Rocky Mountain Match. Pamela Nissen

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СКАЧАТЬ she laugh? Turn away in embarrassment? Pity him?

      He loathed not seeing! And was determined not to be a burden. But remembering how meager tasks such as dressing or walking through his own house took every bit of concentration he could amass, he wondered if things would ever come easy.

      “Yoo-hoo…Joseph?” Julia Cranston’s high-pitched voice jerked him from his thoughts as the front door creaked open. “Are you home?”

      Joseph briefly recalled the day of his accident when Aaron had found another love note from Julia at the door. She’d sealed it with red wax.

      “Kinda bold, don’t ya think?” Aaron had jibed.

      Joseph had glanced warily at the heart-shaped seal. He’d gone on a few innocent outings with Julia, but had no plans to go running down the aisle yet.

      “Whatcha’ waitin’ for?” Aaron had asked. “If you’re holdin’ off till all your ducks are lined up, you’d better get movin’ fast or they’re gonna go line up in somebody else’s pond.”

      At the time he’d thought little of Aaron’s prodding, figuring he had plenty of time to set in place that part of his life. But just minutes later his whole life had changed. A single moment, a careless movement on a ladder, had altered his entire life. Now he could only hope that God would answer the barrage of petitions he’d made for healing.

      Hearing the door rattle again, he realized that Julia hadn’t visited for a week. Now that he was up from bed rest, he felt acutely aware of his inadequacy because a woman like Julia, delicately beautiful and refined, was used to being pampered. She’d sat by his bedside a few days since his accident, spending most of her time relating the latest news of Boulder’s upper crust, rarely inquiring about his injury.

      “Come on in.” He stood and struggled for balance.

      “Oh, there you are! I’m so glad to see you up,” Julia crooned as she beelined toward him, her skirts swishing and heels clicking across the wood floor.

      The overwhelming powdery perfume she wore preceded her in a thick cloud, triggering the sudden need to sneeze. He raised a hand to his nose and warded it off as her light footsteps came to an abrupt stop in front of him.

      “I—I thought you were going to be through with those silly old bandages,” she bleated, her excitement suddenly deflated.

      He could almost feel her piercing hazel gaze bearing down on him. “Ben put new ones on to give my eyes more time.”

      “More time? Whatever for? You said that you were going to be as good as new when those awful wraps came off.”

      He swallowed hard. “My eyes need more time to heal.”

      Julia gave an exaggerated whimper. “Well, that ruins positively everything! I had a very special surprise for you today, but now you won’t even be able to see it.”

      “What was the surprise?” he asked, his jaw clenched tight.

      “My dress, of course.” Stiff fabric rustled at her touch. “I just came from the dressmaker’s and I was going to surprise you. Daddy insisted I have a new dress made for the Glory Days celebration in a few weeks. It’s simply the most beautiful cobalt-blue taffeta you’ve ever seen,” she announced. After another long whimper she added, “Now you can’t even see it to tell me how stunning I look.”

      Miss Ellickson cleared her throat from the sofa.

      “Why, Joseph!” Julia perched a hand on his forearm. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

      “Julia Cranston, this is Miss Ellickson.” He felt Julia stiffen, as though some invisible rod just shot up her back.

      “Good morning, Miss Cranston,” his teacher said.

      Julia threaded an arm through his. “Miss Ellickson, you say? I don’t recall the name from around here.”

      He could only imagine the confused look on her face. Even though her family had arrived just months ago from Boston, she was already familiar with everyone within twenty square miles.

      “You must be new to the area,” Julia finally conceded.

      “I arrived just Saturday,” Miss Ellickson answered stiffly.

      “Miss Ellickson is here from Iowa. Ben sent for her to—to carry out some training I may need.” The admission needled him.

      “Whatever would you need training for, Joseph?” Julia sidled closer, her voice rising in pitch. “Uncle Edward says you’re the finest craftsman this side of the Rockies.”

      He sighed. “Not training in carpentry. Training in case my sight doesn’t return—right away.” Or at all, he thought, the very prospect making his stomach churn.

      “This certainly is a shock!” She hesitated, then patted his hand. “Well, you poor thing, Joseph, looking pitiful in those wraps the way you do. Maybe you should be back in bed?”

      He winced at her choice of words. He didn’t want to be pitied. “I’m fine. Really. What brings you here, anyway?”

      “I stopped by the shop thinking, of course, that you’d be there working your little heart out after being in bed for so long.” Her voice was loud enough to call in cattle. “You can imagine my surprise when Aaron said you were still at home.”

      “My eyes are bandaged, not my ears.” He dug his fingers into the chair’s thick stuffing. “I can hear you just fine.”

      “Of course. As I was saying,” she continued, the pitch of her voice showing no noticeable change. “I brought you a most wonderful meal. I’m quite certain you’ll be very pleased.”

      A tantalizing aroma wafted to his senses, penetrating the cloud of perfume. He tried not to show his surprise at her sudden display of domestic prowess. “Did you make this yourself?”

      “Well, I…not exactly. But I gave Cook very specific instructions. She absolutely puts me to shame, Joseph,” she simpered, then whisked out of the front room toward the kitchen. “I am simply dreadful in the kitchen.”

      “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You probably do a fine job,” he called after her, but remembering the sawdust taste of the cookies she’d made last week, he was pretty sure that wasn’t true.

      “You’re a dear to say so. But I dare say that I won’t be winning any first-place ribbons in the pie-baking contest at the town celebration.” Julia’s high-pitched laughter shot through his house like bolts of lightning. “Come and eat, Joseph.”

      Vile fear wrapped around him when the almost twenty feet he had to go suddenly felt more like a mile. Perspiration beaded his forehead and a slow trembling coursed through his body like deadly venom. His pulse pounded in his head, throwing off his concentration. He gritted his teeth. Drew in a shuddering breath. Just as he started forward with his hands outstretched, he felt a light touch on his arm.

      “Mr. Drake,” Miss Ellickson whispered beside him as she gently guided his hand to her elbow. “Would you be so kind as to escort me to the table?”

      He jerked his head down СКАЧАТЬ