A brief pang of remorse shot through her, but she’d gone too far to turn back. She’d given him her heart, and she felt the sharp, shattered fragments pierce her chest each time she tried to breathe.
“Stay.” The plea escaped in a desperate gasp before the thought had fully formed in her mind. “Please, Colt. Stay here. With me.”
A dark shadow passed over his features, and when his lips finally parted, each syllable seemed to cause him physical pain. “I can’t.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
The answer loomed in his tortured gaze.
“I guess there’s nothing else to say.” Tears blurring her vision, she turned away from him, suddenly overcome with blinding anger at her own foolishness.
The image of her father on the balcony sprang from her subconscious, and all at once, she felt as though she’d let him down. He’d spent his entire life teaching her to be safe, protecting her from pain. Despite everything, she’d thrown caution to the wind, hoping she could fly.
And look how far she’d fallen.
* * *
When Colt arrived at Frank’s, he sat in the driveway with his motorcycle idling, still in shock.
His perfect state of bliss had devolved into a nightmare in three seconds flat, and he could only blame himself. To make matters worse, he had no idea how to fix it. What he’d thought would be received as a romantic gesture had torn them apart. And before he’d gathered the courage to explainwhyhe couldn’t stay, she’d deserted him on the street corner.
Yanking off his helmet, Colt took a deep breath, but with each inhale, a sharp, throbbing pain tore through his chest. And to his surprise, a tingling, burning sensation pricked the backs of his eyes.
He’d only ever cried twice in his adult life. Once when his father was diagnosed with cancer and again when the cancer took his father’s life.
Fighting with his emotions, he shifted his gaze to the car beside him, blinking a few times as he tried to register the unfamiliar vehicle. The dark-blue sedan didn’t look anything like Beverly’s Volvo. And the young, attractive woman exiting the front door certainly wasn’t Beverly, either.
He killed the ignition before sliding off the bike.
“You must be Colt,” she said, more a statement than a question.
“I am.” His gaze fell to the black leather bag in her hand, and his stomach clenched. “And you are?”
“Doctor Rose Delaney.”
He’d never heard of her before. She must be new in town, but Colt wasn’t in the right frame of mind for pleasantries. “Is Frank okay?”
She frowned, as though trying to formulate an appropriate response. “He fell and dislocated his right shoulder. He’s in considerable pain, but there’s no permanent damage.”
His blood pumping in alarm, Colt strode toward the porch steps, but as he maneuvered past her, she placed a gentle hand on his arm. “He’ll be fine, but he needs rest. I’ll come by and check on him tomorrow afternoon.”
Colt nodded, gritting his teeth against the weight of helplessness pressing down on him. He was supposed to protect Frank, to keep something like this from happening. “Is Beverly here?” He scanned the driveway for her car. She’d planned to be with Frank most of the evening while he was out with Penny.
“Frank was the only one home when I arrived. I asked if I should notify a family member on his behalf, but he declined, explaining that you would be home soon. I left my cell number in case you need anything and I’m not in the office.”
“Thank you. Is it okay if I see him?”
“Of course. Just know that he’s… um, not in the best mood,” she said ruefully.
“That doesn’t surprise me. But you get used to it.” He offered what he hoped was a friendly smile. Or, at least, the best he could muster under the circumstances.
After bidding her good night, he stole quietly down the hallway toward Frank’s room. Frank lay in bed, his head propped up with several pillows, his arm in a sling. A small rabbit-eared TV blared on the nightstand, but he didn’t appear to be watching.
“Knock, knock.” Colt entered the room cautiously.
Frank grunted, staring up at the ceiling.
“I’m so sorry, Frank. I caught Dr. Delaney on her way out and she explained what happened. Can I get you anything?”
