“I could use a nurse to accompany me when I visit the relief camps this week,” Micah said. “We doctors are rotating responsibilities there, and it’s my turn. You could come with me. We’re very shorthanded.”
“I’m not a nurse.” Kenzie bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to speak.
“No, but with a little training, you will be quite competent.” He stepped up behind her and leaned close to her ear. “And I’m very good at training.”
She couldn’t keep from shivering at his breath on her face. Why didn’t he just go away and leave her alone? Couldn’t he see how hard he was making this for her? Of course, he could. That was why he kept doing it. She frowned and tried again to set her resolve against him.
“I need help, Kenzie, and you need to see that we could be good together. If you come and work with me, you’ll be able to get to know me, and then you won’t be so afraid of me.”
Kenzie turned to face him, which was a mistake. It put them almost nose to nose, much too close for comfort. “You don’t frighten me.”
“Then what?”
She shook her head. “You ... you confuse me, and I don’t want to be confused.”
His blue eyes seemed to search the very depths of her soul. Kenzie wanted to turn away, but she couldn’t. She was completely under his spell.
Micah reached up to cup her chin. “I would love to help you not be confused.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Help me out at the camp, Kenzie. We can get to know each other in a completely nonthreatening way. You can assist me with the wounded and sick and get to know me better.”
He leaned forward as if to kiss her, and Kenzie closed her eyes. When his kiss didn’t follow, she quickly opened them again to find Micah looking at her with a serious expression on his face. Kenzie couldn’t quite swallow the lump in her throat. Why did he have to have this kind of effect on her?
“I need you, Kenzie.”
She knew he meant something more than his request for nursing help, but she wasn’t about to acknowledge it. Instead she gave him a curt nod and pulled away from his touch. “I’ll help you with the relief camps, but only if Camri thinks she can spare me from my other duties.”
He smiled. “I’ll go talk to her right now.”
CHAPTER
8
By the middle of May, city officials deemed it safe for banks to open their vaults and safes. Most people had adhered to the recommendation that the vaults be allowed time to cool, especially after seeing the explosive results when some immediately tried to retrieve their funds. However, the delay created a sense of panic, and in a city where panic was already far too prevalent, people’s patience ran thin.
The cleanup of debris was another source of irritation to the public. The army’s attitude was that people who didn’t work didn’t qualify for their accommodations and help. This brought protests from some and begrudging acceptance from others. But even with all the problems, the work continued, and headway was being made.
Donations flooded in from all around the world to fund the rebuilding and see people adequately cared for. Liberal gifts of food, clothes, and other supplies were sent from as far away as Europe, and San Franciscans were grateful. Many citizens left the city and had no intention of returning, but those who stayed were determined to do what they could to make their town the beautiful gem it had once been.
Kenzie found her work with Micah extremely satisfying. She had never considered nursing as a profession but the thought regularly crossed her mind these days. The more she learned about the body and the care involved, the more intrigued she was. She had to admit Micah was a good teacher. He was patient and deliberate in his methods, and it was easy to get caught up in his passion for healing. Their time together also helped her see him as something other than the man who was in love with her.
“You’re a fast learner, Kenzie. I couldn’t ask for a better nurse,” he told her as they walked back to the warehouse.
“Your training and instructions are easy to follow.” She hadn’t meant to say as much, but his comment caught her off guard.
Micah chuckled. “Would that you’d listen to me regarding our relationship as easily.”
Kenzie pretended to ignore him. The day was warm with clear skies, and for the first time in a long while, the burnt scent seemed to be gone. “It’s really a lovely day.”
“Indeed it is. One of these days I’m going to take you sailing.”
She looked at him. She hated to admit that she was more and more attracted to him. Micah was a handsome man. His black hair had just a hint of wave to it, and the way he combed it back from his face always seemed to allow for one or two strands to fall back over his brow. Those strands begged her touch, though Kenzie would never give in to that urge.
“If you keep looking at me that way,” he said, “I’m going to kiss you right here on the street.”
Kenzie frowned and turned her attention to the sidewalk. It only served to make Micah laugh. He seemed amused by her unwillingness to give in to his flirtations. Other men might have given up long ago, but not Micah Fisher.
“So will you do it?”
She didn’t even glance his way. “Do what?”
