Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) Read Online Free Page B

around the hand and between the thumb and first finger. “There you go.”
    Laurie flexed her fingers. “Thank you, that feels better.” She meant it. She hadn’t realized how much they were hurting until now.
    Lexi gave her a winning smile. “Good! I’ll go see what’s keeping the doctor. I’m sure you’re ready to get out of here. I’ll leave you in my brother’s capable hands and be back in a few minutes.”
    Laurie looked up at the clock and covered her yawn with a bandaged palm. It was after midnight. Her body was exhausted. She pressed her lips together to ward off another yawn and tried to focus on something else.  “Your sister is nice.”
    Tuck pushed away from the wall and took a couple of steps closer to her. “Lexi is very sweet. A little bossy at times, but I think that comes with the job.”
    “As a nurse?”
    “I’m sure that helps, but no. As a big sister.”
    Laurie nodded her understanding. “Gotcha. I’m actually the oldest in my family. Chelsea is three years younger than I am but we had very little to do with each other. Gotta love sibling dynamics.”
    “It makes life interesting,” Tuck confirmed. He stood up straighter when the doctor entered the room closely followed by Lexi.
    The doctor clipped an x-ray onto the light box on the wall and tapped the image with a finger. “The good news is, you didn’t break any bones. You do, however, have a bad sprain. It could be a lot worse, but it’ll take time to heal fully. I’ll give you some medication to help reduce the inflammation and the pain.” He stopped talking as he filled out a prescription, signed it, and handed it to her. “I’m going to send you home with a brace to wear. It’s nothing major and it will fit inside your shoe. But it’ll help to support your ankle while it heals. The swelling and pain will go down faster if you take it easy and rest it as much as possible.” He jotted a couple more notes down in her file. “I’m also going to get you a pair of crutches. The more you use them to keep weight off that foot, the faster your injury will heal.”
    Once her ankle had been secured, Laurie tested it by putting some weight on it. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was better than before. “Thank you both.”
    They waited for the last of the paperwork and care instructions to be delivered. By the time she was told she could leave, she was more than ready.
    Tuck helped her to the waiting wheel chair, holding her arm as she got situated. “I’ll take you back to your studio. If you’re up to it, I need you to look around and see what might be missing.”
    The idea of returning to her apartment after all that had happened made her stomach clench. But if she had to go back, she was glad she wouldn’t be doing so alone.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    Tuck helped Laurie into the passenger side of his pickup truck. Lance and another officer had dropped it off for him an hour or so earlier when they retrieved the police car. He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The leather seat covers threatened to leech the heat from his body and he rubbed his hands together for warmth. He saw Laurie bury her hands in the pockets of her jacket. As soon as the engine started to warm up, he turned the heater on.
    “Do I need to worry about the guy coming back to my studio?” Her soft voice brought his attention to her. He wanted to reassure her by taking her hand in his – a realization that shocked him. He gripped the steering wheel tighter to keep himself from reaching out to her.
    “The chance of that happening is remote. I can’t say it’s impossible, but once someone breaks into a place, they stay far away from it so as not to draw attention to themselves.”
    Laurie nodded, but he didn’t think she looked convinced. He knew that he needed to keep his distance, but his mouth was talking before