“Steaming bowls of soup are lovely on cold days.” As she massaged, she lifted his foot an inch higher and then lowered it back down. “Mine is white soup with poached eggs.”
“Mine is chestnut soup.” He narrowed his eyes. “What does that have to do with—”
“Tea with milk or sugar?” This time as she massaged, she lifted his foot a tiny bit higher before lowering it again.
“Neither,” he said. “But I’ll take a pupton of apples if you have it.”
Excellent choice. Who didn’t love any dessert made with spices and baked apples?
“French sauces,” she said. “Which is your favorite?”
“I’ve always been partial to—Aargh.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “What are you doing?”
She lowered his foot a fraction. “Right there. Do you feel that?”
“In my bones,” he answered. “I thought you were trying to relax my muscles, not rip them apart.”
“Relaxing was step one. Step two is to stretch. Do ten a day, ten times a day. Just this high. Enough to ache, but not hurt.”
“Should I do a hundred in a row if I can stand it?”
“No,” she said sharply. “If you push too hard, you’ll do more damage than good. Never more than ten in an hour. Never more than ten sets a day. Do you understand the rules?”
He arched a brow. “Are you sure you’ve never been a military officer?”
“Never once,” she said. “But you’re not my first rescue.”
His eyes narrowed. “How many gentlemenhaveyou done this with?”
“Just you.” She collected his boot and pushed to her feet. “Stop wearing these. You’re giving an unnecessary shock to your knee every time you put it on or take it off.”
His dark eyes flashed. “Should I take off anything else, commander?”
She rather wished he would. He could only get more attractive.
Virginia turned away before he could spy the heat on her cheeks, only to color further when she caught sight of the covered basket left abandoned just inside the door.
Poor Duke. She had forgotten all about him! She hurried over to the basket and flung open the lid.
He bared his teeth. Apparently, disturbing him had ruined his nap.
“The cat?” she heard Theodore mutter. “I was hoping for more ice cream.”
Virginia reached for Duke.
He circumvented her arms and dashed instead toward the wheels of Theodore’s chair. She hurried over and held out her hands.
Duke slid beneath the wheeled chair and rubbed his tail against the leather underside. When she knelt to reach for him, Duke hissed in displeasure. Rather than come to her as he had every other day since she’d rescued him, Duke curled between Theodore’s feet and closed his eyes.
Virginia’s confusion and hurt was quickly replaced by understanding and admiration. Duke had not rejected her. He wasconspiringwith her. After years of watching her work, Duke had decided to go where he was needed, too. This was their patient. They were a team.
“Duke’s right,” she said as she pushed to her feet.
Theodore’s brows shot up. “You speak ‘meow?’”
“He speaksmylanguage.” Neither of them could resist a stray.
Virginia’s heart pounded at what she was about to do. Duke was her oldest, most faithful companion. When she had had no one, he stayed with her. He had changed her life. Gave her a reason to look forward to each day.
