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She shrugged off the compliment as she tried to ignore the feel of his strong fingers against hers. When he didn't release her instantly, she found herself wanting to stand there forever.
She stared at the swept wooden floor of the store, then at the front door and finally at the buttons of Justin's white
shirt. His fingers tugged her closer. She took a single step, but didn't look any higher than the third button from his collar. She could see the rise and fall of his broad chest, and the open collar of his shirt. She could inhale the clean scent of him and almost feel his heat. She should be furious about Bonnie, about Laurie Smith and the time he'd spent with the woman. She should be terrified about what Colleen had threatened. She should throw Justin out of her store. But she found the only throwing she wanted to do was herself— into his arms.
"Colleen was wrong/' she said at last. "Bonnie isn't responsible for who her parents are or what circumstances she finds herself in."
"Colleen is a-"
"Don't." Megan raised her eyebrows. "I know she can be difficult, but I'll thank you to remember she's still my sister."
"You're nothing alike, thank God."
She risked glancing at him and was rewarded by his most devastating smile. The one that made her forget things like her name and where she was. The flash of white teeth against his tanned face, the deeper lines beside his eyes, the flicker of appreciation as his gaze swept over her. This was the Justin she remembered. The young man she'd never been able to forget.
The front door opened. Two women came in. Megan instantly stepped back from him and walked toward the candy aisle. Bonnie had taken her treat and was now exploring the store. Megan stepped behind the counter and began rearranging glass bottles.
"I remember when Colleen was young," Megan said. "She was wild, always getting into trouble. Papa used to despair of ever getting her to understand about manners and acting like a lady."
"Something got through to her. She's turned into a—" Megan threw him a sharp glance at him. He took off his hat. "I won't say it, just for you."
"Thank you." Megan glanced at the girl gazing at a display of rings. "How did you end up with her?"
*'After your gentle sister threw Bonnie off church property, Mrs. Jarvis brought her to me. She told me in no uncertain terms that if she wasn't going to continue to get paid, she wasn't going to take care of Bonnie/'
His hands lay on the counter. As he spoke, he curled his fingers toward his palms until he'd made tight fists. She could feel the anger radiating from him. Without thinking, she reached forward and covered his hands with hers.
"I'm sorry, Justin."
He looked at her. Those stunning dark eyes, eyes that she'd dreamed about for the last seven years, seemed to see past her exterior self and down into her soul. She was afraid then, afraid of the old feelings, afraid of what he might make her feel. She couldn't be what he needed her to be. The failing had always been hers. She knew that in her most secret self. Frightened and ashamed, she withdrew her hands and turned away.
"Bonnie is very thin," she said, to change the subject.
"I don't think she was fed much. She's got bruises on her legs to match that one on her face. Her clothes are filthy. I had one of the maids at the hotel give her a bath and then do what she could with the child's clothes, but Bonnie doesn't even have a decent pair of shoes, let alone a spare anything else."
"I can fix that," she said and started toward the other side of the store. The two women shoppers smiled a greeting. They glanced from her to Justin, but Megan simply nodded as she walked past them to the shelf of ready-made garments.
"There should be several things here," she said, pulling down a pile from a high shelf. "She'll need a couple of dresses, a coat, underthings, a nightgown. What else?"
She sorted through the clothes, finding two items, putting the rest back. The smallest nightgowns were up on the top shelf. They didn't sell many of those. Most women simply made over already worn larger gowns for their children. She grabbed a step stool and brought it back to where she needed it, then climbed up. The pile was still almost out of reach. She stretched high.
