Free Just a Kiss by Denise Hunter

an effort to shake the memory. Push the darkness away. Maybe the nightmares were going to intrude on his sleep, but he’d be darned if he was going to give them headspace during the day.
    Twenty minutes later he pushed his plate back and massaged his aching leg under the table. The steaks had been perfect, and the conversation nice. Paige had asked about his first counseling session. It hadn’t gone as well as he made out, but seeing some of the worry dissipate from her eyes was worth the exaggeration.
    In truth, he’d spent the hour avoiding the subject of his missing leg and the trauma surrounding its loss. He didn’t want to talk about his stupid decision to enlist or the fact that he’d lost his vocation right along with his leg. He was thankful Dr. Lehman didn’t push. Even so, his back had been damp with sweat by the time he left.
    What could the man possibly know about what he’d been through? Riley had read his bio online. The guy had it all: education, a loving wife, three kids. All his limbs. The hour had felt like a month. He wasn’t sure he could bring himself to go back.
    A squeak sounded as Paige’s fork connected with her plate. Half her T-bone remained, and she seemed more interested in pushing her food around than putting it in her mouth.
    Come to think of it, she’d been asking all the questions since she’d gotten home. He began to wonder if the worry he’d seen in her eyes had nothing to do with him.
    “Your steak cooked okay?”
    Her eyes flickered up. “It’s perfect. Delicious.” She took a bite as if to prove it and followed it up with a swig of iced tea.
    She resumed pushing her food around the plate.
    One more squeak, and he grabbed her hand.
    She looked up, wide-eyed.
    “What’s going on?”
    “Nothing.” She set down her fork and began fiddling with her necklace. “Why do you ask?”
    He studied her face. Lines etched her forehead, and a telltale frown crouched between her brows. “You’re stressed out.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    He gave her a look.
    “You don’t know everything.”
    “Maybe not, but I know you. It’s too much, all this fund-raising and stuff on top of your job.”
    “I can handle it.”
    “Paige . . . maybe you should just . . .”
    Her eyes tightened. “Just what?”
    “I know how much the shelter means to you, but maybe you should just—”
    “Quit?” She thrust her plate back, her eyes colliding with his. “Is that what you were going to say? Because if it is, then you really don’t know me at all.” She started to stand.
    He tightened his grip on her arm. “Hey.”
    “I’m not giving up the shelter. I’m not giving up on those animals. They need me. When have I ever failed at something I put my mind to, huh? Can you answer me that? I’m going to fix this.”
    He put his palms up. “Okay, okay. Settle down. Good grief.”
    She slowly relaxed into the seat, her eyes finding the checked cloth of the table. “Sorry.”
    “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Maybe I can help.”
    She set her elbows on the table and palmed her eyes. “Lauren quit today.”
    He frowned, suddenly wanting to throttle the mousy girl who’d been Paige’s right hand for years. “She quit? Just like that?”
    “She’s finishing out the week. I can’t really blame her, with things so up in the air. She got a job with the sheriff’s office.”
    “She’s leaving you in the lurch.”
    “I’ll just have to find someone else. I wrote up an ad for the paper. It’s just one more thing, you know?” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “But I’ll find someone, and it’ll be fine.”
    An idea popped into his mind and quickly grew roots. Was this a temporary solution to Paige’s problem? To his own boredom? He could fix both with one move.
    And work side by side with the woman of your dreams? Are you an idiot?
    But she needed his help. And he wanted nothing more than to erase those worry lines on her forehead. She was so selfless, wanting nothing more