Page 16 of A Forgotten Heart
He ignored her and drank like he’d been roaming a scorching desert for far too long.
She pulled the glass away. “I said not too fast.”
“So bossy,” he mumbled. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, the old tease bringing a moment of lightness.
She pushed a curl of hair behind her ear and lowered herself into the chair again, eyes downcast.
The amber glow of the room embraced her. Candlelight had always enhanced her beauty.
“You are so beautiful.”
Red bloomed on her cheeks. He could still make her blush.
But she didn’t smile or meet his eyes.
The wind rattled the window, followed by something slamming against the outer wall.
Elsie startled, her attention jumping to the window, hand fluttering to her mouth.
Nick’s heartbeat hitched. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She never was a good liar. He probably needed to check it out. He edged up onto his elbows, ignoring the searing heat blazing in his shoulder.
Elsie jumped from her chair, hand on his chest. “Nick, lie down. I’ll tell you if you will just be still.”
Something had her worked up. She was looking at him at least. Her eyes were shadowed, but he didn’t know why. He lowered back down.
“You were shot.”
Shot? “By whom?” His head ached as he pressed to remember. Why couldn’t he? “Are you all right?” His gaze drifted over her, but he didn’t see any injuries.
“I’m fine,” she said stiffly.
She wasn’t. Something was making her shoulders so tense.
He glanced around the vaguely familiar room. “Where are we?”
“At the doctor’s office in Calvin.”
“Home for Christmas?”
Her brow creased as if she didn’t know how to answer. She rested her hand on the bed next to him, and it was the most natural thing in the world to close his fingers around hers.
But she slipped out of his hold and stood. His thoughts scattered like snowflakes in the wind. “Elsie?”
She blinked hard, then moved back to the window, her arms folded. “Umm, Nick, you hit your head pretty hard. Can you remember anything? Before right now?”
His eyelids drifted closed. His head was pounding, thoughts swirling just out of reach. “I remember how happy we were.”
She went still. “Happy?”
He wished he could reach her face and cup her cheek, but his arms weighed a thousand pounds. “Yeah. Do you remember when we were tasked with decorating the commons for Christmas? You were hanging the star on the top of the tree and slipped from the chair, but I caught you. You said, ‘I thought you were hanging garland.’ And I said…”
He waited, wanting the answer from her lips.
Her mouth hardly moved as she said, “‘I could never walk away from you.’”
