Christyne Butler - Flirting with Destiny

“Okay, here we go.” She looked at Mac. “Take a breath in...”

He did as instructed and after a quick tap on the end of the needle, it was in place.

“I thought this was to help Mac with the arthritis in his hands,” Dev said, his voice a bit rough. “Why are you sticking him in his legs?”

“There are almost two thousand acupuncture points on the human body and each one has a different effect on the qi. I’ve already mapped out the specific positions needed to help Mac find relief and yes, there are quite a few located in each hand as well as other areas of his body.”

“How long does he have to lie there like a human pincushion?”

“We did twenty minutes the past couple of times, but since it’s been a while I think we’ll go with a half hour today.” She had another needle and location ready on the same leg. “Another breath in, Mac.”

A quick glance up told her Dev was still watching, but his coloring had gone an even whiter shade of pale. “You okay over there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You might feel better if you stretched out on the couch—”

“I said I’m fine.”

He wasn’t. Tanya could see that plainly, from his coloring to the way he sat hunched forward, his hands clasped tightly between his knees, but she continued to work.

Keeping her tone light and even, she explained each step while keeping her attention on Mac, making sure her grandfather knew when she was going to insert each needle until he had a total of eight, two in each leg and two in each hand.

“Okay, now we move onto what is known as ‘Eight Ghosts,’ which is the web area between each finger. Very helpful for those who suffer from pain and numbness in the fingers.” Tanya completed one hand, then reached for the last set of needles. “Mac, maybe you can explain to Dev what sensations you are feeling as I finish up?”

“I would, but he’s disappeared.”

Tanya’s head jerked up. Her gaze shot to the empty couch and then to Mac. “What? Where is he? What happened?”

“He was messing with his phone a moment ago, but as soon as you mentioned the between-the-fingers thing, he headed for the door.”

Surprised that she hadn’t heard him leave, Tanya tried to see if Dev was really gone or just outside on the porch getting some fresh air.

“Go.”

She looked back at Mac. “What?”

“Go check on him. I’ll be fine here.”

“Not until your treatment is complete.” She concentrated on inserting the final needles and then made sure Mac was comfortable. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ve got no plans to move an inch until you tell me I can.” Mac grinned. “You better hightail it after him. He’s moving slow, but he could be in his Jeep and halfway home by now.”

Tanya crossed the room, slipped on a pair of wedge flip-flops and headed for the door. She left, leaving the inside door open in case her grandfather called out. She spotted Dev in a red Jeep parked at the hangar, the engine coming to life just as she made it to the passenger-side window.

“I understand, sweetie. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Dev spoke into his phone. “Have I ever let you down? Hey, stop laughing.”

She should step away and let him continue his conversation with his lady friend in private, but the moment Tanya moved he looked her way, doing a classic double take when he saw her.

“Gotta go, Abby. Driving and talking on a cell phone isn’t a good thing. Especially when driving a stick.” Dev ended the call, dropping his phone into the cup holder between the seats.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Tanya noticed his skin tone was back to normal, even though she could still see discomfort radiating from the deep creases around his eyes. “Mac noticed you left the cabin pretty fast toward the end. He wanted me to check on you.”

“No need. I’m fi—”

“Fine. Yeah, you’ve said that already.” Not that she believed him. “So, I take it you’ve decided that you’re not interested in acupuncture.”

“Guess I’m not brave or crazy.” He grabbed the cowboy hat from the passenger seat and settled it on his head. “At least not enough to let you stick me.”

She should be happy he was turning her down. Getting involved with Devlin during her stay in Destiny would be a crazy decision on her part, but the healer in her wanted desperately to ease the pain he wore like a heavy overcoat. “Does that mean you aren’t interested in my help?”

“Oh, I’m interested.” He flashed her that same wide smile that had called her to his side at the roulette wheel ten years ago. “I’m very interested.”

Chapter Four

“For someone who said last week he was interested in my help, you don’t seem to be trying very hard.”

Dev tightened his grip on his fork and stabbed at the mound of mashed potatoes on his plate, but kept his tone light as he shot Tanya a quick wink from his side of the booth. “Well, I’m a little out of practice. Don’t worry, it’ll come back to me.”

She rewarded him with the beginnings of a smile, but he still read concern—no, more like pity, in her gaze. “I’m talking about your physical therapy session this morning.”

Yeah, he knew that.

Despite the fact he’d just about passed out watching her stick his buddy with a dozen or so needles, he’d told her he still wanted to work with her. But she’d insisted on meeting with Pete, his physical therapist, first, so she’d gone with him to a session today.

“And you pretty much glossed over what happened after the accident and how hurt you really were. Pete filled in the details for me.”

Dev shrugged and tried not to grimace at the soreness radiating through his shoulders and back. Hell, he was one giant wall of hurt after being stretched, pulled and twisted for sixty agonizing minutes.

Great way to start a Monday morning.

Not to mention the ride back to Destiny. He probably should’ve taken her up on her offer to grab lunch while they were in Laramie, but he’d figured the stretch behind the wheel would give his body more time to recover. Yeah, bad decision. He was stiff as a board.

And not in a good way.

“After eight months, it’s been talked about enough.”

She leaned forward, keeping her voice low despite the fact that Sherry’s Diner, a popular place to eat in Destiny, was pretty much empty. “What you went through was horrible, but you’ve come such a long way since last summer. Why are you giving up now?”

Refusing to give that question any serious consideration, Dev mimicked her posture, bringing their faces close together over their half-eaten meals. He threw in one of his famous grins for good measure. “Who said anything about giving up? Maybe I was just waiting for you to come to the rescue.”

“Except you’re not interested in anything I specialize in.” Tanya straightened and reached for her iced tea. “Other than a massage, of course.”

Hmm, strike one for charm. “Couldn’t be any worse than the beating I took today.”

“Considering it’s the first therapy appointment you’ve kept in the past three weeks, I’d say you’re lucky you walked out of the clinic at all.”

She was right on both counts. If he tried to stand up now he’d probably fall flat on his face. As it was, he’d had to use to the cane just to keep upright in the parking lot.

“Pete also said you refuse to take any pain medication.”

Now it was Dev’s turn to sit back, his gaze glued to the table, certain he’d failed in keeping his discomfort off his face as the fire raced from his hip to his knee. “That’s right.”

“At all?”

He nodded, then looked up at her, not surprised by the disbelief in her eyes.

Giving the green light for Pete to share his medical records with Tanya had meant she’d learn that little tidbit about him, and he’d been waiting for her to bring it up. He figured now was as good a time as any for a discussion he’d had too many times to count in the past eight months with everyone from doctors to his folks.