Safe in His Arms by Dana Corbit

own? Had someone led her to believe that her achievements were less valuable than her sister’s, or was it just survivor’s guilt that made Lindsay gush about Delia? He’d already gotten the sense that Lindsay had no idea how beautiful she was, but was there more to it? Did she see herself as second-class?
    â€œWas your sister a runner like you?”
    Again, she looked surprised, as if he’d discovered a long-buried secret or something. “I saw all those certificates and medals in the hall.”
    â€œOh. Right. I used to run 5Ks. But Delia? Oh, no. She said, for her to run three-point-one miles, there’d better be a mall at the finish line.”
    She was grinning as she said it, so he grinned back,pleased that he’d found something she’d done better than her sister. It was unkind to think like this about someone who’d passed away, but Joe could only imagine how hard it had been for Lindsay to compete against an overachieving sibling who was even more revered in death.
    â€œAre you a runner, too?” She cleared her throat. “I mean, are you a runner?”
    He didn’t miss that she’d just excluded herself from the group. “Me? A runner? No way. I’d rather have all of my fingernails pulled off with pliers.”
    â€œPliers?”
    â€œMaybe nothing that violent, but you get the picture.”
    â€œBut you do something. It’s obvious you work out.”
    â€œIs it?”
    Her only answer was a crimson flush that spread even to her ears. It was hardly a new thing for Joe to have women noticing him. He didn’t miss the furtive looks, but he rarely thought twice about them. So why was he impressed that Lindsay had all but admitted she’d been looking? She had to be the first woman who seemed so humiliated that he knew she’d been looking, though, so he let her off the hook.
    â€œI just do weight training mostly. And the stair climber for cardio.”
    â€œIt’s healthy to do something.”
    â€œFrom all those awards, I’m guessing you’re a pretty good runner. Your parents have to be so proud.” The last he added on impulse, based on an instinct he used to be able to trust before and hoped he still could.
    â€œThat’s in the past. It was just a hobby, anyway.”
    When he glanced at her, she was staring at the deck boards beneath her bare feet rather than at him. She’d said running was in her past. Probably six months andone pelvis fracture ago. Another thing she’d lost with the accident. She’d called running a hobby when her wall of certificates suggested a passion. She hadn’t even answered his question about her parents, and he could guess why. He suspected that all had not been well with the Collins family long before the accident.
    â€œWell, it’s getting late,” she said.
    Joe glanced down at his watch, sorry he’d brought up the certificates. It was only 8:45 p.m., a good curfew for sixth-graders. “So it is.”
    For someone who’d invited him to stay after dinner, she was suddenly in a hurry for him to leave. So much for the iced tea. Well, she’d allowed him to stay for dinner when she would have preferred for him to go, so he could be gracious now.
    â€œYeah, I should be getting home. Work’s going to come awfully early tomorrow.”
    She didn’t argue, but stood and opened the slider so she could lead him through to the front door. He followed, matching her slower pace. When she reached the door, she turned back to him and straightened her shoulders.
    â€œI appreciate your coming here, even though I didn’t exactly encourage it. Come to think of it, I emphatically discouraged it, but thank you anyway…for Emma’s sake. I’m even thanking you for the tips.”
    â€œYou’re welcome, I think.” He’d been looking for an opportunity, so he pulled a card from his wallet. With a pen from the end table, he