“I suspect that’s exactly it,” Moira said from the doorway, startling them both. “Good morning, Kristen. Were we expecting you?”
“I came to apologize,” Kristen said, though her expression was anything but contrite as she faced Moira.
“To Luke, not me, I imagine,” Moira said. “Have you finished?”
Kristen looked startled that Moira had not only stood her ground, but actually dismissed her. She held Moira’s gaze for a moment, but, to Luke’s surprise, Kristen was the first to blink.
“I should go,” she murmured to Luke, looking as if she still hoped he might beg her to stay.
“Probably a good a idea,” he confirmed.
Then in one last attempt to reclaim her dignity or her superiority, Kristen gave him a long, impudent survey, then said, “I’ll see you soon, Luke.”
He watched her walk away, shoulders straight, head held high, and wondered if she was really half as tough as she wanted everyone to believe. He’d seen another side of her at one time, or at least thought he had. Even now, he’d heard a hint of vulnerability behind her apology, a hint quickly undercut by her deliberate jab at Moira.
“Are you feeling sorry for her?” Moira demanded, her expression indignant.
“Just a little,” he admitted, smiling. “You did a fine and well-deserved job of putting her in her place.”
“It shouldn’t be up to me,” she said.
“In other words, I should have kicked her back out the door the second she turned up here,” he guessed.
“Seems that way to me,” she replied.
“She came to apologize. I let her. It would have been rude not to.”
Moira shook her head, as if she found him too pitiful for words. “Is that really what you think, that she was here to make amends?”
“It’s what she said,” he argued.
“She was here to test the waters, to see if she’d accomplished her goal last night of causing a rift between us. I’m sure she would have happily consoled you if you said I’d gone running home to Ireland.”
“But she hasn’t caused a rift, and now she knows that.”
“Because I walked in,” Moira countered. “Would she have known it if I hadn’t? Would you have told her, Luke?”
“I did tell her,” he said in frustration. “Or I tried to.”
Moira finally smiled at that. “Imagine that, a stubborn, hardheaded woman. Who else would an O’Brien man be attracted to?”
He laughed. “Pot calling the kettle black,” he pointed out.
She smiled and the visible tension in her shoulders eased, as she settled onto his lap. “That it is,” she said. “And if I’ve a need to stay right here in your arms whenever there’s anyone else about, I’ll do it just to show the world that you’re taken.”
“Then you’re not giving up on me?” he inquired, relieved by that.
“Not just yet,” she confirmed. “Weren’t you the one who assured me you were trainable? I’m counting on that.”
“Since when do you claim to have more relationship experience than I do?” he inquired.
“It’s not experience that counts in these circumstances,” she told him with a saucy grin. “It’s determination, and I have that in great supply.”
And thank God for it, he thought, just before he kissed her, until Kristen Lewis was the last thing on either of their minds.
Though it had been a late night with plenty of excitement, Dillon had been up early and gone for his morning walk on the beach before he heard Nell stirring. When he returned, the house was still quiet. Too quiet, perhaps.
He tapped on her bedroom door, his heart in his throat. “Nell? Are you awake? Is everything okay?”
He heard what sounded like a moan, and panic clawed its way up his throat. “Nell, dear, I hope you’re decent, because I’m coming in.”
When he opened the door, he spotted her at once on the floor beside the bed, lying in a crumpled heap. He rushed to her side.
Her eyes were open, thank God, and her breathing was shallow, but steady enough.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Just my pride,” she said. “I stood up too quickly and had a bit of a dizzy spell. I’d just fallen when you knocked. It took the wind out of me for just a minute, so I couldn’t answer.”
“Here, my darling, sit up slowly,” he said, easing an arm behind her shoulders. “Not too fast.” He watched the color return slowly to her too-pale cheeks. “Better?”
She nodded. “I feel like such an old fool.”
“We’ve all taken a spill from time to time,” he said. “It’s nothing to fret about, as long as you’re sure you’re not hurt. Your hips feel okay? Your legs? Do you think you can stand?”
“If you’ll help me till I’m steady on my feet, I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “It’s just this blood pressure medicine. I think it’s too strong, but the doctor says it’s working and I need to adjust to the side effects.”
Dillon frowned at that. “That doesn’t sound right to me. Maybe you should get a second opinion.”
“If I go racing off to another doctor, Mick and the others are bound to find out. They’ll make much more of it than they should. You know how they are.”
“I know they’d be concerned about you,” Dillon said. “And rightfully so.”
“Well, I don’t want the commotion. The next thing I know, Mick will move me out of here and into his house.”
Dillon held her gaze. “Not as long as I’m around,” he reassured her. “I promise you that.”
He helped her up, then encouraged her to get back into bed. “Rest for a little while. I’ll make tea and bring you breakfast in bed. You deserve to be pampered after the long night you had
