Rachel Van Dyken by The Parting Gift Read Free Book Online

master of disguising his own emotions, so she would never know the effect she had had on him in that first fleeting instant. Her eyes scanned him intensely, and she seemed to be comparing him to something she held in her hand, a scrap of paper, yellow with age. Amidst her double and triple takes she began to stutter, “You’re… Y ou’re…”
    “Blaine Graham,” he finished for her out of sheer impatience. She stared at him with her mouth agape as if seeing a ghost. When she began to waver, he was certain she would faint and stepped forward just in time to break her fall, catching her against his chest.
    Blaine swept her limp form up in his arms, and paced into the living room , deliver ing her to his mother’s sofa in four long strides . He laid her down gently and positioned a small pillow under her head, then sat back onto the coffee table and stared at her.
    “Mara?” The old man’s voice was gravelly and broken, a mere shadow of what i t had been. Blaine stood abruptly, glower ing in the direction of the stairs leading to his father’s room. His heart leapt up into his throat, and sweat dampened the sandy blond hair hanging over his forehead. He wiped his clammy palms down the side of his faded blue jeans and glanced back at the woman on the sofa .
    She was stirring now and her soft moan recaptured his attention. When s he sat up and appeared dazed , he offered her his hand , whispering, “Are you Mara?”
    Ma ra nodded as she took his hand and pulled herself to her unsteady feet. “ H e’s calling for you.”
    Sudden realization seemed to register in her eyes and she shook her head as if to clear the haze . “Oh! Your father! He needs to know you’re here! You should go up ! Come with me; I’ll take you .”
    “ Wait a minute. I’m… I’m not ready. I ’d like to get settled first – I’ll just put my things in my room , then we can talk about how to proceed .” Blaine gazed straight into her eyes, hoping she wouldn’t recognize his fear.
    “Oh.” Her disappointment was evident. He turned to go back into the kitchen. “Captain Graham?”
    He spun on his heel to face her again. “Yes?”
    “I’m… um, I’m sorry, Captain. I’ve been staying in your room. ” He glared at her, allowing his indignation to reflect in his glacial stare. “It’s just that it’s close to his, and sometimes he needs me during the night.”
    A slow, meaningful smirk rippled across his lips. “Of course he does.”
    Then it was her turn to glare. Fire leapt into her dark eyes, and her mouth clamped shut as if she were biting back the ur ge to rip him to shreds with an envenomed speech .
    His smirk disappeared. “Fine. Tell me then, Miss –?”
    “Crawford. Mrs. Crawford.”
    “Oh, pardon me. Mrs. Crawford. Are there any special re - commissions I should know about for my mother’s sewing room ? The room off the kitchen? ”
    She shook her head sternly , her anger evidently tying her tongue.
    “Good. I’ll take that. I trust I’ll be well out of your way there.” With that he stalked back into the kitchen and out the back door to where he had left his suitcase.
    ****
    Mara glared as she watched Blaine’s disappearing form. She was half tempted to throw something at him when the screen door slammed behind him. A stifled curse was heard through the door. Obviously he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to see his father right now . And had he just accused her of being something other than David’s nurse?
    Anger anew welled up within her as she stomped her way back up the stairs into David’s room. “Time for your medicine , ” s he s aid , ignoring his pleading eyes.
    David looked around her towards the door, then back at her face . “Who’s downstairs?”
    “The d evil , ” s he answered , smiling as she poured the pink liquid into the glass in her hand. “Open up now , Mr. Graham .”
    Frowning, he shook his head . “Not before you tell me who you were talking to . D id they give you