“Guilty as charged.” He couldnae hide his smile as he eased her legs to the ground. When she swayed a little, he pulled her against him. “Take it slow, lass. Lean on me.”
His breath stalled as she raised her face to his.So close. So tempting. An inch more? Mayhap two? He yearned to taste her. To—
“I…wish tae thank ye for everything, Sean. And apologize for being a bit stubborn, myself.” A wry smile twisted her lips. The lips he couldnae pull his gaze from. She lifted a shoulder. “ ’Twould seem we’re a matched pair.”
“Are we?” he murmured, dipping his head even lower.
At the last moment, she pulled away, her eyes dark and troubled. “I’ll be fine on my own, now.” She stepped back, winced slightly, and turned her attention to the pocket of her jeans.
Though his own wince was internal, ’twas painful, nonetheless. How could he have been so daft? He’d no’ only made a fool of himself, he’d pushed her even further away. What was there about Kenna that made him forget himself? His own goals? And, ’twould seem, even the most basic common sense?
He tried to keep his distance but watching her try to fish the key from her pocket with her injured hands was far too agonizing. “May I help ye, Kenna?”
Closing her eyes over a frustrated sigh, she pulled her hands back. “I’m afraid ye’ll have tae dig for the key. My hands have stiffened up so much my fingers willnae oblige me. ’Tis in my right pocket.”
Despite his offer, Sean wasnae sure of the proper way to proceed. He stepped closer, ignoring the heat climbing his neck. Irritated at being so affected by the intimacy of sliding his hand inside the pocket of her very tight jeans, he shoved his fingers into the offending pocket. By the saints, he’d committed horrific acts of violence in battle and he’d be damned if he’d be intimidated by a mere pocket, even if it wasfemale.
As soon as the tips of his fingers touched the key, he grasped and yanked before they encountered anything else. He’d no’ have Kenna think him brutish enough to take advantage of the situation. Especially after she’d backed away from his kiss. She’d clearly set her boundaries. Just as he should have. He’d let his foolish fantasies get the best of him. He’d make sure ’twould no’ happen again.
Suddenly, he realized he kenned naught of what was and wansae acceptable in this time period. Surely things had changed in nearly three centuries. But how and to what degree? He should have asked more of Wickham before setting off on his own. The realization set him off balance and he wondered what blunders he’d already made. What must Kenna think of him? Was that the reason she kept pushing him away and wouldnae accept his help?
Och! What matter, when he’d never see her again, after today?
He busied himself with the lock, keeping his face averted for fear Kenna might discern his unease. When finally the door swung wide, he stepped back, unwilling to barge into her home. Despite whatever changes had occurred over the centuries, he couldnae abandon the manners his mither had drilled into him.
He held out his hand. “May I help ye inside?”
“Thank ye, but I believe I can manage.”
The stilted way she walked revealed how painful each movement was, but she stubbornly forged ahead. “Come in, Sean.”
Cautiously, he moved inside and closed the door on a wee bit of a room. On his left were a worn chair and mismatched sofa far too large for the space. On his right a tiny, bleakly appointed kitchen spanned one wall.
At a table barely big enough for two, Kenna pulled out a small wooden chair and dropped onto it. Groaning, she indicated an open door on the far wall where he could see the corner of a bed. “I was headed tae the bedroom,bathroomactually, but I guess I’m weaker than I thought. You were right. I wouldnae have made it all the way back here on my own.”
Shaking her head, she laughed lightly. The first carefree laugh Sean had heard, and it delighted him. “Imagine. You walked—and carried me—nearly two miles, and I can't seem tae make it ten feet.”
“I ken I can manage another ten, if ye've a mind.” He grinned, pleased with this new, friendlier side of her.
Brushing at her face with the backs of her torn hands, she emitted a groan. “I wish desperately, tae wash. I must look a fright after landing face-down in the mud.”
“Ye look lovely,” he muttered, meaning every word.
Her snort was loud in the quiet room. “A gentleman tae the last. But we both ken that isnae true.”
“Mayhap only tae me, then.” He gave her a teasing smile before glancing around the room again, trying to imagine Kenna here. Somehow it dinnae fit her. But ’twas no’ his place to decide how she should live.
“As weary and sore as ye are, if ye’ll permit me tae invade yer kitchen for a bowl of water, soap, and a towel, I’d be glad tae see tae yer wounds. We should at least get those embedded bits of gravel out o’ yer hands and knees.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized ’twould entail the removal of her jeans and once again, he felt the uncertainty of protocol settle on his shoulders.
“ ’Tis kind of ye, Sean, but I had more of a hot bath in mind tae soak my hands and knees and ease a few sore muscles.” She rolled her right shoulder and gave him an apologetic look. “I ken my shoulder and ankle have turned out tae be a wee bit sore, after all.”
Her eyes suddenly widened. “Och! Where are my manners? I’m terribly sorry. Ye must have a terrible thirst from carrying me so far, not tae mention the aches and pains of yer own that deed must have caused. And here I am, complainin’ about a wee bit of stiffness.” She gestured toward the refrigerator. “Help yerself tae whatever ye find. There’s cold water, or milk, if ye prefer. And there’s soap next tae the sink and clean towels in the second drawer if ye wish tae wash, as well.”
“Perhaps a cool drink of water. Can I get ye something? Ye must be thirsty, yerself.”
“Water for me too, please. The glasses are in the cupboard to the right of the sink.”
