Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy kept tabs on Carter, waiting for him to give in and say they should go back to the car. They had another two miles to walk to get to the car in the first place. But she also knew she couldn’t stop a stubborn man from being determined to prove he was infallible. Men, she thought in exasperation. He’d be bleeding out and he wouldn’t tell me he was hurting.
When he stepped hard on an unexpected dip in the trail, he winced. Lucy stopped walking.
“We’re going back,” she said. “You’re going to push yourself too hard again.”
“Stop coddling me,” he growled.
“I’m not coddling you. I’m trying to keep you from hurting yourself again.”
His expression was more savage than she’d ever seen it. “You’re not my mother. You’re not even my f*****g girlfriend.”
It was l
