Lancelot's Lady (11 page)

The pool
'
s undisturbed surface shone like glass.

"
Come back,
"
he whispered in his sleep.

Chapter 11

Blazing sunlight tore Rhianna from another taunting dream, one that starred Jonathan Tyler, baring far more flesh than she ever wanted to imagine.

"
Just a dream,
"
she said, waiting for her pulse to slow.

Anticipating a day of teaching, Rhianna dressed in what she thought was close to schoolteacher attire. She even contemplated twisting her hair into a tight bun. In the end, she twisted it loosely and fastened it with a plastic clamp.

When she stepped out into the hall, Misty was waiting for her.

"
I
'
m ready for school,
"
the little girl signed.

Rhianna smiled.
"
I need a cup of coffee first. Is your father downstairs?
"

Misty shook her head.
"
He
'
s working.
"

With a shrug, Rhianna took the girl
'
s outstretched hand and followed her downstairs.

"
Good morning,
"
Rhianna said when she spotted Mrs. Atkinson in the kitchen.

"
Coffee, dear?
"
The housekeeper hurried over with a carafe in hand.
"
I made some fresh muffins. Blueberry and bran. Or if you prefer, I could make you some eggs.
"

"
Coffee and a muffin sound perfect.
"

When Rhianna sat down, Misty sat beside her.

"
What would you like for breakfast?
"
Rhianna asked.

The girl began to sign, then changed her mind.

"
We play this game every morning,
"
Mrs. Atkinson explained.
"
I can
'
t make out what she wants.
"

"
Toast!
"
Misty signed.
"
With…
"
She growled and dropped her hands.

"
Toast with jam?
"
Rhianna signed.

Misty shook her head.
"
Toast with…
"
Her hands fell away.

Stumped, Rhianna held up her hands.
"
I
'
m sorry. I don
'
t know what you want.
"

With a loud bellow, Misty jumped up and swept an arm across the table, knocking over a glass of orange juice.

"
I want brown toast!
"

Rhianna eyed Mrs. Atkinson.
"
Do you know what she means by brown toast?
"

"
No, dear. We have whole wheat bread all the time, but when I make her toast, she gets angry and throws it on the floor.
"
The woman smiled softly at Misty.
"
She
'
s frustrated, the poor little one. I suppose I would be too if no one understood what I was saying.
"

Misty sulked in the corner of the kitchen, arms folded across her middle, eyes burning a hole into the ceramic tile.

Rhianna frowned.
"
Then we need to make sure everyone starts understanding her.
"
She raised her eyes to Mrs. Atkinson
'
s.
"
That goes for you too.
"

The housekeeper smiled warily.
"
The last teacher said I was too old to learn. You know, you can
'
t teach an old dog new tricks.
"

"
One of my patients was eighty-seven years old when she learned ASL,
"
Rhianna said.
"
You
'
re a spring chicken compared to her.
"

"
Well, I don
'
t know about that,
"
Mrs. Atkinson said with a giggle.
"
But I
'
ll try to learn if you
'
re willing to teach me. I did pick up a few signs.
"
She demonstrated a dozen or so signs with only a bit of hesitation.

"
Sit down,
"
Rhianna signed to Misty. Surprisingly, the girl obeyed.

"
How about we spend one hour every afternoon teaching Mrs. Atkinson some sign language too?
"

The scowl on Misty
'
s face lifted.
"
My Daddy too?
"

Rhianna swallowed hard.
"
I, uh…
"

"
Of course I
'
ll learn too,
"
a masculine voice said.

Rhianna studied Jonathan, who was dressed in ripped shorts and a faded t-shirt. At least he looked cleaner than the last time she
'
d seen him.

But he wore less in your dream.

~ * ~

A nightmare had kept Jonathan from a restful sleep. He
'
d spent the long night chasing an illusive Rhianna deep into the jungle, where predators lay in wait. He had to catch her, because behind him something ancient and evil stalked them. When he
'
d awoken, he was covered in a thin sheen of perspiration and his heart pounded in his chest. He
'
d bolted from the bed and paced the room.

Something was coming. And it wasn
'
t good.

He muffled a derisive snort.
You idiot. Nothing bad is gonna happen.

He glanced at his daughter. The little traitor was sitting beside her teacher, all grins and giggles.

"
Does two o
'
clock work for everyone?
"
Rhianna asked, without looking at him.

"
Works for me,
"
he replied.

"
Me too,
"
Mrs. Atkinson said.
"
This will be quality family time.
"

Jonathan frowned at her. What was the woman up to?

"
Sit down, Mr. Tyler,
"
Mrs. Atkinson ordered.

He slumped into the chair across from Misty.
"
I
'
ll take my coffee black today, Mrs. Atkinson.
"

The housekeeper raised her brows in surprise.
"
No cream?
"

"
No. Just keep my mug filled.
"

"
You
'
re supposed to be working, Daddy,
"
Misty signed.

"
I wanted to make sure you and Ms. McLeod were settled into school first,
"
he signed self-consciously.
"
How are you this morning, Angel?
"

Misty giggled.
"
I
'
m not an angel.
"

"
Then you must be a…
"
He flicked a look at Rhianna.
"
How do I sign fairy or princess?
"

Rhianna showed him and he mimicked the moves, much to Misty
'
s delight.

"
I
'
m a fairy princess,
"
Misty signed to Mrs. Atkinson.

"
That you are, dear love. That you are.
"

Jonathan settled back in his chair and took in the strange scene. They rarely ever ate together like this. He was usually locked in his studio by now. Misty would visit after lunch and he
'
d often miss supper.

It was kind of…nice.

He watched Rhianna. She was good with his daughter. Patient, kind, caring. He saw her wipe a smudge of orange juice from the corner of Misty
'
s mouth. It was such a natural act, yet it annoyed him. Sirena should be sitting there, looking after their daughter. Not some stranger.

Jonathan pointed to a small stack of books he
'
d set on the counter when he
'
d arrived.
"
Those are the books that the last teacher used, Ms. McLeod. You can use this table once Mrs. Atkinson has cleaned up, and if you feel you need anything else, let me know the night before.
"

"
That
'
s fine.
"

That she barely looked at him irked him to no end.

~ * ~

For a long moment, Rhianna couldn
'
t look at Jonathan. She still felt mortified from being caught nearly naked in the pool, although she
'
d gotten him back for sneaking up on her and nearly scaring her out of her skin. There was a sense of justification in her actions. So she
'
d yanked him down into the mud. So what?

She studied him now from beneath her lashes. A willful wave of hair fell across his ruggedly handsome face, and his tanned skin set off the brilliant blue eyes. She could see his pulse beating steady and strong at the base of his throat.

His hands cradled the mug and she noticed that his fingers were long, tanned and very tense. She remembered how they felt across her mouth, soft yet firm. Her body tingled at the thought of his hands caressing her skin. What would it be like to have those hands touch her in other places?

"
Rhianna?
"

She realized he
'
d asked her something. Her cheeks burned and she lowered her head.
"
Sorry. What were you saying?
"

"
I said you look well this morning. No chills, I take it?
"

He was laughing at her. She could hear it in his voice.

As Jonathan left the room, she stared after him.

Thank God he isn
'
t the type to take revenge.

~ * ~

Jonathan
was
thinking of revenge, but his was of a much sweeter kind. He
'
d waited this morning, specifically putting off going to work just so he could see Rhianna. He couldn
'
t help but notice how the sheer peach blouse glowed against her skin, or how the navy pants outlined her long legs. She looked radiant and fresh.

And completely unsuspecting.

The kind of revenge he had in mind was personal in nature. He didn
'
t even stop to consider why he felt it necessary. Sure, she
'
d frustrated him enough that he
'
d chased her into the night. He could have shrugged that off. But when he saw her lying in the pool, his breath had nearly stopped. Later, she
'
d embarrassed him, caught him off guard. Now his pride egged him on.

The plan had brewed all morning. He
'
d find a secluded corner where he could be alone with the troublesome Ms. McLeod. Then he
'
d make her pay for giving him that mud bath.

Her hair would look much better down,
he decided.

He imagined how silky it would feel and how beautiful she would look with soft waves tumbling about her shoulders. She
'
d be at his mercy and he
'
d take what he wanted. It would be enough to put Rhianna in her place and show her she couldn
'
t mess with him and escape unscathed.

And what did he want from her exactly?

One simple kiss.

Then he
'
d be done with her.

As he strode across the backyard, he grinned. Yes, his revenge would be very sweet indeed. Best of all, Miss City Girl wouldn
'
t even see it coming.

~ * ~

The morning passed quickly for Rhianna. She went through sign language basics with Misty to get a feel for where the girl stood academically. Jonathan
'
s daughter was very bright, especially when it came to learning signs for objects in her environment, a method Rhianna had used with Mrs. Fletcher.