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his funk. As soon as she reported in for work, she shifted her schedule to place him at the end of the day then made a few calls and reservations. Maybe her surprise would give him the incentive to re-engage in life.
    When she’d been at her lowest after her injury and subsequent medical retirement from the force, she’d been in a similar state of mind. Then her brother on the Alexandria police force had shown up at her apartment, loaded her in his truck, and taken her to where Leigha would be taking Reaper. That day had sparked life in her otherwise-dead existence. She hoped her plan had the same effect on Reaper.
    Excitement built as the day went by. Several times she thought she saw him pass through the center, but when she had the time to look around, he wasn’t there. Until four o’clock rolled around.
    Reaper walked in, tall, broad-shouldered, his tattoos peeking out from under his T-shirt in bold black. His expression was withdrawn, his eyes hollow.
    A smile formed on her lips, and for the first time in a long time, butterflies fluttered against the inside lining of her belly. “Hey, sunshine, why so glum?”
    “I’m not glum,” he said, his tone flat, humorless.
    “Uh-huh. I could tell.” She put him to work on his repetitions, keeping the routine light. She wanted him to have enough energy for later.
    As if on automatic, Reaper performed the strength exercises without comment, staring into the distance, not focusing on anything or anyone.
    Yeah, he needed something different. The sterile environment of the hospital was getting to him. Or worse, it was giving him too much of a refuge and preventing him from venturing out into the world where people would point and stare at the man with one arm.
    Well, he’d have to get over that. Her planned surprise might shock him, but in the long run, it might help him to learn how to adjust to being left-handed. New to the rehab center, Leigha was almost certain what she was about to do wasn’t sanctioned and might just be against the rules, but something drove her to bend them a little. Anything to get Reaper to enter and embrace his new life.
    After thirty minutes, the man hadn’t even broken a sweat. It was time for Leigha to clock out and head home. Seeing Reaper start to leave, she touched his injured arm. “Are you up for a field trip?”
    He stopped and stared at the hand resting on his stump, his eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?”
    “Do you feel like blowing this joint and breathing some fresh air?”
    He shifted his gaze to her face. “You realize I’m an engaged man?”
    She shrugged. “I’m not asking you out on a date. I’m asking if you want to get out of here for a little R&R. You’ve worked hard all this week, and I have a surprise planned that might cheer you up.”
    His brows lowered. “I don’t need cheering, and I don’t need fresh air.”
    She stared, her lips firming into a straight line. “Look. I could use some company. You don’t have anyone to hang out with, so what’s it going to hurt? Unless you’re afraid to step outside this hospital. Afraid to face the world.”
    “Why should I care? Once I leave here, I have nowhere to go. No job. No family. Why should I care about going for a joy ride with my therapist? It’s dumb. A waste of time for me, and definitely a waste of time for you.” He started to move past her.
    Again, she placed a hand on his arm, remembering Eric’s advice to be patient. But her patience was waning. “You should care because you have a lovely fiancée who would be appalled to see the man she loves moping and feeling sorry for himself, when he should be exploring his options and building a new life that could include her.”
    She let go of his arm and stepped back. “Wallow in your self-pity. That’s your choice. I’m going for a ride. If you want to come with me, meet me out in the parking lot. I drive a black Jeep Wrangler with a hard top. I’m leaving in ten minutes.” She turned