The Lady and the Mountain Fire (Mountain Dreams Series Book 3) by Misty M. Beller

Author:Misty M. Beller [Beller, Misty M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Misty M. Beller Books, Inc.
Published: 2015-07-20T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Bryan tapped on the door of Mrs. Malmgren's cottage the next morning and waited as a shuffling sounded across the wooden floor inside.

The door opened to reveal Mrs. Malmgren. Her milky eyes appeared to stare in the distance, but she held her chin up, senses alert to identify him.

"Hello, ma'am. It's me, Doc Bryan." He spoke quickly so she wouldn't have to ask.

A smile spread over her face before he finished the ma'am.

"Well my goodness, Doctor. Come in, come in. We just put more loaves in the oven an' was sittin' down for coffee."

Bryan peered inside as the woman shuffled toward the table. Claire stood at the wash sink in the kitchen, one hand deep in a basin of water. What was she doing up and working this morning? He'd told her to rest today. No working for Pearl. No wandering about town helping neighbors.

He was three strides into the room before he stopped himself. Calm down, man. You're over-eager.

"Good morning." The soft voice from the sink focused his attention on the woman. It was hard to tell from the dim light whether her color was better or not, but a soft smile lit her features.

"Morning."

She was beautiful. The white apron strings gathered into a bow at her waist, the loops almost longer than her slender figure. Something was different with her hair today. She'd pinned it up, not tied it back in a loose ribbon like yesterday. As much as he loved that hair, this look accentuated the length and curve of her neck. Stunning…to put it mildly.

A noise to his right pulled Bryan's attention. Mrs. Malmgren settled into a chair at the table, the wooden legs scraping the floor. She leaned back, a smile quirking her mouth. "I guess you came to check on our Clara Lee."

Bryan darted a glance at Claire as he cleared his throat. "Yes, ma'am."

"I don't guess we're used to so much personal service 'round here." The older woman's voice teased. Bryan tried to ignore it, but the heat crept up his neck anyway.

Claire turned from the sink, wiping the fingers of her good hand on her apron. "I'm much better now. Thanks for checking, though. Would you like coffee?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Thanks." Bryan glanced from Claire to her grandmother. What did he do now? More than anything, he'd needed to rest his eyes on the woman and know she was recovering from the loss of blood. Maybe if he played along with the coffee, she'd give him the chance to… To what? Examine her hand? Talk?

Claire approached the stove and held her hand about six inches over the top surface. Only the side of her face was visible from where he stood, but the frown was clear.

She bent and reached for a log from the stack beside the cook stove. With a rag over the handle, she stepped back as far as she possibly could while still gripping the knob. Nudging the handle up, she released the door to the fire box and swung it wide.

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