Page 25 of Singing For His Kiss

CHAPTER TEN

A sharp cry had Elizabeth flailing, arms and legs jerking beneath the covers. Her heart beat like pistons in an engine as her mind grappled with where the cry came from. Another cry had her out of bed and scrambling into Madeline’s room.

The little girl had tossed the covers off and lay shivering in the middle of her bed. Her forehead was beaded with drops of perspiration, her features twisted, brow scrunched. She cried again, thrashing one way, then the other.

Elizabeth dashed over to her bed, placing her palm on Madeline’s forehead; it was warm, but not hot. Not a fever. A nightmare, then. She stroked her fingers through Madeline’s hair, with what she hoped was a quiet, soothing, shushing sound. Madeline whimpered and then settled, her breath becoming deeper.

Elizabeth settled the doona over the sleeping child, carefully tucking the soft covering around her body. She tiptoed to the door and had her hand on the handle when Madeline cried out again.

“Help!”

Elizabeth padded over and knelt by the bed, her fingers stroking her damp blonde hair again. “Hush, Madeline. It’s all right. I’m here.”

“Liz’beth?” Madeline opened her eyes, but they were still cloudy with bad dreams.

“I’m here, sweetie. Close your eyes and go back to sleep,” Elizabeth whispered.

Madeline whimpered, clinging to Elizabeth. She was so frightened. Still traumatised. The child needed comfort, otherwise the nightmare would catch her again. She knew about recurring nightmares. At least she could offer this small comfort to the child while she was here.

Elizabeth slipped beneath the covers. She’d just stay until Madeline went past the nightmares into a deep sleep, then she’d go back to her own bed. She gathered Madeline in her arms. The little girl snuggled tightly against her, her little body warm and soft and innocent.

Another chunk of the wall around Elizabeth’s heart squeezed and dissolved. She wound her arm around Madeline’s shoulder, pressing her close. This was what it meant to be a mum. Sleep-disturbed but wanting to offer comfort above and beyond your own needs. Elizabeth rested more fully against the pillow, giving in to the daydream that Madeline was her own little girl and James was her own very sexy husband.

She closed her eyes. Yes, that was a good daydream. A very good daydream. They’d all share a bed, of course, and both comfort Madeline at night if she needed it. Then, those nights when Madeline slept well and they had the entire night to themselves, it would be totally different. There would be comfort of a very different sort.

First, they’d kiss. His mouth firm and unyielding. His tongue commanding. His hands roaming over her body, seeking and finding. She’d let him touch wherever he wanted. However he wanted. Elizabeth could almost feel his fingers tracing every dip and curve of her body. Breasts, stomach, lower. She’d open herself to his fingers, hands, tongue.

Elizabeth sighed, relaxing further into her thoughts. She dreamed on, each new thought nearly as tangible as the real thing, until her body prickled and heated and throbbed and yearned for physical touch.

A private dream was as far as she would go. They were safe. They didn’t have horrible repercussions. It was the real life she had to remain on guard against. If she wasn’t careful and guard every action she had around James, there was a very real possibility she’d be too weak to say no to him. Or to herself.

It was better to remain in her dreams. Better than the reality of life. There was no way she’d subject a beautiful little girl and her father to the nightmare of her life. Better to live in dreams. Dreams were good. It was only the waking hours where the nightmares were real.

* * *

“Liz’beth. Liz’beth! Wake up.”

Mussed blonde hair and a cherub’s face were the first things she saw when she opened her eyes.

“Hey, honey. How are you today? Did you sleep all right?” Sometime in the night, Elizabeth had made her way back to her own bed, but only after making sure Madeline’s nightmares were hopefully over.

Madeline nodded, clutching her teddy bear. “Uh huh. Can we go to the park today?”

Elizabeth glanced through the gap in the curtains. Heavy rain pounded against the glass in a torrential downpour. It seemed as though the weather wasn’t abating anytime soon.

“I don’t think it'll be very pleasant there at the moment. How about we make damper instead?”

Madeline pressed her nose into the teddy bear. “What’s damper?”

“It’s a yummy bread we made at the Homestead. You usually roast it on fire, but because it’s raining, we can cook it in the oven. Do you think Mrs. D’llessio will mind us taking over her kitchen?”

Madeline giggled. “What else did you do at the ‘stead?”

“Oh, lots of things,” Elizabeth answered. “Roping cows, feeding the animals, repairing fences.” Losing your heart and fortune to a lying, thieving bastard.

“What animals did they have there?”

“Cattle. Horses. Dogs. Cats.” They were all working animals. Everything had a job to do.

---