The darkness of his eyes grew heavier. “Violets,” he murmured. The tips of his fingers almost,almostbrushed against her hair, and Elodie realized he must be referring to the fragrance of her soap. “Hm,” he said.
Then he lowered the hand, turning once more toward the bedroom, and Elodie expelled a frustrated sigh.
“Considering your diminished state,” he said with his regular dispassionate timbre as he walked, “it’s important you get a comfortable night’s sleep. We don’t want you struggling on the job tomorrow. Therefore you will take the bed and I the mattress.”
“Diminished—?!”Every romantic wish promptly vanished from Elodie’s heart. “Struggle?!” she sputtered, hurrying after him. “I recommend that you take the bed, so if I get up in the night, I do notaccidentallystep on your face.”
Although his back was to her, she would guarantee that he’d raised an eyebrow. “Threatening violence against one’s team leader is a strong indication of impaired reasoning.”
“Delusions that one is the team leader also indicate impaired reasoning,” she rebutted.
“You are exhausted. Take the bed.”
“You are obnoxious. I’m sleeping on the floor.”
They arrived at the bedroom and stopped.
“Oh,” Elodie said, staring at the door, which stood ajar. “I could have sworn I closed that.”
“Uh-huh,” Gabriel replied in a noncommittal manner that nevertheless conveyed wholehearted commitment to the idea of Elodie wandering out the door, deep in thought about rain or dinner or something completely random, such as Australianmarsupial habitats—Ooh, I wonder what they are,she thought.I’ll have to ask someone from the animal biology department—and thus forgetting to secure the room behind her. Only the fact that he was probably right stopped her from chastising him.
“After you,” she said with a stiff gesture.
“Certainly not,” Gabriel replied. “As previously established, ladies first.”
Elodie almost insisted, but the look he gave her conveyed a willingness to stand there all night, exchanging politeness like arrows until she finally surrendered. So, with one final supercilious glare, she swept past him into the room.
Gabriel followed, and as he closed the door behind them, the entire world shrank down to one small chamber and the stark fact that they’d soon be undressing and lying down to sleep in the company of theirwedded spouseworst enemy. Holding up their lanterns, they stared with mutual silence at the mattress on the floor.
And at the goat that was industriously eating it.
Chapter Eight
Geography maps the space between mountains
and the space between people, with all its
sinkholes, storms, and dangerous magic.
Blazing Trails, W.H. Jackson
“This is nota problem,” Elodie said. “I’m sure we can get a good handle on it.”
“Are you insane?” Gabriel stared at her with amazed disbelief.
“No, I’m saying you need toget a good handleon those horns. You’re not being firm enough. Pull harder.”
Gabriel frowned. The woman might appear angelic in her white dress and the pearly halo of her hair, but Gabriel would swear she was an unkempt devil sent specifically to vex him. “I am pulling with perfectly adequate force,” he said. “It’s not my fault the creature won’t budge. You need to push harder.”
“I’m trying,” she averred. “Besides, a proper gentleman wouldn’t ask a lady to put her hands on a goat’s rear end.”
“You teach male university students. I’m sure you can manage one billy goat.”
“And I’m sure you know all about not budging.” She exhaled an impatient sigh. “Look, we’re professional scientists, we should be able to use teamwork.”
A moment of silence followed as they both considered where teamwork had got them in the past: into this god-awful marriage.
“Push harder,” Gabriel said.
