Free Where Angels Tread by Clare Kenna

of the corner of her eye, she saw Shane watching her from the sidelines. She wondered if he was hoping she would win.
    Raising her arms once more, she lobbed the ball in the direction of the hoop. It bounced off the rim and landed at Shane’s feet. Swearing under her breath, Heidi held her arms out for the ball once more; Shane picked it up and tossed it in her direction. As the ball sailed by her head, she made a wild grab for it. Before she knew what was happening, her finger hit the ball at a strange angle and bent backwards with a sickening crunch.

CHAPTER 5
    “I guess it could have been worse,” Shane said, peering at the white cast plastered around Heidi’s finger. Zachary stood behind him, craning his neck curiously.
    “Yeah?” Heidi asked. “How so?”
    “I could have knocked your finger clean off.” Shane shuffled his feet and offered Heidi a guilty smile. She couldn’t help but laugh, despite the throbbing pain shooting up and down the entire length of her arm.
    “Remind me to thank you one day,” she teased. Heidi examined the cast closely, then held her finger up for both of them to see. “This looks ridiculous,” she sighed. “How am I going to do anything useful with this thing on my hand?” It was, she thought wryly, punishment for trying to act coy around Shane. She felt like a fool.
    “You’re all set,” Dr. Conway said, jotting down a few notes on the chart hanging from the end of the emergency room bed. Although Shane had rushed her to Saint Andrew’s the moment they realized her finger was broken, she had to sit in the waiting room for nearly three hours as other patients who needed more immediate attention rotated through the revolving doors. “Guess you’ll be on desk duty around here for a while,” the doctor added as Heidi touched her finger and winced. “That needs to heal for about three weeks, then we’ll check it out again.” With one last nod in their direction, Dr. Conway bustled out of the room to help the next patient.
    Shane helped Heidi into her coat, gently guiding her swollen finger through the sleeves. Heidi fished around in her pocket for a few coins and handed them to Zachary. “Here. Go get your dinner out of the vending machine.”
    “Whatever I want?” His eyes were round with excitement. “Even chips?”
    “Even chips,” Heidi agreed.
    After Zachary had skipped out of the room to find the vending machines, Shane turned back to Heidi; she was touched to see worry etched along the lines of his face. “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine,” Heidi said, smiling reassuringly. “It was an accident, nothing to lose sleep over.”
    Shane still looked uncertain. “Maybe I can help you around the house for a few days? You know, to make it up to you.” He toed at the pattern on the linoleum floor. “I can’t help but think this is partly my fault.”
    “Partly?” she crowed, swatting him with her good hand. “If it weren’t for you helping my son I’d punch you right in the nose.”
    He drew his face in closer. “Go ahead, take your best shot.”
    She raised her fist mockingly and pressed it lightly against the tip of his nose. His face crinkled into a smile; as she withdrew her hand, he leaned in ever so slightly, his full lips parted. Heidi’s breath froze in her chest; was she really ready for this? She hadn’t kissed a man other than John since she was twenty years old. At this point, she’d practically forgotten how to go about doing it right. What if she missed?
    Zachary pushed open the door to the room, then stopped abruptly when he saw the two of them standing there, staring into each other’s eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked suspiciously. The chocolate bar he was holding fell out of his hand, and he bent down to retrieve it, keeping his eyes on his mother.
    Shane backed away quickly, then grabbed Heidi’s purse from the chair and shoved it at her. “Just helping your mom get her things,” he said, and Heidi cringed at the chipper