Belle laughed and slapped his chest. “I wish I had thought of that answer when the women would complain to me about their husbands.”
He looked at her. “Why would they complain to you about such things when they came to you to birth their babies?”
“No idea, except they were usually trying to push out a baby and just wanted to complain about the fellow who put it there.”
Geordie fought to hide the sudden panic that swept through him at the thought of a possible pregnancy resulting from what they had shared. “I suppose. But what else is he supposed to do? He’s in bed after a long day.”
“Talk? Cuddle a bit? Now that you ask, I really have no idea.”
“There ye go then.”
“What?” She pushed herself up a bit and stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
He laughed. “I have no idea. Ye arenae sleepy at all, are ye?”
“Doesn’t appear so.”
“Weel, I need to go shut the fire down. Shouldnae keep it going during the night.”
“No. I could go.”
“Nay. I lit it. I should make sure it is out,” he said as he got out of bed and yanked on his pants. “Be back in a moment or two.”
Geordie carefully made his way down the stairs. He suspected he should have said some love words, but he was not a good talker. Obviously he should try to learn. He did not want Belle to step back from him because he lacked the sweet words she might want to hear.
Once he was sure the fire was completely out, he made his way back to her room. He stepped inside, walked to the bed and sighed. All the sweet words he had been practicing in his mind had been wasted. Belle was sound asleep. Worse, she was sprawled on the bed in a way that did not really welcome anyone to join her.
Determined, he sidled in beside her and got as comfortable as he could. As he settled down, wondering if he could get to sleep, she shifted as if to accommodate him, and he sighed with relief as he turned to hold her close. Geordie closed his eyes. He hoped he would recall the things he had thought of to tell her, in the morning.
* * *
Belle woke up and tried to stretch, only to feel a weight around her. She turned her head to the side and her eyes widened as she recalled what had happened the night before. As slowly as she could, she eased out of the bed. After quickly throwing on some of her clothes, she stopped and looked at Geordie sleeping peacefully.
She sighed as she yanked on her gown. A large part of her wanted to crawl back into that bed and curl up next to him. He was handsome. Even better, he would be warm. That made for a temptation it was hard to resist. She shook her head and left to go downstairs and start breakfast.
It bothered her that she expected him to speak of something, maybe of love. She had given in to passion, so why should he offer her more than that? It was something she really needed to think about. Belle was not even sure she wanted love from Geordie. There did not appear to be any future for love between them. He was going to return to what sounded like a large, loving family, and she had to stay where she was.
Walking into the kitchen, she decided to turn her wandering mind to the importance of feeding her guests. She started to wonder what would happen next between her and Geordie and forced the question out of her head. She was an adult woman who made her own living. There was no desperate need of a man in her life. Then she realized she was wearing the same clothes she had worn yesterday, and put aside the batter she had been whipping up to race back upstairs to change her dress.
* * *
Geordie woke up in time to see Belle slip out of the room. He cursed. He had thought to woo her a little while they cuddled in bed. Getting up and yanking on his pants, he headed to the washroom. He knew he had to do something, or he might as well just leave for home soon. He just was not sure what he wanted or needed to do. One thing he was sure of was that he did not want to leave Belle thinking he had just used her.
They ate breakfast in the infirmary with the young men, so there was no chance to talk. Geordie watched as Belle got Will up to walk. She refused his offer to help, and he briefly thought of how she had felt when she had wrapped her body around his. There was a lot of well-toned muscle in that slim body. When Will settled back in his bed, he groaned softly and Belle assured him he just needed to build up some strength in that leg, then she walked over to him.
“I want Robbie to try standing up, and could use your help. I want to feel his leg and see how the bones are doing as he tries to stand, so it would be best if someone strong can hold him steady.”
“How is Will?” he asked as they moved toward Robbie.
“There was some damage to his muscle and it will need building up. He cannot regain what was taken by the bullet, but he can definitely build up all the rest to make up for what was actually a small loss.”
He urged Robbie to try to stand on his foot. He was as tense as Robbie felt as he stood up and slowly put weight on his bad leg. Geordie closely watched the expressions on his brother’s face as Robbie stood straighter. His body trembled, but Geordie did not think his brother shook from fear or pain. He got the distinct feeling his trembling was from the hope and happiness that swept through him as his leg held. As he adjusted his hold to make sure Robbie stood straight, he realized he was not doing all the work, that Robbie himself was managing it. Geordie was just a support in case he was needed. He looked at Robbie’s leg and could not be sure if it was the boards or the wrapping that made his bad leg look so normally straight.
“All right,” said Belle. “That was good.” She helped Geordie get Robbie back in his bed. “Did it hurt?” Robbie shook his head. “Any pain now that you are off it again?” Another shake of his head. “Okay then, tomorrow we take you out to start some swimming in the ocean. It will build up the strength you need. You too, Will. Maybe you can improve in the skill. Can you keep yourself afloat now?”
“Never go to a doctor whom you knew when you were a little kid,” Will told Geordie as Belle laughed and left the room.
