Page 46 of Always to Remember
Clutching the granite, Meg felt it dig into her palm. “Please, just go back to work.”
He set his tools on the stool, walked to the chair, and knelt before her. “Just tell me what it is you want, Meg, and I’ll give it to you. I’ll work until my hands bleed. I’ll work until my soul bleeds, but it won’t bring him back. It won’t give you the life you had before the war.”
Meg squeezed her eyes to shut out his intense gaze. She didn’t want to look into brown eyes that said he’d already suffered. She didn’t want to know about his dreams, or his failures, or rabbits with only one ear.
“The war weakened the South,” he said quietly. “Don’t let it weaken you.”
Opening her eyes, she tilted her chin. “I’m hardly weak. I just hadn’t expected to spend the next two years of my life in your company, but if that’s the price I have to pay in order to have the monument, I’ll pay it.”
A corner of his mouth tilted up, and she thought she’d probably hit him if he smiled again.
“Ah, so it’s being in my company for such a long time that’s bothering you.” He unfolded his body and walked to the stone. “It’s an awfully big piece of stone. I hope I can do it in two years.” He peered at her. “Might take three.” He picked up his tools. “Maybe four.”
“If you say five—”
The teasing glint left his eyes. The half smile withered away.
“For you, Mrs. Warner, I’ll finish it in a year.”
Clay sank into the hot water. The steam rose and misted his face.
He was a damned fool.
The stiffness was already settling into his neck and shoulders, and he dreaded waking in the morning. He’d pushed himself harder than he’d intended, certainly harder than he was accustomed to. He hadn’t swung a hammer with such a steady rhythm in a long time, and tomorrow he’d pay for it. He hadn’t worked faster, but he’d worked longer.
Closing his eyes, he listened to the fire crackle in the hearth. A bath before a blazing fire was a luxury he hadn’t indulged in since his return home. When he bathed, he did it in his room behind a locked door because too many people lived in this house.
Tonight was an exception. Taking care of Meg’s horse had worn the twins out, and they’d fallen asleep early. Lucian hadn’t returned from Austin.
Clay had decided to pamper himself.
Besides, he needed to celebrate.
Meg Warner had teased him.
Lord, he’d been so embarrassed by what he’d almost said that he nearly missed the fact that she was teasing him. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to look at her ears or her perfectly shaped curves again without turning red.
He supposed since she’d been married, she knew how a man’s mind worked. He supposed since she’d been married to Kirk, she was comfortable with the way a man’s mind worked.
He wished he understood how a woman’s mind worked.
One minute she was teasing him, and the next she was worried because she was going to spend time with him.
Lifting his foot from the water, he scratched the memento from the leg irons he’d worn as a prisoner. He kept his scars to himself, especially those that weren’t visible even when he stripped down.
Slipping his foot back into the water, he rested his head against the wooden tub and watched the firelight play against the wall.
What did Meg want?
She wanted more than the monument from him. Of that, he was certain. He supposed she’d tell him when she was good and ready. Until then, he’d enjoy the few moments of happiness he stole from her: calling her Meg when she was too upset to notice; teasing her until she teased back; being near enough to touch her.
The front door hinges squeaked as the latch rattled. Clay sprang halfway out of the tub as the door swung open. Momentarily he froze, then dropped into the water until the undulating waves his actions created lapped at his chin. “What are you doing here?”
Lucian closed the door. “I live here.”
“I mean what are you doing back tonight?”
He shrugged. “No money. Nothing to do in Austin. Didn’t see any point in staying when I at least have a bed here.” He grabbed a chair, pulled it across the room, and sat beside the tub. “Didn’t realize I’d been gone so long. Is it Saturday already?”
