The Winner Takes It All. Alison Roberts

and cared about was in Bellingham. Mount Baker. The institute. Her postdoc.

      Leanne studied her. “Since you’re doing better, maybe it’s time you do something in town.”

      Anticipation made Sarah sit straighter. “I would love that.”

      “Zoe wants us to go to Taco Night at the brewpub this evening. Join us.”

      Sarah’s stomach fluttered. “Sounds like fun, but I don’t know if Cullen will agree. He can’t turn off the doctor switch.”

      Leanne grinned. “I’ll talk to him. Convince him going out will be good for you.”

      “He still might say no.”

      “Then I’ll ask Paulson to help me kidnap you. He’s been my best friend since I was nine. He’s up for anything.”

      “Even kidnapping?”

      “Pretty much,” Leanne said. “He might draw the line at disposing of a body, but with Paulson you never know, especially if a pretty woman is involved.”

      A smile tugged at the corners of Sarah’s lips. “Sounds like an interesting guy.”

      Leanne sipped her coffee. “He’s a real-life Peter Pan who will never grow up, but he’s also a total sweetheart. You’ll meet him after lunch. He’s staying with you until Cullen gets home.”

      Sarah perked up. “Cullen will be home tonight?”

      “This afternoon. That’s why tonight is perfect for you to get out.”

      “I’d like that.” Especially if she could be with Cullen.

      “It’ll happen.” Leanne sounded so confident.

      “And if not, you and Bill can kidnap me.”

      A fake kidnapping sounded fun, given Sarah had been lying around since she’d arrived. Now, if she’d been lying around with Cullen…

      Heat rocketed through her. Uh-oh. Better stick to how she was going to get to Taco Night. Mexican food was as spicy as she could handle right now.

      Cullen sat in the hospital cafeteria. A few crumbs from his fish and chips remained on his plate. He sipped his coffee. The caffeine would get him through the next two hours.

      A good thing he needed to cover only eight hours today. He’d spent the past five days covering shifts for others and working his own. He’d ended up staying at an anesthesiologist’s house rather than drive all the way home only to return a few hours later.

      He missed Sarah, but enjoyed this reprieve. Being with her messed with his head. He didn’t want her getting anywhere close to his heart.

      But this time away from her had intensified his guilt. Not only for leaving her the way he had a year ago, but also for running away from her when they’d been living together as husband and wife. He hated admitting the truth, even to himself, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized Sarah had been correct about what he’d been doing. No wonder she’d been unhappy. After what her jerk of an ex-fiancé had done to her, Cullen must have made her feel like crap.

      He never wanted to hurt her that way again. That was why he’d made it clear to her that he had shifts to make up. He had no ulterior motives in working so much this week.

      And even though he wasn’t with her, he thought about Sarah every day. More like several times each day. Wondered how her recovery was going; was she missing him as much as he missed her?

      Curious, he called Leanne. She’d texted him this morning saying she was with Sarah instead of Zoe.

      “Hey,” Leanne answered. “I was going to call you.”

      His shoulder muscles tensed. “Sarah okay?”

      “She looks better than I’ve seen her look all week. Stronger, too.”

      Relief washed over him. “Good.”

      “Sarah is doing so well you should bring her to Taco Night.”

      He hadn’t been to the brewpub in three weeks. “She’s not up for it.”

      “She wants to go,” Leanne said to his surprise. “She needs to get out of the cabin.”

      “Sarah isn’t a social butterfly. She’s a scientist who would rather be on a volcano than anywhere else.”

      “It’s not some fancy soiree. It’s tacos at the brewpub.”

      Everyone he knew would be there. There would be more questions. “She’ll get too tired.”

      “I don’t know how she’s managed this long.” Disapproval rang clear in Leanne’s voice. “Just sitting around the cabin and taking short walks isn’t good for her morale or her recovery.”

      But it was safe. He didn’t have to worry about Sarah when that was all she was doing. “She does need to get out more. Next week will be better.”

      “Maybe for you, but not Sarah. You can stay home tonight. Paulson will bring her.”

      Cullen laughed. “You want Paulson to take my wife to Taco Night?”

      “It’s not a problem,” she said. “He’s with Sarah right now. The two hit it off.”

      Cullen’s heart went splat against the cafeteria floor.

      “What?” His voice rose. He lowered it. “You texted you were with her.”

      “This morning. I had to attend a Christmas Magic festival meeting after lunch. No worries. Paulson will take good care of Sarah.”

      That was what Cullen was afraid of.

       CHAPTER EIGHT

      BILL PAULSON SAT next to Sarah on the couch with an impish grin on his lips and a suggestive gleam in his eyes. “So what do you want to do now?”

      Charming might describe Hood Hamlet, but it didn’t come close to describing the friendly, easy-on-the-eyes firefighter in well-worn jeans and a faded T-shirt. Sarah enjoyed being with him. He made her feel feminine and pretty even when she looked like a boxer, albeit one who’d been out of the ring for a couple of weeks.

      “I have no idea,” she admitted.

      The guy had a great sense of humor. He could give any pop-star pretty boy a run for the money in the looks department and kick their butts with his athletic build. He was fun to hang out with, albeit a little immature with some of his not-so-subtle, yet humorous innuendos.

      “You’ve kept me entertained all afternoon. I’m not sure what’s left for us to do,” she added.

      Mischief twinkled in his eyes. “I’m sure I can think of a few things.”

      Bill Paulson would be considered a catch, except for two things—the guy knew he was good-looking and he was an incorrigible flirt. No way would she encourage him.

      He rubbed his chin. “I could paint your toenails. That has to be tough to do with your dominant hand in a cast.”

      Okay, the guy was a good listener. He’d taken their earlier discussion on being right-handed and come up with this. But however tempting that might sound, she could survive without nail polish. The only man who should be doing any toenail painting on her was Cullen. Not that he would. Or that she would ask him. “Thanks, but I think a nap would be better.”

      He scrambled off the couch. “I’ll fluff your pillows. Be right back.”

      Sarah bit back a laugh at his eagerness to help. Bill was half player, half Boy Scout rolled into one. Adorable, but a handful if you were a single woman who happened to be attracted to him. Neither of which she was.

      The front door opened. Leanne