A Lady for Lincoln Cade by Bj James

Author:Bj James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2001-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Eight

Heavy with promise for the end of a rainless period that threatened to become a summer drought, clouds building across the eastern sky roiled and seethed, reflecting the colors of sunset. A magnificent display Linsey didn’t see.

She’d been quiet throughout the drive from the hospital. Quiet, still, her face composed. Except for the clench of her hands, this might be simply a tiresome trip she must endure.

“Relax,” Lincoln said into a silence heightened by the steady hum of the engine of his truck. Then again, into the changing rumble of tires turning from the main road onto the narrow lane leading to the Stuart farm, he reminded her, “Jefferson’s good with kids.

“Added to that, you’ve seen for yourself the staff at Belle Terre Trauma Center is top-notch in aftercare as well as treatment. Particularly Cooper’s hand-picked team.”

“Yes.” The lifeless reply was lost in the groaning protests of the truck as it forded the stream meandering past Stuart land. Tires spun, finding purchase as it lurched onto dry land.

No longer a neglected derelict, the Stuart house, the barn, and the small shed that housed Linsey’s ancient car nestled in the clearing and shone in the slanting light. With a sense of belonging he hadn’t known since Frannie Stuart’s death, Lincoln let the truck roll to a halt before the front steps. The engine stopped, silence deepened within the cab, yet she gave no sign that she realized where they were. “We’re home, Linsey.”

She roused, her heart quickened at his choice of words. She didn’t react. Her limbo was about to end. That much she knew, but not how. After weeks of agonizing over this encounter, she had discovered how and why no longer mattered. She was too exhausted to care about anything but her son.

“Cade will be all right.”

“I know.” And she did, yet her voice was unsteady.

“It’s true.” He took her hand in his. A small hand with a raw, newly healed scar across its palm. A hand bearing evidence of hardships she’d faced and met with strength and courage. Yet it lay lifeless in his. Touching her face, two fingers at her chin, he turned her to him. While she didn’t resist, her lashes fluttered down like the rich gold fringe of a curtain, shielding her eyes from his probing inquisition.

“Open your eyes, Linsey.” A tender command. “Open your eyes and look at me.” A hush trembled between them. Deep and dark, magnified by the stillness of the farm and the whisper of a breeze stirring the tops of ancient trees. Lincoln waited.

Long seconds passed before her lashes lifted to lay bare her anguish. Lincoln knew he could lose himself in her eyes. His heart could rule his head if he moved too swiftly.

He’d seen trouble in those marvelous eyes for weeks. For weeks he’d fought the same battle. Time and again he’d wanted to forget the past, to pretend none of it happened. If there had only been the two of them to consider, perhaps he could have. But there was Cade.

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