He grimaced. ‘Definitely not!’
‘Nurse a weak lamb?’
He shrugged. ‘Probably not.’
‘Feed the hens and collect the eggs?’
He drew in an impatient breath, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. ‘Look, May—’
‘No, of course you can’t do any of those things!’ she answered her own questions impatiently. ‘But I can, and I do. And those are the only ways that you could possibly be of any help to me, Mr Marshall,’ she told him scathingly. ‘I really don’t know where you got the impression that I’m some helpless female that needs rescuing—’
‘Don’t you?’ he rasped pointedly.
She had the grace to blush, her exhausted condition earlier having been unmistakable. ‘That was an exceptional circumstance,’ she dismissed firmly. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind leaving…?’ She stood pointedly away from the door, her expression challenging.
Jude gazed at her frustratedly. She really was the most—
Were those tears he could see in those incredible green eyes? And if so, were they tears of sheer frustration with all the work she had to do, or were they for some other reason?
‘We haven’t finished our meal,’ he pointed out softly.
She gave a shake of her head. ‘I’m afraid I’ve completely lost my appetite.’
‘May—’
‘Will you just go?’ she cried emotionally, the tears welling against the darkness of her lashes now.
‘No—I won’t just go,’ he answered impatiently. ‘May, I don’t think for one minute that you’re a helpless female.’ How could he, when she had obviously been the female mainstay of this household since she was nothing bu
t a child herself? ‘But you are wrecked, anyone can see that from just looking at you—’
‘Thanks!’ she snapped scathingly.
He sighed heavily. ‘There’s just no reasoning with you, is there?’
‘None at all,’ she bit out coldly.
Jude shook his head. He had never met a woman like May Calendar before. Had never felt like shaking and kissing a woman at the same time before, either—
Kissing…?
Damn it, yes, he wanted to kiss May Calendar! Wanted to sweep her up into his arms and kiss her until she was senseless. Until they were both senseless.
Which was why he most certainly wasn’t going to do it! ‘Fine,’ he rasped harshly, picking up his jacket from the back of the chair before walking determinedly to the door. ‘Any message for Max or your sister if he should happen to telephone again?’ he challenged hardly, already knowing from her reaction earlier to his casual mention of having spoken to Max that she did not want her youngest sister to know she was coping alone here.
She swallowed hard, her cheeks suddenly pale now. ‘No—’ she moistened dry lips ‘—no message. Except—’
‘Yes?’ He paused at the door.
She gave the ghost of a smile. ‘You could tell January that Ginny and the twins are all doing well. The ewe from last night, and her two lambs,’ she explained ruefully at his puzzled frown.
Jude gave an acknowledging inclination of his head, not having particularly enjoyed scoring that point, where Max and January were concerned, over a woman who was so exhausted she could hardly see straight. ‘I would get that early night if I were you, May—before you fall over!’ he rasped.
She gave a shake of her head. ‘I still have things to do.’
He gave an impatient shrug at her stubbornness. ‘Your choice,’ he bit out harshly. ‘But, from the look of things, they will still be there for you to do all over again tomorrow.’
She gave the hint of a smile. ‘My father used to say that.’