She only had her suitcase to move. Her trunk with her other items would not be arriving for weeks yet.
Autumn sipped her hot chocolate as her body relaxed for the first time in months. She had found her safe haven. No ex-husbands, no stalkers, and for now, she would forget about the spiders and snakes lurking around the place. She would Skype Simon.
He came online and beamed at her with his gorgeous smile as usual. His strength and happiness had kept her going on more than one occasion over the years.
“Hi, Simon. I had to call you. I’ve found this fantastic cottage. I’ll send pictures—I even have kangaroos out the back.”
“Out the back. You sound like an Aussie already.” He laughed. “I knew it was the right thing for you to do. If I tell Brendan, he will want to come over tomorrow. How is the job going?” Simon asked, as Bridget walked by behind him and waved.
“Hi, Autumn.”
“Hi, Bridget. It’s great, and not too stressful. I think this is going to be just what I need. Thanks for believing in me when I was at the bottom so I could find my way back up again. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Simon wagged a finger at her. “You can do anything. I don’t have much time to chat as I have to work. Let’s talk again soon and I’ll let you know if we can visit.”
Autumn slept like a log on the comfy queen-size bed. It was amazing, as she never slept through the night. Since the accident and the stalking, she was always on edge, expecting every little noise to be someone trying to break in. She did remember hearing a door shut late at night and a dog barking, but it was probably her neighbor coming home. From what the agent had said, the guy who owned this cottage was living next door and renovating that one as well. She would pop around after work and say hello. But right now, she was running late and needed a shower before she headed to the practice.
She placed a chair from the kitchen next to the bath. Autumn used her crutches to move first thing in the morning. It was easiest to pop her prosthesis on after she had showered. It was next to the bath along with her clothes. It would take a while to work things out in this new space but she would get there.
Autumn stood and wobbled as she pulled back the shower curtain and reached across to turn on the taps. It was her firm belief that everyone in the world hated shower curtains with a vengeance. They always stuck to your body and should be banned. She would also get a non-slip mat to go in the bath. Dear God, she seemed like some old grandma, but had to be practical. Back in her flat in London, she could get in and out of the shower easily. Autumn hated the idea of having to kit out a house with special needs equipment. It was silly, as she told patients to do it all the time but would not admit she needed it herself.
Autumn sat on the chair and put her good leg over the rim of the bath, then pulled herself across so she could stand and balance on one foot. This was good. She was adaptable and could make this work. She could do anything. Had not Simon said that last night?
The water pounded against her skin, helping her muscles relax. This was a new beginning and she would wash away all the tension, along with the bad memories.
“Bugger.” Autumn dropped the soap and leaned down to grab it.
Then everything happened so fast—she was flying backward as her leg slipped forward. A scream left her lips though there would be no one to hear it. Autumn instinctively grabbed onto the shower curtain as she fell. It slowed her fall for a bit. She cringed and watched as each clip at the top of the curtain popped off. Autumn landed hard on her butt and screamed as the pain jolted up her back and through her body.
Before she could think straight, the door to the bathroom swung open and she screamed again.
She never screamed at anything. Well, spiders, but everyone did that.
Where the hell did this guy come from?
That face. It was one of Doctor Wilson’s patients from yesterday. The guy, Brett, who had requested a sexual health checkup. Dear God, she was mortified. Here she was, naked in the bath with only a shower curtain giving her any modesty as it clung to her like a second skin. She would rather have been on her own and struggle for an hour to get out than face this. They said pride came before a fall—hers was coming after.
“What are you doing here? I’m naked. Get out. Get out,” Autumn yelled.
“It’s obvious to anyone with half a brain you need help. Plus, you saw me naked yesterday, so I say we’re quits.”
“Don’t look at me,” she yelled.
He immediately closed his eyes but still offered his hand to help her out of the bath while he laughed.
Could this be any more embarrassing?
He shook his head. “Seriously, I think I’m going to feel more of you with this braille technique I am using than if I open my eyes and help.”
“Okay, you can open them, but be quick.” She wanted to hide in a corner. “It’s not the same anyway. I saw you in a medical capacity. I’m naked in my bathtub,” Autumn said as she clutched the flimsy see-through shower curtain.
He turned off the water and grabbed a towel from the rack and covered her. For that one action, she would forgive him almost anything.
She still was not happy he was there.
Since the divorce, she had not let anyone see her without her clothes on. Heck, she did not even like looking herself.
Damn it, but she needed him. He pulled the shower certain away as she grabbed the towel. “You’re taking it off me,” Autumn squealed.
“I’m doing the best I can. You did a good job wrapping yourself up like a Christmas present. Put an arm around my neck and lift your butt so I can maneuver the curtain out.”
Autumn placed one arm around his neck while she kept the towel covering her breasts with the other. The curtain fell free but she could feel the cold air on her derriere.
He smelled good now she was close. That sort of all-male smell mixed with a fruity aftershave. Johnathan’s aftershave had always been so overpowering. Why the hell was she thinking that now? She had noticed Brett’s good looks yesterday, but now Autumn noticed the muscles on his arms.
Her rescuer scooped her up, and as he turned around, the reflection in the mirror showed the towel only covering half of her body, with her backside on display in full glory. He grinned as he peeked in the mirror. Her face was red and not from the heat in the bathroom. Why couldn’t the mirror be steamed up?
Brett placed her on the chair next to the bath. As he did so, he kicked her prosthetic foot across the room so it hit the toilet with a clang. He picked it up and placed it next to her. “Oops, I’m sorry,” he said awkwardly as he stared at her wide-eyed, clearly trying to hold back a laugh.
Autumn ached all over and would have bruises coming out everywhere shortly, including a bump on her head. That aside, the look on his face made her crack up. He was like a naughty boy who had been caught with his hand in the candy jar. Autumn started to laugh, just a chuckle at first, but then she could not stop. Brett joined in and the two of them were almost crying with hysterics.
She took in big gulps of air. It had been a long time since she had laughed like that and it felt good.
When they stopped, he stood and the moment was gone. “I’ll wait outside. I was fixing the back door, by the way. I didn’t break in. Now, try and stay upright. Deal?” he said, giving her the thumbs up which looked so corny.