Chapter Five
“Y ou must be Cathy,” the young woman said as she bounded up the stairs.
Cathy sat on the patio because Ula had insisted.
After breakfast the housekeeper had informed her it was a beautiful day and that the physical-therapy session could as easily happen outside as in.
Over Cathy’s protests, Ula had hustled her down the hall to the stairs, where she’d slowly made her way to the first floor.
Now Cathy sat in the wrought-iron chair, her back to the sun and generally hating life.
Her arms and shoulders ached from the crutches, and her knee throbbed.
While she’d enjoyed her low-fat breakfast, she was still hungry and all she could think about was chocolate.
To make matters worse, the young woman beaming in front of her looked to be about five feet tall, and maybe all of eighty pounds.
Ula was tiny—this woman was tiny. Had Cathy somehow entered a world of perfect little people, where she was the only troll?
“Hi,” Cathy managed to say, hoping her bitterness didn’t show.
The young woman grinned. She had short blond hair and the kind of body featured in fitness magazines.
A T-shirt and bicycle shorts showed off the sleek muscles to perfection.
“I’m Pepper, your physical therapist.” Pepper held up her hand.
“It’s a nickname, and I prefer the soft-drink jokes be kept to a minimum.
My mother named me after her favorite aunt, Esmeralda, so Pepper is an improvement. How are you feeling?”
Pepper’s voice was as perky as her smile. Cathy fought nausea. “Just great.”
Pepper plopped down on the steps by Cathy’s feet. “You don’t sound great. If anything, you sound tired. Did you sleep well last night?”
Cathy shrugged. “Not great,” she admitted. The pain pills had helped, but she’d been restless. There were so many things on her mind. Her job—or the possible lack thereof—her surgery and recovery, Stone. Everything was still too confusing.
“The first few days are the worst,” Pepper said.
“Your body has to recover from the shock of the injury and from the surgery, as well. On the surface, you’ll heal pretty quickly, but remember it takes the body a year to completely recover from any operation.
So be kind to yourself. If you get tired, take a nap. Try not to get too stressed.”
That Cathy could handle. She looked at Pepper. “What exactly are you here to do?”
“A couple of things. We’re going to work on your leg to make sure you don’t lose too much muscle tone.
I’m going to show you some exercises to strengthen the muscles around your knee.
Stronger muscles will stabilize the area while it heals.
Second we’re going to work on your technique with crutches.
Most people are pretty hopeless on them.
It takes a lot of balance and upper-body strength, not to mention practice.
I’ll be making sure you don’t injure yourself while you use them.
We’ll do a little massage, too, to help the muscles.
” She touched the spot above her left breast. “It hurts right here, doesn’t it? And across your shoulders?”
Cathy nodded. “Yes. I try shifting positions when I use the crutches, but it doesn’t seem to help.”
“While they keep the weight off the leg so it can heal, using crutches is physically unnatural. I want to minimize your pain and suffering in an already uncomfortable situation.” She stood up and looked around. “The housekeeper suggested we work out here. It’s pretty private. What do you think?”
Cathy followed her gaze. In front of her was a wide view of the ocean.
On either side, tall hedges protected this part of the garden from prying neighbors.
Behind them was the house, and as far as she knew, only Ula and Stone were inside.
She doubted either would find her physical-therapy session interesting.
But the real reason she agreed was that the alternative was going up to her room, and she just couldn’t face the stairs right now.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine out here,” she said, wishing she felt more enthusiastic about the whole thing.
“Great. I’ll get my stuff.”
Pepper’s “stuff” consisted of a portable table big enough for Cathy to stretch out on, along with some workout-size rubber bands and a small suitcase. In a matter of minutes, she had the table opened and a clean sheet spread over the plastic-covered padding.
“Hop on,” she said, patting the sheet.
Cathy struggled to her feet, took her crutches and lurched awkwardly toward the young woman. Pepper stepped forward to assist. “They’ve got the height adjusted wrong,” she said. “You’d think they’d check something like that. Don’t worry, I’ll fix it. But first let’s work on your leg.”
She gave Cathy a hand up onto the table. Cathy was shocked to feel the other woman’s strength. At her look of surprise, Pepper chuckled.
“I know, my size is deceiving. I’m strong. I grew up with five brothers, so it was get strong or get pinned every time we wrestled.” She smiled. “I decided to learn how to kick butt. They’re all huge, but I’ve got ’em running for cover.”
She had Cathy lie down on the table. They went through a series of stretches. Pepper made several notations on a chart.
“Do you exercise?” the physical therapist asked.
“Not really.” The loose sweatpants she wore weren’t very flattering, and Cathy figured that Pepper had probably already noticed the fact that she wasn’t in very good shape. “I’ve tried to start an exercise program a few times, but I’ve never been able to stick with it. Now I don’t know what to do.”
“We’re going to have you up and around in no time,” Pepper promised. “In a few months, you won’t even know you’ve had surgery.”
“Is there something I can do in the meantime?” she asked, reminding herself again that this was the perfect opportunity to make some changes in her life. “Ula suggested I ask you about that.”
“Sure. There are different aerobic exercises for people in wheelchairs. You could do some of those.” Pepper wrinkled her pixie nose. “I’ll work something up to bring in next time.”
“That sounds great. Thank you.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Now let’s work on this leg.”
Pepper took her through several exercises and more stretches.
When her leg was too sore for them to continue, they shifted to her upper body.
Cathy learned how to stretch out the muscles stressed by the crutches, as well as a few ways to build her upper-body strength.
She could barely lift a five-pound dumbbell, but she refused to get discouraged.
At least she was finally doing something.
She eyed Pepper’s well-defined arm and wondered if that was possible for her.
When they finished, Pepper applied heat to her neck and upper back. “Just relax for a few minutes. Then we’ll start the walking lesson. By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be barreling around on those crutches like a pro.”
“I can’t imagine barreling, but I would like to move a little more easily.”
Pepper glanced at the house. “I would guess so. There must be a ton of stairs inside.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
The therapist looked at her in surprise. “But you live here.”
Cathy lay on her stomach, the heavy heat-pack around her neck. She rested her head on her folded arms and grimaced. “No. I’m—” Words failed her. What was she, exactly? A friend of the family? Hardly? A what, then?
“Mr. Ward and I have a business association,” she said at last. “I don’t have any family, and when he heard what had happened in the fire, he wanted me to stay here while I recovered.”
“Nice work if you can get it,” Pepper said enviously. “Imagine actually knowing Stone Ward. Wow. I’ve read about him, of course. This house is amazing. What’s he like?”
Cathy hesitated, not only because she didn’t know what to say, but also because she respected Stone’s privacy. While she wasn’t completely sure about the parameters of their relationship, she did consider him a friend and she didn’t want to be responsible for gossiping about him.
“He’s reclusive,” she said. “A very private man, but kind. We’re not that close.”
That was true, she thought sadly. They weren’t close, and everything that had happened between them had only confused her.
She wanted their relationship to be different, but she couldn’t say how.
She just knew that she missed the regularity of their lives before…
when she’d known she could count on hearing from him every evening at midnight.
Although he’d come by last night, she didn’t know when she was going to see him again, and that troubled her.
She missed him. They were in the same house, and she missed him. It was crazy.
Pepper touched the heat pack. “We’ll give this another five minutes, then on with your lesson.”
Cathy smiled. “Thanks.”
* * *
Stone stood at the window, watching. Even as he told himself he had no right to spy on Cathy, he found himself unable to turn away. The physical therapist seemed capable, but he barely spared her a glance. Instead, all of his attention focused on his guest.
She moved across the patio, her stride slow and halting. The therapist stopped her and made an adjustment to the crutches. Cathy was able to straighten a little, and that seemed to help her balance.
Her straight hair hung down, concealing her face from him. Shapeless sweats hid her body. She wasn’t all she’d claimed to be, but none of that mattered to him. Their relationship had never been about what she looked like. What he’d cared about was who she was inside.
She continued to pace across the patio. With each pass, her mobility improved. It wouldn’t be all that long before she would be an expert on the crutches. By then, she would be able to put them aside and walk on her own.