He was just so unapologetically masculine.

“Uh, hello. You must be Sergeant Simmons.” Penny automatically held out her hand.

His lips twitched. “You used to scold me for jumping out of the tree in the backyard and scaring my sister. It’s weird for you to call me Sergeant. Please, call me Matt.”

Penny was surprised into laughing. “Of course. Matt.” Saying his name brought a curious tingle to her belly.

He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, and she shivered as his arm made contact with her back. He hadn’t shaved and the slight stubble on his face left a pleasant rasp of sensation against her cheek when she pulled back.

She swallowed and squared her shoulders, trying to get her equilibrium back. “It’s been a long time. How have you been?”

A shadow crossed his face and Penny immediately wanted to kick herself. He’s an injured Army veteran. How do you think he’s been? Real smooth, Penny.

“Let’s go back to my office so we can talk.” She waited until he fell in step next to her. She’d never been quite so aware of her height before but standing next to Matt, she didn’t feel tall and awkward at all. Her height put her at the perfect level to look directly in his eyes. It felt comfortable.

They entered her office and she motioned for him to sit down. He nodded his thanks and sat back.

“So, your sister mentioned on the phone that you’ve been having some problems with your shoulder.”

Penny pulled out her glasses and perched them on the tip of her nose. She flipped open his medical file, which Georgia had gotten faxed from his doctor a few days ago. “I see you’re recovering from a dislocated shoulder and you underwent a surgical repair to the glenoid labrum. This should have taken, at most, three months to heal.”

“There were complications from the surgery.” Matt lifted his arm about a foot higher than his thigh. Suddenly his face twisted. “This is about as far as I can lift my arm without pain.”

Penny looked down at the file. “That wasn’t documented in the postoperative notes I see here.”

“The problems didn’t show up until later.”

She closed the file. “So, you had more mobility after the surgery and it declined over time.”

Matt looked down. “I did the exercises they gave me at the VA hospital. It just seemed to get more painful. I think it was doing more harm than good. So I just stopped.”

“Your physical therapist should have adjusted your treatment. It looks like you only had a month of PT afterward.”

“I was told that’s all I needed.”

“I disagree.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m not convinced there’s much to be done. I’m just here so my sister will stop bugging me about it. I don’t think doing a few exercises is going to change much.”

“A few exercises? Is that what you think we do here?” Penny reminded herself not to get angry. Plenty of people had misconceptions about physical therapy. Not that it didn’t rankle to hear her profession dismissed as something no more important than what people did in their living rooms with a workout DVD.

Matt smirked. “No offense or anything. I just need to face reality. My shoulder probably needs more surgery.”

“Oh, and you received your medical degree from what school? Because I’m pretty sure you’re not a doctor.”

The arrogant smile on his face showed he knew he’d gotten on her last nerve. “Right. Look, I’m not trying to put down what you do here. I’m sure this is great for little old ladies recovering from hip replacements, but I need to get back into fighting shape. I can’t do my job if I can’t raise my arm above shoulder level.”

He sat back in his chair, tipping it back until he was balanced on two legs. Part of her hoped he fell. That would wipe the smug smile off his face. Penny pushed his file aside and stood. He let the chair drop back to four legs and stood, too.

“You know, I was completely surprised to hear you’d gone into the Army. You were something of a brat as a kid. I see that hasn’t changed.”

He sighed. “You’re right. That was inexcusable. I got a phone call on the way here that caught me off guard, but I have no right to take it out on you. This whole situation is my fault.”

“You got injured in combat, correct?”

He nodded.

“Then it’s not your fault.”

He looked down at her and Penny felt her resolve weaken. It didn’t help that he was impossibly good-looking. Maybe she was just as weak as Georgia. Completely taken in by a handsome man with bedroom eyes. Except she was well aware that a handsome face could easily disguise a hideous soul. Being handsome didn’t mean that he was a good guy.

“I want to help you, but I can only do that if you’ll let me. I can’t promise you a miracle, but no one else can either. All I can promise is that you’ll leave here better off than when you came in. Most of my patients go on to lead happy, productive lives. You’re young and you were in prime physical condition before your injury. There’s no reason you can’t do the same.”

“Happy? Productive? Tell me this, Penny. These people you’ve helped, could they hold a rifle steady? Could they jump out of a moving aircraft? If I can’t requalify for my unit, then my life won’t be happy or productive.”

“I can’t tell you that you can do those things for sure, Matt. I’m sorry. But I can promise you this. If you don’t let me help you, you definitely won’t get there.”