Read Online Fortune's Cinderella by Karen Templeton - Free Book Online
Authors: Karen Templeton
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half expected to hear angels sing.
“And you?” he said, still grinning like a fool, at which point it occurred to her she looked like something nasty the dog dragged in.
Maybe the trauma had affected his eyesight.
“A couple of the bones in my left foot are broken,” she finally got out, casually lifting a hand to tuck some of the hair that had worked out of the braid behind her ears, “and I’m banged up some. But otherwise, I guess I’m okay. Relatively.”
“Do you need me to call anybody about looking in on Gumbo?”
Her heart knocked in her chest. “No…I mean, thanks, but I had one of the techs call my landlady, so it’s all taken care of.”
“Then he’s okay?”
Christina nodded, momentarily unable to speak. “He’s fine. Enid—she’s my landlady—said a tree fell over, made a big mess in front of the office, some shingles got ripped off, but that was about it.” Her brow puckered. “You remembered my dog’s name?”
Now the smile went a little crooked. This was not going well. “You only mentioned it, oh, a dozen times or so. It stuck.”
“Sorry, I guess I’m a little…attached.”
“It’s okay, I know the feeling.”
“You have a dog, too?”
“Had. A horse. When I was a kid. His name was Blackie.”
Christina snorted. “Original.”
“Cut me some slack, I was only eight. And anyway he had some fancy-ass registered name I could never remember. Man, I loved that horse.”
“You rode?”
“All of us took lessons, but I was the only one who stuck with it. When I left for college, though, Blackie went to live with a family with a little girl. I still miss him. Miss riding.” A shadow seemed to flicker across his face before he smiled for Christina again, which made his eyes go all crinkly in the corners. God help her. “Gumbo’s lucky to have you. How old is he?”
“Not real sure. He was still a pup, though, when he showed up out of nowhere one night, about five years ago. We were having this terrible storm, and suddenly through all the thunder and thrashing outside I realized there was a dog whining and scratching at my door…so I opened it and he ran right inside like he’d been waiting on me to let him in. Shook water all over me,” she said with a little laugh, then sighed. “Funny thing, he happened into my life right when I needed…”
Realizing she was about to say Someone to love me, Christina jerked herself back to the here and now. “Is it true? That you’re picking up my tab?”
His eyes latched on to hers and would not let go. “Yes.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Apparently I did, according to their rules.”
“County General’s okay—”
“I’m sure it is, but it’s also damn inconvenient.”
Christina frowned. “For who?”
“Me. Since it’s hard enough to keep an eye on everybody without your being in another hospital.”
Flushing again, she looked down at her lap. “Why do you think you have to keep an eye on me?”
When he hesitated, she lifted her eyes to his again, seeing in them a weird mix of confusion and determination. “I don’t have to. I want to.”
Apprehension pricked her skin. “Scott—”
“And you do not want to pull some pride number on me, okay? The only reason you were in that airport yesterday was because we were flying out of it.”
“So you feel…responsible?” Her brow knotted again. “For something you couldn’t possibly have foretold, let alone controlled?”
Their gazes locked again and she forgot to breathe. “For the tornado?” he said. “Of course not. For you?” His gaze softened.
“Absolutely.”
Oh, dear.
His cell phone buzzed in his pocket at the same time a tech appeared from behind the curtain with a wheelchair.
“All righty,” the jovial guy said as Scott got to his feet, “time for your field trip upstairs.”
“Then can I go home?”
“That, I couldn’t tell you—”
“Javier’s family is here,” Scott said, “I need to go see
“And you?” he said, still grinning like a fool, at which point it occurred to her she looked like something nasty the dog dragged in.
Maybe the trauma had affected his eyesight.
“A couple of the bones in my left foot are broken,” she finally got out, casually lifting a hand to tuck some of the hair that had worked out of the braid behind her ears, “and I’m banged up some. But otherwise, I guess I’m okay. Relatively.”
“Do you need me to call anybody about looking in on Gumbo?”
Her heart knocked in her chest. “No…I mean, thanks, but I had one of the techs call my landlady, so it’s all taken care of.”
“Then he’s okay?”
Christina nodded, momentarily unable to speak. “He’s fine. Enid—she’s my landlady—said a tree fell over, made a big mess in front of the office, some shingles got ripped off, but that was about it.” Her brow puckered. “You remembered my dog’s name?”
Now the smile went a little crooked. This was not going well. “You only mentioned it, oh, a dozen times or so. It stuck.”
“Sorry, I guess I’m a little…attached.”
“It’s okay, I know the feeling.”
“You have a dog, too?”
“Had. A horse. When I was a kid. His name was Blackie.”
Christina snorted. “Original.”
“Cut me some slack, I was only eight. And anyway he had some fancy-ass registered name I could never remember. Man, I loved that horse.”
“You rode?”
“All of us took lessons, but I was the only one who stuck with it. When I left for college, though, Blackie went to live with a family with a little girl. I still miss him. Miss riding.” A shadow seemed to flicker across his face before he smiled for Christina again, which made his eyes go all crinkly in the corners. God help her. “Gumbo’s lucky to have you. How old is he?”
“Not real sure. He was still a pup, though, when he showed up out of nowhere one night, about five years ago. We were having this terrible storm, and suddenly through all the thunder and thrashing outside I realized there was a dog whining and scratching at my door…so I opened it and he ran right inside like he’d been waiting on me to let him in. Shook water all over me,” she said with a little laugh, then sighed. “Funny thing, he happened into my life right when I needed…”
Realizing she was about to say Someone to love me, Christina jerked herself back to the here and now. “Is it true? That you’re picking up my tab?”
His eyes latched on to hers and would not let go. “Yes.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Apparently I did, according to their rules.”
“County General’s okay—”
“I’m sure it is, but it’s also damn inconvenient.”
Christina frowned. “For who?”
“Me. Since it’s hard enough to keep an eye on everybody without your being in another hospital.”
Flushing again, she looked down at her lap. “Why do you think you have to keep an eye on me?”
When he hesitated, she lifted her eyes to his again, seeing in them a weird mix of confusion and determination. “I don’t have to. I want to.”
Apprehension pricked her skin. “Scott—”
“And you do not want to pull some pride number on me, okay? The only reason you were in that airport yesterday was because we were flying out of it.”
“So you feel…responsible?” Her brow knotted again. “For something you couldn’t possibly have foretold, let alone controlled?”
Their gazes locked again and she forgot to breathe. “For the tornado?” he said. “Of course not. For you?” His gaze softened.
“Absolutely.”
Oh, dear.
His cell phone buzzed in his pocket at the same time a tech appeared from behind the curtain with a wheelchair.
“All righty,” the jovial guy said as Scott got to his feet, “time for your field trip upstairs.”
“Then can I go home?”
“That, I couldn’t tell you—”
“Javier’s family is here,” Scott said, “I need to go see
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