A Knight in Central Park(60)
The children closed in, everyone looking at Alexandra’s tunic where dirt mingled with blood.
“I had a small bout with a boar. ’Twould have provided enough food for days had I caught the beast.” She held her hands wide. “Bigger than Rebecca I tell you.”
Joe had the first-aid kit out by the time she finished her next sentence. He tied back her skirts and used the damp cloth Susan handed him to clean away most of the dirt and blood. He twisted the cap from a tube of ointment and rubbed some of it on the wound. Thank goodness there was no gaping wound, only a few scrapes and some discoloration.
Alexandra tried to ignore his nursing of her injury, tried to ignore the hot waves sweeping through her every time his fingertips glided over her skin. “Its tusks were long and sharp,” she told Rebecca, but her sister had already gone back to playing with her toy.
“Does that hurt?” he asked.
She shook her head.
His fingers went round and round, smooth and warm against the tender area of her calve. Her injured leg put her off kilter, forcing her to place a hand on his shoulder for balance. Did he too lie awake last night thinking of their lovemaking? Or was he too angry with her for refusing to return the children to Brookshire? She considered apologizing until she stubbornly reminded herself that he was the one who owed her an apology. Ever since the kids had arrived, he had been surly. But even her ire failed to stop her heart from thumping against her chest as he continued to lend his aid, each touch making her toes curl. She looked about, hoping to find something else to focus on.
And that is when she saw Garrett, standing there, eyes narrowed, fixing her with a piercing glare. “Why don’t you two just take yourselves behind the bushes and have it over with. This boundless flirting and lusty play,” he said gesturing toward Sir Joe’s hands, “is too much for me to bear. ’Tis obvious you can’t keep your hands off one another and since there won’t be matrimony between you—”
Sir Joe stood so fast, he nearly knocked Alexandra over. Even Garrett was taken aback by the fierceness of his glare as he loomed over him. But Garrett stood his ground and puffed out his young chest, all but daring Sir Joe to set his wrath full upon him.
“I’m tired of listening to your smart mouth,” Joe said.
“And I am tired of you acting the part of my father.”
“Oh, I see.” Joe scratched behind his ear. “If you had a father, then why didn’t he ever teach you any manners? Or could it be that you scared him off with your endless whining?”
Nobody said a word. Even the birds, Joe realized, seemed to have busied themselves with their nests suddenly.
Garrett’s cheeks flushed and his eyes appeared suddenly haunted.
Alexandra reached out for Garrett, but it was too late. He ran off before she could stop him.
Joe glanced at Susan who quickly averted her gaze as if she might turn to stone if she dared look at him for too long.
Even Rebecca had looked up from her doll, reminding him of her existence. She might not talk, but judging by the poignant look on her face, she could damn well hear.
To hell with them all, he thought as he went to put the ointment away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rebecca scramble to Alexandra’s side and cling to the hem of her dress as if he might harm her in some way.
“Okay,” he said, unable to stand the damnation he saw in their faces. He clicked his briefcase shut. “What did I do now?”
“He’s sensitive about Father,” Alexandra answered. “He has convinced himself that Father might not have gone off to fight for the king if not for him and thus has taken full blame for our troubles these past years.”
Joe raked his hands through his hair. The kid had needed to be told off, but Joe hadn’t meant to be cruel or insensitive. He knew what it was like to be a young boy without a father. He didn’t wish that empty pit of a feeling on anyone. He sighed. When he got a chance, he would talk to Garrett. Maybe he could help him understand he’d been there too and that life goes on.
All eyes were focused on him once more, only now their eyes were filled with pity. “Don’t look at me like that. How was I to know?” His back molar was throbbing. He rubbed his jaw, wondered for the hundredth time how he’d gotten himself into this mess. “Let’s go. We need to find somebody to watch these kids.”
Alexandra gestured for Susan to take Rebecca out of earshot before she hastily turned on him. “What is wrong with you?”