“Probably a ligament. You might just have a nasty sprain, but you should get an X-ray to be sure.”

“I’ll be fine. Take me inside so I can ice it.”

“Sophie, you need to get it checked out. You could have a small fracture. Injuries like this can have long-term consequences if they don’t heal properly.”

“I’ve already got car trouble, Aiden. I don’t need hospital bills on top of it.”

“Insurance will pay for it.”

“I have a thousand-dollar deductible.”

“I’ll cover it then. I shouldn’t have left you on that ladder.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Just get me inside.”

He pinned her with a look as he reached for her. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

She leaned away. “No, you’re not.”

He leaned back on his haunches, glaring at her. She was too stubborn for her own good. She’d nurse the whole world within an inch of their lives, but heaven help her if she needed a hand.

“Fine. A compromise then. We’ll find an Urgent Care. They’ll be able to x-ray it, and it won’t cost as much.” He’d put it on his credit card, and hopefully she’d be none the wiser until he was miles away.

A frown creased her brow. “You have a plane to catch, Aiden.”

“I still have a couple hours. It won’t take that long. Come on, let’s go.” He picked her up before she could protest.

They drove twenty-five miles inland to find an open Urgent Care. It appeared everyone else had found it too. Sophie was one of about thirty patients waiting for help. Aiden convinced her to prop up her foot while he facilitated check-in and slipped the receptionist his Visa.

An hour and a half later they were still waiting, her cold pack having long since grown warm. The ankle was puffy and bruised red. She’d tried to put weight on it as they entered the building, but the pain was too much.

Aiden flipped sightlessly through a copy of Southern Boating, his mind running at warp speed. He was pretty sure Sophie didn’t have a break, but at the very least she was sporting a nasty sprain.

He didn’t know if she’d yet grasped what this would mean. Sprains took a while to heal. She couldn’t even put weight on it and probably wouldn’t be able to for a few days as yet. She was in no condition to get her bookshop ready to open. The injury being in her right foot, she wouldn’t even be able to drive.

It was obvious how much this shop, this new beginning, meant to her. She’d been worried over a one-day delay. When she realized what this injury meant to her plans, it would send her reeling.