?”
“We can set up a bed in the living room. There’s no way he’ll be able to do stairs.” Zach hesitated. “Or put it this way, he’d probably insist on doing the stairs, but we should try to set it up so that he avoids them.”
She refused to beat around the bush. “There’s a second bedroom in the cottage. I think he should move in with me.”
Her determined announcement seemed to knock the wind out of Zach’s sails for a moment. Then he examined her carefully. “You don’t have to do that.”
Ride or die.
“I want to,” she admitted. She met his gaze straight on. “I’ve been waffling for too long. Finn says you know about our past, so you’ll get that me having to help him with anything personal won’t be an issue.”
She didn’t expect the soft chuckle in response. He reached down and tucked his fingers under her chin. “Sugar, Finn wanting to be in a relationship with you again wasn’t him looking for a nurse.”
“Yeah, but we don’t always get what we want, do we?” She waved a hand. “Look, first off, I meant it about the two bedrooms. This is about him having a place to sleep that’s comfortable and safe. Secondly, you know Finn. The amount of nursing I’ll get to do will be slim to none after he gets his feet under him, so to speak. I’m just saying…” She hesitated, because it was still so fresh and new, this idea of taking the chance. “I need to be there for him. Does that make sense?”
A slow smile spread over Zach’s face. “It makes sense. And if you need anything, like help holding the bastard down because he’s doing something he shouldn’t, you call me. You got that?”
“It’s a deal. We’re a team.”
The entry door opened, and Karen’s sisters piled into the room.
“What’s the latest word?” Tamara demanded.
“How are you doing?” Lisa echoed in the same tone.
Julia tilted her head toward the nurse’s station and went to run interference. “I’ll grab an update.”
