"It wasn't like that with Parker and me. We were best friends for as long as I can remember. The sisters at the orphanage called him their little dreamer. I'm sure they meant it as a compliment, because Parker had such a kind heart. He wanted to change the world, and he was very passionate about social responsibilities."
"Was Parker passionate with you?"
"I've answered enough questions. Deal the cards, please."
He could feel her withdrawing and knew it was because he was pressing her, yet he couldn't seem to make himself stop.
She sneezed again and immediately apologized.
He won a game and asked, "What was it like for you in the orphanage?"
"It was nice, very nice. The sisters treated us as though we were their very own children. They were strict, like I imagine parents would be, but loving too."
"Didn't you get lonely?"
"Not very often. I had Parker to tell my secrets to when we were children. I was fortunate, and so were you because you found a family."
"Yes, I was" he agreed.
About an hour later, he finally won another game.
"Wasn't it difficult marrying your best friend?"
"Oh, no," she answered. "It was very nice. My husband was a wonderful man with many fine qualities. Why, there wasn't anything he couldn't do."
Did she really believe that nonsense? From the look on her face, he thought she did, and so he didn't contradict her. In his opinion, there wasn't anything Parker could do.
"Yeah, I know. The man was a saint."
Her chin came up a notch. "He was my dearest friend."
"Which means there wasn't any passion in your bed, was there?"
"You have no business asking me such personal questions."
She was right about that, he told himself, yet it didn't stop him from trying to find out everything he could about her. "What are you afraid of, Isabel? Being honest about your late husband doesn't make you a traitor. We both know it had to have been awkward making love to your best friend."
"Are you suggesting you can't be friends with your mate?"
"No," he replied. "But there has to be another element involved besides friendship."
"What element?"
He leaned forward. "Magic."
She shook her head. "I don't wish to discuss this topic any longer. It's rude of you to try to guess what my marriage was like. You never met Parker."
"I wasn't guessing," he argued. "I've already figured it all out."
"Is that so? How did you manage to do that?"
The sarcasm in her voice irritated him. "It was easy," he snapped. "The way you respond to me… it's all new to you, isn't it? I can see it in your every reaction. You're actually frightened by what's happening to you."
Her hands were balled into fists. "Oh? What exactly is happening to me? I'm sure you're just dying to tell me."
He leaned over the table toward her. In a low whisper he said, "I'm what's happening to you, sugar."
She bounded to her feet. "I'm going to bed. It's late."
"Don't you mean it's time for you to run and hide from me?"
"No, that isn't what I mean to say."
She took her time strolling into the bedroom She wanted to run.
Chapter Eight
Parker wasn't putting on weight as rapidly as Douglas had hoped he would. The baby was almost six weeks old, but he still seemed to be as tiny as the day he was born. Isabel disagreed and insisted that her son had gained quite a bit of weight. Parker seemed healthy enough for his size, and he certainly had a good appetite. Dr. Simpson was the expert, and he had ordered that Parker be kept inside the cabin for a minimum of eight weeks. Douglas didn't know why the physician had settled on that specific length of time, but Douglas was going to adhere to the number no matter how anxious he was to leave.
If Parker continued to do well, he and his mother could travel in a little over fourteen days. Douglas hoped to God the weather improved before then. The rain had let up, but it was still cold and damp, and anyone who hadn't kept track of the seasons would have thought it was the middle of autumn. The night air was cold enough to require heavy flannel shirts, and Douglas was worried about keeping Parker warm when he was taken outside. Would the night air be too harsh for him to breathe?
The baby wasn't the only one he was worried about. Honest to Pete, he didn't know how he was going to last another two weeks without touching Isabel. Being in the same room with her was all it took to get him bothered. Her scent was so damned appealing, and her skin was so soft and smooth, all he wanted to think about was taking her into his arms and stroking her.
He was determined not to give in to his natural inclinations. He didn't want any complication in his life, and if he kept busy every waking hour, he was sure he'd be too tired to think about her.
After he finished up the chores in the barn around dawn, he went inside the cabin and found Isabel sitting at the table with her head in her hands. Her hair was tousled; her eyes were bleary, and her nose was bright red. She looked hungover. "Did Parker keep you up all night?" She sneezed before she answered. "No, I caught a little cold," she said, and promptly sneezed again. "Maybe you should go back to bed." She wouldn't hear of it. She had never coddled herself before, and she wasn't about to start now. After doing the washing and ironing, she cooked supper, but she couldn't eat any of it, so she fixed herself a pot of tea before she headed to bed.
She had changed into her nightgown and robe and had wrapped around her shoulders an old tattered blanket that dragged on the floor behind her. She tripped over the hem and would have dropped the tray if he hadn't grabbed it from her.
"I'll bring it in," he said. "You should probably eat something, shouldn't you? What about some toast?"
Didn't that man know how to fix anything else?
"Will you try not to burn it?" she said, trying not to sound surly.
He nodded. "You probably got sick because you work too hard."
"It's just a cold. I hope to heaven Parker doesn't catch it. What will we do if he gets a fever?"
He didn't want to think about the possibility. Parker couldn't afford to stop eating the way Isabel had.
"We'll deal with it," he assured her.
When he came back with the tray, she was just drifting off to sleep. She opened her eyes as he was turning to leave. "I'm awake."
He put the tray on the dresser, propped pillows behind her back, and then moved the tray to her lap.
He'd burned the toast again. He'd also put a white rose on the tray next to her mismatched teacup and saucer. The rose was such a sweet touch her mood improved, and she didn't mind eating the blackened bread at all.
"Is your throat sore?" he whispered.
"No. Please stop worrying."
"Isabel, I want to worry, all right? I'm good at it."
She patted the bed, waited for him to sit, and then picked up the rose. "You may be a worrier, but you're also a romantic at heart."
He shook his head and continued to frown at her. Still, his concern was unreasonable, given the fact that she was only suffering from a stuffy head.
She reached up and stroked his cheek, loving the feel of his rough skin. He hadn't shaved this morning, and the dark growth of whiskers made him look even more ruggedly handsome and somewhat dangerous.
She remembered how afraid she'd been that dark, rainy night when they met. Silhouetted against the lightning with the rising wind howling around him and the huge beast of a horse with wild eyes beside him, he was a terrifying sight. She had been certain he was going to kill her… until he gave the rifle back to her. She should have realized before then that he would never harm her. The gentle tone of his voice when he turned to calm the animal was one indication. The way he so carefully lifted her into his arms was certainly another. His eyes, filled with such compassion and…