Page 30 of Winning Back His Wife
“I’m Sarah.” Cullen had called the by-the-book paramedic and mountain-rescue volunteer tough as nails, but Sarah didn’t get that impression at all. “Nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine.” Leanne glanced at Cullen, who was sticking a water bottle into his backpack. “Hope I’m not late.”
“Right on time.” He swung a backpack strap over his right shoulder. “Thanks for taking the overnight shift. I left a list of instructions on the breakfast bar. Sarah’s meds are on the kitchen counter. She should rest as much as possible. Short walks are okay, but not outside.”
“Bummer. I thought I could take her on a midnight stroll around Mirror Lake,” Leanne teased.
His gaze hardened. “You’re kidding.”
Sarah shook her head. He needed to lighten up and not take things so seriously.
Leanne’s mouth quirked. “Give me a little credit.”
“Just making sure,” he said. “Call me if you have any questions.”
What? Sarah bit her lower lip. He hadn’t wanted her to call him at work no matter what was going on. If she did contact him, he never got back to her. Most of the times she’d tried calling had been because she missed him and wanted to hear his voice.
“I’m sure Sarah will be able to answer any questions I might have,” Leanne said.
“Definitely.” Sarah liked how direct Leanne was. “I don’t know what instructions Cullen left, but my doctor’s orders are to take my medication. Sleep. Rest. Sleep some more. Rest some more.”
Leanne frowned. “Sounds boring.”
“It is,” Sarah agreed. “I fear I’m turning into a couch potato.”
Cullen’s lip curled. “Resting is important if you want to recover.”
“True, but you can still do stuff while you take it easy,” Leanne said. “I’ll have to see what I can come up with.”
“Thomas,” Cullen said, his voice containing a clear warning.
“Relax,” Leanne countered in a stern voice that made Sarah bite back a giggle. “Sarah will be fine. Get going before we throw you out.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “I’m going.”
As soon as the door closed, Leanne sat on the couch. “I’m sorry about your fall.”
“Thanks. I was at the wrong place, wrong time.”
“Well, you’re in the right place now. Hood Hamlet will be good for you. It won’t be long until you’re exploring Main Street.”
“I can’t wait.”
Colorful prisms of light reflected off Leanne’s diamond ring and danced around the living room. She stared lovingly at her ring.
“Congrats on your engagement,” Sarah said.
Leanne beamed. “Thanks. I still can’t believe I’m getting married.”
“Have you set a wedding date?”
She nodded. “The Saturday before Christmas. We hadn’t been together long when my fiancé, Christian, proposed on Christmas Day so we thought a year engagement sounded good.”
Very good. A year was long enough to get know someone, but not so long you would feel you’d wasted a lot of time if it didn’t work out. “Cullen said you’re a member of OMSAR. Does Christian belong, too?”
“No. He climbs and thought about joining, but he thinks I need something of my own, since we work together.”
“Smart guy.”
A dreamy expression filled Leanne’s brown eyes. “Very smart and smokin’ hot. Ever since we got together I feel like I won the lottery.”
“I know that feeling.”
“With Doc?”
Cullen had treated her with such respect from the moment they met. No other man in her life had ever done that. The cascade of memories made it hard to breathe. How had it gone so wrong? She nodded.
“How did you meet?” Leanne asked.
“I was attending the Red Rocks Rendezvous. We both lived in Seattle at the time and a mutual climbing acquaintance introduced us. A few hours later we ended up in the same self-rescue clinic.”
“Sounds like fate.”
“Only if fate has a really bad sense of humor.”
Leanne’s brow wrinkled. “Doc mentioned you’re getting a divorce.”
Sarah ignored the pang in her heart. “Yes.”
“I’ve gotten to know Doc pretty well the past few months,” Leanne said. “At first I thought he took himself way too seriously and had a stick up his butt. But he’s a good guy.”
“Cullen is a great guy. Not many men would bring their future ex-wives home to care for them.”
“This is none of my business, but I’m still going to ask.” Warmth and concern sounded in Leanne’s voice. “Is there a possibility the two of you will reconcile?
