AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m relieved.” An awkward flush spread across her cheeks, and she took him in from head to toe. Choice moments of the forest liaison replayed in her mind, and her body tingled with attraction from one magnetic pole to the other.
He leaned over to pick up her crutches and handed them back. “I’m glad you’re able to keep mobile. Keeping the blood flowing in your legs is important.”
“Always the doctor. How’d you find me, anyhow?” To her knowledge, her address wasn’t listed anywhere, and his lopsided smile hinted at mischief.
“I called Kingsley Tech in London and spoke with Tilly Baxter. I wanted to send you a get-well gift and needed your address.”
“My admin is a traitor.” Feigning admonition, she crossed her arms and grimaced. “Clearly, I need to speak with her.”
Mark shuffled backward with both hands up in the air. “Hang on there. In Tilly’s defense, she refused to share any of your information until she verified my credentials and even cleared it with David first.”
“I’m glad you persisted. Somehow, I didn’t get your number before you checked out of the hospital.” Tess placed her hands on her hips and gave him a questioning look.
“After what we’ve been through, sending flowers seemed inadequate, so I decided to visit you, instead.”
“You drove all the way to Seattle to say hello?”His unexpected appearance on her doorstep delighted her, but after overcoming her surprise, she wondered what motivated his visit.
“I figured you’d want this back.” From his pocket, he produced the red-handled pocketknife they’d used to escape the barn. “I sanitized it.”
“My lucky charm for travel. Thank you.” His answer, while sweet, still didn’t address her question, and she resolved to figure out his intentions later. She touched the knife’s smooth steel before setting it on the dining table and led him into the living room, where the fireplace glowed with crackling, orange flames. “Come, have a seat. I’ll take your coat.”
“Thanks. You’ve got a stunning view.” Mark crossed the room and stopped at the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Outside, the boats lining Lake Union bobbed up and down in the heavy wind. She admired his broad shoulders from behind, and heat flushed her cheeks as her gaze drifted south to his hips.
“I’ve always loved the water, and this reminds me of the fjords near Bergen.” He rotated to face her and smiled.
“The lake is stunning, even on stormy days. Since moving from London, I’ve barely spent any time here, but I enjoy it when I do.” She sank onto her overstuffed suede couch and put her foot onto an oversized pillow.
He sat next to her and leaned forward to elevate her ankle higher on the pillow. “How are you recovering?”
Hypersensitive to his presence, she sensed his every move and suppressed the urge to run her hands over his muscular body.
“My ribs need a few weeks to mend, but my punctured lung is healing without surgery, which is a big win.”
“I’m happy to see you, but what really inspired your trip? It’s a long way and an international border crossing.” She had expected he’d be eager to fly home.
He steepled his fingertips in front of his mouth. “Well, I didn’t make it to New York. I was too sick to fly, so I rested longer in Vancouver. Also, I needed to meet George Bouchard from Timberline Ventures before he returned to Toronto. Seattle was nearby, so I reserved a hotel and drove south after my meeting.”
“George Bouchard. I didn’t manage to meet with him before everything happened.” She’d nearly forgotten why she traveled to Cedarcliff in the first place—to secure venture capital for Kingsley Tech.
Mark took a deep breath. “I resigned my medical advisor position on Timberline’s board, and I needed to tell Bouchard in person.”
“Wow, big decision. Though given what happened, Bouchard could hardly blame you.” Rapt with attention, she watched as he sported an ironic smile and shook his head.
“No, not so big. I’m not a corporate guy, and I won’t miss it. I belong in an operating room, not a boardroom.”
“So, what’s next?”
He displayed his left hand, its deep purple scars garish in the bright daylight. “Healing my hand. I need intensive therapy to return to work and start doing surgery again, and that’s what I want most.”
Tess offered him an encouraging smile and gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. The simple gesture quickened her pulse, and a familiar warmth spread across her pelvis, despite her best effort to concentrate on their conversation.
“First though, I’d like to know why this attack happened, so I can move past it. In Crimea where I injured my hand, it was a war zone, where you willingly accept the risk of omnipresent danger. Processing Cedarcliff is harder because the attack was so unexpected. Seriously, no one expects a terrorist attack in Canada.”
“True.” Hesitant to voice her uncertainty, Tess glanced out the window toward the lake. “I’m afraid we might not get closure anytime soon.”
“Have the police updated you?” Mark leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs.
