Sierra held out her hand. “Deal.”
Connor took her hand and shook it. “Deal.”
She wondered if she was making a huge mistake.
*
The next severaldays were frustrating for Sierra. Did the man have a radar where she was concerned? Didn’t she see Connor enough at work without adding in seeing him all over town?
She’d even run into him at Sage’s Chocolate shop. Again, he was alone. She could have sworn he blushed when she asked him what he was buying. A little shame-faced he admitted to an addiction to some of Sage’s special chocolates.
She could understand that. She loved Sage’s chocolates too. To counter that, she ran. Not daily but often. A few days after she saw Connor at Sage’s she was out for a run on one of the paths through the woods near the hospital. She liked it better than running on pavement. It was a nice change, even though she had to be careful about tripping since the path was challenging with lots of roots, dips, rocks, and patches of snow.
She took an offshoot of the main path and ran smack into Connor. Very nearly crashed into him, in fact. Though he was going in the opposite direction he said, “Want some company?”
“Sure. I’m only going another couple of miles, though.”
“Fine with me. I was nearly finished.”
He wore sweatpants and a tight, long-sleeved T-shirt, but no hat and no jacket. She, on the other hand, was more bundled up although she’d taken off her sweatshirt, put her jacket back on, and tied the sweatshirt around her waist.
“Do you always dress like that in the winter?” she asked after they’d run for a bit.
“No, sometimes I wear shorts. I’m hot-blooded.”
She laughed. “Cute. How long do you usually run?”
“Four to six miles, depending.”
“Where do you go when there’s too much snow?”
“The streets and sidewalks are usually okay.”
“Do you ever run on a treadmill?”
“God no. I’d shoot myself if I had to do that.”
“I’ve done it but I don’t like it. Do you run for pleasure or to keep in shape?”
“Both, I guess. But I like it. If I don’t get to run for too long it makes me twitchy.”
She was about to ask him another question when she tripped on a root and fell flat on her face. Groaning, she lay there a moment before rolling onto her back to assess her injuries. Connor, who’d tried to catch her, squatted beside her. “Your face is bleeding. Is anything else hurt?”
“Only my pride.”
He examined her face, ignoring her protests. “You’re bleeding a lot but it’s a head wound so that’s no surprise. Come on, let me fix you up.”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t be stubborn.” He gave her a hand and helped her up. “It’s not far back to the apartments, but the hospital is closer.”
“I am not going to the hospital because I was clumsy. I got a cut. It’s no biggie.”
“Apartments it is. I’d give you a handkerchief if I had one. Or my shirt, but it’s sweaty. Or you could use your own sweatshirt.”
“And ruin it? I don’t think so.” She wore an old T-shirt beneath a heavier shirt so she pulled it up and wiped at her face. “Better?”
He was obviously trying not to laugh. “Not exactly. You’ve smeared blood all over your face.”
“I give up,” she muttered.
“Poor baby. Let Connor take care of you.”
She gave him a dirty look but allowed him to lead her away.
