Page 76 of Colton On Guard
Accepting the clipboard with her good arm, Genna signed where directed and then passed it back to the nurse.
“These are your copies,” the smiling woman said. “You have a nice rest of your day.”
After the nurse left, Genna looked up to find Parker watching her. He had a peculiar expression on is handsome face.
Alarmed, she touched his hand. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Leaning in, he brushed her mouth with his. “I’m just awfully glad you weren’t seriously hurt,” he murmured, lips against hers.
Her heart skipped a beat. Though he clearly was trying to be careful, she kissed him back with all of the pent-up passion she had inside.
For an instant, he allowed the familiar fire to ignite. But then he quickly pulled back. Breathing heavily, he got to his feet and dragged his hand through his hair. “You need to rest and heal,” he said, his voice raspy. “We shouldn’t be doing that.”
“I want to do all that and more,” she murmured, watching his gaze darken. Then, just as she opened her mouth to tell Parker how much she loved him, her ex-husband walked into the room.
CHAPTER 16
When Genna paled, as if all the blood had drained from her face, Parker turned to call for the nurse. Instead, when he saw the tall, broad-shouldered man standing just inside the doorway, he realized that was the cause for Genna’s distress.
Short dark hair in a military cut, hard brown eyes and an aggressive stance, the stranger glared at Parker before directing his gaze to Genna.
Acting on instinct, Parker moved to place himself between the intruder and Genna.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Parker demanded.
Jaw tight, the stranger took another step into the room. “I might ask you the same question. Please leave. I need to talk to my wife alone.”
“Ex-wife, Chad,” Genna corrected. “Parker, please stay. I don’t want to be alone with him.” She took a deep breath. “In fact, call security.”
“No need,” Chad quickly responded. “Ann called me and asked me to bail her out. She told me everything she’s done, including trying to kill you. I just wanted to let you know that I had nothing to do with her actions. Ever since I left her for Claudia, Ann has been unhinged. Claudia even had to take out a restraining order on her.”
“So did I,” Genna reminded him, her voice and expression tired. “You’ve said your piece. Now please leave.”
Jaw working, Chad simply stared, unmoving. “You look terrible,” he mused. “Small-town life obviously hasn’t been good for you.”
“She asked you to go,” Parker said, keeping his tone level. “It’s time for you to do that.”
For one split second, he thought the other man would refuse. But then Chad shook his head, muttered something unintelligible under his breath and stalked off.
“Whew,” Genna exhaled. “I’m just glad he didn’t start any trouble.”
“Me, too.” Dropping back into the chair next to her bed, Parker glanced at the doorway. “Do you believe him when he says he had nothing to do with Ann harassing you?”
“I’m not sure. I know right after they got together, he was pretty invested in tormenting me. But it’s been a year. I had no idea it was her.” Genna shifted restlessly. “She traveled all the way to Shelby just to continue hounding me.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t move on to the new woman,” Parker said.
“Me, too. That would make a lot more sense than her continuing to stalk me. I’ve moved on. I would have thought Ann would, too.” She sighed again. “Well, now that I’ve been discharged, I’d like to get dressed and get out of here.”
Parker handed her the bag of her clothes that he’d grabbed at the house. After pulling the curtain around the bed, he stood guard while she dressed.
“All done,” she said.
He pulled open the curtain. “Still no wheelchair. Let me go see if I can find one for you.”
“I don’t really need it,” she protested. “A pair of crutches would help just fine.”
Just then an orderly arrived, pushing a shiny-black wheelchair. “Are you ready to go home?” he asked, his cheerfulvoice matching his smile. He helped Genna into the chair before turning to Parker. “Go ahead and pull your vehicle around to the side entrance and I’ll bring her out.”