“It doesn’t look good.”
“It got cleaned in the shower tonight.” Her cheeks are flushed, and I release her arm, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. “One of them kicked my hand with the clippers. They flew through the air and cut the back of my other hand.”
“Sheesh. At least let me get you some medicine and a Band-Aid.” I walk to the back of the house before she can reject the offer. I come back with a tube of triple-antibiotic ointment and a bandage.
She’s holding her hand against her chest and eyeing me warily.
“Please,” I say as I hold out my hand for hers.
She shakes her head. “It’s fine.”
“You’re as bad as a toddler. I promise the Band-Aid won’t hurt. I’m sorry I didn’t have a Superman Band-Aid, but if you’re really good, you can have a chocolate.”
Bliss laughs abruptly and holds out her hand. “I don’t want to be a bother.”
“It’s no big deal.” I spread the ointment on the cut. “This looks like it could have used some stitches.”
She nods. “I didn’t want to have to drive into Bend. If it doesn’t seal up tonight, I’ll just superglue it.”
“Or…hear me out. You could drive into town and let a professional stitch it up for you…”
She grins up at me as I rip open the bandage. “Don’t tell me you’ve never used the superglue trick?”
“This sounds like a Hubert Jefferson trick…” I’ve never known Bliss’s father to go to the doctor for anything.
“It is. But in my defense, I asked my doctor about it, and he swore me to secrecy and told me that regular superglue will work just as well as medical grade.”
Carefully laying the bandage over the cut, I press down on the sticky wings and rub my thumbs back and forth, sealing it to her hand. “Sounds like you were the wrong person to swear to secrecy.”
She chuckles. “It’s a good trick to know. Especially when we live two hours from the nearest hospital.”
“Good point.” I smile down at her, and she freezes under my gaze.
Bliss gasps and pulls her hand from mine, then jumps back, looking around the house for a means of escape. “Dinner?” she squeaks out.
“Right.” I clear my throat, the air in the house feeling awfully heavy after I’ve been caught caressing her hand. “I’ve got dinner on the back deck for us.”
She beelines for the sliding glass door.
“I’ll grab a bottle of water,” I say, then get a couple of plates from the cupboard and head to the back deck. This is my favorite part of my house. I’ve got a large wooden porch with a gorgeous panorama of the valley and the mountain range around it. Great daytime views and excellent stargazing at night.
She stops abruptly as she stands on the porch, looking around. “Wow. It is so beautiful.”
I follow her gaze and imagine what she’s seeing for the first time. The valley at the bottom of the small slope. The river curving around the base of the hills. The cows with calves at their side as they walk through the lush, irrigated green grass.
“You could have the same view,” I tell her.
She narrows her eyes at me, and I give her a sheepish grin.
“Too soon?” I ask.
“Yes, definitely too soon. We haven’t even eaten those steaks yet.”
“Okay, I’ll wait to propose until after we’ve eaten dinner.”
“You mean propose again?” she asks with a little smirk.
I just shake my head and walk over to the barbecue, taking the lid off and getting a good, strong smell of delicious steak and vegetables. I pick up the tongs, pull it all off, and set it on the plates.
