She forced her mind back to the game, her smile fading as she studied her hand. It didn’t look very good. She had no clubs or jacks. “I think I’ll pass.”
“Me, too,” said Liam.
“Master Branson,” Fordham announced in an imperious tone, “you may pick up that nine of clubs. Partner, you may lay your hand down, as I’ll be going alone on this round.”
Liam groaned as Fordham spread his cards on the table, announcing his cards for Bran’s benefit. “I have both bowers, along with the ace, king, and queen of clubs. And I believe that makes the score four to zero.”
Carly clapped her hands, thrilled she hadn’t had to do anything for them to win the first hand. “Yay! I may not know how to play, but I know how to pick the best partner.”
“That you do.” Fordham swept all the cards into a pile and shoved them toward Carly, the smallest of smiles tugging at his lips.
The rest of the game passed in a similar manner, with Fordham and Carly winning almost every round.
“Liam, we didn’t have a good hand this entire night.” Bran tossed his cards into the middle when they lost the second set. “Fordham was probably cheating.”
“One does not need to cheat when one possesses an abundance of skill.” Fordham ate the last of the M&Ms from the small bowl.
“The real secret,” said Carly, “is that Fordham and I have consumed an entire bowl of chocolate candy, which has our brains hyped up on sugar and caffeine. Meanwhile, the two of you ate all those grapes, chock-full of melatonin, so you’re both groggy.”
“I regularly defeat Master Branson without the benefit of candy or the detriment of grapes,” said Fordham. “He has no excuse but a comparative deficit in ability.”
“You two have been incredibly lucky.” Liam delivered his almost-complaint with a smile. He was a much better sport than Carly was. She would’ve been grumpy and frustrated if she had lost that badly.
“It’s not luck,” said Fordham. “We’re blessed. And it comes from good clean living.”
“I demand a rematch tomorrow night,” Bran said.
“I would, but I’ll be gone by then.” Carly felt a pang of regret almost as strong as the relief of being out of the stressful situation. “The drive will be clear tomorrow morning, right?”
“I’m afraid our road-clearing chap is busy with bigger jobs. Tomorrow evening would be the earliest.” Fordham leveled his meaningful gaze on Carly. “The only way out right now is on a snowmobile. On the bright side, that will give you plenty of time for games and conversation.”
His heavy emphasis on the last word left no doubt about when the long drive would be cleared.
After I get up the nerve to tell Liam the truth.
CHAPTER 14
LIAM
“That was fun. Even if you and Fordham did trample our egos beyond repair.”
With his chair in its upright position once again, Liam rolled down the long corridor beside Carly. He wouldn’t have bothered to lift his chair if he’d been returning to his room alone. It only showed how desperate he was to appear attractive and self-sufficient to Carly.
The blizzard had given him an opportunity. A chance to prove how well he’d adapted to his challenges. When she’d left the plane, she hadn’t given him any opening to pursue a relationship—not even a friendship. Maybe after these few days together, she would see that he could be an almost-normal guy.
That kiss they’d shared had to mean something. She couldn’t have faked that much enthusiasm, could she? Surely, if she were totally turned off by his disability, she couldn’t have concealed her revulsion. On the other hand, she’d done her best to avoid him since then.
“I highly doubt either of you have egos that fragile.” Carly stopped outside her doorway and turned to face him. “Thanks again for doing all that stuff with me today. But you don’t have to spend all your time entertaining me. I’ll try to stay out of your way tomorrow.”
“It wasn’t exactly a chore for me,” Liam said. “I had fun. Didn’t you?”
“Yes, but…” She scrunched her shoulders, her gaze flitting around the hallway. “I know you feel sorry for me because my vacation plans got ruined by the blizzard, but you had plans, too.”
“Actually, I could really use the company tomorrow.” Liam decided to be honest. “You see, tomorrow is…” He swallowed a lump the size of Jupiter. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of the accident that caused… the one where my friend died and I was paralyzed.”
Carly dipped her head down, but not before Liam saw tears glistening in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Liam,” her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. “I really am sorry for everything that happened to you. For all you lost.”
He edged his wheelchair closer and reached out to pat her arm. “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Could I be any more awkward? She’s probably crying because the accident turned me into such a geek and she can predict I’ll be alone for the rest of my life.
To his surprise, she surged against him, her arms wrapping around his waist. Sobbing, her tears wet his shirt.
He tightened his arms around her, trying to ignore how nice it felt to have her in his arms. How could he think about physical gratification when it was his fault she was so distraught?
“Please don’t cry,” Liam said. “I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I’d known you would take it so hard.”
She pushed free from his embrace, swiping at her wet face with the back of her hand. His arms felt strangely empty.
“You’re the one who lost everything. It’s stupid for you to be comforting me.”
“I think it’s sweet that you care so much. But I’m okay. I’ve had sixteen years to mourn and learn to move on with my life. Mostly, I use the anniversary to remind myself of what happened. I don’t ever want to forget.”
“Seems like your paralysis would be enough to keep that from happening.” She took a shuddery breath. “Your whole life was destroyed. All your hopes and dreams gone in an instant.”
“My life was changed, not destroyed.” He flinched, her words stinging his pride. “I’d like to think I’ve accomplished a lot.”
“You’ve accomplished more than 99% of the completely able-bodied people on this planet have. But a lot of your choices were taken away.” She blinked her watery eyes. What did her emotional reaction mean? Was it because she was an empathetic person, or had she actually come to care that much about him in a few short days? Or perhaps she merely pitied him for being a cripple. He’d certainly encountered that reaction enough times in his life.
It’s time I was honest with her. I need to tell her I’m attracted to her and want to pursue a relationship. If she’s not interested in dating, I have to find out now, before I fall any harder for her.
