Page 44 of Brian and Cora
Torin lunged forward, hand shooting out as if to stop her.
Both females ignored him. The woman leaned over, helping Jewel scoot deeper on her lap. Her skirt and petticoats rucked up, exposing her high buttoned shoes.
Brian couldn’t help eyeing where the leather encased her slender ankles and had a flash of his fingers unbuttoning the boot, pulling it off and unrolling her stocking, before caressing her bare skin and watching her pink toes curl.
“Bry-an, ow?”
Jewel saying his name jerked him back to the present.
Horrified by where his wayward thoughts had led him, he wrenched his attention back to the conversation, avoiding Cora’s gaze and focusing on the child. “I’ll be all right, Sugar Princess.” He handed her the candy, and then looked at Torin. “Taffy for breakfast?”
With a look of parental resignation, he nodded.
Happily chewing, Jewel leaned against Cora’s chest, her relaxed body showing her total trust.
With a Madonna smile, she dropped a kiss on the child’s head, before turning to Torin. “She’s so precious.”
She’s doing everything right. Torin and Jewel are certainly starting to trust her.
So am I for that matter.
But that realization only ratcheted up his suspicions. He’d trusted before. Trusted that smiles and coos at orphaned children and words about the importance of charity were genuine.
His fiancé had been all sweetness and charm until she got his ring on her finger. Then Persephone started criticizing him and trying to change him. She turned away in horror from any infirm or disfigured child or adult, not allowing any near her. And she surely would have sent Jewel away instead of kindly inviting her inside and allowing the girl to sit on her lap.
Cora could just be a good actress, playing the role of Florence Nightingale. But her kindness might not be the real woman.
Don’t soften. Don’t trust.
CHAPTER 14
The sound of barking preceded Hank's arrival, and Brian couldn't help the anticipation rising in his stomach and the smile that spread across his face. Even with Jewel still perched contentedly on Cora's lap and Torin watching with bemused tolerance, the prospect of reuniting with Sassy Girl lifted his spirits in a way that surprised him, and he didn’t try to hide his response.
The door burst open, and Hank stumbled inside, barely managing to keep hold of the leather lead as the brown-and-tan puppy, wearing a new leather collar, dragged him forward. “Whoa there, Sassy Girl”
The dog's entire body wiggled with excitement, her tail wagging so hard Brian half expected it to fly off—just as he remembered from the Harvest Festival.
"Just a minute, Sass!" Hank laughed. "I told her we were coming to see you, and she seemed to understand. She pulled like a sled dog all the way here."
If not for the leash restraining her, Sassy Girl would have bounded straight for Brian.
“Stop her, Hank,” Cora commanded, lifting Jewel off her lap and angling her toward Torin. “She’s going to need to be gentle near Brian.” She hurried to the side of the chair, as if to use her body to shield his wounded leg.
A few feet away from Brian, Hank knelt down, holding the puppy.
Her tail smacked his head, knocking off his hat.
Laughing, he ran his arm across the front of her chest to hold her in place, and, with his other hand, pressed her hindquarters down. “Sit, Sassy Girl.”
She obeyed but kept trying to bounce up.
Grinning, Brian held out a hand for her to sniff. “It’s me, girl. Remember me?”
She seemed to calm, licking his hand.
“Let her go, Hank.” Brian widened his legs as far as possible in the chair, making larger lap space. It hurt to move, but not quite as much as in the previous days.
Cora crouched at the corner of the chair, as if to block the dog. “Not a good idea, Brian.”
