Chasing the Sunset(47)
Guilty as she felt about him stuck out in the cold, Maggie’s eyes still drifted shut and her cheek sought the warmth of Joanne’s shoulder. Asleep in less than two minutes in the rocking of the carriage, she never felt the hand that smoothed down her hair and made room to lie her down on the leather. Exhausted from very little sleep the night before and from the emotional upset that had drained so much of her energy, she slept right through the whole ride, not waking up until Nick pulled her from the vehicle to carry her indoors.
Arms curled around his neck, she pressed her face to his neck, then pulled back with a cry of shock. He was freezing cold, so cold that his skin had almost seemed to burn her lips when she had went to him seeking warmth.
“My goodness, Nick,” she said. “You need to get into the house and sit in front of a fire and drink something hot. Put me down,” she commanded. “I need to get in there and tell Kathleen to put some water on for coffee. I think I will put something a little stronger in it, too.”
Nick smiled down into her face. “You went from sound asleep to wide awake in less than
two seconds. I have never seen that happen before,” he said dryly as he put her on her feet, unaware that Joanne was standing very close to him and gave him an assessing glance as he spoke. A smile lit her features after a moment, and she shared a conspiratorial look with her brother.
“It is the cold,” Maggie said briskly. “Shocked the sleep right out of me.”
At that very moment, the front door flew open and Kathleen bellowed down at them:
“Get in here, you idiots! Nicholas Revelle, you are a dead man! I have already sent Roger down to take care of the horses, and he can just come back up here and take care of these, too. Tommy, you run down and get him and tell him to hurry it up. I had to kick him out of my nice warm kitchen where he has been lazing about all morning, but he went. I have got brownies and hot chocolate and coffee,” she said as she practically shoved them all in the door. She pulled Nick down to eye level by the collar of his borrowed coat, getting him nose to nose with her. “Next time you leave me to wonder if you are all dead for an hour before someone shows up to tell me what happened, I will personally stab you through the heart myself. The front door was standing wide open and I nearly went mad until the deputy showed up to tell me what was going on.”
“I was not thinking much about letter writing at that moment, Kathleen,” he said wryly as she divested him of his coat and shoved him into a chair. A brownie the size of a saucer followed next, along with hot chocolate topped with a heaping spoonful of whipped cream and sprinkled cinnamon.
She demanded news of Ned, and put a hand to her mouth when they gave it to her. Then she began to chew on Nick’s hide once again. Tommy crept in quietly, and the rest of them wisely kept silent as Kathleen ranted and raved and put enough desserts and sweets on the table for a small army, slamming cups and saucers around and walking swiftly back and forth. They all studied the bounteous offering, and each knew immediately what she had been doing to stave off her worry. They would be eating these for a week or better. Nick knew that berating him was just her way of blowing off steam, and he stood it in silence, then waited until she dashed by once more and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
“I love you, too, Kathleen,” he said. “I am sorry I worried you.”
She put her head on his shoulder and bawled out every minute of excruciating anxiety that she’d had that morning. She cried out every last tear she had in her body onto his shoulder, her arms pressing him tight. Nick held her in his lap and rocked her, laying his cheek against her bright head of hair.
Maggie was struck in the heart by the amused, tender expression on his face. He patted Kathleen, and murmured, and Maggie felt weak tears rise in her eyes at the sight. He was so compassionate and caring. It was no wonder that she loved him.
Kathleen raised her wet face from his shoulder with a hiccup, wiping tears away from her reddened eyes. Her nose was nearly as bright as the three cherry pies she had baked, and Nick told her so.
“Three?” Kathleen laughed shakily. “There are three more in the pantry, and I have not even mentioned the berry cobbler and the two cakes I have hidden behind them.”
Maggie burst out laughing, and Kathleen threw her hands up in the air.
“Let me go, Nick,” she demanded. “I have got to get everything ready to go. I know Maggie is going to want to go back to Geddes, and I am going with her when she does. You can just send someone over to the farm to tell my parents,” she said firmly, before Nick could even get his mouth open. “I am not letting her go alone. You can come out later when you get things squared away. Maggie and I will be staying with my Aunt Agnes for the next few days.”
She hauled Maggie to her feet. “You do not have all that much time, Maggie. Pack a bag with whatever you think you will need for three or four days. I will have Roger hitch a fresh team to that carriage and tell Charlie to drive us into town.” She stopped, having already pushed Maggie out the door and towards the stairs, and pointed to Tommy. “No, you go tell Roger and Charlie. I can put together a basket of food and a couple of flasks of hot drinks while I wait for Maggie.”
“Yes ma’am,” Tommy said, and scooted for the door. Kathleen’s yell brought him back.
“Your coat!” she scolded. “Put a coat on, it is freezing out there.”
The three left at the table exchanged looks that spoke volumes. Lanny Donaldson’s legacy to her daughter was an iron will and an ability to give orders like a small general. And like her mother, she expected her orders to be carried out now. Kathleen had her hands on her hips, scowling at Nick before he noticed.
“What are you grinning about?” she said.
“Nothing,” he said innocently. He stooped and pressed a kiss to her cheek, and she flushed in surprise.
“Pack some of those desserts up,” he teased. “Then Doctor Murdoch will finally be able to tell what your cooking is like, instead of your mother’s.”
He laughed when she took a swat at him, and dodged on out the door. He took the steps two at a time and met Maggie just as she shut her bedroom door.
“Do not worry,” he told her quietly, and took her carpet bag from her to carry out to the carriage. “Ned will be all right. He has got good doctors, and you and Kathleen will be right there.” He grinned at her. “And if I know Kathleen, and I do, she will nag Ned until he hurries up and gets well enough to go back to work, just to get away from her.”
“I heard that, Nick Revelle!” floated a voice up the stairs. “Charlie has got the carriage out
front. Tell Maggie to hurry up. I am ready to go.”
He captured Maggie’s hand when she started down the stairs. “Wait.” She looked inquiringly at him, and he brought her cold hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her frigid fingers. “I will see you tomorrow. Aunt Agnes is a sweet old lady, and you do not have to worry about her wanting you there. She will be glad of the company, and she will probably cosset you both to death.” He hesitated. “Give me a kiss before you go, darling,” he murmured. “I do not think I can get through today if you do not.”
Maggie felt her heart’s barriers crumble, and she pressed her lips to his face, then to his mouth in a series of small kisses that spoke tellingly of the love and need that she felt for him. He had shaved and changed clothing, but he had not lost the fatigue that had been in his eyes. She pressed her soft body against his rock hard length to comfort him, and felt her pulse leap. Heat swept up her body.
“I will miss you,” he whispered intensely against her lips. His warm breath gusted out when he sighed, and Maggie could feel its warmth on her face. “Miss me, too. Miss me, Maggie.”
And Maggie showed him with her kiss that she would indeed miss him–she put all her heart and soul into the kiss, and he was breathing harshly when he drew away. His hands cupped her cheeks and he laid his forehead atop hers.
“Kathleen will be up here to get you any second,” he whispered. “If you do not go now, I am going to have you against the wall with your skirts hiked up when she gets here.”
“How can I even want this now?” Maggie asked him, her voice small, hanging her head. “With Uncle Ned ... “
”It is just life,” Nick said softly, lifting her chin and forcing her to look into his eyes. “It is your body saying, sickness happens, accidents and tragedies are numerous, but look at me, I am alive right now, and I can still feel pleasure. It is only natural, Maggie. Do not feel guilty for being normal.”
Maggie gave him one last, lingering look, then tripped lightly down the stairs to join the impatient Kathleen, who stood by the door holding the coat, hat and gloves she had sent Joanne to fetch for Maggie, an overflowing basket of food at her feet.
Aunt Agnes was indeed kind, a petite lady of indeterminate age who, judging by her appearance, was obviously Lanny Donaldson’s sister. She greeted them with a cry of delight that soon turned to tongue-clicking commiseration.