Page 8 of Make It Last

He glanced sideways again. The click of the blinker matched the beat of my heart.

“Willow Brook may be a small town, but we have a great medical team at this hospital. I promise you that.”

His assurance gave me confidence. I hadn’t exactly doubted the hospital team, but I wasn’t home. I was thousands of miles away from anything familiar.

Within moments, he was out of the truck and pushing a wheelchair to it.

“I do not need to ride in a wheelchair,” I announced.

“Ava.” His voice held a firmness that caught me off guard.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want you putting any weight on that ankle.”

“I know, but?—”

“You’re not going to hop on one leg. Even if I hold you up, you could slip. If that happens, you’ll land on that foot. We’re not risking that.”

I hated that he was right and hated even more that I felt so helpless. “Fine.”

He eased me into the wheelchair, careful and slow.

“I just want you to know”—I actually wagged a finger at him—“that I can usually take care of myself.”

“I believe you can,” he said. When he smiled down at me, my heart did a little flip-flop.

Thankfully, the hospital distracted me from Tanner and his forearms and his commanding voice. “Hey, Holly,” he called out to a woman behind the circular desk.

She looked up, ponytail swinging, and came around the desk. “Oh, are you the one who slipped on the glacier?” Holly asked, smiling.

“How do you know?”

“It’s a small town,” Holly replied. “Maisie called ahead.” She nodded toward Tanner.

“Of course she did,” he said. “Maisie’s the woman at dispatch,” he added, looking back at me.

When our gazes collided, I could’ve sworn there were actual sparks in the air. My entire body felt hot. Get it together, Ava.

All my vows, all my promises to myself, were going up in smoke. Tanner was lighting them on fire without even trying. Yet I knew there was no point in crushing on a man who carried me down a mountain. He was going to walk out of this hospital, and I was never going to see him again.

Holly smiled down at me. “I’m Holly.”

“Hi,” I said. “I’m Ava.”

Chapter Four

Ava

When Reality Strikes

“I think I broke my ankle,” I announced.

“That’s what I heard,” Holly said briskly. “Let’s get you into the X-ray room.” She reached for the handles on my wheelchair before pausing to glance up at Tanner. “I heard you carried her down.”

“He did,” I confirmed. I pressed a palm dramatically to my chest. “It was very romantic.”

Tanner chuckled, and Holly threw her head back, letting out a peal of laughter. “I like you, Ava,” Holly said as she looked down at me.