“Come on, let’s get your foot into the water. The cold will help.”
Linc stood and she expected him to hold out a hand to help her up. Getting to the truck was going to be a pain in the ass. Instead, he reached down and pulled her up, bridal style, into his arms. She squeaked in surprise. But he carried her down to the river and then he let her feet drop. He held her around the waist as she stood on her good foot and let the other one float in the water.
Oh, that was definitely better.
“I have a first-aid kit in my truck. After I get you out of the water, I’ll run back and get it. It’s got some calamine lotion in it.”
“Thank you,” she whispered quietly. She couldn’t believe how caring he was.
Linc picked her up and carried her back to the picnic rug.
“You don’t have to carry me,” she told him.
“You can’t walk on that foot,” he pointed out. “Besides, I like carrying you.”
He did?
He grabbed some clean napkins and wet them in the river then came back and placed them on the bottom of her foot. Ahh, that felt so good.
“Stay here, okay? Don’t move.” He gave her a warning look and she nodded.
She definitely didn’t feel like moving anywhere right now. She held the wad of napkins against her foot as he grabbed the picnic basket and quickly disappeared.
Way to make a complete mess of things, Marisol.
9
Linc made his way quickly back to the truck. He’d brought the basket with him because he wouldn’t be able to carry Marisol and it at the same time. He grabbed the first aid supplies he needed.
This picnic wasn’t exactly shaping up how he thought it would.
When he got back to her, she was where he’d left her. That was surprising. He had the feeling she wasn’t always the best at following orders.
If she agreed to be his, they’d have to address that, as well as her lead foot.
He had to do some research into diabetes. He could ask Doc for some information. He didn’t want to do anything to put her health in jeopardy. And there might be things he could do to help her.
He hated the fact that she didn’t have everything she might need because she couldn’t afford it. He’d look into that as well. Even though he knew she wasn’t likely to let him help her financially, there had to be something that could be done.
Not for the first time, he w
ondered how much her aunt was paying her. She drove a crappy car that was on its last legs. Her sandals looked like they were close to falling apart and her clothes weren’t in much better condition. She didn’t seem to have anything appropriate for the cooler climate here.
There was something going on. Something he didn’t like. But he knew he had to tread carefully. Family could be a tricky thing to discuss. And he knew that she felt an obligation to her aunt for taking her in.
He sat next to her and opened the first-aid kit. “Okay, let’s see what Doctor Linc has here to fix your boo-boos.”
She sniffled sweetly and he drew out a pocket pack of tissues that he’d found in the glove box of his truck. He reached over and wiped her cheeks gently.
“Oh.” She froze as he cleaned her up.
“All good, Mari-girl?”
“Yes, thank you.” She gave him a shy look.
He wiped her nose and she reared back. “Linc!”
“What? Do you need to blow?”