Naughty with Mr. Nice, page 39
“It’s fine.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for rescuing me from the roses. I’m sorry I crushed them.”
He shrugged. “I was thinking of taking them out anyway.” He opened a bottle of peroxide and ripped open a package of gauze.
“Really? But roses are so pretty, why would you rip them out?”
“I’d think you’d want them gone. Odds are you’ll fall into them again sooner or later.”
She laughed. “Good point. Maybe I should start wrapping myself in bubble wrap?”
He grunted and she grinned again. “The fourth time I fell off the jungle gym, my mom threatened to send me to school in a helmet and protective padding. I could only convince her not to, by promising to never set foot on the jungle gym again.”
He poured a bit of peroxide onto the gauze. “Maybe you should just try turning on the porch light so you can see when you’re walking down the path.”
“The light’s burned out,” she said. “I would have changed it, but I’m too short to reach it, and I tend to avoid stepping on to chairs or stools.”
“Probably a wise idea,” he said. “This is going to hurt.”
He dabbed the scratches on her arms with the peroxide-soaked gauze. She hissed again with pain.
“Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She studied his face in the light. Engrossed in cleaning her arm, it was the first time he wasn’t actively hiding the left side of his face from her. She stared at the scars that marred his face. Half of his left eyebrow was missing, as was the hair at his temple. No hair grew on the marred skin, and she supposed that was the reason why he kept the right side of his face and his upper lip so closely shaved. The burns had come incredibly close to his left eye, and his bottom lip pulled slightly to the left because of the scarred skin.
She quickly looked down at her arms when he raised his head, knowing he would be embarrassed if he saw her looking at him. He took a new piece of gauze, soaked it in peroxide and went to work on her left arm.
“I’ll change the light for you tomorrow,” he suddenly said.
“Thank you. I really appreciate that. I’ll probably still trip, but at least I’ll be able to see when I’m picking myself up out of the rose bushes.” She grinned at him and his lips twitched in response.
“Why, Mr. Dern, is that a smile?”
This time he really did smile, revealing even white teeth, and she gave him a delighted look. “You have great teeth.”
He blushed and she patted his arm. “Aww, you’re blushing. Seriously though – great teeth. Did you have braces?”
“Yeah, two years.”
“Me too. Wasn’t the tightening part awful? Gosh, I used to moan and complain something awful when I had to go in and have them tightened.”
He just shrugged and swiped at one of the scratches. Without looking at her, he said, “Were you out with Andy tonight?”
She twitched a little. “I was. How did you know about Andy?”
“Small town. News travels fast.”
She laughed. “I guess I’m used to the city where no one knows your name and couldn’t care less about your business.”
“I didn’t mean to be nosy.”
“You weren’t,” she said hastily. “I’m not trying to hide it or anything. I met Andy at your sister’s barbeque last weekend. He asked me out to dinner and we had a good time, so I accepted his invitation for a movie tonight.”
“What movie did you see?”
“A really awful horror one. Just between us - I think Andy was expecting that I would squeal and latch onto him in terror. I should have told him that I don’t scare easily, and then maybe we could have gone to the comedy I suggested.”
He finished wiping her arms and sat back. “There you go.”
“Thanks again, Gabe. I appreciate your help.” She gave him a sweet smile and he hesitated.
“Wait. Your face is bleeding too.”
He took the final piece of gauze and soaked it in peroxide. She leaned forward and closed her eyes. He wiped gently at the scratch on her cheek. She flinched a little when the peroxide bubbled.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She opened her eyes. Their faces were so close, she knew he could see the rims of her contact lenses. He continued to wipe at her cheek without tearing his gaze from hers. His pupils became darker and larger until there was only a tiny bit of blue showing.
She parted her lips and wondered if he could feel her trembling. When he dipped his head, moving his mouth toward hers, she made a low sound of encouragement. Just before his mouth touched hers, he jerked his head back.
He dropped the gauze on the table and shoved his chair back before standing and turning away from her. “I’m finished.”
Morgan released her breath slowly and stood up. “Thank you.” When he didn’t turn around, she walked to the door.
“Good night, Gabe.”
“Good night, Morgan.”
“Hi, Ms. Wilson!”
“Hello, Natalia.” Morgan smiled at the little girl who was bounding into the barn.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to pet the kittens, but they’re too afraid.”
Natalia sat down beside her and peered at the huddle of kittens in the corner of the empty stall. “They’re afraid of everyone but Uncle Gabe. Mama says he has a gift with animals.”
“Is your mom here?”
“Yep. She went to the house to find Uncle Gabe. Guess what?”
“What?”
“I finished my project on the lions.”
“That’s great! It’s not due until Wednesday.”
“I know, but mama said if I did it this weekend then I would have Monday night and Tuesday night to do whatever I wanted.”
“She’s a very wise woman.” Morgan smoothed the little girl’s soft hair and then made another clicking noise with her tongue.
“Here, kitty, kitty.”
“Do you like living here, Ms. Wilson?”
“I do. It’s very peaceful and the carriage house is a nice place to live.”
“Mama and daddy used to live in it before I was born.”
“I know, your mom told me.”
The little girl picked up a piece of straw and broke it in two. “Do you like my Uncle Gabe?”
“I do, honey. He’s nice.” She stared at the scratches on her arms, remembering last night when she had come this close to planting one on him.
“Will you ask him to come to the school play?”
“Honey, I think you should ask him.” Morgan smiled at the little girl.
“I already did. He said he would think about it, but that means no. Whenever daddy says he’ll think about it, it always means no.”
The little girl sighed and dug a hole in the straw. “Uncle Gabe never comes to anything.”
Morgan hesitated, not sure what to say, but the little girl didn’t wait for a reply. “Mama says it’s because people stare at his scars. I don’t know why they do that. I don’t see anything weird about them.”
“Sometimes people stare because they’re uncomfortable, and they don’t know what to say because he looks a bit different,” Morgan said.
“Yeah, I guess. But I wish he would come see me in the play.” Natalia inched toward the kittens. They hissed and arched their backs and she stopped.
“We need Uncle Gabe.”
“Need Uncle Gabe for what?” Gabe stuck his head into the stall.
“Hi, Uncle Gabe!” Natalia grinned at him. “We want to pet the kittens. Come sit with us so they’ll come over.”
Morgan moved over so there was room for him to sit between them. She gave him a tentative smile. “Good morning, Gabriel.”
“Hello, Morgan.” He sat so that his right side was facing her and made the same clicking noise with his tongue that she had done. Instead of retreating further into the stall, the six kittens stretched and crept closer.
“Be very quiet and don’t move, Nat,” Gabe said.
The little girl leaned against his leg and did as he asked. Morgan watched with amazement as, one by one, the kittens climbed into Gabe’s lap. All of them purred loudly as he stroked and rubbed their soft fur. A tiny orange one sat on his knee and batted at Natalia’s silky hair. She giggled and carefully petted the tiny kitten. It arched its back and butted its face against hers.
“Here.” Gabe handed Morgan a tiny black kitten and she cupped it in her hands. Its eyes were still blue and it stared curiously at her. She rubbed its tiny head and grinned delightedly when it purred.
“They’re so sweet. I always wanted a cat, but my mom was allergic.”
“Where does your mama live, Ms. Wilson?”
“She died, honey.”
“Oh. Do you miss her?”
Morgan nodded. “I do. But she was very sick before she died, and I feel better knowing that she isn’t sick anymore.”
“I bet she’s in heaven with grandma and grandpa.” The little girl used a piece of straw to tickle the kitten sitting in her lap.
“I bet she is too.”
“Did the girl sheep have their babies yet?” Natalia asked Gabe.
“Not yet. But I’ll be moving them into the jugs soon.”
“Jugs?” Morgan asked.
“Separate pens in the sheep shed. I move the ewes into them when they’re about to give birth so they can have some time alone with their lambs.”
“Do they have more than one lamb at a time?”
“Usually, yeah. Twins are pretty common, and occasionally triplets are born.”
“How many are having babies this year, Uncle Gabe?” Natalia was trailing a piece of straw for the kittens to chase.
“Just two, Nat.”
“Why only two?” Morgan asked.
Gabe shrugged. “The sheep farming is just a hobby. I don’t want to have too many. I don’t sell them for meat purposes, so if I don’t sell them to other hobby farms or to 4H groups, then the sheep are with me for their life. I only have so much room.”
“Do you make any money from them?”
He nodded. “Yes. I shear them every year and sell their wool.”
Morgan looked around the empty barn. The sheep were kept in a separate larger barn when they weren’t grazing in the fenced-in pasture, and she wondered what this smaller barn was for.
As if he read her mind, Gabe said, “I used to have a couple of cows and a few horses.”
“Nat, honey, are you ready to go?” Lacey popped into the stall and smiled at Morgan. “Hello, Morgan.”
“Hey, Lacey. How are you?”
“Good.”
“Look at the kittens, mama. They’re getting big.”
“They sure are.” Lacey stroked her daughter’s hair. “Time to go, sweetie.”
“Uncle Gabe, will you come to the park with us? Mama said we could play in the park and then we’re going to a movie this afternoon,” Natalia pleaded.
“I can’t, Nat. I’m going to the auction today.”
“Oh. Ms. Wilson, do you want to come with us?” Natalia smiled at her.
“Actually, if it’s okay with your Uncle Gabe, I think I’ll tag along to the auction.”
Gabe stared at her in surprise and she flushed a little. “I’ve never been to an auction before.”
“It’s not that interesting,” he said.
Her blush deepened but she persisted. “I still wouldn’t mind going. Unless you don’t want me to come?”
He hesitated. She was almost certain he was going to refuse to let her go with him and she had to hide her surprise when he said, “That’s fine. I’m leaving in about half an hour.”
“Are you buying anything today?” Morgan stood next to Gabe at the auction and craned her neck to stare at him. She wasn’t short, but Gabe was well over six feet.
He shook his head. “Nah, probably not. I just like to go – keep an eye on what’s out there.”
She nodded. She was standing on his right side, a move he carefully orchestrated. She pretended not to notice. She’d seen a few people staring curiously at Gabe’s face, but she had pretended not to notice that either. She had a feeling that he was uncomfortable being out with her in public, and she didn’t want to do anything that would make it worse.
“Do you sell your sheep here?”
He shook his head again. “No. If I sold them here, they would just go for meat. I don’t want that.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve raised most of my flock since they were babies. I don’t want them being slaughtered for food.”
She smiled. “For someone who acts so gruff all the time you’re a real softie. It’s sweet.”
He blushed and she poked him lightly in the side. “Also, it’s kind of adorable how much you blush.”
“I don’t blush.”
“Of course you don’t.”
The auctioneer called for the next animal and the crowd of people around them pushed closer to the viewing section. A large man wearing a plaid shirt and cowboy hat brushed past her, bonking her in the head with his elbow and pushing her into Gabe.
“You okay?” Gabe scowled at the man as she leaned companionably against his arm and rubbed her head.
“I’m fine.” She strained to see over the people in front of her.
Gabe was starting to regret allowing Morgan to come with him. He’d been to the auction enough times that most people didn’t stare anymore, but there were always a few new people. He didn’t want her seeing them staring at his ruined face. But the way she’d smiled so hopefully at him, made him unable to resist her request. He was starting to realize with a small trickle of dismay that he couldn’t say no to her.
She leaned closer as she strained to see over the people standing in front of them. He wished she would move away. Her arm was touching his arm and it was causing not entirely unpleasant sensations in his belly. It had been years since he had allowed anyone but Lacey and Nat close to him, and her casual disregard for his personal space was both exciting and disturbing. He shifted a little, but instead of moving away, she shifted with him. She smelled good, a light floral scent that clung to her.
She gasped and he followed her gaze to the animal that was in the viewing pen. It was a small brown cow with white blotches, and he frowned when Morgan pushed her way to the front. He followed her and stood behind her as she gazed at it.
“The poor thing,” she murmured.
The man led the cow into the middle of the pen. She was limping and her ribs were visible. Her udder was cracked with streaks of dried blood and her right eye was missing. She mooed pitifully as the auctioneer began.
The crowd stepped back, they had lost interest almost immediately, and she glanced up at him. “Poor little cow. What will happen to her if no one buys her?”
He paused. “She’s in bad shape. Most likely she’ll end up in the slaughterhouse.”
She gave a low sigh of distress and turned back to stare at the cow. “Poor baby. She doesn’t look very old.”
As the auctioneer gamely called out numbers, trying to entice someone to purchase the beast, Gabe studied Morgan. She was leaning against the pen, staring sadly at the cow. He had never seen her anything but happy and cheerful and his stomach twisted.
Quickly, before he could change his mind, he raised his hand. The auctioneer nodded and immediately called out sold.
Morgan, her back to him, had missed the entire exchange. She turned around and squeezed his arm. “Someone bought her!”
He nodded and she smiled at him. “I hope she goes to a good home.” She watched as the cow was led out of the pen.
The crowd was dispersing and she frowned. “Is the auction over?”
“Yeah. Listen, I -”
Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out, smiling a little at the number. “Excuse me for a moment please, Gabe.”
She hit the answer button on her phone. “Hi, Andy. I’m good. How are you?”
She listened and then smiled. “Actually, I’m at the auction with Gabe. Yep, the auction. Tonight? Sure, I’d love to. I can meet you at the restaurant around six if you’d like?”
Gabe touched her arm. “I’ll meet you at the truck in ten minutes, okay?”
She nodded and gave him a thumbs up before continuing her conversation.
Gabe walked away, trying to ignore the little niggle of jealousy in his stomach. It was stupid to be jealous of Andy. Morgan was dating Andy, and she wasn’t interested in being anything but a friend. And even that he wasn’t so sure about. He had a bad feeling that his sister had sent her to live in the carriage house because she was worried and felt sorry for him. He sighed harshly. He didn’t need anyone’s pity.
He tamped down the thread of anger that was starting in him. He had to pay for the damn cow and make arrangements to pick it up tomorrow with the trailer. He was already regretting buying the thing. It looked close to death and would probably cost him an arm and a leg in vet bills.
CHAPTER 4
The next morning he found her on the front porch of the carriage house. She was drinking a cup of coffee and looked tired and out of sorts.
“Morning, Morgan.”
“Hey, Gabe.” She gave him a distracted smile as he climbed the stairs and sat down gingerly in the wicker chair next to hers.
“How was your date with Andy last night?” He wasn’t used to making small talk and it felt awkward and strange.
“Fine. I guess.”
He frowned. “Did something happen?”
She didn’t answer and he frowned again. “Morgan?”
“Hmm? No, it was good – mostly.” She took another sip of coffee and stared moodily into the garden.
He cleared his throat. He wondered if he was supposed to ask her again if something had happened. He decided he’d better not even though he was intensely curious. “Do you have a minute? I have something I want to show you in the barn.”
He’d risen early this morning and taken the trailer to pick up the cow.
“What is it?” She asked.
“It’s uh, it’s kind of a surprise.”
“I like surprises.” She gave him a more natural smile and, setting her coffee cup down on the small table next to her chair, followed him to the barn.
