Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco Book 1) by Cynthia Woolf

Author:Cynthia Woolf [Woolf, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Nellie awoke and gingerly felt her head. The lump was still there, but her head hurt less than it had. What? Yesterday? Had she lost a whole day?

She turned toward Blake and discovered he still slept with her. He hadn’t gone back to his room like she expected him to do once she was asleep.

Grabbing her robe from the end of the bed where she kept it, she tied it around her and walked to her dressing table. Sitting in the chair, she stared at herself in the mirror. She hadn’t managed to protect her face as well as she thought. Her left eye was swollen and blackening, probably something she’d done to herself when she threw her arms up to protect her head. There was also a large scrape on her jaw.

“It’s not as bad as you think,” said a groggy voice from the bed.

“I think it’s pretty bad. I thought I had protected my face and head, but apparently not very well.”

“Come back to bed, Nellie. It’s still early,” he yawned.

“Aren’t you working today?” She looked at the little clock she kept on the side of her vanity table. “It’s past time that you usually get up.”

“Not today. I’m spending the day with you, here.” He patted the bed next to him. “Resting. Nick is coming by later and we’ll do some business.”

“You’re talking about firing Maddie, aren’t you?” She tied her robe.

Blake sat up, rearranged the pillows behind his back, and watched her. It was still disconcerting, she didn’t know if she’d ever get used to it. Robert had never watched her dress.

“Yes, but I’m not going to fire her. If you’re right, and I’m not saying that you are, but if you are, then we need to keep an eye on her at all times.”

“I am right. She’s dangerous, Blake. You need to do something so she can’t hurt the children.”

“Or you.” He was up in a flash, completely naked and standing in front of her. He took her hand and kissed it on the inside of her wrist, where there were no scrapes or scratches. “I wouldn’t like it if anything happened to you either, Nellie.”

He pulled her a little closer for a kiss.

But she was having none of it and pulled away.

He sighed.

Couldn’t he have said he couldn’t bear it because he loved her, or something else that would tell her how he felt? She guessed she should be glad he included her at all.

“Thank you. I’m gratified to learn you’d like to keep me around.”

“Well, of course, I do. The children would miss you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m their mother, of course they’d miss me. What about you? Would you miss me?”

“Well, I…yes, I think it’s fair to say I would miss you.”

She huffed. “Or is it my body you’d miss, not me?” She turned and stomped to her dressing room.

Blake followed.

“Nellie, that’s not fair. Ours was not a love match, but one of a practical nature. That we find some modicum of pleasure with each other is a blessing.

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