away.
Some time later she
woke to find him sitting reading by her bed. It wasn't, she thought, an
agricultural paper, but she couldn't really see. When she struggled to sit up,
an unconscious urgency upon her to prove she was better, he jumped to his feet
and immediately pushed her back against her pillows.
'Stop it, Thea!' His
hands were as firm as his voice as he setded on the edge of the bed to hold her
still, 'Stop struggling, there's a good girl, and you'll soon be all right.'
He must think she was
delirious, as he had been himself. Recalling
how hot she had been when she had fallen asleep, she thought this not
improbable. 'Have I been rambling?' she asked breathlessly, doing as she was
told but beseeching him with huge anxious eyes. 'I used to sometimes, when
I had a cold as a child.'
Taking her wrist, he
frowned at the quickening pulse. 'I thought you still were,' he confessed, with
a sigh. 'You've been very restless, I was afraid to leave you for long. But
don't worry, you haven't given any secrets away.'
'What time is it?' she
asked weakly, clinging to his hand.
'Just after twelve.'
'You ought to.be in bed.'
He smiled slighdy.
'Twelve o'clock isn't always my bedtime, and you haven't had my undivided
attention, you know. You might be happy to hear that Jamie's pet cow has been
blessed with a rather good-looking son.'
Sudden unpredictable
tears stung Thea's eyelids and overflowed. 'Oh, yes! And won't Jamie be
delighted, too? He has so litde.'
Even
as she spoke, she stiffened, blessing her too-hasty tongue. Why must she
deliberately arouse Logan's anger with her tactlessness? It surprised her that
he wasn't unduly disturbed.
'Jamie might have a
lot more than appearances suggest,' he paused enigmatically, without taking his
eyes from her. 'If you, my little hothead, would spare a moment to think about
it some time, you might see this. However, there could be some changes in the
near future which might benefit him. I'll admit a man doesn't always make a
good job of rearing a child alone.'
What did Murray mean
by that? Aware of a crushing heaviness of spirit, Thea couldn't bring herself
to ask him. Now that she was living here she didn't want to think about
changes. Confused, she whispered, 'Well, anyway, it was nice of you to look
after me. I do feel better—my fevers never last long.'
'Don't they?'
'No.' To convince him,
she sat up again too quickly and found her head swimming. As the dizziness
caught her she fell forward with a gasp of alarm, straight into his arms.
Swiftly they were there to support her and she clutched helplessly at the hard
muscles of his chest.
'You try too hard!' He
sounded faintly impatient, yet his arms tightened slightly and he didn't
immediately let her go-
Thea didn't know why
she just wanted to cling to him, to have the
feeling t>f his arms around her, holding her com fortingly close.
He would do the same for Jamie or one of his dogs. She wasn't asking for any
special attention, just enough to alleviate the crushing sense of aloneness
which sometimes came over her.
'Logan,' she breathed,
momentarily forgetting the barriers between them, 'would you kiss me?'
As she raised her
mouth, in what she feared afterwards must have been a wanton invitation, he
hesitated, staring down at her. She had forgotten how little she had on, that
she lay, semi-naked, in his arms. All she was conscious of was an urgent need
for closer contact, to establish something which might make her forget the
changes he had re ferred to. An
underlying necessity to discover if the feelings he had previously
aroused, when he had kissed her, were real was something she was barely aware
of.
'I suppose I could,'
he murmured thickly, his eyes on the tender curves of her mouth. 'At your age
you must know what you're doing.'
Only half hearing his
remark, she nodded her head, the quickening beat of her heart seeming to make
her deaf to everything else.
Yet, as he bent down
to her, she wasn't prepared for the
Some time later she
woke to find him sitting reading by her bed. It wasn't, she thought, an
agricultural paper, but she couldn't really see. When she struggled to sit up,
an unconscious urgency upon her to prove she was better, he jumped to his feet
and immediately pushed her back against her pillows.
'Stop it, Thea!' His
hands were as firm as his voice as he setded on the edge of the bed to hold her
still, 'Stop struggling, there's a good girl, and you'll soon be all right.'
He must think she was
delirious, as he had been himself. Recalling
how hot she had been when she had fallen asleep, she thought this not
improbable. 'Have I been rambling?' she asked breathlessly, doing as she was
told but beseeching him with huge anxious eyes. 'I used to sometimes, when
I had a cold as a child.'
Taking her wrist, he
frowned at the quickening pulse. 'I thought you still were,' he confessed, with
a sigh. 'You've been very restless, I was afraid to leave you for long. But
don't worry, you haven't given any secrets away.'
'What time is it?' she
asked weakly, clinging to his hand.
'Just after twelve.'
'You ought to.be in bed.'
He smiled slighdy.
'Twelve o'clock isn't always my bedtime, and you haven't had my undivided
attention, you know. You might be happy to hear that Jamie's pet cow has been
blessed with a rather good-looking son.'
Sudden unpredictable
tears stung Thea's eyelids and overflowed. 'Oh, yes! And won't Jamie be
delighted, too? He has so litde.'
Even
as she spoke, she stiffened, blessing her too-hasty tongue. Why must she
deliberately arouse Logan's anger with her tactlessness? It surprised her that
he wasn't unduly disturbed.
'Jamie might have a
lot more than appearances suggest,' he paused enigmatically, without taking his
eyes from her. 'If you, my little hothead, would spare a moment to think about
it some time, you might see this. However, there could be some changes in the
near future which might benefit him. I'll admit a man doesn't always make a
good job of rearing a child alone.'
What did Murray mean
by that? Aware of a crushing heaviness of spirit, Thea couldn't bring herself
to ask him. Now that she was living here she didn't want to think about
changes. Confused, she whispered, 'Well, anyway, it was nice of you to look
after me. I do feel better—my fevers never last long.'
'Don't they?'
'No.' To convince him,
she sat up again too quickly and found her head swimming. As the dizziness
caught her she fell forward with a gasp of alarm, straight into his arms.
Swiftly they were there to support her and she clutched helplessly at the hard
muscles of his chest.
'You try too hard!' He
sounded faintly impatient, yet his arms tightened slightly and he didn't
immediately let her go-
Thea didn't know why
she just wanted to cling to him, to have the
feeling t>f his arms around her, holding her com fortingly close.
He would do the same for Jamie or one of his dogs. She wasn't asking for any
special attention, just enough to alleviate the crushing sense of aloneness
which sometimes came over her.
'Logan,' she breathed,
momentarily forgetting the barriers between them, 'would you kiss me?'
As she raised her
mouth, in what she feared afterwards must have been a wanton invitation, he
hesitated, staring down at her. She had forgotten how little she had on, that
she lay, semi-naked, in his arms. All she was conscious of was an urgent need
for closer contact, to establish something which might make her forget the
changes he had re ferred to. An
underlying necessity to discover if the feelings he had previously
aroused, when he had kissed her, were real was something she was barely aware
of.
'I suppose I could,'
he murmured thickly, his eyes on the tender curves of her mouth. 'At your age
you must know what you're doing.'
Only half hearing his
remark, she nodded her head, the quickening beat of her heart seeming to make
her deaf to everything else.
Yet, as he bent down
to her, she wasn't prepared for the
Similar Books
