Sanctuary(148)

she had planned her visit to avoid Brian, using that window of time between breakfast and the midday meal. And she'd used the visitors' front door rather than the friends' entrance through the kitchen.

Since they had managed to avoid each other for a week, she thought, they could do so for another day. she wouldn't have come at all if Kate hadn't hailed her with an SOS after one of the guests slipped on the stairs. Even as she turned toward them, Kate came hurrying down.

"Yirby, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. It's a turned ankle, no more than that, I swear. But the woman is setting up such a to-do you'd think she'd broken every bone in her body in six places at once."

One glance at Kate's distracted face and I<-Yirby knew that Jo had yet to speak of Annabelle. "It's all right, Kate."

"I know it's your afternoon off, and I hated to drag you over here, but she won't budge out of bed."

"It's no problem, really." Yirby followed her up the stairs. "It's better to have a look. If I think it's more than a strain, we'll x-ray and ship her off to the mainland."

"One way to get her out of my hair," Kate muttered. she briskly on a door. "Mrs. Tores, the doctor's here to see you. Billy inn," Kate added to I<-Yirby in an undertone, "and add whatever you for a nuisance fee."

Thirty minutes later, and more than a little frazzled, Kirby clos the bedroom door behind her. Her head was aching from the litany complaints Mrs. Tores had regaled her with. As she paused to rub temples, Kate peeked around the corner.

"Safe?"

"I was tempted to sedate her, but I resisted. she's perfectly fi Kate. Believe me, I know. I had to give her what amounts to a complete physical before she was satisfied. Her ankle is barely strained, her heart is as strong as a team of oxen, her lungs even stronger. For your sake, I hope she's planning on a very short stay."

"she leaves day after tomorrow, thank the lord. Come on down. Let me get you a nice glass of lemonade, a piece of that cherry pie Brian made yesterday."

"I really need to get back. I've got stacks of paperwork to wade through."

"I'm not sending you back without a cold drink. This heat's enough to fell a horse."

"I like the heat," she began, then came to a dead halt as Brian walked in the front door.

His arms were full of flowers. They should have made him look foolish. she wanted him to look foolish. Instead he looked all the more male, all the more attractive, with his tanned, well-muscled arms loaded down with freshly cut blossoms.

"Oh, Brian, I'm so glad you got to that." Kate hurried down with her mind racing at light-speed. "I was going to cut for the fresh arrangements myself this morning, but this crisis with Mrs. Tores threw me off my stride."

she chattered on as she transferred flowers from his arms to hers. "I'll just take it from here. You don't have any sense at all about how to arrange them. I swear, Yirby, the man just stuffs them into a vase and thinks that's all there is to it. Brian, you go fix Yirby a lemonade, make her eat a piece of pie. she's come all the way out here just to do me a favor, and I won't have her going off until she's been paid back. Run along now, while I take this upstairs."

she headed up the steps, willing the two of them not to behave like fools.

"I don't need anything," Kirby said stiffly. "I was just on my way out."

"I imagine you can spare five minutes to have a cold drink and avoid hurting Kate's feelings."

"Fine. It's a quicker trip home through the back anyway." she turned and started down the hall at a brisk pace. she wanted to be away from him. When he found out about his mother, she would do what she could for him. But for now she had her own pain to cope with.

"How's the patient?"

"she could dance a jig if she wanted to. There's not a thing wrong with her." she pushed through the door and stood stubbornly while he got out a pitcher of golden-yellow lemonade swimming with mint and pulp. When her mouth watered, she swallowed resolutely. "How's your hand?"

"It's all right. I don't really notice it."

"I might as well look at it while I'm here." she set her bag down on the breakfast table. "The sutures should have been removed a couple of days ago."

"You were leaving."

"It'll save you a trip out to see me."

He stopped pouring her lemonade and looked at her. The sun was streaming through the window at her back, licking light over her hair. Her eyes were a dark, stormy green that made his loins tighten.

"All right." He carried her glass to the table and sat down.

Despite the heat, her hands were cool. Despite her anger, they were gentle. she saw no swelling or puffiness, no sign of infection. The edges of the wound had fused neatly. He would barely have a scar, she decided, and opened her bag for her suture scissors.