Risk of a Lifetime by Claudia Shelton Read Free Book Online Page A

behind the handles as she raised her feet into place. What was that about one step starting the rest of your life? Not today. Their life together was over. This was nothing more than a momentary inconvenience that she could handle. After all, she’d sent the divorce papers. He’d signed them. This was nothing.
    She bit the inside corner of her mouth. Nothing…except for that one little problem she hadn’t told him about.
    Sadie held the door open as he pushed the wheelchair into the hallway. “See you later.”
    “Bye, mama.” She folded her hands nice and neat in her lap as she slumped back in the chair.
    “Get ready for the ride of your life.” He walked faster, pushing a smooth, slow curve from side to side. Not enough to give her pain, but enough to give her spice. That’s what he used to call doing anything just outside the line of propriety.
    Marcy grabbed one arm rest, then the other. “JB what are you doing?”
    “Are you in pain?”
    “No.”
    “Then hold on and enjoy the ride.” The wheels on the chair spun faster when he broadened his stride, increasing the pace.
    Volunteers hugged the wall. Dr. Crowley stepped back into a room. The janitor buffing the floor spun in a circle with his machine. The automatic doors slid open a second before he careened through them and onto the sidewalk in front of the hospital. He stopped at the edge of the curb, right next to his truck, and flipped the wheelchair brakes in place.
    “You’re crazy, JB Bradley.” She looked up at him with feistiness. “Down right crazy.”
    “Learned everything I know from you, sugar.” He rested his hand on her shoulder.
    “Stop calling me sugar.” She jerked around and stabbed him with her back-off stare.
    He backed off. Grinned.
    That had probably been a mistake. Now he’d do it just to spite her. She might as well face the fact she’d screwed up on a lot of levels. But all she had to do right now was make it through the next few days. Keep her mouth shut, and stay away from anyone in town who knew her secret. Because if JB found out, he’d be livid.
    She sucked in her breath and eased out of the wheelchair. How was she ever going to spend even one night alone in that house with him without slipping up?

Chapter Five
    After the days spent recuperating in the hospital and at home, Marcy’s insides still felt jumbled from the surgery. Plus the incision hurt more than she wanted to admit, even though she’d always been a quick healer. Really, she’d have been fine at home by herself, but JB had insisted she might need help. The doctor agreed. Her mother agreed. And even her sister agreed.
    Four against one, she hadn’t stood a chance of being alone, but she’d laid out her ground rules the moment the two of them walked in the house. JB had his room. She had hers. Yes, he could cook meals for her. Yes, he could do the laundry. Yes, he could pick up her medicine and groceries and even help her straighten her clothes. But helping her bathe or tucking her in bed at night was off-limits.
    He’d agreed. Hadn’t stopped him from looking sexy as hell in a tight, black, muscle T-shirt as he brought her a bowl of soup. Nothing unusual, just what he used to wear. Then her senses had perked up real fast to his clean, male scent every morning. And the thought of him in the shower had stripped her composure to its limit.
    But her tipping point had been yesterday afternoon as she’d watched him clean her car. Damn. She’d never realized how many positions a person had to use to reach all that pesky dirt. Of course, he’d caught her looking, grinned, then turned around and ignored her as he finished the car. She knew, because she hadn’t been able to tear herself away from the window.
    This had to end before she ripped her clothes off and said “take me now.” Or before she made a slip up and confessed everything she’d made her sister promise not to reveal. Which would be worse, she wasn’t sure. Of course, not once had he