She placed a hand over her middle and looked away.
Thomas used his hands to mold her trim fingers around the morsel. “You eat it. I can’t have either of you going hungry. We still have a long journey ahead of us.”
Eliza’s grateful brown eyes spoke volumes and she sat down next to her sister in front of the fire, nibbling at her meager meal. She glanced up at Thomas, looking ashamed to be eating when he wasn’t. Could she be any more charming?
“Ladies, when you’re done with your feast, I’d suggest trying to get as comfortable as possible and sleep as much as you can. This will be our last real shelter before we get to Sandwich.”
The sisters nodded and started talking in hushed tones to one another. Kitty devoured her portion of the bread and lay facing the fire, her arms crossed over her chest for warmth.
Thomas watched as Eliza moved to lay behind Kitty, as if to shield her back from the cold. She rubbed Kitty’s arm up and down from behind to keep her warm.
Thomas’s heart wrenched and a pulsing desire to keep Eliza warm dashed through him. Did she never think of herself? She should be in front of the flames as well, or she might catch a dangerous chill.
Within only a few minutes Kitty slept, but he could tell from the way Eliza moved restlessly on the hard ground that she was not sleeping.
“Are you doing all right, Miss Campbell?”
She poked her head up and her lips lifted into a tired grin. “As fine as I can be.”
How enticing she looked. Her rosy cheeks and round dark eyes shimmered with the glow of the fire. The dark strands of hair around her face curled slightly, kissing her cheeks. As much as he wanted to keep her warm for the sake of her health, he feared his nearness to her would drive emotions within him that he didn’t want to have.
“Will you be warm enough?” he said.
She stood, rubbing her hands together. “Now that Kitty is sleeping, I think I’ll lay in front of the fire as well. If I don’t, I’m not sure how I’ll survive through the night.” She gave a tiny laugh as if to lighten the heavy mood and moved around the fire, holding her long heavy skirts with one hand until she found a comfortable position on the dirty cave floor on which to lay.
He breathed a sigh of grateful relief. At least now he didn’t have to worry if he should try to keep her warm. The fire could do that.
“Thank you for being patient with us, Mr. Watson. Sleep well.” The melody in her voice caused his stomach to float.
“Thank you, Miss Campbell. Goodnight.”
When she closed her eyes, he let his gaze travel over her. She lay on her side and he marveled at the perfect slopes of her shoulders, her waist, her hips. This woman was not only caring, courageous, and selfless, she was bewitchingly beautiful. He never knew such a person existed. If he were ever to marry, she would be . . .
He shook his head and exhaled. She had a life in Boston to return to, and his home would be in Sandwich. This episode would be but a small chapter in the book of her life.
Thomas looked out the large opening of the cave, hoping to clear his fog
gy brain. The heavy sheets of rain still drummed only feet away from them, and the darkness of the approaching evening thickened.
Please Lord, stop the rain so we can move at a more rapid pace tomorrow.
The next leg of their journey should be the easiest. Yet he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that the worst was yet to come.
The next morning promising sunlight broke through the leafy mosaic and shimmered on the diamond-like droplets that rested on the foliage outside the cave.
Eliza woke with a start at an unusual noise. Her eyes widened, her heart refused to beat, and she tried to muffle a scream. She stayed motionless, too afraid to move, to breathe. Eliza’s blood drained from her face, and she tried to rouse her companions without frightening the horrid creature, afraid at any moment it would attack.
“Kitty! Thomas!” she squeaked, staying still.
Neither of them moved.
She called for them again, louder this time. Thomas jerked and grabbed at the pistol underneath his side. He stalled for a moment, looking back and forth before his body shook with a bellowing laugh.
Awake and giggling, Kitty rested on her elbow next to Eliza. “Liza, how do you always attract those creatures?”
“This isn’t funny! Why isn’t it moving? Get it off of me!” Eliza squealed.
Her plea only made Thomas laugh harder.