Chapter Three #3
And was struck by her absolute beauty. She wore white jeans and a silky jade blouse that made her soft green eyes really come alive.
With all that blue-black hair cascading down her back in a braid and her face shining and free of anything unnatural, Bella made his breath hitch.
His rib cage hurt like hell, but as he slowly released pent-up breaths his focus never wavered.
He was totally aware of her now and a spark of excitement strummed inside him, obliterating the pain.
Why now? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed how pretty she was before.
Of course he’d noticed, but he’d never let his mind go there.
She was an employee, a widow and a mother of a small child.
Three very solid reasons why the thought hadn’t entered his mind.
But right now, in an unguarded moment, when he wasn’t expecting to see her, suddenly he’d become very aware of her appeal.
Her eyes seemed stationed on his bare chest and her face colored as red as an apple, a tough feat for a woman with olive skin. He’d shocked her, no doubt, but he also witnessed a glint of admiration in her eyes.
“Jared?”
“Mornin’.”
“Good morning. Do you, uh, need something? I heard you call out for Marie. She’s at your brother’s today. But if you need her, she told me to be sure to call her.”
“No. Not necessary. Guess I forgot it was her day with Coop.”
Bella looked straight into his eyes, as if she’d be set on fire if he caught her staring any longer at his chest. He could almost smile at that.
“What did you need?”
“Nothin’.”
“You called for Marie for a reason.”
“It’s not in your job description.”
She glanced at the shirt on the chair. “You need help getting your shirt on?”
There was no sense denying it. “Yes. But—”
“Heavens, if you need help with it, I can do it.” She sounded slightly annoyed, as if she were scolding a child. She stepped farther into the room, picking up his shirt as she approached, keeping her eyes level with his. No more sneak peeks at his chest.
“Here you go.” She held out one arm of the shirt. “We’ll take it slow.” Her angelic voice, soft and accommodating, came back. If only he could close his eyes and listen to her all day long.
She smelled like cookies, a sugary vanilla scent teasing his nostrils. And then he gazed at her mouth, heart-shaped and rosy-lipped. She’d given him rescue breaths with that mouth. Oh, man.
She guided his right arm into the sleeve first and scooted it up his arm as he ever so slowly pushed his arm through. “Now comes the hard part,” he said.
She wound the shirt around his back and he had to stretch his left arm way out to push it through the sleeve. By the time they were through, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
“Maybe a T-shirt would be easier,” she said, tilting her head, analyzing the situation.
“That would be a no. I tried that already.”
“Are you okay?” Her green eyes held sympathy.
“I’m fine. Thank you.” He sniffed the air. “Besides you, something smells wonderful out there.”
“Besides me?”
He grinned. “Sorry, thinking out loud. You smell like a cookie.”
An angel with a tranquil voice who smelled like cookies...good thing he had his head on straight about Bella Reid. She was a no-go. He was gun-shy anyway. He’d had his heart ripped out by Helene and some wounds just refused to heal.
“Thank you, I think,” she said, standing in front of him now, keeping her eyes on the snaps she was fastening on his shirt.
She stood a few inches from him and as soon as she was through took a big step back.
“The drawbacks of a being around food all the time. But smelling like vanilla is much better than smelling like garlic. Or, God forbid, liver.”
He smiled. “So true.”
He was glad she’d moved away. He was injured but he wasn’t dead. If anyone could bring a man back from the dark depths, it was Bella Reid. She’d done that literally for him once already. He wasn’t going to push his luck.
“So what is that delicious smell?” he asked.
“I made apple crostata this morning.”
“Already?” He had no idea what an apple crostata was, but it sure sounded good.
She nodded. “I’ve got it cooking in the oven for breakfast or a midmorning snack. I bake while Sienna is sleeping. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“I didn’t hear a thing.”
“Okay, great. So would you like eggs and bacon to go with the crostata? Marie already told me how you like your coffee. It’s brewing now.”
“You’re efficient.”
“It’s easy when you love what you do.”
“And how long have you been doing this?”
“Oh, all of my life. I learned to cook at an early age. Out of boredom maybe, but I found I had a great passion for it. I can’t imagine not doing it. Bacon and eggs?” she asked again.
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
“Give me twenty minutes.”
“Will you and Sienna be eating at the same time?”
It grated on him how much he enjoyed having a conversation with her. Her voice was permanently ingrained in his memory, and every time she spoke to him, something sweet and pleasant filled him up.
“I don’t think so. Sienna sleeps until eight. It gives me time to get a few things done before my little tornado hits.”
“That precious child?”
“Just wait,” she said as she walked out of his room.
He smiled, watching her go. He really didn’t want to eat breakfast alone.
Again.