Sidetracked by love…

World-class sprinter Kelly Maxwell doesn’t have time for romance. But when she suffers an injury on the track, she begins to reevaluate her life. Facing a difficult recovery at a physical rehab facility in New York, Kelly must decide whether she really loves the sport. But after meeting with her physical therapist, Dr. Alex Hutchinson, she faces yet another hurdle.

Alex Hutchinson has fallen in love with the wrong woman before—another athlete just like Kelly. Now, years later, he doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice. He tries to back off, but the attraction is too strong. And when he realizes that Kelly’s coach has his own agenda, Alex tries to protect her even more. But is he ready to heal his broken heart?

Long Distance Lover
Donna Hill

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Epilogue

Prologue

Associated Press—Atlanta

Scandal Rocks Sports World…

Kelly slowly read the headline.

Gold Medal Hopeful Stephanie Daniels Found Dead in her Atlanta Apartment. Kelly’s hands shook as she read on. Following an injury several weeks ago, Kelly Maxwell lost her starting position to Daniels along with her chance at a gold medal. Now it appears that with Maxwell on the mend and her competitor no longer a threat, Maxwell may well regain her golden-girl title. However, speculation abounds and the Atlanta police continue their investigation…

The rest of the words danced and scurried across the page like frightened ants. She tossed the Atlanta Journal-Constitution onto the couch in frustration. Her nerves were ragged and the circles under her eyes testified to her lack of sleep.

Ever since the story broke earlier that week the entire track team had been on pins and needles. Investigators from the sports commission had been all over them, digging, probing, wanting to hang something on them—her in particular. She was the star now, the comeback kid, the one in the spotlight, the one they would love to see fall. She was next in line for the starting position on the team—now that Stephanie was gone.

David swore to her that there was nothing to the story—an ugly rumor that had gone haywire, he’d said.

Now, she didn’t know what to believe. Too many things didn’t add up and what did she didn’t like. If everything the papers said was true, her future was over and she had no one to blame but herself.

Moving slowly through her one-bedroom garden apartment in the exclusive Atlanta community, she glanced around at the trophies, the symbols of her accomplishments, the expensive furniture and original artwork, which were all a testament to her ability on the track. Outside her living room window sat a brand-new Navigator, a treat to herself for making it back. In a matter of days, if the stories were true, it could all be gone and she would be hung out to dry.

She picked up her purse from the end table by the door along with her car keys. Her test was scheduled for nine a.m. She opened the front door to flashbulbs and a cacophony of reporters that assaulted her.

“Ms. Maxwell, Ms. Maxwell, what will you do if the tests come back positive?” Pop, pop, flash, flash. “Did your coach, David Livingston, have anything to do with this?” “Give us a statement, Ms. Maxwell.”

Kelly held her purse up to her face and pushed past the hungry vultures, practically sprinting to her car. She was sure that would be the picture that would wind up on the front page of tomorrow’s paper. She jumped into the SUV, put it in gear and sped off, spewing dust and gravel in her wake.

She should have listened to Alex. She should have listened to her heart and stayed in New York.

Chapter 1

Four months earlier

Kelly Maxwell unpacked her gym bag and shoved the contents into her locker. She was pumped. Adrenaline burned in her veins. It had been nearly a month since she’d been able to practice and she was eager to get on the track and cut through the air. Running was her drug of choice. It got her through the days and even some nights when she would sprint through the dark streets of Atlanta when the city was asleep and her only company was the moon and the stars and the wind.

The sounds of approaching laughter and the easy banter shared between friends interrupted her reverie. She shut her locker, turned the key and shoved it into the pocket of her shorts. She’d hoped to have some time alone. She wanted to get in and out before anyone saw her.

“Well, if it’s not our little star sprinter,” Stephanie Daniels said sarcastically, the comment a sneer rather than a compliment. Stephanie walked further into the locker room and looked Kelly up and down. “Pretty soon we’re going to have to put STAR on your locker door if David has anything to say about it.”

“Stephanie, knock it off,” said Maureen, another member of the track team. She flashed Kelly a look of sympathy without letting Stephanie notice.

Stephanie opened her locker and pulled out her bag. “I call them like I see them. She gets the locker room to herself and the track. What next, the coach?” She laughed.

Kelly snatched her towel from the bench and draped it around her neck. “We’re all on the same team, Stephanie,” she said walking up to her. “I’m where I am because it’s where I deserve to be.” The corner of her mouth curved in a half smile. “And…so…are…you. Second.”

She walked out before Stephanie could respond, but she clearly heard herself referred to as a dog of the female persuasion.

When she stepped outside onto the lush field and imagined the empty stadium seats filled to capacity and the crowd roaring her name, Stephanie’s ugly innuendos no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered was getting on the track and flying, making all her troubles, her fears, her aloneness vanish under the beat of her feet. Reaching the finish line first is what defined her, made her whole.

She jogged down the steps in David’s direction, wincing slightly. She’d have to adjust the wrapping when she got down on the field.

“How’s my star today?” David said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

“I wish you wouldn’t say that around the other teammates,” she said.

He dropped his arm. “Why, because it might make them really step up their game?”

She turned to face him. “No, it makes it difficult for me, David…to fit in when everyone thinks I get special treatment.”

He looked down into her eyes, and lifted her chin with the tip of his index finger. “Maybe because you are special, Kelly. Ever think of that? I know a winner when I see one. And so does the sports world. I told you that from the first day we met. You are a champion with the medals to prove it. And there’s nothing that any of them in the peanut gallery back there can do about that.”

She drew in a breath. There was no point in pursuing the subject, David would never understand. They’d been down this road before.

“Now, let’s see what you got today.” He pulled the towel from around her neck and watched her walk out onto the track. Moments later he followed.

“Need some help with that?” David knelt down beside her.

“I know what I’m doing,” Kelly said a bit more harshly than necessary, as she tightened the Ace bandage around her right ankle. She briefly shut her eyes to withstand the pain that shot up her leg all the way to her hip. Slowly she stood up, bouncing on the balls of her feet to test the ankle.

David stood back, his expression tense and hard, marring his usually approachable facade. Kelly Maxwell was his star sprinter, his claim to fame. As much as his heart told him to snatch her off the track and take her home, his drive for the gold medal and all that came with it overrode any pangs of emotion.

He held up his stopwatch. “Ready!”

Kelly assumed her starting position, snatched a glance at him over her left shoulder and gave a short nod.

“Set. Go.”

She was off the starting block like a bolt of unexpected lightning, fast, smooth, dazzling to the eye. Kelly was incredible to watch. She moved like a gazelle, the long, lean lines of her body flowing in a rhythm that only came from being a natural athlete. What she did could not be taught. It was instinctive. Every breath she took propelled her faster as if she were inhaling fuel. The power in her legs and arms pulsed with energy as she rounded the turn and came into the home stretch.

David checked the watch. His heart rate escalated. She was on her way to a new record for the 100-meter sprint.

But instead of a cry of victory, a scream that vibrated through his bones echoed in the still morning air. Kelly went down hard on the track, writhing in agony.

David and the team doctor rushed to her side.

“Get a stretcher,” David barked to an assistant as he knelt beside her. “It’s gonna be okay, Kelly.”

“My ankle,” she sobbed. “My ankle.” She writhed back and forth in pain.

“Take it easy.”

Two assistants appeared and gently lifted Kelly off the ground and onto the stretcher.

“Take her straight to Atlanta University Hospital,” Dr. Graham said. “I’ll meet you there.” He turned to David, his blue eyes cold and accusing. “I told you not to let her run.” He turned and hurried after his patient.

For several moments, David stood on the empty track as he listened to the wail of the siren speed off. She was going to be all right, he told himself over and again. She had to be.

David paced the confines of the waiting room, every few minutes checking the wall clock overhead. Time moved at a mind-numbing pace. David knew that the rest of the team was probably speculating on the outcome—Stephanie Daniels in particular. If Kelly was out of the running, Stephanie was the next golden girl in line. It was no secret that Stephanie had no real love for Kelly although she feigned it quite well for the media and anyone of importance who would listen. The truth was, Stephanie believed that Kelly was an overrated has-been whose time had passed and she was merely given special treatment because of David. What Stephanie failed to realize was that Kelly was everything Stephanie only wished she could be.

David stopped short his pacing when Dr. Graham entered the room. His expression was somber.

“David, can I speak with you?”

“How is she?”

“I hope you’re satisfied.”

“I don’t need your sarcasm, Doc. How is Kelly?”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, then took off his surgical cap. “She won’t be doing any running for quite some time, if ever.”

David’s breath stopped short in his chest. His features pinched as he stared at the doctor. “What are you saying?”

“Kelly has a hyperextended Achilles tendon and a stress fracture of the ankle.”

David shut his eyes and drew in a long, deep breath.

“I told you she wasn’t ready to get back on the track.”

“It was only a sprain. You said so yourself.”

“A serious sprain. The second one in less than six months. The ankle was weak and you knew that. But you let her go out there anyway.”

“It was her decision.”

“You’re her coach!” he said bitterly from between clenched teeth.

David briefly lowered his head then looked into the doctor’s eyes. “Does she know?”

“She’s hasn’t awakened from the anesthesia yet.”

“I want to be the one who tells her.”

“Why, so you can sugarcoat it and make her believe she’s going to be back out on the track in two weeks? I’m sure the surgeon will tell you the same thing since you don’t believe anything I say.”

David clenched his jaw. He and Dr. Graham had been at odds about Kelly’s rehabilitation for months. He didn’t expect it to get any better with this latest setback. He’d simply find another doctor for Kelly, one who would give her the encouragement she needed to return to the champion athlete the world had known.

“I want this whole thing kept quiet,” David said. “The last thing she needs is the tabloids blowing this out of proportion. Kelly just needs to concentrate on getting well.”

Dr. Graham slowly shook his head in disgust. “Always looking at the bottom line, aren’t you, David?” He turned and walked away.

David stared at the doctor’s retreating back. He needed a plan, a plan to keep this under wraps, to get Kelly out of town as soon as possible, into rehab and with a doctor that saw things his way. In the meantime, he wanted to be the first face that Kelly saw when she woke up.

Chapter 2

Kelly slowly opened her eyes and tried to adjust her vision to the pale walls. She turned her head and tried to move. It was then that she realized her right leg was in a cast up to her hip and suspended from a series of pulleys that looked like something from a torture chamber.

The scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils. She swallowed and started to cough from the dryness in her throat.

The coughing stirred David out of his fitful sleep. He jumped up from the hard plastic chair and went to her bedside. He took her hand.

“K. It’s me, David.”

“I know who you are, David. I didn’t hit my head.”

He grinned. “Still have your sense of humor, I see.”

“I hate to bother you, but could I have some water?”

“Sure. Sure.” He rounded the bed to the nightstand and poured her a glass of water from the blue plastic carafe that matched the plastic cup and the plastic chair. The hospital room decor gave David the creeps.

He held the back of her head as she gulped from the cup.

“Thanks.” She sank back against the pillows. “So…how bad is it?”

He braced his forearms against the railing of the bed and leaned in close. “There’s plenty of time to talk about that. You need to rest.”

“Don’t play games with me, David. I’m a big girl.”

He worked his jaw for a moment. “It will be a while before you can get back on the track. There are pins and braces and all sorts of metal contraptions holding your ankle together.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and muttered a curse under her breath. “So I guess this means I’m out of the trials.”

He nodded his head. “Yeah, but we are going to get you back in fighting shape in no time. I’ve already started making some calls.”

“Calls? What kind of calls?”

“To rehab centers in New York.”

“What? I don’t want to go to New York.”

“They have the best rehabilitation centers in the country, Kelly. And you are going to have the best. You definitely can’t stay in Atlanta. The press wouldn’t let you breathe and you know it. It’s the only way to keep the wolves at bay.”

She started to protest but knew David was right. When she’d been injured six months earlier the press had been so persistent that they actually camped out on her doorstep all night long hoping to get a glimpse of her. They even posed as hospital workers just to get some shots of her. She felt a little shiver at the memory.

David patted her shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. I’m with you all the way.”

She looked up at him and his smile was full of reassurance. David had been in her corner for as long as she could remember. He was her friend, her mentor, her coach and pretty much the only person she could call family. She relied on him for everything. He believed in her when she didn’t believe in herself and the critics tried to downplay her abilities, or cook up one scandal after another about her. He was the one who faced the press when she was too emotionally drained to do so herself. He knew how to get the very best out of her, make her drag things out of herself that she didn’t think she was capable of. He’d made her a champion. She owed him. And he knew it.

“I trust you, David. If you think it’s best.”

He stroked her cheek. “Yeah, I do.”

“Does the press know?”

“I’ll take care of the press. Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

“But what about the team? I…”

“Listen, they all know you’re the best and they want the best for you. Everyone has been hanging around waiting for you to wake up so that they can tell you how much you mean to the team.” He cocked his head over his shoulder. “They’re out in the waiting room.”

She wiped her eyes. “I must look a mess.”

“Not at all,” he said softly.

“Tell me anything.” She tried to brush back her hair, which she usually wore in a ponytail. Her hair was her one attribute that made everyone take a second look. It was just beyond her shoulders, rich, black and smooth as satin. She owed it all to her great-grandmother who was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian. The American-Indian genes seemed to miss everyone else in her family but settled solidly in every fiber of Kelly’s being, from the high cheeks and dark piercing eyes to an incredible love for the outdoors and nature. But it hadn’t always been that way. She inhaled deeply and pushed the images away.

“Should I let them in?”

Kelly nodded slowly. “Is Stephanie out there?”

“Yes.”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “She must be feeling pretty good. This couldn’t have worked out better for her if she’d planned it herself.”

“K, now is not the time to worry about Stephanie. She’ll always be number two. You know it, the team knows it and so do sports fans.”

She looked away.

“I’m gonna let them come in for a few minutes and then you get some rest.”

Slowly she nodded her head.

Kelly stared up at the off-white ceiling, contemplating her future. The sound of well wishes from her teammates still rang in her ears. She glanced down at her leg and her stomach muscles tensed. Would she ever be able to run again? Was her career, her life over?

She should have listened to her grandmother years ago when she told her that she needed more than “good hair” and speed to get through life. The only profession she’d ever had was that of an athlete. She’d never worked a real job and had no marketable skills. Sure she had a degree in Liberal Arts and that was about as valuable as a three-dollar bill. The only way she’d made it through high school and then college was because she could run. What would she do if she couldn’t run ever again? The question plagued her throughout the night as her dreams were filled with dismal visions of her watching from the sidelines as life sped past her and when her name was mentioned in sports circles, no one could remember who she was, and she reverted back to the girl who no one hated more than she did.

Chapter 3

“How are you feeling this morning, Kelly?” Dr. Graham asked as he checked the angle of her leg in traction.

“I’ve felt better, I suppose.” She tried to adjust her body in the bed to get more comfortable.

“Let me help you.” He came to the top of the bed and adjusted the pillows behind her then pressed the remote to raise the bed.

“Thanks.” She looked up at him. “How bad is it really?”

Dr. Graham exhaled a long breath before pulling up a chair next to the bed. “I’m going to be honest with you, Kelly. Brutally so.”

She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth.

“You have sustained what could be a permanent debilitating injury—for an athlete. The damage that has been done to that ankle will take months to recover from and that’s not taking rehab into account. And even with the best trainers, I don’t believe you will ever be able to run the way you once did.”

Her chest constricted. “You’re…saying my career is over?”

“Miracles happen every day, Kelly. You’re a tough young woman and other than a bad ankle you are in good physical condition. Much recovery from any injury, other than the physical, is the mental and emotional. How far you come from this will rely very heavily on you and genetics.”

She swallowed over the lump in her throat and slowly nodded her head. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“I understand you’ll be going to New York for your rehab.”

“Yes, David is working that all out.”

His cheeks flushed crimson.

Kelly craned her neck forward. “What are you not telling me?”

Dr. Graham looked away then directly into Kelly’s eyes, his thick white brows almost forming a single line. “I spoke to David months ago, the last time you were hurt.”

Intently looking at him she nodded her head.

“I told him then that you should not get back on the track, that he was sending you out too quickly. Your ankle was still weak. What happened yesterday was unfortunate but inevitable. My concern is the fragility of your bones. It is rare in someone so young.” He drew in a breath and stepped closer to her bed. He took her hand. “Kelly, your ankle is like a fragile branch that was set out of doors against the forces of nature much too soon. It didn’t get the time or the nurturing that it needed to be at full strength.” He clenched his jaw. “David knew this. But he let you go out there anyway.”

“It was just as much my fault. I wanted to be on the track. I needed to be out there.”

Dr. Graham sighed with resignation. He patted her hand. “Get some rest.” He turned to leave.

“How long do I have to stay here?” she asked, sounding like a lost child.

“At least a week. They want to be sure that your ankle is setting properly before sending you home.”

“When can I start rehab?”

“At least a month. I wouldn’t recommend it any earlier than that.” He headed for the door, stopped and turned around. “Kelly I would like to run some tests on you.”

“Tests? What kind of tests?”

“Some bone density tests and some blood work. I think—”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll get all that taken care of when I get to New York. I don’t want to have to stay here a minute longer than necessary.”

“Be sure that you do, for your own good. No matter what David says.” He looked at her for a long moment.

“I will.”

A month. She lay in the bed watching the activity of the hospital staff from her doorway. What would she do with herself for a whole month—incapacitated? Tests…there was no telling what the tests would show. Her secret was bound to get out.

She picked up the cup of water from the bedside table and hurled it across the room, barely missing David as he came through the door.

“Was that directed at me?” he asked stepping inside. He reached down and picked up the cup then came toward the bed.

Kelly folded her arms across her chest and looked away, not wanting David to see the tears of frustration that were burning her eyes.

Gently he touched her shoulder. “What is it, babe? Are you in pain?”

“I’m finished, David. Finished.” Her voice cracked. “Dr. Graham was just here. He told me everything. I may never run again, not even with rehab.” She banged her fist against the mattress. Tears seeped from her closed eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Christ, what am I going to do?”

He leaned down and gathered her in his arms. His heart knocked in his chest. The soft scent of her rushed to his head, the feel of her body in his arms went straight to his groin. Kelly had no idea of the power she had over him. But in all the years they’d worked together, she’d never once indicated an interest in him beyond his coaching ability. He’d watched her move in and out of relationships, each time nothing sticking, and was secretly pleased. His greatest hope was that one day they would consummate their long-standing relationship. He ached to discover what it would feel like to be inside that kind of physical power. For now he would satisfy himself with fleeting moments like this.

“Listen,” he said, speaking softly against her hair. “Dr. Graham sees a dark cloud in every rainbow. We’re going to get you the best treatment available and you’ll be back on the track and you will be a champion. Have I ever let you down?”

She shook her head and sniffed hard.

“Exactly.” He smiled. He opened the nightstand and took a tissue from the hospital-issued box. “Here.”

She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “Thanks,” she murmured. She looked at him. “I need you to be honest with me, David.”

“Of course.”

“If I can’t run again, what will I do?”

Her voice was so pained and the imploring expression in her eyes twisted David’s stomach.

“That’s not something you’re going to have to worry about for a very long time. I promise you.”

Chapter 4

David sat at his desk in the office he shared with the assistant coach, poring over the brochure he’d received that morning in the mail from New York. The rehabilitation center at New York University Hospital was one of the best in the country. It was expensive, but worth it. If Kelly were to have any chance of a full recovery he would do whatever was necessary.

A knock on his door took his attention from the information in front of him. He looked up. “Come in.” He slid the brochure into his desk drawer.

“Hey, Coach,” Stephanie Daniels said, stepping inside. “Mind if I close the door?”

He looked at her with skepticism. The last thing he needed was a harassment suit.

“You can leave it cracked.”

She didn’t look pleased but did as he asked. She crossed the room a bit too seductively for David’s taste and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of his desk. She crossed her long, bare legs, the micro shorts not leaving much to the imagination. They hugged the apex of her sex defining clearly what she held between her toned thighs. David looked away.

“What can I do for you?”

Stephanie leaned forward revealing a hint of cleavage from her V-cut tank top.

“I was just wondering how Kelly is doing.”

“She’s doing great. She should be released at the end of the week.”

“Really?” She toyed with the heart-shaped locket around her neck. “Seems a little soon. She must not be too bad…” She let her statement hang in the air.

David leaned back in his chair. “Kelly will be just fine and back before you know it.”

Stephanie twisted her lips and forced a smile. “That’s good to hear. Everyone will be glad to have her back.”

Everyone but you. “I’m sure.”

She stood slowly. “Well, I guess I’d better be going. I have practice in an hour.”

“Good.”

She hesitated. “Uh, David, not that I’m saying Kelly won’t be back…but what if she isn’t?”

He knew what she was hedging at. She wanted Kelly’s spot on the team and by all rights it should be hers. But if he admitted that now, he’d have to accept the fact that Kelly may not return. And that he was unwilling to do.

“She will. End of story.”

She puffed out her chest. “See you on the track.”

“Yeah.”

He watched her saunter out. Stephanie Daniels had skill; there was no question about that. But she didn’t have star power. Kelly was the whole package, skill and charisma. David had worked with Kelly for the past six years, seeing a champion in her. He’d created her from nothing—turning a shy, insecure girl into a woman who understood the meaning of winning at all costs, who could charm the media and inspire a team. She was his. His career was riding on a championship and Kelly was the key. But if he was forced to deal a new deck of cards to ensure a championship, then he would. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Chapter 5

“Let me get the door,” David said. He stepped around Kelly and opened the door to her garden apartment.

She inched her way in, awkwardly balancing on crutches, and looked around in awe. The small, very Afro-centrically designed space was filled with flowers. Her living room resembled a tropical hot house, bursting in a kaleidoscope of color.

She turned clumsily toward David, her face beaming in delight. “This is incredible.”

“From all the folks who love you.”

She moved gingerly into the room and pressed her face to the blossoms, testing one after another. “This is so nice.”

“And I’ll personally drop by every day to take care of them and you,” he added.

“You’ve done too much already. You haven’t missed a day at the hospital; you brought me home, getting me into rehab. I can’t ask you to come over here every day.”

“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering. I want to and I will.” He picked up her small overnight bag. “I’ll put this in your bedroom. Why don’t you sit down?”

She did as he asked and plopped down on the couch with her leg stretched out in front of her. She propped the crutches against the couch. The delight that she felt only moments ago on coming home slowly slipped away when she considered what she was up against in her current condition. At least in the hospital pretty much everything was done for her. Now she would have to get in and out of bed alone, maneuver through the house—and what about bathing? She sighed and rested her head against the cushions, just as the phone rang.

She reached for the phone on the end table.

“Hello?”

“Kelly Maxwell?”

The voice was totally unfamiliar.

“Who’s calling?”

“I’m a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and I was hoping to speak to Ms. Maxwell.”

“She moved.” Kelly slammed down the phone just as David returned.

“Who was that?”

“Can you believe it? I haven’t been home five minutes and reporters are calling already!” She frowned. “How in the hell do they keep getting my number? I’ve changed it three times. Do you think they followed us from the hospital?”

David walked over to the window and peeked out. “I don’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. Which is more of a reason for you to get to New York and away from prying eyes.” He closed the blinds and joined her on the couch.

Kelly folded her hands on her lap. “You know what, David…”

“What?” He took a seat beside her and angled his body to the side.

“I’ve never done anything else but run.” She laughed lightly. “It seems as long as I can remember I was out in the air trying to slice through it. It paid my way through private high school, got me into college and the endorsements padded my bank account.” She turned and glanced at him for a moment. “I’m scared.”

“Why?” He reached out and stroked her hair.

“I’ve never even had a real meaningful relationship, never held a real job. If I’m not running it’s almost as if I’m not living. I have dreams of it all disappearing and me along with it. I never thought there would be a time when I’d even have to think about not flying through the wind, hearing the roar of the crowd. I know there is more to life than this. I’m just not sure what it is.”

“Kelly, you’re young, healthy and you have a long career in front of you.”

“Maybe. But I need to be realistic. I need to start thinking about alternatives.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If this therapy doesn’t work, I need to be prepared for that and I’ll need to prepare myself for the real world.”

“Hey, hey. What kind of talk is this? You’ve never been a pessimist. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll be back out there before you know it and coming into my office complaining that I work you too hard. Just like old times.” He chuckled and was relieved to see the slight smile brighten her face. “Now that’s better.”

“You always know what to say.”

“Just the truth.” He slapped his knee. “How ’bout I whip us up something to eat?”

Kelly grimaced. “Uh, the last time you fixed us something to eat we needed the Pepto-Bismol. How ’bout if we order something instead?”

“But I’ve been practicing,” he moaned, feigning hurt.

“Well, you just keep at it.”

“You wound me.” He placed his hand over his heart.

Kelly giggled. “Right. The menus are in the drawer next to the kitchen sink.”

“Fine. What do you have a taste for?” He headed for the kitchen.

“Pasta.”

“You got it.”

While David was gone Kelly wondered how long David would hang around if she couldn’t run again.

Chapter 6

When Kelly next opened her eyes, the room was submerged in darkness. She was soaking wet. Her heart raced. She felt exhausted. Were they still after her? Panic contracted the muscles in her stomach. She blinked, attempting to clear her head and her eyes. Had she gotten away?

She tried to sit up and felt the weight of the cast hold her in place. A thin streak of light filtered in through the partially opened blinds. Where was she? She looked wildly around and by degrees her pounding heart slowed. It was only a dream, she realized, a dream that had its genesis in reality, but a dream nonetheless. This was her bedroom in Atlanta, not the back woods of Mississippi, or the alleyways of Chicago’s South Side. She was safe here. Home.

Kelly reached for the bedside lamp and the room was bathed in a soft light. The antique shade in a bronze-colored velvet with its dangling clear crystals—a present from her grandmother—cast prismatic shapes against the winter-white walls.

Propped up against the lamp was a note. She picked it up and opened it, recognizing immediately David’s simple print. She stared at the paper and said each word aloud and slowly.

“‘Food in oven. Will call later.’”

She smiled. The always-thoughtful David. She slowly eased her legs over the side of the bed. She reached for her crutches and pushed until she was standing. She made her way into the kitchen and found a Pyrex dish in the oven filled with tender veal cutlet Parmesan and angel-hair pasta. Her stomach grumbled.

After several attempts she was finally able to get the dish out of the oven, while balancing on her crutches and not falling on her face.

She savored every morsel, taking sublime pleasure in each mouthful. It was the first real meal she’d had in a week. But she knew what she’d have to do. She closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure if only for the moment, dropping her fork against the yellow-and-white-checkered plate.

It was times like this, late in the evening when she wished there was more to her life than the next day on the track. She had no real friends or family. Although she had teammates and they went out from time to time, she never felt like one of them, that she was really accepted. For the most part she kept to herself and was ultimately branded a diva. What a joke. If they only knew.

Kelly pushed up from the table and took her dish to the sink. She turned on the water and watched as it mixed with the remnants of sauce to gather in a stream of red and disappear down the drain. It was as if she were suddenly watching her life dissolve in front of her. All that she’d endured, all that she’d worked for could wash away like the sauce on her plate, disappearing into a black hole of no return—unless she fought back. All she had was her skills. She wouldn’t lose the only thing in life that she’d ever succeeded at—not without a fight.

The phone rang.

She ambled over to the wall phone. “Hello?”

“I know it’s late, but I wanted to check on you.”

“David.” Her insides warmed.

“Did you get your dinner?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you. How…did I get in my room?”

“I carried you. You were totally out of it and I didn’t want to wake you. And I certainly didn’t want you to fall off the couch.”

She laughed. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

“You need your rest. It’s one of the best remedies for any ailment. Do you need anything? I can drive back over if you do.”

As much as she wanted the company she declined. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Well, I’ll be there in the morning.”

“Don’t you have to be at practice?”

“Reggie can run the team through the drills. I don’t want you to be alone.”

She didn’t want to read more into what he said. He was only offering his help to an injured member of his team. He would do the same for any of them.

“I’ll call you when I get up.”

“Make sure that you do,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Good night, K.”

“Good night.”

Thoughtfully she hung up the phone. She’d known David since she was seventeen years old and he was standing at the finish line when she’d won her race at a high school track meet.

“You’re good, but I can make you better,” he’d said by way of introduction.

She bent in half to catch her breath and looked up at him. “Who are you?”

“Your future coach.” He grinned and her heart did a funny little dance in her chest.

“You seem pretty sure of yourself.”

“I am.”

She stood up and braced her hands on her hips. “How do you know I want a coach?”

“Because you want to be a winner.” He handed her a towel.

She stared at it for a moment before taking it and wiping her face. “Thank you.”

“So what do you say? If you want me to talk to your family, I will.”

“There’s no one to talk to. Thanks for the towel and the offer. But forget it.” She handed him back the towel, turned and jogged away before he could react.

But as Kelly soon discovered, David was as determined as he was handsome and that was saying something. David Livingston was tall and lean, his features angular but with the kind of even brown complexion that women slaved to maintain. His smile was as generous as his eyes and his deep laughter reminded her of winter nights sitting in front of a fireplace.

He showed up for every track meet. He was the loudest in the stands as she jetted to the finish lines. David became a fixture to a point where she looked for him in the stands, listened for his cheers among the crowd.

Finally one day after practice she walked up to him.

“Okay, I give up. What can you do for me?”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

They’d been a “team” ever since.

But not even David knew all her secrets.

Slowly she went into the bathroom, pulled up the toilet seat and stuck her finger as far down her throat as she could.

Chapter 7

“This wheelchair is a bit much, David,” Kelly said as he pushed her through the terminal of American Airlines.

“You may be fast as lightning on the track, my dear, but you need a little work with the crutches. I want to get to the hotel sometime today.”

“Very funny.”

They trailed behind a redcap who pushed a metal cart that was loaded with their baggage.

“There’s a car waiting for us out front. We’ll have you settled in no time.” David weaved in and out of the flow of human traffic mindful of his precious cargo.

As always JFK airport was bustling with activity. The press of people in myriad attire, speaking in every imaginable language, was an awesome experience. The airport was a microcosm of humanity. Voices from unseen sources called out a steam of flights to everywhere in the known world, periodically interspersed with warnings about unattended baggage and the consequences of taking packages from persons unknown to you. A montage of aromas stampeded through the food court reminiscent of raucous stadium revelers doing a victory dance. The occasional National Guard patrolled the walkways, a holdover from 9/11.

“At least they cut the cast down,” Kelly said as they made it toward the exit doors. “I never would have made it through this crowd to the flight with my leg sticking out a mile in front of me.”

“It’s progress. I told you that you would be back in no time. It’s only been four weeks and look how far you’ve come.”

“Although this space boot isn’t a fashion statement.”

David chuckled and pushed open the glass doors.

The first blush of New York City welcomed them with a cool breeze and a spring shower.

A middle-aged man decked in a black suit, striped shirt and shiny black tie stood in front of a silver stretch limo holding up a sign with David’s name on it.

“Right here,” David instructed the redcap, pointing to the driver.

“Welcome to New York, Mr. Livingston, Ms. Maxwell. I’m your driver, Bill.” He turned to Kelly. “Let me help you into the car, ma’am.”

“I can—”

But before she’d finished her sentence, he’d lifted her from the wheelchair as if she were no heavier than a bag of rice and gently put her in the backseat.

“There’s juice, soda, snacks and the buttons above you control the music, DVD player and the air,” Bill said before backing out of the car door. He straightened and turned to David who immediately held up his hands.

“I think I can get in by myself.”

“Of course, Mr. Livingston.” He stood aside.

David got in and sat opposite Kelly. “Efficient,” he muttered then shut the door behind him.

Kelly giggled. “I thought for sure he was gonna pick you up, too.”

David reached for a bottle of chilled water from the bucket of ice. “So did I. But we would have had to fight.” He twisted off the top then took a long swallow. “Aaah. You okay?” He took another gulp.

“Fine.” She propped her leg up along the length of the wraparound leather seating.

The motion of the car rocked them gently against the plush interior. Kelly looked out the tinted windows as the landscape of the Big Apple spread out in front of her. Buildings rose toward the cloudy skies, murky silhouettes against the light gray backdrop. She was missing home already.

“How much do you know about this doctor-therapist, whatever he is?” she asked tersely.

“I checked Dr. Hutchinson’s credentials thoroughly. He’s worked with plenty of athletes. He’s one of the best.”

Kelly looked away. “How long do we have to stay here?”

“Until you’re better.” He glanced at her profile. Her mouth was a tight line as it always was when she was upset, worried or concentrating on the track. This was not the track. “You want to tell me what’s really bothering you?”

“Nothing,” she muttered.

“Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”

She folded her arms. “Sure.”

“Hungry?”

“No.”

“You really haven’t been eating lately. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Please stop asking me.”

“All right, all right. Take it easy.”

She pushed out a breath. “I’m sorry. Guess my nerves are getting the best of me.”

David leaned over and took her hand. “Look at me.”

Reluctantly she did.

“Haven’t I always taken care of you?”

“Yes.”

“Have I ever let you down?”

“No.”

“Then that’s all you need to remember.”

“But what if someone finds out?”

“They won’t. They won’t,” he repeated. “All you have to do is follow the instructions of the therapist and the rest will take care of itself.”

The car slowed then came to a stop. Moments later, Bill opened the door. David got out first, went around to the trunk and retrieved Kelly’s crutches. Together he and Bill helped her from the car.

“What…no wheelchair?” Kelly quipped while gaining her balance.

“Time is no longer of the essence.”

Bill signaled the bellhop and they loaded the luggage onto a cart.

The decor of the Marriott was gracefully elegant. A dazzling chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling was the centerpiece of the circular floor. Light touches of gold filigree graced tables, the edges of counters and the reception desks. The hotel was busy. There was a steady movement of guests and uniformed hotel staff, but not one seemed to pay Kelly any undue attention. In a town like New York, celebrities were a dime a dozen.

“Welcome to the Marriott,” the concierge greeted. “I hope you have a lovely stay with us and if there is anything we can do to make you more comfortable, Ms. Maxwell, please let me know.”

“Thank you, I will.”

“If you will follow me, I’ll personally escort you to your room. You’re all checked in.”

“You have her in the presidential suite, correct?” David asked.

“Of course. Only the best. And it has the connecting suite as you requested.”

David nodded. “Excellent.”

“Connecting suite?” Kelly mouthed to David.

“We’ll talk upstairs.”

Once they were settled and the concierge had bowed his way out, Kelly didn’t waste a moment in getting to the connecting suite situation.

“You want to tell me now?”

“Look, I plan to be here for the next two weeks. You’re going to need help. What sense does it make for me to be in a completely different room, possibly on a different floor, in case of an emergency?”

She’d have to be extra careful. David must never know. There were many things she shared with David, but this could not be one of them. No one must find out. She was too ashamed.

“Fine. I suppose you’re right. Just make sure you knock first.”

He chuckled. “The door locks from your side.”

Her lips flickered ever so slightly until they formed the halo of a smile. She half walked, half hopped toward the couch and sat down. She looked up at him then stretched out her hand.

David walked toward her, took her hand then sat down. “What?” His voice was a gentle nudge.

“If I haven’t told you thank you—then thank you—for everything. I don’t know how many strings you had to pull to get me here. I did my research, too. This Dr. Hutchinson is booked through the year.”

He tightened his hold on her hand and looked her deep in the eyes. “I told you, whatever needed to be done to help you I was going to make it happen.”

Kelly lowered her gaze. “I owe you so much.” She looked up and stared into his eyes.

David felt himself being pulled into the midnight pools of her eyes. It would be so easy to kiss her right at that moment. Easy to loosen the barrette that held her hair in place and watch it fall in waves across her shoulders. So easy to lean her back against the pillows of the couch and caress the skin that he knew would feel like satin beneath his fingertips.

David forced a smile. “I’d better unpack.” Quickly he stood before desire outweighed reason. “Why don’t you order room service? Let’s see if the hotel lives up to all its hype.” He started to walk toward the door that separated them. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Kelly didn’t trust herself to speak so she simply nodded her head. Once David closed the door behind him, she finally released the breath she’d held. How was she going to be able to get through the next two weeks with David less than one hundred feet away every night?

Chapter 8

Dr. Alex Hutchinson strolled casually down the corridor of New York University Hospital, while studying the chart he held in his hand.

Kelly Maxwell. 29. Track star… He reviewed the details of her injury and his gut instinct and years of experience told him only a miracle would have her running again, at least competitively.

“Dr. Hutchinson, good morning,” said Ruby Rivers, his assistant, falling in step next to him.

Ruby had been assigned to him since he started at NYU six years earlier. She was bright, hardworking and totally no-nonsense. Over the years they’d grown from working companions to best friends. Ruby was the older sister he never had. Alex relied on Ruby’s mother wit and sense of humor on more days than he could count. He knew she was probably near fifty but she didn’t look a day over thirty.

“Aren’t we being formal today,” Alex commented, flipping the page on the chart.

“Have to keep up appearances, Hutch. Wouldn’t want the staff to think that you were actually nice enough to have friends.” She winked. “So who do we have today?”

“Kelly Maxwell.”

“The Kelly Maxwell—the track star?”

“One and the same.”

Ruby took the chart from Alex. Her dark brown eyes quickly scanned the pages.

“Hmm. Serious injury.” She looked up at Alex, then handed back the chart.

“You don’t usually see this kind of injury in someone her age and what I would assume to be in good health.”

“My thought, too.”

“We’ll take a look and map out a plan like always.” He glanced down at her and smiled. “Miracles happen every day.”

“If anyone down here on earth can pull off a miracle, it’s you.”

“Flattery like that will get you a free lunch.”

“That’s what I was batting for.”

“How well I know you, Ms. Ruby.”

Kelly came to a halt in front of the hospital doors. “There’s going to be forms to fill out.” Her full features were pinched tight.

David put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Stop worrying. Just get better.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come on, let’s get you inside, we’re causing a traffic jam standing here like this.”

“We’re here to see a Dr. Hutchinson,” David said to the nurse at the circular reception desk.

“Name?”

“Kelly Maxwell,” David said.

The nurse typed in the information in the computer, then took a set of forms and attached them to a clipboard. “Ms. Maxwell will need to complete these. As soon as she’s done I’ll send her in. What kind of insurance does she have?”

David gave her the name of the insurance carrier, and then took the clipboard. He joined Kelly on the bench.

“Here, you need to fill these out.”

Panic lit her eyes like fireflies in a night sky.

He sat beside her. “Fill in your name on the first line and check ‘no’ for all of the questions,” he instructed in a low voice.

She pressed her lips together in concentration, forming one letter after the other. Today was worse than usual. Stress.

After what seemed more like hours than minutes, Kelly put the pen down and handed the papers to David.

He smiled. “You did good,” he whispered. “I’ll give this to the nurse and be right back.”

Kelly watched David walk away then engage in lively conversation with the nurse. She twisted her hands in her lap. Perspiration began to dot her forehead. She wanted to run but she couldn’t. The contents of her stomach rose to her throat. She felt ill, always did at times like this—especially over the last two years when the stress and pressure of competition had escalated.

It began with the feeling of panic, as if the walls were closing in on her, followed by waves of nausea that would only subside after ingesting large amounts of food, only for her to purge it all. It was a vicious, ugly cycle that had become a part of her life. A part that she kept hidden from everyone, even David. Sometimes panic wasn’t even the catalyst to set her off. It could be anything, anything that made her remember the young girl she’d once been. Run, Kelly, run. Jeering laughter. She ran faster, as fast as she could to get away from her tormentors—the girls and the boys who reveled in her misery.

One day she swore she’d run so far and so fast they’d never be able to catch her. But for now she just needed to get away. Run, Kelly, run.

“Are you okay?” David placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Her head snapped up. Her eyes darted left then right. This wasn’t Mississippi. She wasn’t running through the fields, through the swamps. There was no one after her. She’d outrun them all.

Her heartbeat gradually slowed to its normal rhythm.

“Yeah, fine. Just daydreaming, I guess. Um, would you mind getting me a cup of water?”

“Sure.”

David walked the few feet toward the vending machine, stepping around a young man with a prosthetic leg who was slowly limping past him. Accident or casualty of war? He didn’t know. Either way it was a damned shame. The kid couldn’t have been more than twenty. Sadder still were all the others who half walked, wheeled or hopped along in various stages of rehabilitation. The waiting area vibrated with the sounds of metal wheels clanging across the linoleum floors or the squeak of rubber-tipped crutches finding traction.

He dropped four quarters into the machine. A bag of corn chips dropped into the tray. He snorted at the irony. Life was all about the luck of the draw, getting the right combination, and praying that when you dropped your coins in the slot of life you got what you needed, what you’d paid your dues for.

David dug into his pocket, pulled out a dollar and put it in the machine. This time he got the water.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.” She twisted off the top and took two long swallows. That was better. Her stomach muscles relaxed. “Did the nurse say how long?”

David checked his watch then stepped aside as an orderly pushed a wheelchair-bound woman down the hall. “Shouldn’t be any more than a few minutes.”

“Ms. Maxwell…”

“Yes?”

“The doctor will see you now. Treatment room seven. Straight down the hall.”

“See.” He helped her to her feet. David walked slowly beside her. “Ready?”

She nodded. “Let’s do this.”

He grinned. “That’s my girl.”

Chapter 9

Alex stood when Kelly, followed by David, walked through the door.

“Ms. Maxwell.” Alex approached. He extended his hand then realized his faux pas. “I’m Dr. Hutchinson.” He was oddly transfixed by her and didn’t know why. Was it the look of uncertainty in her dark eyes or the cascade of ebony hair that brushed her slender shoulders, framing not a beautiful face by any standards but a rather plain one? Her face was a puzzle of exotic and very ordinary all mixed together.

“I’m David Livingston. Kelly’s coach.”

Alex focused on David. “Mr. Livingston.” He shook David’s hand.

“Call me David.”

Alex nodded but didn’t offer the same familiarity in return. Kelly had yet to speak.

She hopped over to the chair and sat down without a word, thinking that the fabulous Dr. Hutchinson was really the actor Blair Underwood in a lab coat. Dark, handsome, boyish good looks with a maturity that would never age and a subtle sex appeal that wafted around him like a good cologne.

Alex pressed his lips together and exhaled a short laugh. “Why don’t we get started? I’ve gone over your chart and your X-rays.” He perched on the edge of his desk. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Is that really necessary?” David interjected.

Alex turned his gaze toward David. “Whenever I work with a patient, I like to know as much about them as well as everything that led up to them having to see me.” The left corner of his mouth curved in an expression that was a challenge more than a grin.

“I was practicing,” Kelly suddenly said.

Both men turned toward her.

She cleared her throat. “I was getting ready for the trials…the Olympic trials.”

“Next summer, right?”

Kelly nodded her head in agreement.

Alex smiled. “Former track-and-field groupie.” He rested his arms on his thighs. “You want to tell me what happened?” he asked gently.

Kelly told him about that day on the track while David stood in the corner with a petulant scowl on his face and his arms folded.

“I have to be honest with you,” he began once Kelly finished. “The injury that you sustained is quite severe for someone with no previous breaks and for someone in good physical condition. You didn’t step on anything or remember twisting it in an odd way?”

“No. I was running the way I always do. When I made the final turn…” She winced at the memory.

Alex stood. “Okay. We’ll want to run a few tests before we get started and get some new MRIs of that ankle. How does it feel when you put pressure on it?”

“Not bad. More of an ache than a pain.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Good morning.” Ruby looked from Kelly to David.

“This is my assistant, Ruby Rivers. You’ll be working with her during your rehab.”

“My understanding was that you would be Kelly’s physician, not an assistant,” David said. He said the last word like a curse.

Ruby arched a brow and her neck reflexively jerked back like in her days in the East New York projects.

“Ms. Rivers is a licensed and certified physical therapist. She is the one I’d go to should the need ever arise.” He stepped over to Kelly. “I’ll see you in about an hour after Ruby runs a few tests and takes some information.” He walked to the door and pulled it open. “Mr. Livingston, can I speak with you a moment?”

“I want to wait until Ms. Rivers is done. There may be some questions I can answer.”

Alex glanced in Kelly’s direction and caught the flash of panic that widened her eyes. “She’ll be fine with Ruby,” he said faltering a bit, caught off guard by the expression on Kelly’s face. He put his hand on David’s shoulder and ushered him out. “We can talk in the lounge.”

“I’ve been a fan of yours for a while,” Ruby said.

Kelly offered a faint smile.

“Must be tough being in the spotlight.”

Kelly didn’t respond.

“I’m going to take some blood.” She cleaned Kelly’s arm at the bend of her elbow, prepared the needle and drew two vials of blood.

Kelly looked away until Ruby was finished. Ruby bent Kelly’s arm toward her chest while pressing a sterile gauze at the site of the tiny puncture.

“Just hold that in place for a few minutes.” She put the vials on a tray and filled out two labels. “I really am quite good at what I do.” She turned to Kelly. “And Hutch is even better.” She smiled.

“Hutch?”

“Yes, Dr. Hutchinson. Everyone around here calls him Hutch.”

“Oh.” Kelly smiled, running the name and the image of the man around in her mind.

“He’s worked with some of the greats, from basketball stars to jockeys, and got them back out there,” she assured, hoping to ease the lines of tension that framed Kelly’s dark eyes.

Kelly released a long sigh. “Running is all I’ve ever known,” she said softly.

“One thing my mama always told me was never put all your eggs in one basket. I originally went to school for interior design. Thought I was the next great B. Smith.” She chuckled. “I struggled for about five years when I realized it wasn’t for me or I wasn’t for it.”

“So how did you decide on therapy?”

“My mom had a hip injury about ten years ago. And the doctors really botched it. I had to move back home to help her. I had to learn things just to help her get through her day. I got really interested in the recovery process and didn’t want to see anyone go through what my mother went through. So I went back to school. I actually studied under Hutch. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

“How long do you think I’ll have to be here?”

“That all depends on how well you do during the rehab and the extent of your injury. We’ll work with the ankle and the whole body. You’ll be put on a specific exercise regime along with a diet.”

Her heart thumped. “Diet?”

“Absolutely. We want to make sure your body has everything it needs to rebuild and become as strong as it can be. The instructions are easy to follow.”

Diet. Instructions. She hadn’t figured on that.

Chapter 10

Alex walked alongside David, guiding him down the busy corridor with a lift of his chin or a pointed finger toward their destination. He definitely wanted to keep what he intended to say away from prying ears.

Once inside the doctor’s lounge, Alex did a quick visual to ensure they were alone before closing the door.

They were about the same height and weight, Alex calculated. He’d take him standing up.

Alex clasped his hands in front of him. “You seem to have a problem, Mr. Livingston. You want to tell me what it is?”

David clenched his jaw and took a step toward Alex who almost laughed at the veiled challenge.

“My only interest is Kelly’s well-being. I want her to get the best care possible. And since I’m footing the bill, I want to be informed of every iota of her treatment.”

“I see.” Alex lowered his gaze for an instant before moving toward David. “You brought her here because of the level of treatment I can provide, the reputation of this hospital and the results of our patients. The reason why all of that works, Dave, is because we have the complete confidence of the patient. This is impossible to accomplish if we have someone hovering around and second-guessing everything we do.” He walked around David, forcing him to turn. “Now if you have a problem with that then as much as it pains me to say this, I suggest you take Ms. Maxwell to another facility.”

Alex glared at him, weighed his options. They were limited.

“I expect to be updated weekly.”

“That’s fair enough. I’m sure Kelly will be able to keep you up to speed.” He paused. “You’re aware that by law, I’m not required to tell you anything. So if Kelly agrees in writing—then we will keep you in the loop—to a point. However, the final decisions have to be hers. She’s my patient, not you and not the Gold Medal club.”

David took a gulp of pride. It burned on the way down. Hutchinson was the best in the country. He didn’t have to like Hutchinson for him to do a good job. If they left and went back to Atlanta, the press wouldn’t leave her alone. And he had too much going on for the press to be all over them like gnats.

“Fine. Whatever it takes for Kelly to be well.”

Alex folded his arms. “How long have you been her coach?”

“A little more than ten years.” A faint smile played around the deep corners of his mouth. “Spotted her in her freshman year of high school. Was able to wrangle an athletic scholarship, got her out of that dump of a school and into a private high school.”

“Commendable. What did you get out of it?”

The pleasant smile disappeared. “What makes you think I was out to get anything?”

“Altruism isn’t a popular human trait. Everyone does what they do for a reason—to get something out of it, even if it’s no more than to feel good.”

“Is that your excuse—for the white coat and the arrogance?”

Alex laughed from deep in his gut and lounged against the door frame. “Yeah. Pretty much. There’s nothing like a man in uniform with a little power to wow the ladies.”

“A doctor with an inflated sense of humor and ego. Just what we need more of.”

“The world would be a better place. But, enough about me, back to you. That’s a pretty long time to be in someone’s life. You must be close—like family.”

“Very.”

It was a challenge that Alex felt like taking. “Maybe it’s more—”

The knock on the door cut him off in midsentence. He stepped back from the door and opened it.

Ruby wrinkled her nose and sniffed. “Is that testosterone I smell in here?” she asked in a stage whisper.

“Not funny.”

“Your patient is ready.” She tiptoed and spoke to David over Alex’s right shoulder. “It will be at least an hour, maybe more, Mr. Livingston. If you want to go and come back…” She let her sentence drift off.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll wait.”

Alex turned to him. “Feel free to hang out in here. It’s much more comfortable than the waiting room. Anyone asks, just tell them you got the okay from me.” He grinned.

The last thing David wanted to be was in debt for a favor, even one as minor as this. He waved off Alex’s offer. “Thanks, but I’ll wait up front with everyone else. It’s not a problem.”

Alex shrugged. “See you in a few, then.” He walked out with Ruby at his side.

David stared at their backs before heading out. His eyes tightened. His jaw locked. Hutchinson was going to be a problem. The sooner Kelly got well and out of there the better.

Chapter 11

Kelly jumped when the door opened. Instinctively she pulled the hospital gown tighter around her body, a body that was rubber-band tight, stretched to the limit and had just snapped.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Maxwell,” Alex apologized.

“Where’s David?”

She sounded childlike asking for a parent or guardian—or lover. Alex crossed the room to where she was perched atop the exam table. Just how close were they? Better question: why did it matter?

“He’s in the waiting room, waiting.”

Kelly shifted. “I’d prefer if he was here with me.” She looked straight at Alex then Ruby.

Alex hesitated for a moment before saying the first thing that came to his mind, which he was prone to do. For example he really wanted to ask her what the hell she was so frightened of and if she’d ever slept with David Livingston. Both questions were inappropriate, so he kept them to himself. And was proud of his effort.

“There’s really nothing to worry about. I’m relatively harmless.” He gave her his best “I’m really charming” smile.

Ruby chuckled lightly to shoo the tension aside. “Generally family and friends are more of a problem than the patients. I’ve had folks faint or run out of the room to relieve themselves of breakfast or lunch.”

Kelly’s raven eyes widened with alarm. “I thought you said it wasn’t that bad.”

“It isn’t. It just looks that way,” Alex said, sitting on the stool in front of the examination table.

Ruby handed him Kelly’s chart. He put it on his lap and focused on Kelly, whose expression vacillated between fear and defiance. Something didn’t sit right with him.

“Ms. Maxwell, one thing I want to assure you of, my only job is to get people well—as well as they can be. But in order to do that I need them to believe in me and in themselves. I told your bodyguard—uh, David—as much.” He gently lifted her leg. “When did they put this on?” he asked referring to the space boot.

“About a week ago. And he’s not my bodyguard.”

Alex glanced into her face but didn’t comment.

He ran his hands up and down her leg yet even with the cast and the boot a tingling thrill erupted in the base of her stomach and spiraled down her legs. Her inner thighs trembled. It wasn’t lost on Alex.

He gazed up at her. His eyes said “trust me.” Her nostrils flared and she jutted her chin forward.

“I believe in myself,” she said in a hoarse whisper.

“And before this is all over, you’ll believe in me, too.”

Slowly he stood and lowered her leg, never breaking contact with her eyes. He stepped closer and put his arm around her waist to help her down and his fingers inadvertently slipped between the open folds in the back of the gown.

Her skin ignited beneath the tips of his fingers and she drew in a sharp breath.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she stammered.

It was only an instant that he held her, but to Kelly it was a sensual dance, that one moment that girls dream of.

Alex eased her to her feet. He cleared his throat along with his head. “Um, as soon as I get the report back from your MRI and blood work we can start on your rehab program.”

Kelly nodded, uncertain of her voice.

“’Scuse me,” Ruby interrupted. She shot Alex a “what the devil are you doing” look. “I’m going to schedule Ms. Maxwell to return on Wednesday. The labs and the MRI will be back by then.”

Alex’s lids flickered as if slowly awakening from a daydream. “Sure.” He reached for Kelly’s crutches then slowly released his hold on her waist once she was steady on her feet.

“Thanks.”

He stepped back. “Okay, so we’ll see you on Wednesday. Ruby will get you into X-ray and then over to the waiting room.”

Ruby held the door open while Kelly moved toward it.

Kelly glanced over her shoulder at Alex before leaving.

Ruby rolled her eyes at him and shut the door behind them.

Alex sat on the edge of the exam table flipping through Kelly’s chart. But he wasn’t seeing the words in front of him. Instead he was remembering the feel of her bare skin beneath his fingers. Accident or Freudian slip, he didn’t know. But whatever it was he couldn’t let it happen again. He’d made that mistake once before with Leigh and had no intention of a repeat performance.

Leigh Wells had nearly cost him his career. She’d come to him after surviving a horrific car accident. Her right leg was broken in three places and she’d had to learn to walk all over again. He spent every day with her for three months. And during that time he’d given into his greatest weakness—the female body.

Leigh was gorgeous, a model with a body to fall at her feet for. Lust and temptation outweighed his good judgment when he started making house calls well after business hours. Leigh welcomed him with open arms and open other things as well. He used all of his skills, every technique available to him to return Leigh back to the woman she once was. But nothing he did would eliminate the lifelong pain she would endure or the permanent limp. Her career was over and so was their relationship. The day he told her there was nothing else he could do was a day he’d never forget.

They were in bed together having just made love. It was near midnight in the middle of the summer. So hot you could barely breathe. The air conditioning was at its highest but they were soaking wet and sated. Alex peeled himself off the wet sheets to get a cigarette from the dresser on the other side of the room. He found his pack of Newports and lit up. He turned to offer one to Leigh and was stopped cold by the erotic vision in front of him.

Leigh was stretched out on the bed, completely naked—the sheet tossed to the floor. The stream of light from the moon cast a halo of sorts around her body making her look like a dream. Her knees were bent. Her thighs spread wide. Her hands stroked herself.

“I’m not quite finished,” she said in a voice that drifted through the dimness and licked his warm flesh.

Alex grinned. Leigh was insatiable and he loved to oblige her craving.

“I would come and get you but walking is difficult to say the least, especially after a session with you.”

Alex crushed out his cigarette and joined her on the bed. He caressed her right breast.

“It’s been six months, Hutch.” She stroked his thigh, moving higher until she held his hardening penis in her hand. She caressed it the way she knew he liked, flicking her finger across the head and relished the sound of his quick intake of breath. “I can’t stand this anymore,” she murmured in a husky whisper and for an instant Alex wasn’t sure if she meant waiting for session two or something else. “I want to be the woman I was,” she was saying, pulling him back to reality. “I want to be able to walk like normal.”

“Leigh…” This was the moment he’d been dreading. “I…”

She sat up, dropping the contents in her hand as if stung. “What is it?”

“There’s nothing else that can be done.”

She laughed but it sounded ill. “Nothing to be done! What the fuck are you talking about?”

“We’ve done everything we could.”

“You’re telling me that I’m going to go through the rest of my life as a gimp in a brace, popping pain pills?” Her voice escalated in incredulity with every word. Her amber eyes flashed with anger and disbelief.

“I’ve done all I can, Leigh. You know that.”

“You promised me I would be fine, that I would walk again!”

“Leigh…” He reached for her and she smacked his hand away.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me! You promised me I would walk again.”

Her chest heaved in and out and even in the dimness of the room he could see the sparkle of tears hanging on her cheeks.

“You are a strong, beautiful woman. You will get through this.”

“What am I supposed to do with the rest of my life, Hutch? Tell me that. Tell me, you bastard!” She picked up a pillow from behind her and threw it at him. “Modeling, that’s me. It’s what I do. When was the last time you saw a model strut down a runway with a leg brace and crutches?”

She wept openly, screaming out her fury at the injustice of it all and the rage she felt toward Alex.

“You promised me,” she said from deep in her throat. She swiped at her face with the back of her hand. “And you lied.”

“Leigh…”

“Get out! Get out!”

He snatched up his pants and boxers from the floor where he’d tossed them earlier and gabbed his T-shirt from the back of the chair.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you as soon as I knew,” he said as he got dressed. “But I still had hope. I thought I could fix everything.”

She looked up at him through eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to ever see you again. Ever.”

“Are you sure this is what you want, Leigh?”

“It is.” She folded her arms beneath her breasts and looked away as Alex walked out.

The next time he saw Leigh was three weeks later. Her face made the front page of the Daily News. “Supermodel Found Dead—Suicide.”

At times, some of the strangest times, he would see her face on that last night and when he least expected it, the weight of guilt would nearly cripple him and he’d spend days locked in his one-bedroom apartment trying to drink away the memories.

After Leigh’s death he’d gone to the chief resident Bert Logan, who was more like a father than a boss, and submitted his resignation. It was immediately rejected. Between Bert and Ruby, they’d eventually talked him out of it.

That was five years ago. For the most part, he’d put it behind him, slowed down on blaming himself and worked every day at regaining his confidence—and he had—until today.

He hopped down off the exam table, tucked Kelly Maxwell’s chart beneath his arm and walked out.

Until today.

Chapter 12

David slid his plastic card through the slit, opening the door to the suite. He stepped aside to let Kelly pass.

For the entire twenty-minute ride back from the hospital, he’d been in a state of contained fury. But glass partition or not, he wasn’t going to spew his raw feelings all over the back of the limo.

The moment Kelly heard the door close behind her she turned on David. “You want to tell me what the hell is bugging you? You looked like you were sitting on a tack for the whole ride.” She rested her crutches against the edge of the couch and slowly sat down holding on to the arms of the couch for support.

David pulled off his chocolate-colored suede jacket and tossed it onto the empty love seat. He paced in front of her. “I don’t like him,” he finally spat out.

“Who?” she asked already knowing the answer.

“Hutchinson, that’s who. He’s an arrogant sonofabitch, and I don’t like him.”

Kelly pressed her lips together forcing herself to think first before she shot out how stupid David sounded. She gingerly folded her hands in her lap.

“Really. You were the one who ‘highly’ recommended him. Said he was the best.”

“I know what I said,” he snapped. He walked over to the wet bar, went behind the counter and fixed himself a quick rum and coke, no ice. He took a long swallow before responding. “I’m having second thoughts. I think we need to find someone else.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. It’s a little late in the game, don’t you think? We’ve packed up, left Atlanta, come all the way to big bad New York City and because you ‘don’t like him’ you want to find someone else. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

He clenched his teeth before finishing off his drink then walked toward her. He knelt down and placed his hands on her knees.

“Listen, you know I only want the best for you. I have a bad feeling about him.”

“I don’t.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re a woman.”

Her brows shot up. “Meaning?”

“Meaning I can see through him.”

“David, you’re not making any sense.”

He pushed up and stood. “We’re going back to Atlanta.”

“No. We’re not.”

He looked down at her, saw the same determination in her eyes that she had on the track moments before a big race. “I know what’s best for you.”

“And I don’t? David, I’m not sixteen anymore. I’m a grown woman. I’m capable of making my own decisions—if you’d ever let me,” she added and didn’t flinch when he took a step toward her. “I’m staying.”

David heaved a sigh. His features hardened.

“You said he was the best. We’ll never know if we leave. I want to run again and I believe he can make that happen.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. She was right. There was no question about Hutchinson’s credentials. He had to put his personal dislikes aside for Kelly’s sake.

“Fine,” he conceded on a long breath. “If this is what you want.” His stern expression softened and the hint of a smile curved his mouth. “You know I can’t deny you anything.” He reached over and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her right ear.

“Thank you. I will be fine. I feel it.”

“We’ll give it a shot.” He walked to the love seat and picked up his jacket, draped it over the bend of his arm. “Can I get you anything? I’m going to order room service.”

“No. Thanks.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “You haven’t eaten all day. You should be starved by now.”

“Maybe later.”

He stared at her for a moment.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he muttered. “I’ll check on you later.”

Kelly waited until she was sure David was settled in his room before she got up and went into her bedroom.

She went to the dresser and fished beneath her underwear and pulled out a bag of candy, chocolate bars and chewy sweets. She went in the bathroom, sat on top of the closed toilet seat and stuffed as much of the candy as she could in her mouth, savoring every fistful until her stash was gone.

She leaned back and closed her eyes as the rush flowed through her like an addict’s high.

Getting up slowly, she lifted the top of the toilet seat, leaned over and stuck her finger as far down her throat as she could.

Chapter 13

“The Maxwell case is scheduled for eleven,” Ruby said as she prepared for her patient. She took a one-size-fits-all set of blue scrubs and two towels from the drawer and placed them on the exam table.

“Hmm,” Alex murmured, holding up a set of X-rays to the light.

“Did you take a look at her tests results?”

“Yes.” He lowered the X-rays and turned to Ruby.

“And?”

“I don’t like what I see. Doesn’t make sense. I want her to take a bone-density test when she comes in.”

“Bone density? At her age?”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll order the tests. Anything else?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Are you sure?” She planted a hand on her hip.

“Meaning?”

“I saw the look that passed between the two of you the last time she was here.”

“You’re imagining things again,” he singsonged.

“I know what I saw, Hutch.”

“A look?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t need a babysitter. I need an assistant.”

“Don’t make the same mistake.”

“Humph,” he snorted in disgust. “Thought we let that go. Guess not.” He tossed the X-rays on the table and stalked out.

Kelly spent the better part of the morning getting ready for her appointment. She took extra care with her face as her sensitive skin tended to erupt whenever she became overanxious—today was a classic example. She awoke to find the beginnings of a pimple on her chin, beneath her left eye on her cheek and one right between her brows.

She peered into the mirror and applied the medicated ointment to the troubled spots hoping to nip them in the bud before they exploded into full-blown volcanoes before the end of the day. Generally she didn’t use any makeup, but today she added a splash of mahogany lip gloss to her expressive mouth and put on her one pair of earrings.

As usual her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck. It was the one way she found to diminish the fullness of her face.

How many times had she looked in the mirror and wished that she had the face of someone else, someone pretty or at least attractive? Sure she’d been out with guys, but she knew they had no interest in her for her looks, but rather what she may be able to do for them with her connections in sports. The relationships were all short-lived. Over the past year, she hadn’t been out on one single date—more from her own choosing rather than a lack of requests. She felt it was better that way. At least she wouldn’t get her hopes up that the guy was actually interested in her and not her name or what she represented. It was a lonely life, more so than she ever let on to anyone. But at least she had the track and running, a time when she felt free, powerful and vibrant. It was there that she shined. She was beautiful, smart. On the track there were no secrets, no shame; only her and the wind.

She looked down at the wrappings around her ankle and lower leg. She would run again. She had to.

“They said this session should last about an hour,” David said, holding open the hospital door for her. “I’ll be back to pick you up then.”

“Thanks.” She walked inside and went to the registration desk. “I have an appointment to see Dr. Hutchinson at eleven.”

“Name?”

“Kelly Maxwell.”

The nurse looked up at Kelly and her eyes widened in recognition, a broad smile exposing the tiny gap in her front teeth. “Ms. Maxwell. Oh my.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m a big fan of yours.”

“Thank you.”

The nurse stretched her hand across the desk and placed it on top of Kelly’s. She lowered her voice. “Dr. Hutchinson is the best in the country,” she said, looking deep into Kelly’s eyes. “He’ll have you back on the track in no time.”

“I hope so.”

“Don’t you worry.” She hit a few keys on the computer, waited a moment and pulled a sheet of paper from the printer. She pushed it across the desk to Kelly. “Just sign your name and you can go in as soon as your name is called.”

Kelly swallowed. She looked for familiar words on the paper. Her heart thumped in her chest. David came up behind her, subtly putting his finger where she needed to sign while he spoke to the nurse.

“I’ve heard great things about this hospital,” he said, putting on the charm. “I don’t remember seeing you the last time we were here. Work here long?”

“It was probably one of my much-needed days off.” She laughed lightly. “I’ve been with the hospital for nearly twenty years.”

“You’re kidding. You must have come straight out of high school.” He leaned on the desk while Kelly signed her name.

The nurse blushed. “If that’s a compliment I’ll take it.”

“It definitely was.”

Kelly put the pen down and slid the document back to the nurse.

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