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Cass pretended he hadn’t spoken Not even the holidays could heal her broken heart

Dr Sinclair was saying, “All meals are served here, unless there’s a reason the resident is incapable of joining us We dress for the evening meal It’s at seven”

“Dress? As in diamonds and tux?”

Chuckling, he shook his head “No More like no workout clothes allowed The idea is for the residents to use their skills and have so positive to look forward to We work on the principle that if you don’t use it, you lose it”

She glanced at hied way “Like?”

“Fastening a button, passing a bowl or evena fork” He turned toward the central hall

“I have no trouble with any of those so why must I attend?” She joined him

“Because ant our residents to feel like they’re part of our family, which they are,” he said over his shoulder as he started down the hall

She had zero interest in being sociable All she wanted was time to herself to think about what she would do next, where she wanted her life to go How she could get past theinside her Could she continue working in search and rescue? Work with a new dog? Learn to trust another man?

Maybe she could just make sure she wasn’t around when it was dinnertime This place soundedme why I was sent here?”

That got his attention “So you can regain your mobility”

“I know that I one to a clinic in America? What makes this place so special?”

He shoved his hands into his pockets “As I understand it, your orthopedic doctor believes this is the right clinic for you”

She stepped toward hi him with a direct look “What led hiht place for me to complete my physical therapy?”

Dr Sinclair shifted his weight and raised his chin “I’ for but our residents have an unco as complete a recovery as possible, and by recovery I mean holistic recovery Our state-of-the-art clinic features a peaceful at” he waved a hand around, indicating the castle “and our canine therapy has proved to be funda that recovery as well Does that reassure you?”

Canine therapy Cass took a step back, her chest constricting She couldn’t deal with this right now It was too soon after the loss of her dog and partner, Rufus “I’m not interested in canine therapy”

Her German shepherd-wolfhound mix partner had been with her for four years She’d had hione to Gerether at a search and rescue school in California They’d understood each other, trusted one another

Noas gone Despite hi an animal, the hurt of his loss was more acute than the pain of broken bones or her ex-boyfriend’s assessment of her ability to maintain a relationship She and Rufus had been all over the world together, crawling in and over disaster sites that others only saw on TV while drinking their edies that no one should ever see or experience Gratitude and guilt filled her in equal measure

She felt the doctor’s keen observation and focused on his mild expression He turned and started down an adjacent hall to the left, saying

, “This way to the lift”

Cass glanced at the staircase in relief then followed, taking careful steps to ensure there wasn’t a repeat performance of what had almost happened outside

He looked over his shoulder “As our residents improve, they use the stairs whenever possible”

Cass once ray marble “And that’s mandatory?”

Dr Sinclair gave her a grin “‘Mandatory’ is such an unfriendly word Why don’t we go with ‘greatly encouraged’? It’s part of the graduation program to be able to walk up and down the stairs, but we don’t require that until you’re ready”

Did her relief show on her face? “What makes you think I’m not ready?”

“Maybe the tight line of your lips that indicates that little stumble outside hurt more than you wish to admit”

Cass grimaced inwardly The man had an acute sense of awareness Could he see that more than her body pained her? That her heart hurt? Cass hoped not She was nowhere near ready to share her feelings “I don’t hurt”

“Liar” He gave her a flash of a smile One she was sureto do As if he knehat she was thinking, he said in a gentle manner, “You do know it isn’t weakness to admit you’re in pain or that you need help That’s e’re here for”

She’d had enough of this All she wanted was to get to her room “Who’re you, the resident shrink?”

They walked out of the elevator and started doide hallway lined with portraits A few decorations were already in place here and there A red carpet runner muffled their steps

“No, but as clinic adency medical doctor I help develop the patients’ therapy All the doctors here work together to form patient plans Recovery is as much mental as it is physical”

“So you think I have emotional issues?” Cass certainly did have the, and she wasn’t sure she could handle having another one To possibly lose another best friend would be too h that so mattered was more than she wanted at this point