All right, heart, you can slow down now. It appears there is no kiss in your immediate future.
He returned with the small brown bottle, efficiently poured the liquid into a spoon, and handed it to her.
After settling back onto the settee, Nate began playing with the ends of her hair. “Tell me about your life in New York.”
Kiss alert. It can still happen. Speed up, heart. “There isn’t much to tell,” she hedged. “I went to school there, and lived with my father and stepmother, before my father died.”
“Is that why you decided to come on this adventure, as you put it?” He smiled that lazy grin that made her stomach flip-flop.
“Yes.” In an effort to sidetrack him, she shifted. “You do a wonderful job with your children.”
He chuckled. “I just stumble through every day.”
“I mean it. You have so much patience, and I still can’t believe you got five children up, dressed, and out the door for church. It makes me wonder why you felt the need for a wife.”
Nate stared at her for a minute, his eyes twinkling with humor. Then, running his knuckle over her cheek, he leaned closer. “It’s hard doing it all myself. I really need someone who can take care of the house and keep track of the kids.”
“Mrs. Darby?” Her voice squeaked as his fingers slid to the back of her neck and teased the hair along her nape.
“There are other things a man needs a wife for. The cooking and cleaning are important, but companionship and nighttime comforting are important as well.”
Pound, pound, pound. Angel felt the blush start at her toes and go all the way to her hairline.
Noticing her discomfort, Nate laughed softly. “Will you jump again if I kiss you?”
“No. This time I’m ready.” Do you think you could say anything more stupid?
He moved even closer, and being careful of her ribs, kissed her deeply and thoroughly. His strong fingers massaged her scalp.
“This is the kind of comfort I was referring to,” he said against her lips. “But we’ll put off anything else until after you’re healed.” He drew back and stroked her cheek again.
His gaze rested on her throat where her heart beat rapidly. “You’ll never have to be afraid of me. I won’t ever do anything you don’t want me to. And I’ll never hurt you in any way.”
“I know.” The squeak turned to a breathless sigh. She knew him to be gentle and caring. That furthered her determination to live up to his expectations. Again she blessed Mrs. Darby, who would show her everything she needed to know in order to run a house.
After five days, Angel didn’t know any more about housekeeping than she did when she’d arrived. Mrs. Darby had been wonderful, teaching her cooking, cleaning and laundry. But no matter how many times Angel tried to copy her teacher, it never seemed to turn out exactly the way she planned.
“I think you can probably handle changing the baby, since your ribs aren’t so sore.” Mrs. Darby smiled at her grimace. “Oh, don’t fret, dear, you’ve seen me do it enough times.”
A long string of drool hung from the baby’s mouth as Angel took the little squirming body in her arms. Hoping this would go better than her first attempt at diaper changing, she carried the baby upstairs and gingerly placed her on the bed. Before she turned back with the clean diaper in her hand, Julia-Rose was off the bed and had crawled under it.
“No, no, no, come here.” Angel ran around the bed and got down on all fours, thankful her ribs were mostly healed. She couldn’t help but laugh at the child, who was now well out of reach.
“Look, sweetie. See what I have.” She unclasped the chain hanging from her neck, held the small heart, and waved it at her. Julia-Rose blew bubbles and laughed.
“I mean it, now. Come out here.” She used her sternest voice. The baby lay her face down on the dusty floor and sneezed.
“See, you’re going to get sick. You must come out from under the bed. Right now.”
Julia-Rose let out a huge yawn and, putting her fingers in her mouth, settled in for a nap. Angel stretched her arm as far as she could, but it was not far enough to grab the baby. Damn! Now what do I do?
She lowered her head so her chin was touching the floor, and worked herself under the bed. Her sore ribs kept her from moving too fast. Finally, she reached Julia-Rose and slowly pulled the sleeping child out. Holding her ribs as she stood, she sneezed repeatedly. “Ow!” She grabbed her side.
Julia-Rose opened her eyes. “Mama,” she gurgled, holding her chubby arms up.
Angel eased herself down on the floor alongside the baby, and sighed. The thought of trying to get everything done that needed to be finished in a single day by herself seemed impossible when she couldn’t even diaper one little girl’s bottom.
Angel’s week of reprieve was nearly at an end. She sat at the table, finishing up a hem on one of Amy’s dresses. Earlier in the week she made up a story about losing one of her trunks that contained her work dresses, and Nate told her to help herself to Amy’s dresses that were packed away in the attic.