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“I’m happy to hear that. How has it been feeling since you got out of bed and started moving around?”
“It’s not fully healed, that’s for sure,” I returned. “I attempted to put weight on it when I got out of bed this morning, and while it seemed okay when I was just standing there, I nearly fell over when I tried to walk. So, at this point, I figure I’ll need another day or so before I don’t need the crutches. It’s mostly just annoying at this point.”
Forrest offered a sympathetic look. “We’ll see what we can do to make sure it can be elevated as much as possible today, so we can speed up your recovery.”
If one thing was becoming clear, it was that Forrest had this protective instinct about him. Initially, I thought it could have easily been related to his job, but the more I was around him, the more I was beginning to think it was just the way he was.
I felt like he’d been looking out for me from the moment he met me, even if it all hadn’t seemed like a big deal. Everything from him helping me when I was stuck on that trail to carrying me across the resort, so he could take me to a clinic, had proven Forrest was a treasure of a man.
I didn’t think I’d ever be so lucky as to have a man like him permanently in my life, but if I had the chance, there wasn’t a doubt I’d do everything in my power to make sure I held on tight to him.
He’d practically given up his vacation to help me. There were people in my life who should have wanted to give me at least as much time as Forrest had, and they couldn’t be bothered. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to ignore how the things he did, which might have seemed small to him, made me feel.
And how could I not want more of it?
That time and patience.
The care and concern.
It felt foreign to me, but it was the best thing I’d ever experienced in my life.
Not wanting to set myself up for disappointment or a day of feeling down in the dumps, I crossed the room on the crutches, sat down on the couch, and put my sneakers on.
Forrest carried my purse for me, and before I knew it, we were in his truck on the way to get breakfast.
Throughout the drive, I was lost in my thoughts as I took in the scenery.
This was my first time in this town. I could recall thinking, when I initially arrived on my way to the ski resort, that it was a cute place. My intention had been to find a location I could settle down permanently, and Scarlet Valley had already scored high marks simply for not being Birch Creek, the place I was leaving.
But when I noted the views from the resort and all the shops we passed as we drove through the town, there was no question the place was growing on me.
Maybe that wasn’t all, though.
I met Forrest here. He had been a dream, and I started to wonder if perhaps meeting him was the sign I needed to know this was where I was meant to be.
Would I love it here?
Could I be happy here?
Sadly, I didn’t come up with any answers before Forrest pulled his truck off the road and into a parking lot for a diner.
After placing our orders for breakfast, I had worried we might be lost for conversation. Forrest wasn’t, and while I was grateful for that, once he started speaking, I was suddenly unsure if I would have preferred the alternative.
“Okay, so I’m ready for it,” he declared.
“Ready for what?” I asked.
Forrest didn’t immediately respond. Instead, a smile formed on his face as his eyes danced with delight. He was obviously happy about something; I just didn’t have a clue what it was.
“Ever since you mentioned it to me, Daisy, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your dream,” he shared. “I was kind of hoping you’d give me all the details now.”
I blinked my eyes in surprise.
No way.
No way could I do that.
I was daring, willing to try almost anything, but I wasn’t convinced I could do this. Not with a man like him.
