Montana Secrets Read Online Free Page A

him. Couldn’t bear the thought of him turning away in disgust.
    â€œI won’t leave Lexi out of our conversation. I can’t because you obviously don’t know what you’re doing to her. Do you know how smart she is? A lot smarter than I was at five. Your niece called me in North Carolina to ask me to help you. In fact, she’s the one who convinced me to take your case.”
    â€œLucky me.”
    Grace dropped the tray on top of the hospital table. Maura had placed Seth’s meal on hard plastic plates so the action created more noise than anything. The ruckus was worth it when he glanced up at her in surprise.
    â€œLexi heard Jake on the phone asking me to take your case, and after he hung up, she snuck in and hit the redial to talk to me herself. Just so she could persuade me to come because she wants her favorite uncle to get well.”
    â€œYou mean she heard you turn Jake down. You told him no.”
    Unable to deny the truth, she shrugged. “I told Jake I needed time to think about it.”
    â€œAfraid to see me again?”
    She wanted to look away but couldn’t. “Seth, stop feeling sorry for yourself and fight this. I’ll help you. And before you say it, I’m not leaving. I’m not intimidated by a grown man’s temper tantrums.”
    â€œMy family doesn’t need me burdening them,” he grated out, his face a dull maroon. “The sooner youand everyone else realize that and move on, the sooner I can have some peace in my own house!”
    â€œPeace?” she asked, incredulous. “Hiding in this room isn’t peace, it’s giving up! Your family needs you. Lexi needs you.”
    Seth’s near-black eyes bared more of his soul than she knew he wanted her to see. “What does she need me for? Wake up, Grace, I’m a cripple. ”
    Pain washed over her. Not only Seth’s pain, but the pain of every patient she’d come into contact with since beginning her career. “You’re her uncle. The only uncle she has, and she loves you.”
    His despair made her want to cry, it touched her heart, breaking through all her training, and through all the barriers she’d erected over the past ten years in an attempt to keep herself from falling for someone as hard as she’d fallen for Seth.
    â€œDon’t stand there and preach to me about Lexi.”
    â€œOr what?” Seth had so much going for him, and here he was shoving everyone and everything away as hard and as fast as he could. Self-destructing right before her eyes. “Even if you never take another step in your life, you’ll always be Lexi’s uncle. Nothing will ever change that. Quit feeling sorry for yourself and fight this! Fight back!”
    Seth was silent, his expression haunted and brooding. Lexi’s laughter reached them then, drew their attention to the action taking place outside thewindows. The little girl was with Jake and Hank, her smiling face representative of all that was good in the world.
    Unprofessional tears threatened and Grace blinked rapidly to ease the strain, blaming her response on fatigue and frustration and all the emotions that came with returning to North Star and seeing Seth so broken and defeated. She hadn’t been eating, hadn’t been sleeping. And now when she did close her eyes and sleep, her nightmares were vicious.
    â€œLook at her. So loving and full of life. You are her example, Seth. If nothing else, your pride alone should keep you fighting, just so you can show her how it’s done.” He wouldn’t look at her, but she was glad to note he didn’t take his eyes off Lexi.
    â€œPride doesn’t change anything. I could’ve walked after that horse threw me if pride had anything to do with healing.”
    She nodded, understanding. Pride certainly didn’t even the odds, she’d learned that as well. “Then what about responsibility? Would you let Lexi give up?