Hate You Not

“Whoa…”

He’s over to me in an instant, wrapping an arm behind my back and leaning me against his big, warm body.

“Shit, are you okay?”

I’ve grabbed onto his forearm with one of my hands, and I realize my fingers are shaking. “Totally fine.”

I look up at him, and he grins. “Your hair.”

“Crazy?” I ask.

“A little.”

I sigh. “I tried to summon Leah, but I guess she wasn’t checking her texts.”

“She’s been grilling.” I frown, because that’s weird, and he explains, “Your brother burned his hand, and then he got caught up talking with a friend of his.”

“Foster?”

“Yeah, the blond guy?”

I nod. He looks down at me, and I look up at him, and suddenly I’m too warm. “I just need to get these crutches under my arms, and I should be good to go.”

“Where are you going?”

“Powder room.”

“What is the powder room?” He looks genuinely puzzled.

“It’s the lady’s room, Burke.”

His eyes light up, as if he finds that funny. “I can help you over there.”

“No thanks.”

“No?”

“You know. It’s kind of personal.”

“Even walking to the door?”

I sniff. “Just pass me that crutch there and leave my bedroom door open. Then skedaddle.”

“Is your lair a women only space?” He’s smirking.

“Just no snakes.”

That brings forth his quiet chuckle as his big hand grips my waist and he helps me steady myself on the crutches.

“What do you think?” he asks. “Have you ever used crutches before?”

“Nope.”

“Why don’t we do a little practice? Oh, and—” He pulls something from his pocket.

I shake my head before he even opens his palm. “Not another one of those. I’m like a zombie already.”

He smiles and shakes his head and then he pulls three Advil from his other pocket. “This more your speed right now?”

“Thank you.” He holds my water glass for me, and I swallow the pills using the red straw. After that, his eyes are on me, and my freaking cheeks are burning. There’s not enough air for both of us in this little room. “So I guess my family just abandoned me to the stranger.”

“A handsome stranger,” he says. “Charming, too. At least that’s what I heard them say.” He shrugs.

I roll my eyes. “Keep fishing like that and you might just fall in.”

That makes him laugh again. “You Southern people and your phrases.”

“Down here, we call them sayings.”

“Do you now?” He does it again! Smiles at me until my cheeks are too hot.

“Okay, so what do I do? Just like this?” I swing my body in between the crutches, moving toward the bathroom. “Pretty easy.”

“You’re a natural.”

A thought hits me like a lightning bolt. “Hot Rocket! What happened?” I try to whirl around so I can face him, and he’s there to grab my arm so I don’t bust my fool ass. When I’m steady, I see something like concern pass over his face. My stomach lurches so hard I feel sick.

“Oh, please—”

“He’s okay.”

I shut my eyes against the tears that burn behind my eyelids. “Okay.” I swallow, and I can feel him stepping closer to me again.

“He’s okay. He has a fracture, but it’s an incomplete fracture. One of the small bones in the right front leg. It’s just a crack, upper part of the leg. He’s going to be okay.”

I nod, but a tear drips down my temple. It was my fault.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

My gaze snaps to his. “Yes it was. I felt him struggle with his footing a few seconds before he fell, but I didn’t adjust course.”

“Define a ‘few’ seconds.?”

I swallow, shaking my head. I don’t know. It might have been milliseconds, but it still counts.

He nods. “There wasn’t enough time. It might have felt like seconds, but it wasn’t. It was fractions of a second, more likely.”

Another thought occurs to me. “Where is he now? Who has him?”

“He’s at a vet in Albany.”

“In Albany,” I repeat slowly. The vet we usually use is over in Dawson.

“Your brother and I talked about it at the hospital. By phone. We’ve got it figured out.”

I sigh, because I’m sure that means Shawn is, again, spending money on me that he doesn’t have.

I’m surprised when Burke’s hand skims my shoulder. “Don’t worry about this stuff now. I mean it when I said he’s going to be okay. Shawn can tell you more about him. If he slows up on the drinking.” He grins.

“Oh, he won’t. Especially not if Foster’s here. Those two could drain the ocean.”

He smiles like it’s a novelty—my country brother and his dumb friend.

“Bunch of drunks around here.”

“They’re just having fun,” Burke says.

“So much to celebrate.”

His face softens. “Yeah…I’m sorry.”

I hiss softly as I crutch my way toward the bathroom. He says, “I heard that.” Then he adds, “Want me to wait outside?”

“No thanks.”

“I’ll leave your bedroom door open, and I’ll be watching for you coming down the hall. I already pulled the runner up.”