Page 197 of The Defiant Curse

It wasn’t her fault her face set all this off again.

Michael pointed.

“What were you about to do?” he asked, holding out his sandwich for her to take a bite.

She declined.

“I’m into cookies, but thank you,” she said. “I’m good.”

Instead of questioning that, he kept chewing as he waited for her to answer his question. He and Graham had been fooling around, and he had gotten hungry, so he came down for something to eat.

That’s when he heard talking.

At first, he believed it was the castle, but it sounded like Elizabeth, and he hoped she wasn’t sleepwalking again.

She explained.

“I need to get up closer to the painting, and I don’t see a ladder. I’m not going to be able to sleep until I see what’s poking at my brain.”

Michael laughed.

“Uh, Ethan, and that’s not your brain he’s poking,” he joked.

The man laughed.

Later, he would be doing just that, but much lower.

“That’s why we’re here.”

Well, he could help her out.

Michael put his sandwich down, and motioned for her to head his way.

“I can get you up there,” he said. “Hop on,” he said, crouching.

As he did, Ethan stood there, and his heart hurt. He’d not gotten the chance to take her up on her request, and now, it appeared he wouldn’t be able to.

Because another man was going to help his wife.

Again.

Yeah, that sucked.

Only, Elizabeth recalled their conversation. So, she brushed his offer off. There was nothing she wanted more than to rebuild that bond with Ethan after time and neglect had eroded it away.

“Actually, Ethan is getting me up there. Hold my robe,” she stated, taking it off so it wouldn’t get tangled around his head or her legs.

Michael was worried.

“Are you sure his back can handle that?” he asked, like he wasn’t right there.

The man said nothing, because he didn’t have to. Elizabeth handled it.

“Yeah, and then, he’s going to rock my world, so he should stretch before so he doesn’t get a Charley horse. We don’t need him freezing up during showtime.”

At her words, Ethan laughed.

His wife was so off-the-cuff that it was three days beyond entertaining.