Whirlwind Reunion by Debra Cowan

instead gathering fresh bandages and the crock of honey from the glass-fronted cabinet then moving behind his cot.
    As she examined his dressing, he said, “Is this really why you ran them off?”
    â€œI didn’t run them off. You look half-spent and I need to change your dressing. Why else would I ask them to leave?”
    The smug knowing look he threw over his shoulder had her bristling. Before she thought better of it, she snapped, “Yes, I wanted you all to myself. Haven’t had nearly enough of that.”
    â€œOuch!” He flinched as she pulled at his dressing a little too hard.
    â€œDo you want some help lying down?”
    â€œIf you’re changing my bandages, I’d like to sit up.”
    â€œAll right.”
    As she peeled off the old strips of cloth, she wrestled with her aggravation. She wasn’t vexed because she was jealous, which was what Matt thought, the arrogant cuss. She just didn’t like him disregarding her medical advice.
    During the last few days, it had been obvious he had moved on from their past. She wasn’t letting on that his actions from seven years ago still hurt her. She wanted to avoid any reference to their history. So her only conversations with him thus far had consisted of advice, treatment and asking what he might want for his meals.
    After applying a fresh layer of honey, she bandaged him as quickly as possible, not wanting to feel any of those flutters she had felt the other day. A sigh eased out of her and she stepped back. “All done.”
    â€œGood. When can I get out of here?”
    It was impossible not to take that personally. “Today.”
    â€œDid Russ or Pa bring me any clothes?”
    â€œYes.” She went to the other bed, fetching a gray shirt and a pair of old boots his brother had brought from the Triple B.
    Matt declined her offer to help him dress, for which Annalise was glad. Gathering up the soiled linens she would later boil, she stepped around his cot and into the front room to deposit them in a burlap bag.
    â€œWhy did you come back to Whirlwind, Annalise?”
    She froze at the question as much as the bleakness in the words. Turning, she looked into his blue eyes, hard with scrutiny. She had to speak around the catch in her throat. “Because this is my home.”
    â€œYou sure didn’t mind leaving it seven years ago.”
    He now wore the shirt and she couldn’t stop her gaze from going to the tuft of dark hair visible in the unbuttoned placket of the garment.
    â€œMy plan all along was to come back and you know it,” she said.
    â€œDid you leave a man back there, like you did here?”
    She stiffened. The hurt slicing through her quickly turned to anger, but she didn’t let him bait her. “You can have your bandages changed by whomever you prefer. No need to come back here unless there’s a problem.”
    â€œAll you ever cared about was medical school.”
    â€œThat isn’t true.”
    â€œWell, it damn sure wasn’t me. Or what we had.”
    â€œThat’s what this is really about, isn’t it?” Annalise wasn’t reminding him that the other thing she’d cared about was their life together. She curled her handsinto fists. “Because I didn’t change my plans after you proposed.”
    â€œNo.” He didn’t hesitate, but she didn’t believe him.
    â€œYou knew I intended to come straight back to you—back here after medical school, but after you proposed, with my father already gone, you thought I would stay in Whirlwind and give up my dream of becoming a doctor.”
    â€œI never said anything like that.”
    â€œYou didn’t have to say it. You made it abundantly clear once I was out of sight. You acted as though I didn’t exist.”
    A muscle flexed in his jaw as he slowly got to his feet. “I cared for you,” he ground out. “And our baby.”
    â€œ Our baby!”