“Day before yesterday,” she replied, and he felt her hand relax with the distraction. “I talk to them at least twice a week.”
“How’re they doing? Are they still in Florida?”
She chuckled. “It isn’t spring in Ontario yet. They’re not going back there unless they’re sure there’ll be no more snow. Dad says he’s too old for that nonsense anymore.”
“I don’t blame him.” Kiah hoped his voice was soothing, but having her this close, touching her, even just her hand, had awakened his libido. “That, and the ice storms, make me glad I don’t live there anymore.”
He adjusted the pressure of his hand, making it a little softer, and she sighed.
Heartened, he continued to speak softly. “And how about Braden? What’s he up to?”
“Oh, the usual. He’s talking about expanding the acreage, putting in more trees. And I think he’s actually getting serious with the woman he’s been seeing. He talks about her all the time.”
“Have you met her yet?”
“No, I haven’t been to BC since they started dating, but I’ve invited them to come visit here. He’s the only one of the family who’s never visited St. Eustace.”
“That’s true,” he said, and his voice sounded a little rougher, even to his ears.
He saw her swallow, the movement obvious in her delicate throat, and knew he wasn’t the only one who felt the rising erotic tension.
“He...he asks about you all the time.” Her voice was breathy, the sound making him want to groan with need. “Says he can’t remember when last he saw you.”
Kiah couldn’t answer. It was all he could do just to keep up the gentle caresses, and not tug her onto his lap, so as to ravish that luscious mouth.
Then there was the sound of a door opening, and she opened her eyes, catching him staring. He had no doubt the desire in his eyes was unmistakable, as was the current flowing through their one, seemingly innocent, point of contact.
“Hezekiah, is that you?”
They were still staring at each other, their gazes locked, the electric flow holding them bound together, as he answered Miss Pearl.
“Yes, Granny. Me and Mina.”
“You two should be in bed.”
“Yes, Granny, you’re right. We should.”
“Go on, then,” came the unknowingly fraught reply. “Don’t be staying up this late.”
As Miss Pearl closed her door again, the tension between them was thick enough to drink, and in the dim glow of the television he saw the rush of color staining Mina’s cheeks.
Keeping his voice calm took everything inside. “How does it feel now?”
“Good,” she said, the corner of her lips tipping up for an instant, as though she tried to smile but was unable to find the wherewithal. “Thank you.”
For a long moment, neither of them moved, and Kiah felt heat billowing out into his veins.
“Go to bed, Mina,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to her lips, lingering there for an instant, as he released her hand. “If you don’t, I’m going to try to follow Granny’s advice.”
She nodded, before pushing to her feet. Picking up the glass of water, she took a step away, thankfully before he lost his head completely.
“Night,” she said. “And thanks.”
“Anytime, sweet girl. Anytime.”
Then she was gone, leaving him even more edgy than when she found him, even though he’d thought earlier it couldn’t get any worse.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ALTHOUGH BOTH MINA and Kiah tried to keep the atmosphere the same as it had been, Charm was still mopey, and Miss Pearl’s temper definitely wasn’t improved by her enforced immobility.
By day two of the RICE treatment, she was downright testy.
“I don’t care what any of you say,” she told them all the next evening. “I’m due to run a clinic up at Red Ground tomorrow, and I’m going.”
“You should be fit enough,” Mina told her cautiously. “But it would be best if you don’t stand on your foot all day.”
That earned her a sniff and an upturned nose from the older lady.
“I’m supposed to be at Morningside tomorrow, too, Granny, and the hospital is providing me with transport. We could ride together, since I’m passing Red Ground on the way.”
He’d mentioned having to go to the smaller hospital to see some patients, and potentially do a couple of elective surgeries so the patients didn’t have to traverse the length of the island to have them done. Although Mina was off that day, he hadn’t suggested she go with him, and she’d tried not to be hurt by the omission.
After all, it was better to put some distance between them, especially in light of her reaction to his proximity. Just those simple touches last night had fired her libido, leaving her weak-kneed and shaky on her walk back to bed. And once there, she’d tossed and turned, her desire for him keeping her awake half the night. The only good thing was that he’d once more banished the phantom pains, so they hadn’t added to her frustration.
“That would be better than driving with Nurse Maxwell,” Miss Pearl said. “Her driving is horrible.”
“Goes too fast?” Kiah asked.
“No. She doesn’t go over twenty miles per hour, and slows down if she sees anything coming toward her. Gives me a headache just thinking about it.”
Mina laughed, but the sense of walking on eggshells was hard on her, as was being around Kiah all the time, without being able to touch him. Although it had been normal for them to touch casually, and nothing had been said between them, they both seemed to have come to the conclusion it was better not to, and avoided it altogether.
Then, that night, the strain in the house came to a head with Miss Pearl barking at Charm, who’d been particularly snippy that evening. Having been ordered to her room by her great-grandmother, the young girl stomped off down the hallway and closed her room door with enough force to almost be called a slam.
Miss Pearl seemed set to shout after her, but Kiah intervened.
“Leave it alone, now, Granny. She’s already upset, and if
