Matthew held her hand where she lay prostrate on the hard board that supported her back and neck.  She was tied down and the bruises were much more obvious now and he wondered if they would be able to save her.  He was afraid she would die before he had had a chance to tell her what he had intended to tell her at the river.  The fact that she was still unconscious could not be a good sign.Gently he kissed her hand.  He did not want to lose her now.  Why had she fled from him like that?  She had seemed willing enough when he had kissed her.  Had he read her signals wrong?  He had not even done more than just enjoy the feel of her skin and the taste of her kiss; what had driven her to run away?Was all this his fault?  It had to be!  She would never ride like that, unless something had upset her badly.  He looked at the slither of rock that was still protruding from her back; stained with her blood.  There had

The doctor indicated for a stunned Matthew to follow him before he retreated. Matthew obeyed and stood outside, waiting for the doctor to finish the sentence he had started. He knew there was important information, but he had been so stunned by Kara’s reaction that he had frozen for a moment. But then, how would he react if he were in her position?“Mr. Daniels, I need you to understand that the feeling in her feet is a good sign. It could mean that with therapy, she might be able to walk again. But it will take a lot of work on her side. And she will need your support. It will be a difficult road to recovery and she needs love and understanding at this time.”T

Matthew was miserable.  He longed to see her, but he realized that showing up might make her fall back into her depression if she really thought that he was the reason for her state of health.And in truth she was right.  If he had not walked into that water and kissed her like he had, he would not have scared her and she would not have ridden her horse so hard.  It was his fault entirely.He had noticed his foreman watching him and he knew he looked horrible, but he could not get himself to care.  He was depressed at his role in her accident and though he longed to correct it he knew he could not face her with the knowledge he had.  And what right did he have after what he had done to her.The doctor had called him a few times and asked him when he would visit again, but he kept coming up with excuses.  A few nurses had even phoned to ask if he would be coming in, but he would have an excuse ready.  He could not face her accus

The room felt suddenly so empty and lonely.  With a sigh, Kara rolled over to the bag and started to unpack.  When she was finished, she decided to explore the house, since she would live here for the next – how long would she stay here?  Indefinitely?  Pushing the worried thoughts aside in a bid to keep herself calm, she rolled down the hallway and started at the closed door farthest down the hall. This was a bedroom with blue and silver coloring.  It clearly had been finished and the painting that hung against the wall above the chest of drawers was also one of his.  It was a still of blue flowers in a silver pitcher; some of the petals had fallen and was lying around the pitcher on the wooden table.  Why had he not decided to make this her room?  Was it to have her close for emergencies or was it because he did not want her in the room?  She left quietly, afraid to disturb the calm of the room, and closed the door so

It was after this month that she awoke early one morning.  It was still dark outside, but she could not sleep anymore, so she did some of the exercises and then got bored with them.  The house was still quiet and she did not want to wake Matthew by rolling her wheelchair out of her room since he was a light sleeper from what she had noted in the month she had been in his house, but she did not want to stay in bed anymore.  She despised the wheelchair and she glanced at the sturdy post of the bed.With a faint smile and endless determination, she pulled herself upright and threw her legs over the edge.  Bracing herself with the post, she put some weight on her legs and when she felt no pain or trembling, she pushed herself to stand.  When she was standing up straight she gave a victorious smile.  Soon she would walk again; she felt stronger in her legs and that made her want to push herself a little more.Then she pushed her one leg forward