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KIM BALDWIN. Mike. Woman of the Year. We’re going to go back.”
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Mike. Woman of the Year. We’re going to go back.”
“So…you hit it off, eh?” The knots in her stomach twisted tighter.
“Too soon to tell. He’s a nice guy, and we have a lot in common.
So we’ll see where it goes.” Erin smiled and shrugged. “I’ve not been real good at picking who to get serious about. It’s made me pretty skittish, I guess.”
“Well, I’m not one to talk, because I haven’t had much success in that department, either.” Gable spoke from her heart, knowing Erin wouldn’t suspect what she really meant. She took a deep breath and let it out. “I can’t say whether Tim is or isn’t the right guy for you, but I do hope you F nd someone who really makes you happy.”
“I hope the same for you, Gable. What about you? Ever come close to getting married?”
Erin was looking at her in a way that made Gable feel vulnerable and exposed. She was desperate to change the subject. “Nope. So…
shall we get going? Where do you want to start?”
Erin looked around. “I thought we’d get the hardest stuff over with F rst, okay? Getting that dresser upstairs is going to be the worst, even with the drawers out. I probably should have had the delivery guys do it, but they were in a hurry and I thought we could probably handle everything ourselves.”
Gable had good upper-body strength, but the dresser was solid oak and oversized, and getting it up the stairs might be a bit of a challenge.
“Well, we can lean it on its side and slide it. It helps that the stairs are carpeted.”
They got the drawers out and hefted it over to the bottom of the stairs in stages, moving it a few feet each time before resting. It was a heavy sonofabitch, even if it was a gorgeous piece of furniture.
“This is going in your room?” she asked, catching her breath before they tried to haul it up the steps.
“Yes. Other end of the hall,” Erin was winded too, and Gable tried not to stare at the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
They leaned the dresser on its side on the stairway and Erin positioned herself on top, Gable on the bottom.
Gable got a F rm hold on the dresser and bent her legs. “You ready?”
• 90 •
FORCE OF NATURE
“Ready.”
“Okay. On three. One…two…three!” Gable pushed upward with all her might, and Erin pulled, and the dresser rose…two steps, three, four. But Gable had to bear the weight of the piece with her legs and back while she repositioned herself to clear the F nal distance. It was awkward. Unwieldy. She put her all into it to push it up that last slight rise, and when she did, a muscle in her back snapped and burned, extended too far. She cried out in pain and collapsed where she was on the stairs.
“Oh God, Gable, what is it? Did you hurt yourself?” Erin scrambled down beside her.
“Pulled a muscle.” She gritted her teeth. Her back burned as though someone had stuck her with a hot poker. “Not a big deal. I’ll be F ne in a minute.” She slowly rolled her shoulder to try to work out the pain.
Erin got behind her and began to massage the area with her F ngers.
“Here?”
“Ow!”
Erin gentled her touch. “That sounds bad. Maybe you should see a doctor?”
Gable shook her head. “I’ll be all right. Just need to put some heat on it and rest, I think.”
“Come on, lie down on the couch. We can do all this moving another day.” Erin helped her to her feet and led her toward the couch.
“Try to relax. I’m going to take care of you,” she said once Gable was lying as comfortably as possible.
“I can make it home to my own bed,” Gable protested.
“Nonsense. You hurt yourself trying to help me. The least I can do is try to make you feel better. And besides, you rode your bike over. I’ll be right back.” Erin disappeared up the stairs, then returned a couple of minutes later. “Come on up and sit in the whirlpool for a while. It’ll help loosen up those muscles some. And then I’m going to give you a massage.”
Gable’s breath caught in her throat. A massage? “Uh…uh, that’s not necessary.” She felt almost faint at the thought of Erin’s hands on her. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“Don’t be silly.” Erin laughed. “I want to. Come on.” She helped Gable to her feet and led her up the stairs and to the bathroom, where
• 91 •
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