Chapter Nine
Tess had already begun to think of the library as a sanctuary. The cozy warmth of the fire seeped soothingly into her bones as she watched a final few wispy flakes of snow drift lazily from the sky. Bright beams of light pierced through the parting clouds, creating a glistening sparkle on the fresh snow.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she murmured to no one in particular.
Darach glanced up from adding more wood to the fire. “Aye. Most beautiful.” His gaze lingered on her long enough to bring a rush of heat to her cheeks.
After a moment he turned his attention to the room itself, studying the corners and ceiling with a slight scowl before adjusting his plaid around his shoulders. “Ye and the lass stay in here and get warmed through. Rest a while. Ye’ve had a busy morning. I’ll start uncoverin’ those kitchen windows.”
“We have work to do, too,” Tess replied, “but…I’ll walk you out, first.”
She’d been trying to find the right time, right way, to talk to him about Emily, but she just needed to get it over with. “Stay here and keep warm, Em. I’ll be right back. I have to talk to Darach about the…uh…work we need done.”
“I’ll help him,” Emily offered, looking hopeful. “It’s stopped snowing.”
“Maybe later, if it warms up a little. Besides, we still have the other half of this floor to explore.”
“Oh, yeah.” Emily looked torn. “I’ll come help you in a little while, Darach.”
“I’d like that, lass,” he smiled to soften her disappointment, before shifting a look of concern toward Tess. “Mayhap, if ye’re going explorin’, I should stay and help ye.”
Tess laughed. “Whatever for? It’s just a bunch of empty, dusty rooms. Besides, I’m anxious to get a good look at the kitchen and to do that, I need to have those windows opened up.”
He seemed troubled by her response but ultimately nodded his agreement.
She struggled with her own discomfort as she followed him through the foyer to the front door, looking back twice to make sure the library door remained closed so Emily couldn’t hear what she was about to say.
“Darach…” Unsure how to start, she tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. No, that didn’t feel right. She crossed her arms, instead, and tried to stand taller. Yes. Tall and firm. That’s what she needed.
“What is it ye wish tae say?” he asked cautiously. “Ye seem tae be havin’ a bit ’o trouble spittin’ it out.”
She swallowed. “All right. It’s about Emily.”
His brow creased, deepening the worry lines in his distractingly handsome face.
She needed to look away before she lost her nerve. “Look… um, it’s clear you care about her. And I love that you do. But…I don’t think you realize how impressionable she is. Due to her situation—the losses she’s gone through recently—she tends to become easily attached. Abandonment issues, I suppose the shrinks would call it. So, since you’ll be leaving too, it’s important that she doesn’t become too attached to you.” She winced and looked up at him, wishing she could explain it better. “You’re amazing with her, but that also makes it harder on her when you leave. Does that make sense?”
“Aye,” he whispered, so quietly she barely heard him. “I ken yer meaning.”
He stared first at his feet, then at the library door, but never once looked at her. Tess fought the guilt slithering through her belly. He seemed to be everything Emily needed, but she also needed that person to be a permanent part of her life. Darach wasn’t, and never would be.
Heaving a shaky sigh, she prepared to land the final blow. “I need you to remember your place with Emily. Agreeing with her, giving in to her every whim and fostering her fantasies like you did upstairs, may seem like the right thing to do at the time, but in the long run it harms her. Surely you can see that?”
He shifted uncomfortably.
“Obviously, parenthood is new to me,” she continued despite the emotion thickening her throat. “I have zero experience and tons of doubt about my ability. I imagine I’ll mess up repeatedly along the way. Regardless,I’mEmily’s parent now, and it’smyresponsibility to guide her. Besides, you’re leaving, remember? So I’m asking for the remainder of your time here, that you stick to the tasks you’ve been hired to do and stop…interfering.”
She stared at him while he stared at the library door as if he’d already said goodbye.
“Agreed?” she pressed, feeling a little nauseous.
When he lifted his pain-filled gaze to hers, her heart sank even further, and she realized she may have underestimated how much he truly cared. But, despite her desire to take it all back, Tess held fast. She had to put Em’s welfare above this stranger’s, no matter how much it hurt him. He’d been such a tremendous help to them, they’d already begun to rely on him. Probably too much. Perhaps that was the real problem. Maybe they…she…had begun to care abouthim, too much.
“Agreed,” he stated flatly. “I’ll tend tae my work and try no’ tae interfere with ye, nor influence the lass in any way.”
His eyes suddenly widened. “Ye ken I’d never intentionally harm the lass, do ye no’?”
She couldn’t stand the pained look on his face and rested her hand on his arm, hoping to reassure him. “I know, Darach. I see how much you care about her.”
