His Golden Heart Read Online Free Page A

life.
    “Me too,” he said begrudgingly.
    His mother looked as if she had heartburn, and his father’s glasses had fogged up. Shell-shocked was the only way to describe the look on the older man’s face. Beau guessed they had gotten an eyeful of Chandra’s bare bottom and more. The lecture would come later from his mother. He couldn’t wait.

Chapter Three

    Shayna glanced at the wall clock. Time ticked slowly by. Very slowly. Beau Hill was her next patient. She could hardly wait. She’d tried to liven up the vomit-green walls of the place with motivational posters. She’d placed potted plants in strategic positions, and added colorful cushions to the few pieces of furniture there were. Her goal had been to create the illusion of an upscale spa, but nothing could hide the ugliness of functional parallel bars, weights, and pulleys. Thank God for those lovely window walls.
    Shayna had rolled the blinds high, letting in the awesome outdoor scenery. Green at their base, the mountains remained snowcapped even in spring. That was Colorado for you.
    “Good job, Gail,” Shayna called, as Gail Mahoney, aided by a walker, slowly crossed the floor. The old lady was doing well but needed lots of stroking. Shayna continued to put Gail through her routine, observing her slow but steady pace. It was rewarding watching a patient progress from standing on her own, to taking her first tentative steps, unsteady and painful as those steps might be. Gail had never forgotten that precious moment and neither had Shayna.
    Shayna’s mind returned to Beau Hill. Beau would win no awards for congeniality. Prickly as the athlete was, he had piqued her interest. Call it her love of a good challenge, or call it a complete understanding of what he was going through. She knew his abrasive personality was a shield to hide the fear deep inside that he would never walk again, much less ski. An athlete as active as Beau was bound to be devastated by this new sedentary life.
    Eight years ago Shayna had found herself in a similar position, faced with a brutal reality. Doctors had told her that she would never walk again. She’d been determined to prove them wrong and read everything she could on the subject of holistic healing. In the process she’d stumbled across a book, titled Turning Hurts Into Halos. That book had changed her life. While she’d never again compete as a professional gymnast, she could walk, and she could walk without even the faintest trace of a limp.
    “Your hour’s up,” Shayna announced, as a huffing, puffing Gail Mahoney continued to take painful steps back to her.
    “Whew,” Gail said, sinking tiredly into her wheelchair. “So how did I do today?”
    “Terrific. Wonderful. Better than wonderful.” Shayna kissed the older woman’s cheek. “We’ll have you out of here in no time. Just keep doing the exercises I taught you. Keeping pushing yourself.”
    Gail beamed at her. “Did I tell you my grandson wants to meet you?”
    “Hundreds of times.” They’d turned it into their little joke. “Why would some twenty-one-year-old stud want to meet an old bag like me?”
    Gail harrumphed. “Old bag nothing. You’re young, beautiful, and intelligent.”
    “Did I hear you say you were old?” Mary Jane Coppola called from the doorway. She’d come to deliver Beau. She arched penciled-in eyebrows.
    Shayna turned to acknowledge the new arrivals. “Hello, Mary Jane. Beau. I’ll be with you in a moment.”
    The wheelchair’s brake clicked into place as Mary Jane parked Beau. “Are we too early?”
    “No. Right on time.”
    Shayna proceeded to wrap things up with Gail. The senior citizen’s attention was completely riveted on the new arrival. “You’re Beau Hill,” she gushed, eyes widening at the unexpected bonus. “Yes, you are. You’re the skier. Denver’s darling, a one-time gold medal hopeful. There was something fishy about your accident if you ask me.”
    Beau took his time raising his head. His ego had