The Proposal at Siesta Key by Shelley Shepard Gray

and slightly groggy from the painkillers that had finally kicked in an hour ago. All he wanted was for whoever was on the other side to say what they wanted and leave him in peace. Hopefully, all in three seconds. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was going to take at least three seconds for the person to even open the door all the way.
    â€œAnytime now,” he muttered under his breath.
    But when a pretty face popped in, he blinked in surprise. First, because he was half expecting the person who had knocked to turn tail and retreat. Second, because he actually recognized the face.
    â€œIt’s you,” he said.
    The young woman chewed on her lower lip before meeting his gaze. “ Jah . It is I.” She winced. “I mean me . I mean, my name is Penny Troyer. We, um, met Friday night. After the gathering.”
    â€œI remember.”
    She nodded. “Jah.”
    When she added nothing more, he said, “You offered to help me walk.”
    â€œUm. Yes, I did.” She nodded again for good measure as her gaze darted around the room, at last coming to stop on a point directly above his head.
    Realizing she was shy and he was yet again acting like a jerk, he said, “And even though your offer was mighty kind, I brushed it off.” He hoped she heard the apology in his tone. “I was rude. I am sorry about that. My knee was paining me something awful.”
    â€œI didn’t know that. I was simply worried about you.” She smiled before immediately letting her expression go blank.
    Almost as though she thought she was going to get in trouble if she relaxed around him.
    â€œI should have listened to you,” he said. “I barely got here. After Beverly told my family, they took me to the hospital.”
    Her blue-green eyes flashed back to his, pure concern filling them. “I am sorry about that.”
    â€œDanke.” He eyed her a little more closely, liking the way her blond curls wouldn’t quite mind her pins. She looked adorable. Bashful and unsure of herself. “So why, exactly, are you here?”
    â€œWhy?” Then her eyes lit on the pitcher she was holding in her hand. “Oh. I . . . well, um, I have brought you some water. Would you like some?”
    He pointed to the still-full glass next to his bed. “Thanks, but I have some already.”
    â€œOh.” A look of dismay crossed her features as she shifted the pitcher to her opposite hand.
    As she continued to shift awkwardly, Michael was suddenly very conscious of the fact that he was sitting in bed wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt. Wariness coursed through him. “What I meant was, why are you here, at the inn?” And why was she standing in his bedroom? Suddenly, an awful thought hit him hard. “Does Beverly know you came in here?”
    â€œOf course she does! You’re my job.”
    â€œSay again?” This conversation seemed to be running in crazy circles.
    She blinked slowly, obviously irritated with herself. “I guess that didn’t come out too well. I meant, I was recently hired here.”
    His eyes narrowed. “How recently?”
    â€œToday. This afternoon.”
    He groaned. Maybe his first instinct had been correct. Maybe she really was some kind of celebrity stalker. “You just happened to need a job today? And you just happened to get one here, where I’m staying?”
    â€œIt wasn’t like that.”
    â€œUh-huh.” He hated to sound like a pompous jerk, but he had a right to be worried. Something like this had happened eight months ago. It wasn’t easy to forget that impressionable girl in Lancaster County who had been in need of something and had secretly decided only Michael could give it to her. She’d turned up everywhere they’d been, even finding her way to the hallway outside their hotel rooms. Her infatuation had embarrassed him terribly, caused Evan and Molly no small amount