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his concoction was mixed, he gently smoothed some of the salve over the sore places on her palms. He dipped his fingertips into the mixture and his touch was so gentle, it sent shivers through her. She had expected it to hurt, but it was sweet and light; she let her eyes fall closed and just enjoyed his ministrations. He didn’t talk, thank God. She stayed quiet also. She hadn’t been touched in this way in so long, she couldn’t remember the last time. And how bizarre, it should come from someone she hated.
    Well, maybe she didn’t hate him, but she didn’t like him much. He’d been either hostile or completely ignored her.
    He wrapped gauze around her hands, then slid them into the latex gloves. Right about that moment, Maxie walked into the kitchen, the yellow dog at her side. She smiled as she obviously recognized the procedure. “Want me to take over, Tom?” she asked.
    “I’m fine,” he said. He shook a couple of pills into his palm and handed them to Nora. “You need to take this for muscle pain,” he said. “It’s just over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and pain relief, but I’m giving you a bottle to take home. I’m afraid you’re going to have to skip the overtime this weekend, you have to heal or you’ll make things worse. I’ll give you balm, salve, gauze, ice pack, extra latex gloves, analgesic, everything you need. Sleep in the gloves. Wear them when you come back to work. Keep salve on your hands—change the gauze wrap and apply new salve mornings and evenings. Take the pills every four hours—your muscles will recover.”
    Then he put a little cream from the tube on his fingertips and slid them under the back collar of her shirt. Without the least hint of embarrassment, he slid her thin bra strap down over her shoulder and began to massage the cream into her shoulder and scapula.
    “Oh, that’s going to help you so much,” Maxie said. “When my hands get bad, I use that liniment—it’s miraculous.”
    His big, callused hands on her shoulder and upper back were so firm, so gentle, so wonderful. Slow, circular strokes with the tips of his fingers—pure luxury. It only took him a few minutes to rub it in. After he pulled out his hand, he went to the freezer to withdraw a cold pack, placing it gently over her shoulder.
    “And now ice. You’ll be good as new,” he said. “And when you come back to work on Monday, wear work gloves. I’ll give you a pair.” A glass of water appeared for her to take her pills. “How are your feet? Blisters?”
    “My feet are fine.” They were sore and there were blisters, but she wasn’t going to have him touching her feet. Although the thought had merit—his roughened hands gently smoothing salve on her sore feet could be heaven.
    When he had a small brown bag stocked with everything from salve to gloves, he handed it to her. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”
    She stood up. “I can walk just fine.”
    He gave a smirk. “I’m headed for town, Nora. I’ll give you a lift. And it might be a good idea to ask around if anyone is going your way, hitch a ride. You could meet Buddy—he’d be more than happy to—”
    “We shouldn’t encourage Buddy. And I don’t mind walking,” she insisted. “I make good time.”
    He held the back door open for her. “If you run into a mountain lion, you’ll make even better time, too.”
    She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. “Funny.”
    He just lifted one brow and smiled.
    “See you Monday, Maxie,” she said.
    “Have a nice weekend, Nora,” the woman returned.

Chapter Three
    Nora hated to part with overtime pay by taking the weekend off. Overtime sounded delicious—her budget was beyond tight. But she took her girls to the gym set at the elementary school, pushed Fay in the baby swing while Berry played on the slide and rings. She consoled herself that there would be more overtime coming her way when she was healed enough to take it without crippling herself for life.
    It was