Page 24 of Mail-Order Bride Substitute
He opened his eyes to see her looking at the wound. Slowly her gaze came to his. Her eyes were warm as doves. His heart took off like it wore its own feathers, heading skyward like a newly released bird.
She turned away. “I’ll put salve on it.” He didn’t know where she’d found the little tin of ointment, but she dabbed a portion to his cheek.
Her fingers lingered on his skin and then she stepped back. “That should do.”
Riley struggled to regain his mental balance. “How’d you learn all that?”
“Sylvia. She said I ought to be prepared to give medical care. We even helped the doctor for a few days.”
“You did?” He sounded as surprised as he felt, bringing a narrow-eyed look from her.
“One of these days you’ll acknowledge that I’m more than a pretty face.” Her look challenged him, but he couldn’t say if she wanted him to say she was indeed pretty or that she was so much more. He pushed to his feet and for a reason that was far beyond his understanding, he trailed a fingertip over her cheek, his heart remaining high up in the sky when pink blossomed like morning roses on her face.
He dropped his hand before he could follow his unexpected desire to let it make its way to her lips. “Supper ready?”
“Yes, it is. Give me a minute.” She hustled about serving. Meat, potatoes, carrots, and hunks of brownish …whatever it was.
He looked at it then raised his gaze to her, his eyebrows pushing upward.
She lifted her hands. “It’s bread.”
He nodded. “If you say so.”
“Honor made it sound easy but it’s not. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.”
The pieces looked to have been broken off—or perhaps whacked off with an axe. He bravely took one and slathered on butter. He chewed a mouthful. Brittle but chewable. “It’s all right.”
She sighed. “You mean it won’t kill you.”
He pretended to give the lump of bread a suspicious look. “Was that your plan?”
“My plan—?” Then realizing what he meant, she chuckled.
He quirked an eyebrow at her to acknowledge it was a joke.
Her laughter rolled on and on until she dabbed at tears in her eyes.
At first, he shook his head, pretending not to be amused but he couldn’t keep back a grin that grew into a chuckle and then erupted in laughter.
They laughed together as if they’d only discovered the fact they could.
His gaze connected to hers and they both stopped laughing at the same time. The look between them went on and on. It felt like a pair of blinders had been removed and he saw her for the first time. Saw past the gray eyes into her heart. Or was it her mind? He didn’t know nor did he know what he thought he saw. Of course, he didn’t see anything. Hefeltit in the very depths of his own heart.
Whatever it was.
She grabbed the bowl of potatoes and lifted a spoonful, saw that she already had a portion on her plate and put the spoon back, and returned the bowl to the table.
It would appear she was equally confused.
He realized he’d buttered both sides of his piece of bread and forced himself to concentrate on what he was eating.
* * *
Olivia sawthe food on her plate but couldn’t remember putting it there. She ate without tasting anything. Then stared at her empty plate wondering where the food had disappeared to.
Touching Riley’s cheek, leaning over him to do so, feeling his warmth, and inhaling the scent of grass and leather had left her struggling for balance. She wasn’t falling in love with him and didn’t intend to. No. Never. She only intended to do such a good job that he would beg her to stay.
She hadn’t counted on the way her heart lurched at touching him. Or how she leaned toward him when he teased her.
