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* * *
Alice knew that something was bothering me throughout dinner that evening. After Henry read a few chapters to us from his new Dickens novel, I bid them both goodnight with the excuse that I was exhausted from the day’s activities and wanted plenty of energy to enjoy the harvest festival tomorrow.
In truth, my conversation with Ruby had greatly depressed me, and I laid awake fretting about it in the dark, staring at the bright golden moonlit night sky beaming dimly through the lacy curtains.
I barely moved when the door slowly opened and the shadowed form of Bryant edged inside. Without a word he stepped over to me, slipped out of his clothes, then slid underneath the quilt, drawing me against his fiery body.
“I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow,” I said quietly, laying my cheek on his lightly furred chest.
“Disappointed?”
“No. I’m glad you’re here,” I said, snuggling into his hold.
He shifted up to look at me fully in the face. “You don’t seem to be. What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “It’s not you.”
He checked my expression harder and frowned. “What happened today, Callista? You can tell me.”
Could I?
I wanted to snark back that he didn’t tell me everything about himself, including his mysterious reason to privately talking with Flying Deer today. Fortunately this time my sharp tongue didn’t get the better of me.
“Just hold me, Bryant,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes.
His fingers tightened around my waist as mine absently kneaded the light hairs of his muscular chest. He gently kissed the top of my head as I snuggled into his ribs and settled back on the pillow.
“Bryant?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you, Bryant.”
There was silence for a long moment.
“Callista, I...I need to tell you something,” he whispered.
My fingers raised to his lips, stopping his words. “No, don’t. Not tonight. Whatever it is can wait another day. Tonight, I just want us to be like this, you and me. Just for tonight.”
* * *
I didn’t repeat my quiet declaration that night, then acted as if I never said it that next morning. Bryant never returned the sentiment, and I had a bad feeling when the subject finally came up again that he would explain to me all the logical reasons why he couldn’t.
Alice didn’t ask Bryant how he came to have breakfast with us that morning and immediately cut Henry off when he started to. I had a sneaky suspicion she had been in on his surprise midnight arrival, and I was grateful to her for it.
She frowned at me as I nudged my goopy eggs around the plate. “Is something amiss, Callista? You’ve been looking green around the gills all morning. Didn’t I cook the eggs well enough for you again?”
“No, they’re great. Really.”
Grimacing, I took a courageous bite, and it hit my roiling stomach with the threat of it rising back up on me. My reaction wasn’t lost on Alice, however. Or Bryant either, by his own dark scrutiny.
“Perhaps the ham went bad,” she said. “Henry, go and check—”
“Honestly, everything’s fine,” I protested, but with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes.
Bryant gave me a look that said he knew I was still disturbed with whatever issue I wouldn’t share with him last night. I tried to plaster on a brave face, but I knew he didn’t buy it for a second. Nor was he about to let the matter go.
I returned a look that said “I’ll explain later”, not wanting to spoil the happy day. Besides, the distraction of today’s fair would put me in a better mood when I finally did get the opportunity to tell him about my disappointing conversation with Ruby West.
