Page 36 of Shadows of Eternity

is the best place to do that.

Leia

He read the note twice, then crumpled it in his hand. His steps were short and angry as he left the hotel. He was tempted to go after her and demand an explanation, even though he knew it was the wrong thing to do. He couldn’t blame her for running away. She did have a lot to think about. Living with him would change her life in myriad ways, and although there would be challenges, they weren’t insurmountable.

Still, he knew she had questions—a lot of them. He could understand that, too. His only fear was that the answers would drive her away for good.

For now, he would give her some space. When the pow wow was over, the troupe was headed for another one in six weeks, this one in Billings, Montana. Maybe this would be a good time to take that vacation he’d been promising himself, he mused, and then chuckled. He wasn’t going anywhere for any length of time. And Leia was the reason why.

His steps slowed as he remembered the feel of her in his arms, the silk of her hair, the smooth satin of her skin, the way she had melted in his embrace. Something had spooked her, but no woman made love to a man so completely without caring deeply. He would give her a day or two to think things over and then he would go her. He knew she had questions, questions she hadn’t asked before because she was afraid of the answers.

But she loved him, of that he had no doubt.

Even if she didn’t know it yet.

Chapter Sixteen

For the next two days, Leia threw herself into cleaning the apartment. She washed the windows, scoured the sinks, the toilet, and the tub, cleaned the stove until it gleamed like new. She emptied the refrigerator and washed the inside. She dusted everything in sight—furniture, knick-knacks, the blinds in the spare bedroom, the lamp shades and the light bulbs. She washed her bedspread and shampooed the carpets, watered the plants, cleaned the mirrors, washed the dishes on the top shelf that she rarely used.

Each night, she fell into bed, exhausted. And each night, she lay there, unable to sleep, longing to hear Rohan’s voice, see his smile. Her body ached for his touch.

Maybe she’d been wrong to leave as abruptly as she had. Maybe she should have stayed and poured out her doubts, given him a chance to put her fears to rest. She was surprised he hadn’t called by now. In truth, she had expected to hear from him the day she left. Had she hurt his pride? Made him angry? Disappointed him in some way?

It rained the morning of the third day. Glancing out the window, she decided that the dark clouds perfectly suited her mood. She was angry now, angry that he hadn’t cared enough to call and make sure she’d made it safely home, disappointed that he hadn’t come after her and begged her to stay. But then, whywould he? She had said she would stay and then she’d run away like a little girl afraid of the dark.

Sighing, she pulled on her bathrobe and went into the kitchen. She hadn’t eaten much of anything for the last two days and even though she wasn’t hungry, she forced herself to sit down and eat a fried egg sandwich and drink a glass of orange juice. Oddly, eating spiked her appetite and she ate a bowl of cereal topped with a banana.

After doing the dishes, she wandered into the living room and sank down on the sofa. Could he read her thoughts when he was so far away? Did he know how much she missed him? Did he miss her? Clutching a throw pillow to her chest, she let the tears that she’d been holding back flow down her cheeks unchecked and felt better for it.

Rising, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose, then grabbed her cell phone and called Janae.

“Hey, girlfriend,” Janae said enthusiastically. “I was just about to call you. My Mom’s taken the kids for a few days and Trent’s out of town, and I’ve got nothing to do.”

“Well, I’ve got plenty to do,” Leia said, “but I don’t want to do it.” She still had the outside of the windows and the screens to wash and the weeds in the window boxes to pull, but she couldn’t do that in the rain. “So, what do you say? Lunch?”

“Sounds good.,” Janae replied, a smile in her voice. “Where do you want to go?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“I’ll pick you up in an hour, okay?”

“Better make it two,” Leia said. “I just had breakfast.”

Janae laughed. “Okay, two hours. See you then.”

Leia’s mood brightened considerably as she ended the call and went to shower and dress. She wouldn’t have to sit home alone and mope all day, after all.

Janae was as good as her word. Two hours later, Leia heard the quickhonk-honkof her horn. Grabbing her keys and her handbag, she hurried out the door.

“I thought we’d go to Jimmy Jax,” Janae said as Leia settled in the passenger seat. “Is that okay with you?”

“Sure.”

“So, I haven’t heard from you in a few days,” Janae remarked. “What have you been doing?”

“Mostly cleaning house.”

“Yuck.”

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