Willow Smoke (94 page)

He
stepped
into
the
bedroom
at
the
end
of
the
hallway
and
saw
Daisy
tucked
in
a
fetal
position
facing
the
window.
Her
eyes
were
closed
and
her
breathing
shallow.
Her
blond
hair
formed
a
halo
against
the
white
pillow
case.
One
hand
gripped
the
quilt tightly. The other lay,
more
relaxed,
atop
the
covering.

Vulnerable,
Nick
thought.
Yes,
vulnerable,
but
breathtakingly
vulnerable.

He
moved
noiselessly
and
knelt
between
the
bed
and
the
window.
She
must
have
sensed
his
presence,
for
her
eyes
fluttered
open
and
closed.
A
tiny
smile
slipped
across
her
lips.
Nick
rubbed
the
back
of
her
hand
and
she
flexed
her
fingers,
welcoming
his.

“You don’t have to wake,”
he whispered. “Just know that I’m here. And I’m not
leaving.”

He
was
rewarded
with
a
slight
nod.
It
pleased
him
that
Daisy’s
grip
on
the
quilt lessened
and
her
breathing
became
deeper
and
more
rhythmic. He braced himself
against
the
bed
and
waited.

He
watched
the
woman
who
had
captured
his
heart
sleep.
And
he
made
a
decision.
He
had
given
Daisy
a
lot
of
room
and
time
to
deal
with
Reggie
Lassiter.
Her
time
was
up.
Nick
wouldn’t
bully
her,
but neither
would
he
be
shut
out.
Even
if
it
meant
losing
her,
Reggie
had
to
be
dealt
with.
The
parasite
would
bother
Daisy
whether
Nick
remained
on
the
scene
or
not.
There
would
be
no
more
pussyfooting
around
with
the
creep—family
be
damned.

Nick
maintained
his
vigil
by
Daisy’s
bedside,
mulling
over
their
relationship
and
planning
for
their
future.
He
smiled
and
squeezed
her
fingers.
As
long
as
he
might
live,
he’d
never
forget
the
willowy
woman
with
straw
sticking
out
of
her
hair
challenging
his
right
to
be
near
her
barn. Or
the
waif-like
blonde
who
stepped
into
his
suite
with
an
offer
he
never
could
have resisted.
Or
the
woman
who
spoke
to
horses as if they understood. Or the woman
who
led
him
to
the
pinnacle
of
ecstasy
beneath
the
northern
lights.
Or
the
woman
who
helped
him
see
life
through
fresh
eyes
and
an
earthy
wisdom.
The
woman
he
could
not
live
without.

“I brought the two of
you some tea,”
Cassie
whispered,
entering
the
room.
“I’ll
put
them
here
on
the
dresser.
She
should
be
waking
soon.”

“Thanks,”
Nick
replied,
watching
Cassie
tiptoe
to
the
hallway.

- o -

Groggily, Daisy clutched
the object in her hand to her breast. Its warmth against her body jogged her
memory. She flushed, but did not open her eyes. It wasn’t
Bear
she
held
in
her
hand,
it
was
Nick.

Vaguely,
she
remembered
him
being
by
her
bedside.
She
recalled
his
words:
“I’m
not
leaving.”
A
comforting
warmth
spread
throughout
her
body.
Was
she
visibly
glowing?

He
had
come
to
her.
And
he
was
staying
to
comfort her, to help her. Could she let
him?
Would
he
stay
if
he
knew
everything?
Could
she
tell
him?

Daisy
squeezed
her
eyes
tighter.
She
was
so
tired of running. From Nick, from
her
past, from their future.

Slowly,
she
cracked
an
eyelid
open.
A
smile
flickered
across
her
face
when
she
saw
that
he
had
nodded
off
on
his
knees,
slouched
over
the
bed,
firmly
clasping
her
hand.

“Hey,
you,”
she
whispered.

He
jerked
immediately
alert.

She
basked
in
the
warmth
of
his
welcoming
smile.

“You’re
awake,”
he
said.
“How
are
you?
You’ve
been
asleep
for
several
hours.”

“Really?”
Daisy
drew
herself
up
from
her
quilted
cocoon
and
stretched.
“I
had
no
idea.
I
must
have
been
more
exhausted
than
I
realized.”

“That doesn’t surprise.
Cassie brought up some tea about five minutes ago. It
should
still
be
warm.
Would
you
like
some?”

“Sure.
I’ll
get
up.
Don’t
treat
me
like
an
invalid.”
she
warned.

“Sorry.
You
still
look
pretty
beat.”

Daisy
swung
her
legs
off
the
bed
and
ran
her
hands
through
her
hair
snarls.
“Guess I’m not ready to run a race. I’m
sorry if I snapped at you. I’m glad you’re
here,
Nick.
You
didn’t
have
to
come.
I’m
going
to
be
okay.”

“I
know
you
are,”
he
said,
handing
her
a
cup.
“And
I
did
have
to
come.
This
is
where
I
was
needed.”

Daisy
nodded.
“Maybe
more
than
I
ever
knew.”

“Right.
So
what’s
happening,
Daisy?”
He
winced.
“No,”
he
groaned.
“That’s
not
how
I
wanted
to
say
that.”
He
shook
his
head
and
grazed
her
arm
with
his
fingers.
“I
know
I
can
be
fairly
demanding
at
times.”

Daisy
grinned.
Who
would’ve
thought
that
Nicholas
Underwood
would
admit
that
little
fault
of
his?