Read Online One Summer in Santa Fe by Molly Evans - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Molly Evans
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me, about why this was an impossible task to begin with.” Taylor raised his hands to cup her face. “Caroline should never have asked me. Being alone and on my own is the way I live my life. I don’t have it in me to care for a child.”
“You do, Taylor. You just have to dig deep inside yourself to find it. I know what it’s like to have the responsibility of a child thrust on you. But it’s something we do for family, right? Why don’t you go talk to Alex? He’ll understand. You just have to talk to him.”
Looking into her clear blue eyes, Taylor wanted to reach out to her, wanted to erase the events of the day and lose himself in her soft touch, in the honey sweetness of her woman’s body. But that was out of the question. He wouldn’t use her that way. No matter how upset he was right now, he wouldn’t do it.
Heaving out a long sigh, he nodded. “You’re right. I’ll go talk to him.”
Piper stood, but stiffness was in every movement, and she groaned. “Yikes. Guess I’m going to be hurting tonight.” She placed a hand on her hip.
Concerned, Taylor stood, too. “Your back?”
“Yeah.”
Though she tried to hide the frown of pain, he saw it. “Let me see. You fell flat onto your back, didn’t you?” he said, trying to recall the sequence of events when he had released Alex into Piper’s waiting arms. He clenched his jaw as the memory of the day came back to him. He should have done more to protect both of them. It was his fault that they were both hurting, and he had come away with just a few scratches that would be gone by tomorrow.
“I did. I’m sure it’s nothing that some ibuprofen and a hot shower won’t fix.” She tried to wave away his concern.
“Still, let me see.” Determined to examine her back, he turned her round and eased her shirt up. Clenching his teeth against the anger that wanted to surface again, he turned her into the light and pulled her shirt higher. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“It really didn’t start to hurt in earnest until just a little while ago. What is it?” Twisting, she tried to see her back.
“Abrasions, embedded gravel, and you’re going to have a hell of a bruise on your right flank.” All because of him. And he was going to fix it right now.
“Well, no wonder it hurts.” She gave a quick laugh and patted his hand. “It’s okay. I’ll live.”
He dropped her shirt. “I’m going to have to pick out some of that gravel. Why don’t you take a shower hereto see if that takes care of some of it, then I’ll remove the rest?” Offering her a shower and cleaning up her back was the least he could do.
“Oh, no, Taylor. I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”
He looked down at her, gave her his best unblinking stare that he usually reserved for stubborn patients who didn’t want to listen to him. “That really wasn’t a request.” He took her by the shoulders and walked her to the door to his private bathroom, knowing she didn’t want to trouble him, but he was insistent. He needed to do this to make amends, despite what she had said. “Take a shower. Help yourself to anything in there.”
“Okay, okay. I’m going.” Piper entered the large bathroom and closed the door. She removed her clothing and looked in the mirror at her back. “Ew.” No wonder he was concerned. It was much worse than she had first thought. Tiny grains of dirt peppered the lower half of her back, and she had abrasions on her shoulder blades. Taylor was right, she was going to have a doozy of a bruise. At the time it hadn’t felt like much, but the adrenaline must have been pumping and had masked the pain. She pulled a large fluffy towel out of the linen closet and started the water. As she entered the glass enclosure, she tried not to think of Taylor standing there naked every day.
She really tried, but thoughts of him leaning with one hand against the tile wall as the water sluiced down over his shoulders and back and lower refused to
“You do, Taylor. You just have to dig deep inside yourself to find it. I know what it’s like to have the responsibility of a child thrust on you. But it’s something we do for family, right? Why don’t you go talk to Alex? He’ll understand. You just have to talk to him.”
Looking into her clear blue eyes, Taylor wanted to reach out to her, wanted to erase the events of the day and lose himself in her soft touch, in the honey sweetness of her woman’s body. But that was out of the question. He wouldn’t use her that way. No matter how upset he was right now, he wouldn’t do it.
Heaving out a long sigh, he nodded. “You’re right. I’ll go talk to him.”
Piper stood, but stiffness was in every movement, and she groaned. “Yikes. Guess I’m going to be hurting tonight.” She placed a hand on her hip.
Concerned, Taylor stood, too. “Your back?”
“Yeah.”
Though she tried to hide the frown of pain, he saw it. “Let me see. You fell flat onto your back, didn’t you?” he said, trying to recall the sequence of events when he had released Alex into Piper’s waiting arms. He clenched his jaw as the memory of the day came back to him. He should have done more to protect both of them. It was his fault that they were both hurting, and he had come away with just a few scratches that would be gone by tomorrow.
“I did. I’m sure it’s nothing that some ibuprofen and a hot shower won’t fix.” She tried to wave away his concern.
“Still, let me see.” Determined to examine her back, he turned her round and eased her shirt up. Clenching his teeth against the anger that wanted to surface again, he turned her into the light and pulled her shirt higher. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“It really didn’t start to hurt in earnest until just a little while ago. What is it?” Twisting, she tried to see her back.
“Abrasions, embedded gravel, and you’re going to have a hell of a bruise on your right flank.” All because of him. And he was going to fix it right now.
“Well, no wonder it hurts.” She gave a quick laugh and patted his hand. “It’s okay. I’ll live.”
He dropped her shirt. “I’m going to have to pick out some of that gravel. Why don’t you take a shower hereto see if that takes care of some of it, then I’ll remove the rest?” Offering her a shower and cleaning up her back was the least he could do.
“Oh, no, Taylor. I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”
He looked down at her, gave her his best unblinking stare that he usually reserved for stubborn patients who didn’t want to listen to him. “That really wasn’t a request.” He took her by the shoulders and walked her to the door to his private bathroom, knowing she didn’t want to trouble him, but he was insistent. He needed to do this to make amends, despite what she had said. “Take a shower. Help yourself to anything in there.”
“Okay, okay. I’m going.” Piper entered the large bathroom and closed the door. She removed her clothing and looked in the mirror at her back. “Ew.” No wonder he was concerned. It was much worse than she had first thought. Tiny grains of dirt peppered the lower half of her back, and she had abrasions on her shoulder blades. Taylor was right, she was going to have a doozy of a bruise. At the time it hadn’t felt like much, but the adrenaline must have been pumping and had masked the pain. She pulled a large fluffy towel out of the linen closet and started the water. As she entered the glass enclosure, she tried not to think of Taylor standing there naked every day.
She really tried, but thoughts of him leaning with one hand against the tile wall as the water sluiced down over his shoulders and back and lower refused to
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