Page 50 of The Guardian's Promise

The spicy scent of cloves danced along the breeze, teasing her. She wrapped her hands around the balustrade. Tilting her head back, she inhaled the salty air.

In this place, cleansed from the day’s dirt, she could almost believe. She gripped the railing tighter, the sharp pain in her knuckles a swift reminder that she should not hope for Ari’s presence. Although she knew he stood directly behind her.

Her heart pounded in anticipation. Would he lay his hand on her shoulder? Would he wrap his arms around her? Would he kiss her brow with tenderness?

What was she thinking?

The longing flooding her heart would only cause her more pain. She could not love Ari even from a distance. She would not encourage his attention, no matter how his kindness filled her heart. Since a man with any deformity could not serve in the temple as a high priest according to Levitical law, she could only reason that a priest’s wife could hold no such deformity either, even if that priest served in a lesser fashion. She would not wish him cast from the temple because of her imperfections.

Nor would she have him ridiculed for taking pity on her and making her his wife. Where had that come from? It wasn’t as if he had mentioned marriage. Just because he wanted to kiss her didn’t mean he wanted her for a helpmate.

No, Ari was an honorable man. He would not kiss her if he did not wish to take her as his bride. Yet, he had a duty to the Lord, one he knew all too well, just as she knew hers to her father.

Straightening her shoulders, she turned and drank him in. His black hair hung around his shoulders. The waning sun graced each strand into a silvery sheen. Tiny creases crinkled at the corners of his eyes. The lines, depicting a hardworking man, enhanced the beauty of his being. His cheeks and chin were once again scraped smooth, which left her baffled since no Hebrew man cut the sides of his beard. Not that she complained. It was very pleasing to her eye.

“I have missed you, Sh’mira.” The way her name rolled off his tongue like the melodic blow of the shofar sent shivers down her spine.

“You should not,” she responded.

He took a step toward her. If her back had not been against the terrace wall, she would have retreated. As it was, she had no escape. She looked beyond his shoulder into his home for reinforcements, but none were to be seen.

“Whenever we are parted, I will always miss you.” He closed the distance between them and lifted his hand to cup her jaw. The pad of his thumb slid along her cheekbone. She fought the urge to close her eyes. Instead, she sidestepped and faced the sea. If she could not see his eyes, if she could not read the emotion burning in them, she could deny him.

He leaned his arm against the rail in the exact spot she had just abandoned. She stared out across the white-tipped waves and tried to count their rise and fall. However, they seemed to move in time with her breathing, ragged and full of life. Her face heated as she felt his gaze focus on her.

She swallowed.

Ari drew a finger along the curve of her ear and along her jaw. With the tip of his finger he guided her chin, until her eyes lifted to his. He bussed her cheek. “I like being in your presence.”

“Do you not have duties to attend? What of Joash?”

Ari pulled away, and she sought his gaze. It had not been her intention to offend him, but she needed space.

“The boy is well.” He flashed her a smile. “He is waiting for you so that he may break bread.”

“Then I shall not keep him waiting.” She turned and left him cloaked behind the flimsy cloth.

* * *

Her scent clung to him like honey. He should find his friends in the courtyard. After all, it had been a few years since he’d seen them. But like a deer to water his eyes had to drink in her beauty. It was torment to see her and not touch her hand. And he was sentenced to an entire meal in her presence. Not that the thought was an onerous one, he didn’t mind dining with her. He preferred, however, to do it alone and not with his family listening to their words, watching their actions.

Ever since his conversation with his father, he couldn’t help but wonder if all his family thought the same thing. Did they all believe he loved Mira? Their interference would only make his wooing of Mira that much more difficult. He thought back over the past several days. Something had changed. Why was Mira so determined to distance herself from him? He thought she might love him. But it was more than that. Deep inside, their souls recognized each other as the other’s half. She was his helpmate. If he knew that, why didn’t she? Weren’t women supposed to know such things?

He smiled. Mira was special. She wasn’t like most women, even if he had caught her many times during his bonding with that dreamy-eyed look. What had she dreamed of?

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