Free A Husband for the Holidays (Made For Matrimony 1) by Ami Weaver Page A

distracted—and because the memories that bound them were centered on this hospital. The real test would be when he spent more time at the farm.
    “After I see him, you can go home,” Marla said. “No point in both of us being here all night.”
    Darcy sent Marla a worried look. “You can come, too. Lie in your own bed, even if you can’t sleep.”
    Marla shook her head. “I need to be here, Darcy. Please. You’ll need to run the farm for now. Can you do that?”
    “Of course.” Her response was swift and sure.
    “I’ll help more,” Mack said, and watched shock flit over Darcy’s face. “I’ll work my schedule around it as much as possible. You and Joe don’t have to worry about anything but getting him well.”
    Marla squeezed his hands. “Thank you. I knew we could count on both of you. Don’t let it get in the way of your practice, though.”
    “I won’t,” he assured her. Darcy looked less than pleased. He’d talk to her later, get her to see his point. They could work around each other just fine. He knew the peace they’d forged tonight was fragile, but they’d have to find a way to make it all work. Put aside the past for the sake of the couple they both loved.
    His family would be fairly certain he’d lost his mind.
    After Marla’s visit, and she’d reassured Darcy she was okay now and nearly shoved her to the elevator, she and Mack rode to the first floor in silence.
    He saw the worry etched on her face and the exhaustion. “Do you want me to stay?”
    Her shock showed he’d overstepped. “Excuse me?”
    “At their house. I can sleep on the couch. Keep you company.” Clearly, he was so tired his mouth had separated from his common sense. Still, in for a penny...
    She blinked and shook her head. “No. I’m fine. I’ll be fine,” she amended, apparently seeing him forming a rebuttal. “Really.”
    He bit back a sigh. He had no grounds to push, wasn’t sure he wanted to anyway. There were lines, and tonight they’d been grayed out a bit, smudged.
    Darcy collapsed on her bed after a tense ride home. Mack had followed her, damn him, reminding her what a great guy he was. She didn’t want to be reminded. It was hard enough with the past hovering between them, with the memories, with their loss. All of it combined into an overwhelming emotional morass that she could not deal with tonight on top of her worry about her uncle.
    Mack had turned around in the driveway. She was grateful he hadn’t tried to talk to her. “Do you want me to stay?” indeed.
    Of course she didn’t. Not after he’d kissed her and later, held her while she’d cried. He’d been so sweet. Dangerous.
    She peeled her clothes off and crawled under the covers, fairly sure sleep would not come for her tonight.
    * * *
    She woke the next morning to light streaming through the window. With a gasp she sat up and grabbed her phone. It was nearly eight. She had to get to the hospital. Aunt Marla needed to come home and sleep and Darcy wanted to know how Uncle Joe was doing. Then she had a tree farm to run. A run through the shower was a necessity and she washed up quickly, ran downstairs as her phone rang.
    “Hello?”
    “Darcy, it’s Aunt Marla.”
    Dread pooled in her stomach. “Is—”
    “Everything is fine, honey. Joe is tough. He’s doing exactly what he should be doing for someone postsurgery.”
    Relief had Darcy slumping against the wall. “Okay, then. That’s good.”
    “It is. Carol and her husband are bringing me home. Did I catch you before you left?”
    “Um, yeah. I overslept—”
    “No, you didn’t.” Marla’s voice was soothing. “Go back to bed if you can. It was a rough night for both of us.”
    Darcy looked at the coffee can in her hand. Not likely, but there was no point in saying so. Once she was up, she was up. “I’m good. So I’ll see you soon.”
    “Yes. We’re going to grab a little bite to eat and then I’ll be there.”
    A few more words and Darcy hung up. Thankfully,