Knocking at Her Heart (Conover Circle #1) by Beverly Long Read Free Book Online Page B

was
bald, had a salt and pepper beard and tired-looking gray eyes.
    In one smooth motion, Sam shifted
her and gently set her down on her feet. Like he would for a small child or an
old woman, he carefully adjusted the blanket around her shoulders.
    It took everything she had not to
jump, like Snowball would have, right back up in his arms. Of course, if she
tried that, it would be the seventh grade pole-vaulting experience all over
again. Not pretty and certainly not over the bar. 
    “Harry, this is Maddie Sinclair.
Maddie, Dr. Harry Hanover.”
    “Ms. Sinclair,” Dr. Hanover said.
“Based on Sam’s initial diagnosis, I’ve already ordered the blood work and a CT
scan. By the way, Sam, I’m darn glad to see you. I’ve got an industrial accident
coming in. Guy fell off a twenty-foot ladder. Tom is here, but we need somebody
to do the assist.”
    She almost grabbed for his arm.
Sam already had a job—he was assisting her.
    She wrapped her arms around her
middle. She would not be needy. Not now. Not ever.
    Dr. Hanover motioned for her to
follow him. She didn’t move. Maybe it wasn’t too late to make a break for the
door. 
     “Get going, Maddie,” Sam
said, his tone light. “It’s show time.”
    “I’m a fan of really long
intermissions,” she said.
    He laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re
going to be fine,” he assured her.
    And then he leaned in and kissed
her cheek.
    She felt her whole face get warm
and knew it had nothing to do with having a temperature. She thought she might
have been in eighth grade the last time a boy had kissed her so sweetly. She’d
been embarrassed but not quite as much as the boy, whose face had turned a most
serious shade of pink. She’d mostly felt gawky and awkward, a feeling
exacerbated by the fact that she was a head taller than the boy.
    Gawky and awkward was nothing in
comparison to this. She felt as if her blood had heated up to a fast boil.
    From a kiss on the cheek.
    Maybe it wasn’t too late to ask
for a lobotomy, too.

CHAPTER FOUR
     
    She didn’t die on the table.
    When Maddie woke up in the
recovery room, that fact was a great comfort. She felt groggy and tired but
definitely alive. There was a nurse in the corner of the room, staring at a
computer screen, her nails making a soft clicking sound on the keyboard.
    She must be fine because the
woman didn’t seem overly concerned. Satisfied, Maddie closed her eyes. When she
woke up the next time, she was in a different room. And Sam Jordonson sat in a
chair next to the bed, his head at a painful ninety-degree angle to his neck.
He was sleeping.
    “Sam,” she whispered, not wanting
to startle him.
    Nothing.
    “Sam.”
    Good grief. He hadn’t even
stirred.
    “Sam!”
    He jumped up from the chair.
    “Sorry, didn’t mean to yell,” she
said.
    “Was I sleeping?” he asked,
looking embarrassed. He grabbed her hand, and she thought it was sweet until
she realized that he was taking her pulse. “Are you in pain? I didn't want you
to wake up alone.” His words tumbled against one another. “The surgery went
great. How do you feel?”
    “Slow down,” she said. “I’m fine.
Just a little queasy,” she admitted.
    “An after-effect of the
anesthetic. It’s just a little after eight. You'll feel much better in a couple
of hours. You might even get to go home tomorrow if there are no
complications.”
    “When can I go back to work?”
    “Not for several days. You’re not
going to be in any shape to chase kids. Give yourself a break.”
    She hadn’t taken more than three
days off in a row in four years. “The owner doesn’t get breaks.”
    “The owner does when she has just
had surgery. Listen to your body, it will tell you.”
    The door swung open, and Dr.
Hanover and a young nurse entered the room. The older physician frowned at Sam.
"I didn’t expect to see you, Sam," Dr. Hanover said.
    “Just checking on the patient.”
    “Of course.” The man didn’t sound
convinced. He logged into the computer