Ari sat up and sucked in a breath. “There must be at least two dozen.”
Tasha nodded. “That man really cares about you.” Her lips curved into a soft smile. “Are you going to be all right? Like I said before, I can call someone to stay with you.”
Ari shook her head. “I’ve had enough nursing to last a lifetime—thanks to Peggy.” She made a sour face.
Tasha chuckled. “My ears may never recover.” Lifting a rose from the vase, she held it to her nose. “I have a hunch you’re going to have company after I leave.” A sly smile stole across her face.
Warmth spread through Ari. She ducked to hide the blush she knew reddened her cheeks, then quickly changed the subject. “Thank you for staying in Pueblo. I don’t know what I would have done without you. You’ve been more than a friend to me; you’ve been like a mother—just what I’ve needed. Really, I can’t thank you enough.” She felt teary emotion rising as she choked out the last words.
“There is nowhere else I would have been.” Tasha plumped the pillows before nudging Ari to lie back in her bed. “And, I could say the same for you. You’re like the daughter I never had, but always longed for.” She brushed a tear away, then bent down and kissed Ari on the forehead. Ari wrapped her arms around her, wincing a little at the pain in her ribs.
After Tasha departed, Arianna tried to sleep, but to no avail. Peggy, the badgering nurse, could no longer force pain pills down her throat. Even though her body still ached, she was finally clear-headed and didn’t wish to return to the blurry haze she’d been living in for the last three days.
Instead of sleeping, she contemplated her upcoming move back to Denver. She experienced a jumble of emotions about leaving Pueblo. She shouldn’t feel bad, but that house had been her baby for so long that she’d actually miss it. She paused, recalling images of Mr. Somers attacking her. Her body jerked, hurling knife-like pain from head to toe. Perhaps she wouldn’t miss the house after all.
Then there was Sarah. She and Christopher had come to the hospital together on Tuesday afternoon. Ari had been amazed. Sarah became a different person once she could speak freely, without looking over her shoulder in fear of her father. Ari realized how much she would like to stay and get to know her.
But most of all, Ari would miss Christopher. The pain in her injured body was nothing compared to the pain shooting through her heart at the thought of leaving him. She had finally met someone she thought she could spend the rest of her life with, but she had to leave before truly getting to know him—that is, the Christopher without secrets.
Alone in her room, she could let her feelings free. Unimpeded by medication, she felt the impending loss acutely. His family needed him more than she did right now; they knew nothing of the twenty-first century they’d been thrust into. Ari was grateful they had him. Her gaze floated to the yellow roses that brightened her room. Denver wasn’t so far away. Perhaps, once his family had become settled, a long-distance relationship would work.
Her phone rang, yanking her from her thoughts. She fumbled around on her well-stocked nightstand, finally locating it beneath her book. Christopher’s name flashed on the screen. A bit shy after just admitting to herself the feelings she had for him, she answered in a soft voice.
“Hello, Ari. Are you up for some dinner?” His rich timbre gave her chills. “I’d love to bring some take-out.”
She hadn’t had the chance to speak with him alone since the end of the terrible ordeal. Either someone had accompanied him, the too-attentive, nosy nurse found a reason to be at her side, or Tasha was with her in the hospital. While she wanted to thank him for risking his life to save hers, her nerves jangled at the notion—there was so much to say, but she struggled with how to say it. Still, scheduled to leave in two days, she might not get another chance. “Uh, yes, that sounds nice.”
After they decided on Chinese food, she ended the call and located the crutches. Her striped pajama shorts and pink T-shirt would have to do, but she could at least run a brush through her hair. She hobbled into the bathroom, wincing at the pain in her ribs.
The image staring back at her in the mirror was shocking. Her black eye had mutated into a strange bluish-purple now, but the swelling had diminished some, and the gash had begun to scab over. Scratches zig-zagged across her right cheek and neck. Her heart sank thinking this might be the last time Christopher saw her. Another tear leaked from her eye. She gave herself a mental shake and ran the brush through her hair.
She waited for him on the sofa. The bedroom felt too intimate.
“Ari, it’s me.” Christopher’s deep voice sounded through the door a short time later.
“It’s open. Come in.”
He pushed through the entrance, bearing armloads of food. “I hope you’re hungry,” he said with a smile that melted her heart and sent shivers down her spine.
“Are you kidding? After two days of hospital food, I’m starving.” Her eyes widened as she saw how much he’d brought. “Well, maybe not that starving.”
He chuckled. “How about we start with these?” He held up two white boxes with red dragons outlined on them. “And I’ll put the rest of the food in the fridge for you to eat later.”
He brought enough for her to eat all week. A stab of pain pierced her heart at the thought of letting this perfect gentleman out of her life. “That was thoughtful. Thank you.”
He assembled the food on a TV table Tasha had propped next to the sofa, unwrapped the restaurant-supplied chopsticks, and made sure Ari had everything she needed to eat comfortably. The aromas of cashew chicken and sweet and sour pork filled the room. “You will no doubt be happy to get back to your apartment in Denver, where the furnishings were hand-picked by you. I mean, this place is okay, but your apartment in Denver screams Arianna.” He grinned.
“I nearly forgot you stayed there. It seems so long ago. I’ll be happy to return, but there are a few things I will miss about being here.” She straightened enough to make room for him on the sofa.
He sat down beside her and pulled the table close enough for easy access. “I doubt that. I should think that a place that has caused you so much pain and sorrow would have you running for home.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. “Shall we eat, then?” She readied her chopsticks.
They dined in awkward silence, only speaking about the food and his family.
When they’d eaten their fill, Christopher gathered the trash, cleaned and stowed the TV table, then rejoined her on the couch.
Finally working up the courage to say what was on her mind, she turned to him and began to speak. At that exact moment, he did the same thing. “Sorry,” she said, “you go first.”
“Okay then, Arianna, I just want to tell you how profoundly sorry I am for everything you’ve been through.” He spoke in a low tone with more than a hint of sadness. “So much has happened that you neither asked for, nor deserved, and I cannot help but feel responsible.” His eyes, misting, began to look like blue pools, but he kept his gaze fixed on her. “I—I just keep reliving it. I’ll never forget…” His voice hitched, and he shook his head, unable to continue. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“Forgive you? You saved my life. Do you realize what would have happened if you hadn’t come after me? And who, in their right mind, jumps on a time machine and guesses where his pernicious father may have taken the nosy decorator?” Her voice picked up volume as she spoke. She paused and took a calming breath, then continued. “No, Christopher, there is nothing to forgive. You tried to warn me, but I was too stubborn to listen, and it almost got us both killed. I owe you my life.” She didn’t try to keep the tears from falling. It broke her heart that Christopher had been blaming himself for his father’s sins.
He located a box of tissues and tugged a couple out. “But if I had just told you earlier—”
“Then I wouldn’t have believed you,” she finished. “I understand now. I should have trusted you.”
She watched relief wash over him a
s she said those words. His tight posture relaxed as he expelled a breath. He tilted his head. “You are a bit nosy, aren’t you?” His dimples puckered. A throw pillow came his way. He dodged it. “Hey, you aren’t playing fair. How am I to get even when you are,” he paused and motioned to her injuries, “in tatters?”
“That sounds like a personal problem to me.” She lobbed another one, gritting her teeth at the pain in her ribs. This time she hit her mark. She was determined to keep things light, now they’d gotten past the initial awkwardness.
His eyes twinkled. “Well then, if I can do nothing to win this battle, how about we watch some television? It is one of the inventions I have learned to particularly enjoy in this day and age—instant entertainment. Far better than impromptu concerts on the pianoforte.”
Ari laughed and let out a contented sigh. They flipped through the channels until landing on reruns of I Love Lucy. “Mindless humor. Just what the doctor ordered.” She let her head fall against his shoulder and breathed in his spicy scent. His cream-colored pullover showed off his muscular build and felt incredibly soft on her skin. He gently tugged her hand into his. Her skin sparked at his touch. “I wish we’d been spending our evenings like this all along,” she whispered.
“As do I, my dear, as do I.” He kissed the top of her head, sending warmth through her body. She snuggled closer to him.
After a while, he looked at his watch. “It’s late. You need to rest.”
He began to rise, but Arianna pulled him back down next to her. She took a breath and mustered her courage. “Christopher, there’s something I need to know.” She paused, second guessing herself before deciding she should continue. “If you don’t want to answer, I will completely understand.”
“What is it?” His brows lowered as his azure-blue gaze locked with hers.
Heat rising to her cheeks, she pressed forward. “Did you mean what you said in New York?”
His forehead wrinkled. “Ari, we barely spoke in New York. You were in a state of shock, as I recall. What do you mean?”
“Not what you said to me. What you said to your father”—she lifted a shoulder—“about me.”
Understanding registered on his face.
Ari hurried on. “It’s okay if you just said it to get us out of a nasty situation. It worked. I have just wondered, that’s—”
Before she could finish her sentence, he put a finger to her lips. “Arianna.” He paused and blinked back the moisture shining in his eyes. “I have never been more honest than I was in that moment. So, to answer your question, yes…I love you.” He swallowed and whispered, “I only wish circumstances had been different and I could have told you sooner.”
Arianna’s heart overflowed with emotion, and tears spilled down her cheeks. She couldn’t find her voice to respond.
Christopher gently cupped her face in his warm hands, tilted his head and kissed her lips. She melted into him. The physical pain pushed aside, all she could feel was warm electricity pulsing through her body. “I have loved you from the first day we met.” His words vibrated against her mouth and tingled down to her toes.
She wrapped an arm around his neck. She knew he worried about hurting her in her fragile state, but she wanted more—she needed more. She kissed him hard and deep. His willing lips returned her passionate kisses. Her hands traveled to his hair, massaging his scalp. When she realized how carried away she’d become, she pulled back, afraid she’d crossed a line. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget what era you’re from. You must think I’m terribly forward.” She let out a nervous laugh.
He kissed her lightly, his lips warm with passion, then spotted her book on the end table next to him, picked it up and tossed it to the floor. “You really need to quit reading those books.” He smiled as he gingerly scooped her into his arms and kissed her again. “I have a feeling we’ll be putting a lot of miles on our cars, driving between here and Denver.
Ari thought her heart might burst. She burrowed into his embrace. “I love you, Christopher.”
A word about the author…
Jeanie R. Davis is an Arizona wife, mother, and grandmother who loves peach ice cream, shopping, a clean house…oh, and chocolate, of course. She has traveled extensively—from Fiji to Africa and Europe to Costa Rica—but prefers being at home creating new adventures on her computer.
Her four daughters have left her nest empty, but they return often with grandchildren who bring real fun and adventure to her life. And thankfully, Jeanie’s awesome husband, Rick, loves to join in on all her escapades.
A good romance will always capture Jeanie’s attention; add suspense or historical ties and she’s totally hooked. She’s the author of a historical fiction novel, As Ever Yours, based on the lives of her grandparents, and a children's Christmas book, I Don't Know Why I Did It.
Jeanie is passionate about writing, and she always has a new story to delve into or an older one to revise. She began by writing poetry and music, which she still enjoys, but now novels have moved to the forefront of her avocational pursuits.
When she’s not spoiling her grandchildren, Jeanie spends her free time curled up with a good book or typing away on her most recent mystery, adventure, or romance.
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