Gwen turned to face Daniel, and her heart melted her words into liquid mush. “Daniel,” she whispered and hung her head. With his finger, he lifted her chin until she stared into his face once again.
“A kiss might be all we need to put this awkwardness in perspective,” Daniel suggested.
Like a puppet on a string, she allowed him to lean in ever so slowly and deliberately. He provided ample time for her to regain her senses, yet she stayed transfixed on his searching gaze. Every fiber in her body said, “Back off,” but helplessness consumed her, and when his lips brushed hers, she closed her eyes.
Only their lips touched, sending the kiss deeper and deeper until her head spun dizzily. Had she ever been kissed before? Pecks on the cheek did not come close to the feelings erupting inside her.
When they finally separated, she heard the sharp intake of his breath and witnessed his uncontrollable shudder. Daniel had been equally affected by their intimacy, and it scared her to death.
“Daniel,” she whispered, attempting to muster anything objective that might be lingering of her self-control. “This is not acceptable.”
“Says who?”
“I took an oath to serve my fellow man in a healing capacity. This only complicates it.”
“It was a kiss, one that has opened our minds to destinies that we had, perhaps, not considered.”
“But Miss Constance would be so disappointed, wasting three months of teaching on a nurse that falls for her first patient.”
“I heard the woman was a spinster—that disqualifies her to judge in matters of the heart.”
“But…” she began, but he placed his finger against her lips to stop the flow of words.
“Enough said for today. We shall let the idea simmer until it reaches boiling and spills from our hearts out of control like a bubbling inferno.”
“Very poetic, Daniel. Romancing women must be built into a man’s nature, as you appear to be quite comfortable in that department.”
“It wasn’t long ago that I swore off women. I figured that if I didn’t know what made me tick, I wouldn’t burden any female with that uncertainty.”
“You are not so unlike your father.” When she noticed his expression of surprise, she continued. “He speaks for other people as if they had no minds of their own and are incapable of making tough decisions.”
“Aha! A false sense of know-it-all, McAlister control.”
“Exactly. You should give a woman the chance to make up her mind on what she wants in her man,” Gwen said.
“Am I your man?”
“You have misinterpreted my words. I was speaking in general. You are not my man today or perhaps ever. We agreed to let it simmer, remember?”
“It was obviously a slip of the tongue that I will regret in the torturous days ahead.”
“You must concentrate on a complete healing—body, soul, and mind so that when the time comes to give your heart away, you will, indeed, have a whole, healthy man to offer.”
“Did I ever tell how beautiful you are?” He took his finger and ran it along her cheek. “Especially with this wee piece of stuck-on chicken.” He brushed it off, not giving her the opportunity to see the evidence that she felt certain did not exist.
“Thank you, sir, for the compliment. I’m sure I look a sight better in my Sunday attire than covered over with my uniform bib-apron.”
“One that I wish you would rid yourself of. You do not work in a hospital with a required dress code.”
She blushed. “It helps me remember why I’m here. keeping my mind focused on ways to trigger your healing.”
“Another reason to be rid of the thing.” Daniel laughed. “But all kidding aside, we both might as well face the facts: my memories are not coming back. I’ve almost accepted it. I’m digging my feet into this land, accepting my heritage with limited eyesight, and moving forward, as the nurse hoped.”
“That’s good news, but sometimes, a relaxed mind releases the secrets we try to hide.”
“It definitely possesses fewer expectations,” Daniel said. “Except in your case, of course. I have high expectations with regard to you.”
Gwen felt sure her cheeks turned crimson. She glanced hurriedly off to the side and her emotions collided in a broken heap.
She gasped. “Daniel! Jake is gone.”
Chapter 10
Daniel and Gwen bolted to their feet simultaneously. He searched the horizon and at the last second, noticed the tiny frame stepping onto a slippery rock at the edge of the river. Daniel’s feet sprang into motion, and he covered the distance between the blanket and the water in record time. A strange fog descended upon his brain as he searched the rippled surface for signs of the boy. Something in his head spun out of control, and focusing became nearly impossible. He’d jumped up too fast, he chided himself, but now was not the time to entertain nausea from a head injury.
Where was the boy? The more he tried to concentrate, the greater his inability to move. He staggered and felt Gwen at his arm.
“Daniel—the baby!” she cried.
He knew why he was there—or did he? To save someone, but who?
Gwen had screamed about the baby, but he could only see a dark boy, splashing helplessly in the middle of the water, too far out to rescue him as he headed in the direction of stronger undercurrents. Daniel had lost control of his responses, and it scared him. It seemed as if the messages to his brain had been dammed up, and the command to move wouldn’t flow to his legs. Tidal waves of emotion peaked in his brain just before he collapsed to the ground in a heap, rocking and moaning while holding his head.
Somewhere within the chaos of the confusion in his head, he heard a splash, a woman’s voice calling out
