Montana Secrets by Kay Stockham Page A

the door and I’ll eat it!”
    â€œNope.” She grabbed the tray, careful to stay out of arm’s reach just in case. “Come on into the gym.”
    Seth laughed, the sound cold, deceitful in its softness. “Why? You get your thrills out of cripples?”
    She froze, completely unable to move or voice a protest.
    Seth had managed to knock the wind from her. Made her want to curl up into a protective ball. The lash of his words was as brutal as her stepfather’s fists. What she and Seth had shared was special to her, memorable. Tender and sweet.
    Yes, Seth had wanted more, but all the times she’d stopped him, kept him from going further, she’d thought he’d understood. Thought he’d respected her decision to wait since they hadn’t known each other all that long.
    Now he was taunting her with it?
    She lifted her chin high before putting one foot in front of the other until she reached the relative safety of the gym. All without saying a word. Not that she could have.
    How could she have been so naive? Seth was a man. Five years older than herself, and twenty-two to her seventeen when they’d dated.
    Seth’s griping rang loud and long throughout the hall as she set the tray on the wobbly card table. Unbalanced herself, she sat, dazed at how much Seth’s words had hurt her.
    Long minutes passed before she heard the push-whirl of Seth’s wheelchair. She wanted nothing more than to jump to her feet and get out of there, but if she didn’t stay and face him now, how would she ever find the courage?
    Seth rolled to a stop inside the doorway, staringher down for a long, breathless moment before his gaze settled on the two trays in front of her. Jaw locked, he focused on the tray opposite her as he rolled himself across the room.
    â€œHungry?” she asked, her voice coming out husky and drawn, more like a croak and lacking the strength she wanted.
    Seth wheeled himself close to the table and ignored her, picking up his fork to shovel a bite into his mouth. The tension between them mounted, filled the air and grew until she was so tense her spine felt like it would snap from the pressure.
    Snarling, he pointed the fork at her with a jab. “If you ever do something like that again, I’m going to—”
    â€œWhat?” she dared softly, proud of herself when her voice strengthened at last.
    His features darkened beneath the shaggy beard. “Grace, don’t do this. You don’t want me angry at you and I don’t like being tricked. I didn’t like it then and I sure as hell don’t like it now. Get out of my house and leave me alone.”
    â€œI can’t. And for the record, I don’t like being cursed at or accused of things I haven’t done. I never tricked you.”
    Seth’s gaze stole her breath as she witnessed the turbulent emotions flashing in his eyes.
    After a moment, after neither of them moved,Seth seemed to come to a decision, his anger banked behind a mask of indifference. “So now what?”
    Grace lowered her hands to her lap and grabbed her paper napkin, slowly and methodically ripping it to shreds beneath the table where he couldn’t see. “Now we eat. Then we work together to make you better. I’ve gone over your file, Seth. The potential you have for a full recovery is good. Better than good, it’s wonderful, but only if you can pull yourself out of this—this mood and use all that anger and frustration to your benefit.”
    Seth turned his full attention to the meal in front of him, ignoring her words, ignoring her. Grace watched in amazement as he finished the food off in a minimal amount of bites, wiped his mouth and wheeled himself away from her, toward one of the two windows facing the backyard.
    All appetite gone, she shoved her food away and wrapped her hands around her coffee mug to warm them. “I know you’re mad about being locked out and I’m sorry