"He's what?"
"He's been talking to Danny all day, and Danny's been sitting next to him listening," she said. "Go see for yourself!"
I dropped my things on the kitchen table and walked into the living room. There on the couch under the window that looked out over our backfields, sat the very handsome man who'd been so flip with me the night before. Except now he was dressed in business attire and looked like one of the young executives I regularly worked with in the offices in the Loop.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in a flat voice looking him over. He was stretched out on the couch with one of Mamm's quilts spread across his body. It wasn't quite long enough to cover his whole body, so his feet stuck out on one end. His eyes met mine and I couldn't look away. He threw back the quilt and tried to stand, but the pain was too great and he groaned as he sunk back down on the couch.
"Well, if it isn't the irritated store clerk!" he said in a tone that implied we were long lost pals.
"Who are you?" I asked ignoring his pain for the moment.
"I told you last night or did you forget? I'm Adam Wallace," he muttered through clenched teeth wrapping an arm around his mid-section. "You know, that dinner you sold me was outstanding despite the microwave."
"Wonderful, Mr. Wallace," I said in a clipped tone. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, please tell me what you are doing in my house?"
"He crashed his car in the ditch across the street," Verity said quietly. "Danny, Honor, and I got him out and brought him inside."
"Why on earth would you do that, Verity?" I said as I spun around to face my sister.
"Because he was hurt, Grace!" she cried. "I didn't want to leave him trapped in the car."
"He's a stranger, Verity," I scolded. "Didn't you think about your safety? Or Danny's? You're old enough to know better!"
"Grace," Adam interrupted, "It's true I'm a stranger in town, but I promise I'm not dangerous."
"Your car in the ditch would indicate otherwise, Mr. Wallace," I said dryly.
"Well, that was definitely an error in judgment," he chuckled. "But not dangerous in the way you're implying."
"Has anyone called a tow truck?" I said changing the subject. The talk I wanted to have with Verity would have to wait until we could get the English man out of our house. "Or an ambulance? You're obviously hurt, Mr. Wallace."
"Oh, I think it's just some bumps and bruises," he said waving me off. "I would have called a tow truck, but my phone got smashed."
"One of my sisters could have walked down to the phone and called," I said as I tried to maintain a neutral expression. It wasn't easy while this handsome stranger flashed me a smile that both irritated me and threatened to melt my icy defense. "In fact, I'll go do that now."
"No, no, it's not necessary," Adam said as he sat down to put his shoes on. He winced as he bent over and then stayed perfectly still for a few mo
ments before bending further.
"Mr. Wallace, you're obviously hurt and in pain," I said as I moved toward him and knelt to help him with his shoes. His only response was to raise his gaze from the floor and when he did, I gasped. His face was etched with pain, but he still tried to smile at me. I moved his shoes out of the way and gently pushed him backwards on to the couch. "Lay back and rest. I'm going to go down to the corner and call an ambulance."
"Please don't," he said quietly. "I'm okay, really. I don't think anything is broken. Besides, it's just some bumps and bruises, nothing compared to what you and your family are going through. "
I bit my lip and looked away. The pain of my parents' death had barely become bearable, and to have this handsome man poking at the fresh wound was almost more than I could take.
"So, why are you here, Mr. Wallace?" I said trying to hide the shakiness in my voice.
"Look, it's a long story, and one that I'm sure you'll have very little interest in, but I really don't think we need to involve the police," he said. "And can you please stop calling me Mr. Wallace? That's my father's name, not mine. I'm Adam."
"Fine, Adam," I said putting my hands on my hips. "Tell me what your story is."
"Grace," Verity interrupted. "Let me take care of him before you grill him about his life story."
"Verity, take Danny and go to bed," I said more harshly than I intended. I was wary of Adam, but there was something in his expression that told me he wasn't out to do us harm. "I'll tend to him tonight and you can take over in the morning."
Danny signed his disappointment at being excluded from the interesting grown-up conversation, and I repeated that it was past his bedtime. He protested by telling me he was old enough to make his own decisions, and I reminded him that I was in charge of the family now that Mamm and Dat were gone and asked if he would have disobeyed them. He shot me an injured look as his shoulders slumped and he gave in slowly climbing the stairs. Verity quickly followed, casting one last worried glance over her shoulder.
Once my siblings were out of the room, I turned my attention back to the injured man on the couch only to find that he'd lain back down and fallen soundly asleep. For a moment, I wondered if he'd passed out from the pain, but when he began to snore, I pulled the quilt up over him and silently left the room.