Broken: Healing Her Heart

ery sense on alert. When she nodded,

his. I dont know, but I thi

s pier. Are you sure? Maybe she just didn

one to hear her. But then I heard a crash and then noth

ed seen his share of domestic violence cases when hed been in Madison, but he couldnt figure out why the women didnt just get out. He knew being a vic

the deputies over

Annies abrupt call and the crash shed heard. After she finished, she tur

ait for me to help you, he cautioned. He made quick wor

He followed close behind. Do you know where Annie

ey dont have access to the lake, but their house is tucked into the trees. I think Kurt likes his

drive m

edictable. Yet how could he refuse? If anything, Larissa might be able to calm Annie down i

eed. But were not going ins

ing as she slid into the passenger seat. He took the crutches, stu

Larissa

ut he nudged the gas pedal a bit more. Tr

answered because she dropped the phone into her lap

of sirens getting louder. The squad sped past them, kicking up

pray the deputies had

ng driveway, he pulled off on the

, her tone laced with impatie

For all we know, Annie could be a hostage. There could be weapons involved. And from what hed heard about Kurt, the

er head to pray, he reached over to take her hand in his. Dear Lor

rissa wh

were down, too, but they couldnt hear anything, and she wasnt sure if that was a good thing or not. At leas

. She was pleased that Gabe had prayed with her, and if the situation wasnt so tens

es reached her ears, an

r that? she

eres nothing to worr

e men didnt just turn over a new leaf. They always wanted to prove that they wer

g so stupid? Whack! Maybe next time, youll

rward. Her stepfather had beat her mother on a regular basis, but it wasnt un

suddenly got very pale. She needed to

e held her breath until the squad car came in

ed through his open win

e claims she knocked a pot of hot water off the stove and that her burns are sup

at could they do? If Annie wouldnt come forward to testify against her husba

thered you,

wn. But it is frustrating. At the moment, our han

t say anything as Gabe started up the car and drove away. She k

ng was whether or not she

lly quiet during the ride back to his place. H

ally braced himself for rejection. Actuall

spending the evening together. He assumed that Larissa didnt want to be alone, and he could

s glad al

ocery store, he said. I need to pick u

ppy to pay for salad

rn in the road to head back toward town. A few minutes later

her vanilla scent. He quickly pulled her crutches out o

swinging into a cru

r to the produce section. Oooh, the

. If you li

u dont like tomatoes? How is that

ry grin. But help yourse

, whats n

ed the basket with veggies. I have ranch dressing a

h dressing,

lines, and he I ignored the surprised glances in his direction as he paid for the groceries. It was a l

son, hed tried to avoid attracting attention here in Cr

ng up veggies for dinner with Larissa? He didnt care what people said about him outside the hosp

a took over the kitchen. Ill make the salads, she said, running

e hed been marinating them all afternoon. The fact that hed planned

breaking his cardinal rule

opardize his career. They were friends, thats all. And frien

made with her flowery skirt, her pink top and the soft smile that tugged at her mouth as she dropped into one of the deck chairs. Sala

fort. Sounds great, he finally managed. And how do you like your steak? he asked, trying

e guess, youre the kind of guy w

eal more. When the sun set over the horizon and the mosquitoes came out, they reluctantly went inside. Since Larissa was on crutches, he brought all the dirty

ime for me to head home, any

knew that it would be best for him if she did. He was already far too aware of

ath her arms. Although you were right about the fact that crutch walking isn

ant. Youll get used to it a

tment didnt take long, another novelty of living in Crystal Lake compared to Madison. All

arissa asked, breaking into

t was difficult to tell in the dim light. For a moment, he considered asking o

eally bad idea. Besides, hed

ankle isnt better, get in to see your doct

she pr

nd shut off the car so he could help her out. Of course, b

around to assist. She attempted to piv

ll against the door. Her small frame fit into his arms

thlessly, her face bu

drawing her even closer. But then she pulled back a bit and tippe

th to capture hers