Aaron's Montana Bride Part 7

Mrs. Lang shook her head. "I know you and her go way back. I've known that for longer than you think," she said with the raise of an eyebrow. "I've known there was something between you both. Even if you were the last to admit it," she said emphatically.

Mrs. Bell nodded. "Seems like the men on these ranches don't know how to pay proper attention to a woman," she said.

Mrs. Lang nodded. "You're right there, Mrs. Bell," she admitted. Mrs. Bell looked at Mrs. Lang and nodded.

Aaron frowned. He couldn't believe that the two women had finally found something they agreed on. Even if it was over his own failure to be absolutely honest about himself and Eva.

"Are you seriously saying I can't take some soup up to Eva," Aaron asked.

Mrs. Lang tossed her cleaning cloth down onto the kitchen table. "What I'm saying is that we're going to be keeping a close eye on you," she said. "Isn't that right, Mrs. Bell?"

The other woman nodded vigorously.

Mrs. Lang turned and ladled out some soup into a plate and placed it onto a tray. She handed it to Aaron. "Just you keep that bedroom door open, so we can hear what's going on between you and that sweet young woman," she said giving him a stern look that nevertheless had the faintest of smiles in it.

Aaron took the tray and headed out of the kitchen as fast as he could. Upstairs, he knocked gently on the closed door. From inside he heard Eva's soft voice bid him enter. Aaron pushed the door open and stepped into the bedroom.

Eva's eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Aaron!" she exclaimed pulling the bedclothes up to her chest. Aaron immediately noticed that her color was improved. The pale cheeks of earlier had been replaced by a much healthier rosy color. She looked so much better, but there was still a tiredness in her eyes. The shadows hadn't quite disappeared, and he wondered whether they were caused only by physical exhaustion or by the worry she was so obviously enduring.

"I thought you'd like some soup," he said looking at the tray. "You have no idea how much trouble this little plate has caused between Mrs. Lang and Mrs. Bell," he said with a smile.

Eva tried to respond with a smile of her own, but Aaron could see how much effort it caused her in the attempt. "It smells delicious." she said raising herself up higher against the pillows at her back. "Even from here. I was wondering what they were cooking up," she said.

The fresh air from the slightly open window made the room smell fresh and feel cool. Aaron went to the side of the bed and laid the tray down on the side table. He glanced at Eva. Up close she did look much improved. She'd pulled her hair back into a neat bun, and her collar was b.u.t.toned up tight.

Eva straightened the bedclothes and Aaron carefully placed the tray on her lap. As he laid the tray in front of her Aaron was intensely aware of being so close to Eva. Especially in light of what the two housekeepers had said to him in the kitchen. Aaron sat down on the chair by Eva's bedside.

Eva gazed down at the plate and lifted the spoon. "I guess they think I need this. Is it some sort of secret recipe?"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "You don't want to know. However, if you don't like it, I'd probably keep that to myself, if I was you," he said with a sly wink.

Eva smiled. She raised the spoon and took a small sip of the soup. Aaron saw her flinch as she swallowed. "You okay?" he asked quickly.

Eva finished swallowing and nodded. "I'm fine. Just that the darned coughing has left me with a sore throat," she said.

Eva took another sip from the spoon. This time, when she swallowed it didn't seem to hurt as much. Aaron was glad to see that.

After a few moments Eva looked at Aaron and narrowed her eyes. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to," she said softly.

Aaron frowned. "I'm happy right where I am," he declared.

The truth was, he was savoring the experience of watching Eva eat. There was something gratifying about seeing her doing something he knew would help her regain her natural strength. Even something as simple as seeing Eva eat had a curious effect on Aaron. Right now, there was nowhere else he wanted to be.

"Well. It is your house," Eva said.

Aaron grinned. "I still had to negotiate the right to bring you that soup, though," he said.

Eva's brows creased. "What do you mean?" she asked, and then took some more soup.

"Seems like the good ladies downstairs figure I should leave you all alone up here. At least until you're feeling better," he said.

Eva grinned. "Are you telling me they don't want you in my room?"

"That's the gist of it, I guess," he admitted.

Eva shook her head. "What do they think is going to happen?" she queried with sly glance.

Aaron quirked a brow. "Maybe they figure you and me being unattached and all, makes things a bit awkward," he said.

Eva paused, the spoon hovering in front of her lips. A flicker of recognition appeared in Eva's eye. Aaron saw it and wondered what she was thinking. Did she take the mention of attachment as a hint? Was she thinking that Aaron was hoping she'd bring up the subject of the proposal? Aaron could see Eva thinking hard. She took some more soup and forced a hard swallow. It looked like this time it wasn't a painful throat that was causing her difficulty. More like a tight throat caused by some troubling thoughts.

"I don't know what in the world could have given them that idea," she said eventually.

Aaron shifted in his seat. Maybe time to change the subject. "What did the doc have to say?" he asked Eva.

Eva sighed and Aaron wondered if it was an expression of relief. "He thinks the smoke did some temporary damage to my lungs. But he figures I'll get over it. The thing that bothers me the most is that I can't get up the strength to drag my darned legs out of this bed," she said quickly shifting her legs under the covers in a way that suddenly caught Aaron's full attention. In spite of himself, he wondered what Eva's legs looked like under the bedsheets. From where he sat he could see the impression of their length and the dainty shape of her feet.

Immediately he thrust that insistent thought out of his mind, but not before it caused an obvious and visible change in the color of his cheeks.

Eva's eyes flashed at Aaron and he knew she'd seen the change.

"You'll be up and about in no time," he said hurriedly.

"I hope so," Eva said. "I need to get back to the ranch and check out the damage."

"The only damage you need to think about is what happened to your lungs in that fire," Aaron said firmly.

"But I have to see what kind of a state the ranch house is in. There will be work to supervise. I don't know how long it's going to take to get the place back to how it was," she stated.

"It's going to take a while. In the meantime you're staying here," Aaron told her with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Is that an order, or a request?" Eva asked.

The corner of Aaron's mouth creased into a smile. "You can take it any way you want, Eva," he said. "Right now, you just need to focus on getting better."

"But I feel fine. Really I do."

Eva shifted her legs impatiently under the covers. Aaron had always known that patience wasn't one of Eva's virtues. She hated to be tied down, confined. He knew that whatever happened, the next few days were going to be real interesting. Eva Gillespie just wasn't the kind of woman who'd settle in a bed for longer than she had to.

"That's for the doctor to decide. He said he'll come and check you out in a couple of days. That means you are going to stay right here and make the most of the time you've got to recuperate."

Eva frowned. "But what am I going to do. I can't just lie here all day, staring out the window. I'll go crazy," she said.

Aaron smiled as he watched the irritation consume Eva. "Look. If you can't take my word for it, then you can try dealing with those two ladies downstairs. I'm figuring that they aren't going to let you move one inch out of this room until you're good and ready," he said.

Eva sighed loudly and quickly took another slurp of soup. This time she did it too quickly and, with a shudder she sucked in a deep, noisy breath and then broke into a series of convulsive coughs that had Aaron reaching for the tray. He laid the tray on the side table and quickly wrapped an arm around Eva's shoulder. Her face turned red as she gasped, trying to stop the involuntary spasms that shook her body.

Aaron sat down by her side and held her close, feeling her shake and tremble. He hated to see her suffer, feeling every rasping cough as if it were his own. There was no thought about whether it was appropriate for him to be sitting on her bed, supporting her, cradling her against his chest, hoping that the coughing would subside. He didn't care about propriety. All that mattered was that she needed his help, and that he was here to provide it.

After a while she got her coughing under control. Her breathing was fast and noisy as he held her close. It felt good to have her this close. He reached across and moved stray hairs away from her pretty, wide forehead. Eva looked at him and he could see the pain and tiredness in her eyes, even if she tried hard, as always, to hide how she felt.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "Do you need a drink of water?"

Eva shook her head. "I'm fine," she said. "Looks like you're right. I might need a bit more time to get back on my feet," she admitted.

Aaron was suddenly aware of holding her, and now that she'd stopped coughing, there seemed little reason for him to continue. The truth was, he didn't want to let her go. It felt somehow right to be here by her side. He felt Eva tighten and he took that as a signal for him to let her go.

Aaron shifted off the bed and sat back down on the chair. He saw Eva watch him, and wondered if she had noticed his awkwardness, even the reluctance with which he had let her go.

"Do you want more soup?" he asked her.

Eva shook her head. "No. I think I've had enough."

"Maybe you need to rest. I've taken up enough of your time," he said.

Eva reached a hand over and touched his arm. "You don't need to go," she said. Her eyes were brighter than they had been moments before. Aaron could see small beads of sweat on Eva's forehead. Her lips were slightly pale and the coughing had left a rosy color to her cheeks. How could it be that he found her beautiful, even when she was hardly well, even when she was clearly struggling to regain her health? She looked so delicate lying back against the pillows, so fragile, that it was all he could do to restrain the urge to lean over and adjust her pillows. Anything to make her feel more comfortable.

Aaron smiled. "I think there are a couple of ladies downstairs who'll be counting every minute I've spent up here," he said with a grin.

"I guess you're right." Eva smiled, and seeing her do that immediately made Aaron feel a whole lot better.

He stood up. "I'm sure Mrs. Bell will come and check on you. In the meantime, you get some sleep. I'll look in on you later," he said.

Eva nodded and smiled up at him.

As Aaron turned and went to the door he asked himself whether he was going to be able to hold in check what he knew was going to be an almost irresistible urge to come as often as possible during the coming hours to see if Eva was okay.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

Eva woke with a cry and started to cough. This time the cough wasn't so vicious, so all consuming. She managed to get it under control quicker than before.

She looked through the open curtains and saw the darkness outside. She'd slept again, but didn't know what the time was. Eva turned onto her side and thought about Aaron. He'd been so kind to her earlier in the day, so considerate, so very thoughtful. His presence by the bedside had comforted Eva in way that she found surprising and pleasing all at the same time. Just thinking about his handsome face, his even generous smile, his kindly gaze, made Eva feel a peace and calmness that went a long way to helping her put up with the intolerable situation of being a temporary invalid.

For that was what she was. Eva had never been one to tolerate weakness in herself. She'd hardly known a sick day in her life, a product, she guessed of a life spent outdoors. Of course, there had been occasional injuries, and she remembered the usual childhood illnesses. But, on the whole, Eva Gillespie had always been healthy.

Which made it all the more difficult to accept her present circ.u.mstances. Especially being confined to one of Aaron Stewart's bedrooms. It was just as well that there were two elderly chaperones in the house. Even if Eva had to admit they would mainly come in handy in making sure that Eva didn't make a fool of herself with Aaron. And that seemed a distinct possibility. Thinking about him by her bedside, his eyes watching her eating that chicken soup, knowing that he was thinking about her, worrying about her. Eva didn't want to admit to herself just how good that had felt.

Which made the present situation all the more difficult. When was he going to give her the answer to her proposal? Was he ever going to give her his response? Had the fire at the ranch changed everything? Now that she was here, in Aaron's home, had he changed his mind about her?

She just didn't know what to think. The way he'd raced into the burning ranch house had shown Eva just how seriously Aaron took her well being. Was he just being kind, offering her a safe place to live for the moment? Then, when she was fully recovered, did he expect her to ride on home, fix up the ranch and carry on living without him by her side?

Eva sighed. Too many thoughts were running around her head.

She heard a knock on the door. She looked up and saw Aaron poke his head into the room. By the light of the small candle he held she saw that his eyes were sleep filled.

"You okay, Eva?" he asked.

Eva shifted and sat back against the headboard. "I'm fine. I didn't wake you, did I?"

Aaron shook his head. "No. Not at all. I was awake." He held up a book. "Reading," he explained. "Do you need some company?"

Eva smiled. What should she say? No, Aaron. Just go back to your room. Leave me alone. I don't want you any where near me?

No. She wasn't going to say anything like that to him.

"Sure. Why not," Eva said.

Aaron smiled and stepped into the room. Eva had to contain an imperceptible gasp when she saw Aaron in his loose white shirt, tight pants and bare feet. He must have been sleeping, Eva told herself. Aaron had just been polite, not wanting her to think she was imposing on him. She was sure of that now. But, my oh my. Didn't he look handsome, striding toward the bed, the top b.u.t.tons of his collar loose, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, his hair unkempt, the dark stubble on his chin.

Aaron smile at her as he sat down on the chair. "You look better," he said.

Eva ran a hand awkwardly across her hair. "How long have I been sleeping?" she asked.

"It's one in the morning," he explained.

"I hope I didn't wake anyone else," she said with a frown.

"I doubt it. If Mrs. Bell is anything like Mrs. Lang, then it'll take more than a cry out in the night to wake them."

"Did I cry out?" Eva asked earnestly.

"I heard you. But I'm just across the hall."

"Really?"

Eva didn't know what to make of that information. She wasn't sure whether to feel rea.s.sured by it, or concerned about it.

"Your cough seems better," he said.

Eva nodded. "For now, anyway."

"Other than that, how are feeling?"

"What do you mean?" Eva asked. Aaron seemed to be probing her gently, tentatively.

Aaron lifted a brow. "About other things."

"What kind of things?"

"The past few days have been real hard on you."

"You're telling me," Eva admitted.