“Just listen to him,” Rose insisted. “My cousin is nothing if not thorough. Honestly, he’s obsessed with his job, so he’s probably getting a kick out of making a house call.”
Mathew shot his cousin a disgruntled look, but Rose only grinned, unapologetically.
River watched with fascination. The only member of her family—or the one she’d consider family—was her foster sister, and they had never acted like this. The good-natured way they were with each other made River notice just how different her connections to people were.
“All right,Dr. Klein—how bad is it?” River asked, letting a little too much attitude sneak in.
Rose blinked, and Mathew’s brows lifted like he wasn’t sure whether to be amused or offended. River’s stomach dipped. Great. Foot, meet mouth. Speaking without thinking was a habit she’d never quite managed to break.
She pressed her lips together, then let out a quiet breath. “Sorry. That came out wrong. I’m not great at… being normal.”
Rose’s expression softened. Mathew still looked confused, but the tension in his shoulders eased a fraction.
River held out her hand. “Just—tell me what you want me to do. I can handle it.”
“Let me get the stuff I brought,” Mathew said, already shifting into doctor mode. His eyes flicked toward the door, and River followed the glance.
Emerson was leaning against the frame wearing an infuriating smirk.
Mathew’s expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked more determined as he got to work.
A few short minutes later, she’d been cleaned up, treated, and bandaged. It was a little more thorough than River would’ve done for herself, but she didn’t argue. When Rose left with Mathew, River was left alone with Emerson.
Emerson pushed off the doorframe. “Dr. Klein, huh?”
“Oh, be quiet.” River crossed to the workbench lined with wrenches and parts she’d pulled out for the tractor—anything to avoid standing there while Emerson dissected her like it was his job.
“I’ve never seen anyone look so cornered before.”
River paused and glanced back at him. “Did I go too far?”
“Too far? That’s one way to put it.” Emerson’s grin softened just a notch. “But don’t worry. Rose’s cousin can handle himself. He’d have to, being an ER doctor.” He tilted his head. “Then again… if you’re worried because you’re interested in him…”
“Don’t start,” she warned. “I’m not built for relationships.” River turned back to the tools. “And it’s not like I’m going to be running into Mathew Klein every day.”
She’d been wrong.
Not twenty-four hours later, she was holding a blood-soaked rag to her hand, cursing herself for letting her hand slip when she was installing a new blade on a mower. It had sliced through her palm, and she knew she’d have to get stitches.
Emerson had been the one to catch her berating herself as she paced the hangar. The last thing she wanted to do was tell her boss she’d been careless. But it wasn’t just that. She already knew who’d be showing up to help.
The sound of a car door slamming shut reached her, and she headed for the entrance to the structure to see a disheveled Mathew heading her way. When he looked up at her, his steps slowed and she forced a smile.
“We have to stop meeting this way,” she said with a laugh.
He arched a brow, obviously not impressed by her statement. “Let’s see it,” Mathew said with exasperation.
She winced inwardly but did as she was told.
Yet again, Mathew’s gentle touch threw her off balance. He unwrapped the rag with mild disgust—probably because it was filthy. She felt vulnerable as he examined her wound. The lines in his brow deepened and he shook his head.
The muscles in his jaw feathered. “We need to get this cleaned up. Come on.” Mathew didn’t release her wrist as he tugged her toward the house.
“Mathew, wait.” Panic crept into her voice. She didn’t want to go into Rose’s house. “I live over the garage. Can we go to my apartment instead?”
He cut her a curious look but didn’t argue.
“You can let me go, you know,” she said quietly.
