“No. I was given a gift and I use it to help others. It’s nothing so complicated as a miracle.”
“It is to the people you help. Do you get lonely?”
“All the time. I work with a team, but the people on it changes frequently. Different doctors come and go. I tend to stay in a place for six to eight weeks, then move on.”
“Sounds like heaven.”
“It can be.”
“Sara never wanted to go with you?” she asked.
“No. She wanted to stay in her corner of home.”
“I would have been right beside you,” Paige said without thinking, then held up both hands. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not inviting myself along on your next trip.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
She laughed. “You’re very kind.”
“I’m not kind at all. You’re an intriguing woman, Paige. Opening your house to a stranger.”
“A stranger who talks in his sleep.” She studied him. “My aunt would have liked you.”
“High praise.”
“You can’t know that,” she said, but pleased by his statement even so.
“I can guess. You said she gave up everything to raise you.”
Paige smiled at the memory. “She was wonderful. She’d made the decision to become a nun early in life and was a novitiate by the time she was nineteen. After my parents died, she came to care for me, leaving her life as a nun. I still remember her telling me that we were going to learn to be a family together.”
Her smile faded a little. “As a five-year-old, I didn’t understand what a massive transition she must have gone through. She’d never held a job in the ‘regular’ world, although hers was a teaching order, so she was used to a classroom. Still, she had to figure out how to pay bills and manage a household while raising me.”
“Which she did,” he said.
Paige nodded. “With grace and love. Money wasn’t an issue. My parents had planned ahead. There was an insurance policy that paid off the mortgage and left enough to cover our basic needs. Aunt Sophia became a teacher here in town. She was special.”
She loved with all she had, Paige thought, missing the woman who had meant so much to her.
“I was lucky to have her,” she added. “Neither of my parents had any other family. Sophia and I took care of each other.”
As she spoke, she was aware of his blue gaze, steady on her face. And that his blinks were getting longer and slower.
“All right,” she said, coming to her feet. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
Alistair’s expression went from sleepy attention to complete awareness in a matter of a heartbeat. For a second, she found herself being studied in a way that could only be called sexual. Tension filled the space between them. For the life of her, Paige wasn’t sure if she should throw herself into his arms or run screaming into the afternoon.
As it was bright and late spring, the latter seemed kind of silly. As to the former…it was an idea she could get used to, she thought.
“Because I was ill,” he said, as if to clarify.
“Right. You haven’t been out of bed this long in days. You must be exhausted.”
“I’m more tired than I would like to admit.” He rose. “First let me help you with the dishes.”
She laughed. “I can manage.”
“I’m actually very good at washing up.”
“Part of your viscount training?”
“Of course. We are required to take a washing-up course before our tenth birthday. By royal decree.”
She started for the back door. “You can show me your fancy skills tomorrow. Right now you need to rest or you’ll relapse. I don’t want to have to explain to Simon why his friend isn’t getting better.”
Alistair walked around the table. “All right, but tomorrow the dishes are on me.”
“I look forward to it.”
They walked toward the back door. Once they reached the door, he motioned for her to go first, then followed. He walked past her in the kitchen, his arm brushing hers. She was aware of heat and a voice whispering that handsome, charming men could be very dangerous to a woman’s heart.
He was just passing through. In a few days he would be gone and she would return to her regular routine. Better for both of them if she remembered that and didn’t try to make their time together more than it was.
Oh, but a girl could dream.
Chapter Four
Alistair poured himself a cup of coffee. It was early—with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The sky was awash in pink and orange, with a few stars still twinkling. The house was quiet before the start of the day. Even the birds were silent.
He’d awakened more than an hour ago and had tried to go back to sleep. But he’d finally caught up on his rest and recovered from his bout of measles. He was energized and ready to begin his day.