Just before they left the collection of booths, he spotted Ken Kramer in a knot of people standing around one of the propane heaters and enjoying a slice of pizza.
He could swear the deputy smirked as he watched Marshall make his slow way on the crutches. Hot anger burned through him and he hoped to hell Ruben could find something.
Ten minutes later, they were all settled in their respective vehicles and Andie pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of Riverbend Road.
“How are you really feeling?” she asked when they were finally on their way.
He wanted to lie but didn’t see much point. “Hurts like hell,” he admitted.
“Maybe you need another X-ray so we can be sure you didn’t do more damage in there when you fell.”
He didn’t even want to think about that possibility. “Cade is supposed to be off tomorrow and was planning on coming over. If it still hurts, I’ll have him take me.”
Her mouth tightened. “I was afraid the festival would be too much for you, but I never expected you to reinjure your leg.”
“It’s fine, really,” he assured her. “Don’t worry about me.”
“That’s not as easy as it sounds,” she answered, just as his phone buzzed with a text.
He pulled it out and frowned at the message from Ruben.
“I’m still not clear on what exactly happened. I saw you go down, but I didn’t see what happened just before that. Did your crutches hit an uneven spot on the sidewalk or something? And why did you need to talk to Deputy Morales?”
He debated about telling her. She didn’t need more worry. That hardly seemed fair, though, when she had done so much to help him.
“It wasn’t an accident,” he said with conviction. “Somebody kicked my crutch out from under me.”
She jerked her gaze from the road just for an instant, but it was enough for him to see the shock and dismay on her features. “That’s impossible! I’m sure you must be mistaken. Somebody behind you probably stumbled into you. That’s all.”
“Exactly what Ruben said. And as I told him, once might have been a mistake. The first time I was able to stay upright, so they kicked it again.”
“That’s why you tried to call him,” she said, turning onto Riverbend Road.
He nodded. “I asked Ruben to talk to vendors in that area to see if anybody saw anything. He just texted me that he came up empty.”
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. “You could have been seriously injured,” she said. “Who would want to hurt you deliberately like that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe someone who hit me with an SUV a week ago and broke my leg in the first place?”
“You think it was the same person, right there at the Lights on the Lake festival?”
“Seems to me that’s the logical answer. Either that or I’ve got an entire army of enemies out there. I don’t know... I think I like the first option better.”
She didn’t appear to like either of the possibilities.
As soon as she parked, he quickly opened his door and was halfway out of the vehicle before she could make her way around to help him with the door.
He hated being so damned needy, a guy who couldn’t even get out of a car by himself.
He wanted her to see him as more than that. The thought sidled through his head. Though he tried to dismiss it—reminding himself of all the reasons he shouldn’t want more with her—he couldn’t seem to shake it.
“You don’t have to come in,” he told her, but he didn’t add that it would probably be best if she didn’t, given his current mood.
“I’ll make sure you’re settled inside.”
He didn’t want to argue with her, so he unlocked the door and let himself into the house through the side kitchen door, with her following close behind.
“You should head straight for the sofa or the recliner, where you can elevate your leg. Where are your pain pills? I’ll grab them and some water for you before I leave.”
She sounded like his mother, like Jackie, and it suddenly pissed him off. He didn’t need her taking care of him. Not like that, anyway.
“That’s not necessary. I said I was fine.”
“Funny. You don’t sound fine and you certainly don’t look it. It’s taking every ounce of energy you have not to grimace, isn’t it? Don’t try to be a hero, Marshall. You’re in pain. Take a pill, for crying out loud.”
He scowled. He hadn’t had a pill in three days and didn’t want to backtrack, but he knew she was right.
“You’re not my nurse.”
“No.” She stepped close enough for him to catch the wildflower scent of her. “I’m your fake girlfriend, whom you’re using to keep your mother at bay.”