Free Waiting for You (RightMatch.com Trilogy) by Kathryn Shay

grasped his hand. “Please, come with me. Then I’ll know you’re not upset with me for acting so stupidly.”
    “Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.” Besides, what could it hurt?
    In an hour, they were standing in front of a trail at Letchworth Park. The sun was hot, the climb steep, and a slight breeze ruffled the leaves of trees that were indeed more lush down here. Joe was enervated by his surroundings.
    “I’m so glad you wanted to do this,” Evie said as they started up. “After the school problem, there were several human-interest stories about you in the paper. In an interview, you said you were going to miss working out and running.” She gave him a purposely sexy look. “I’d like to know about all your favorite athletic activities.”
    Huh. Her unfiltered, full-of-innuendo response was fun and flirty. He tried to flirt back, vowing to enjoy himself today.
    When they got a ways up the trail, she asked, “Want to bet who makes it to the top first?”
    Chuckling, he shook his head. “A sucker bet, if I ever heard one. You hike this trail all the time, don’t you?”
    “Uh-huh. I’m advisor to the hiking club at school and we come out here a lot.”
    “I’ll pass on the bet.”
    The incline was a snap, but still he went slow. She took the trek faster than he did, and that had its benefits—when she got ahead of him, it was a pleasant sight. Hell, he was guy. He noticed these things, no matter what he was trying to decide about Dana.
    Nope, he told himself, Dana wasn’t coming here today. It would be good for Joe to see how much he could enjoy other women’s company after having met Dana. Touched her…kissed her…
    They climbed for a half hour. When the sun peeked through the trees, its rays gently beat down on them. Joe’s legs ached with the strain and his lung capacity stretched, both of which felt great. For a while. But after another half hour, his shoulder began to hurt.
    Evie stopped at about the same time. “Ready for a break?”
    They sat on a large rock near a grassy area off to the side. She removed the water bottle she’d brought in her pack and sipped it. He did the same with his own, took a swig and admitted he was tired already. Damn, he’d wanted to work up a sweat and release some of this pent-up energy. But he wasn’t stupid. “Sorry, babe, this is it for me. I can’t go any farther.”
    Evie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll stop, too.”
    “No, you won’t. I’ll wait here while you finish.”
    She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “It’ll take another forty-five minutes to reach the top and get back here.”
    “I can amuse myself.” He indicated to a patch of grass next to the rock. “Maybe I’ll take a nap.”
    “If you’re sure…”
     He stayed where he was until she was out of sight, then he lay down in the grass, put his backpack under his head and sighed. Closing his eyes, he tried to appreciate the warmth of the day and subtle sounds of nature surfacing now that he was still.
    But he couldn’t. A thought niggled at him. Finally, it crystallized in his head. He was getting the tiniest taste of what it meant not to be able to do physical activities that had been a big part of his life. How on earth did Dana stand this, live with a permanent disability, after being so active? He didn’t think he could do it.
    She must be such a strong person, a sane one. It made him ashamed to think he might not be able to get past her disability in order to date her. His father would be ashamed of him, too.
    Later that day, when Joe got home, the notion of his dad being ashamed of him drove him upstairs. The box of letters was on the bed. He sat down and opened the lid. Long ago, he’d written the subject of each letter on the envelope and put them in alphabetical order. He started with First letter.
Dear Joey,
I’m writing this series of letters because I want to share my thoughts with you and help guide you through