Declan drove to Iris’ apartment, his thumbs beating on the steering wheel in time with the upbeat country music twanging from the radio. It’d been two weeks since Iris had graduated from Hermingston and one week since she’d started working for the Portneuf Medical Center as a coder. They’d been sad to lose her as a nurse, of course, which meant that when she’d come back to them and applied for the job of a work-from-home coder, they were thrilled to bring her back.

Declan was as proud of her as if he’d done it all himself. Which of course he hadn’t. He never could. Maybe that was why he was so proud of her.

Either way, he was ready to take her out for dinner tonight to celebrate her victory. After all she’d gone through, for her to do as well as she was…well, it was a miracle. That’s all there was to it. She sure was something.

He bounded out of his truck, a package tucked under his arm. He’d asked the lady down at the store to wrap it up for him so it’d look nice, and not just be wrapped up in the Sunday comics like it would’ve been if he’d been put in charge of that part of the process. Thank God all he had to do was pick the damn thing out and hand over his credit card. He figured that was a pretty fair trade.

She opened up the door and he grinned as he held up the box for her to see.

“You know, you’re going to spoil me if you keep buying me presents every time you pick me up for a date,” she said scoldingly, but the huge grin on her face belied her words, as did her reaching eagerly for the package. 

He held it out of her reach with a teasing smile. “I do believe that I deserve a hello kiss for this,” he said, and swept her into his arms. She looked up at him, her deep blue eyes glowing. 

“That’s an offer I wouldn’t dare refuse,” she whispered, and then he was lowering his mouth to hers and she tasted so damn good. So damn delicious. Like apples and sunshine and life, all wrapped up into one. He began nibbling his way down her throat. 

“You know,” he murmured, swirling his tongue against the hollow of her throat where her pulse beat fast, “we could just stay here and eat each other for dinner…”

She giggled and pulled away. “No getting out of dinner that easily,” she said scoldingly. “And, you better come all the way in before you let all the heat out, and the outside cats in.” There was a calico cat winding its way around Declan’s feet, obviously hoping for a little attention. Declan patted it on the head and then went inside, closing the door against the nippy fall air. It was going to be winter soon. There was that feel in the air that hadn’t been there just days earlier. 

Iris sat down in a rocking chair close to the door, her braided gold and reddish brown hair spilling in a fat braid over her shoulder. Declan handed the present over to her and then held his breath. Hopefully she loved it just as much as he thought she would. Women’s clothing was always so hard to buy.

“Ohhhhh…” she breathed softly as she pulled the cashmere sweater out of the box. “Declan, it’s so beautiful!” 

He grinned in relief. “I thought it matched your eyes,” he said proudly. The cashmere was exactly the color of her eyes when she was happy and laughing. He looked closer at her as she held it up against herself, and noticed that there were dark circles underneath those eyes. Despite the brilliance of her smile, she looked…exhausted?

Why was she exhausted?

“You doin’ okay, Cookie?” he asked, kneeling down next to her. Suddenly, he felt uncomfortable looming over her while she was resting in her rocking chair. “You seem a little tired or somethin’.”

“I’m fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. He stared at her doubtfully and in complete silence. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer and blurted out, “I’m just not used to sitting all the time, is all. As an RN, I hardly ever sat while on shift. Now, that’s all I do. My legs and back are tired of sitting, but I can’t exactly buy a standing or a walking desk, now can I?”

“A what or a what?” he asked, confused.

“A standing desk. You stand at it. A walking desk has a treadmill that goes real slow and you walk as you work. They’re both much better for you than just sitting all day.” She waved her hand in the air again dismissively. “Obviously neither of those work for me. I just have to get used to it. It’ll be fine. Let me go put on this sweater so we can go eat.” She struggled to her feet, ignoring his offer to help her up, and strode from the room as quickly as her legs and brain injury and cane would allow her.

He sat back on his hindquarters, staring sightlessly down at Milk as she wound her way around his body, begging for some pettings. To see someone as amazing as Iris McLain get beat by something like that…

It just didn’t sit right with him. Surely there had to be something they could do.

He stood up, putting his shoulders back. It was time for him to swallow his pride and ask Jennifer for help. She was busy, what with the baby and the accounting firm, but he knew she was sweet enough to want to spend the time to help him anyway, if only because she’d know how much it’d mean to Iris.

He wouldn’t tell her the truth, of course, but he’d ask her for help doing searches on Google. She didn’t need to know that he ran a computer just fine…as long as it was numbers he was manipulating. Excel was his friend. But he’d pretend computer stupidity if it meant getting help for his Iris.

My Iris.

He petted Milk softly as he thought about that phrase. She was his. She’d been his for years…until he’d been so stupid as to give her up.

No, he needed to be truthful with himself – he forced her away. He told her he didn’t want her anymore. It was a miracle she’d agreed to go out on one date with him, let alone dozens. Let alone let him take her to bed. She shouldn’t have, not really, and to think that he’d thought himself so benevolent that he’d go out on a “pity date” with her…

Well, that was one secret he’d take to the grave with him. He was pretty sure that if she knew he’d had that thought, she’d find her father’s pistol and put him out of his misery. You didn’t pity Iris McLain. Not if you knew what was good for you.

She came back into the living room and struck a pose. “What do you think?” she asked, holding her arm out to the side to show off the soft cashmere fabric draping over her luscious body.

My Iris indeed. As long as I don’t screw this up.