Lancelot's Lady (8 page)

"
You
'
d send your own daughter away?
"
she asked, shocked.
"
To live with strangers?
"

"
It
'
s not the best scenario, but it might be better for her.
"

"
How can you be so insensitive?
"

"
Maybe it
'
s what she needs.
"

"
Misty needs her father,
"
she hissed.
"
Not some cold institution surrounded by strangers.
"

"
It
'
s just an option. I
'
m not ready to make that kind of decision yet, but it might be good for her. Sh
e
'
ll have other children to play with, proper education, and―
"

"
And it
'
ll be the worst mistake you ever made.
"

Her words cut him deeply.
"
Why do you say that?
"

"
Trust me. I know what it
'
s like to be separated from your parents.
And
to be foisted off on str
angers. You don
'
t want that for Misty. Or for yourself.
"

Rhianna was right. He couldn
'
t jeopardize his relationship with Misty. He loved his daughter far too much.

"
So what do you suggest I do, Ms. McLeod?
"

"
Well, for starters, you can call me Rhianna.
"

His lips lifted on one side.
"
I can do that…
Rhianna
.
"

She moved toward the door.
"
If I
'
m going to be here for six weeks, then I want to help out. I have certain skills that might be useful.
"

"
Are you experienced?
"
he asked.

She spun around.
"
P-pardon me?
"

"
Are you experienced? As a teacher?
"

She let out a soft hiss of air.
"
No, I
'
ve never taught before. But I
'
m a nurse, Mr. Tyler, and one of my clients was deaf. I
'
m quite fluent in ASL.
"

"
I see. Then that
'
s what you can do. To be useful.
"

"
Thank you, Mr. Tyler.
"

He frowned.
"
There is one rule though.
"

"
What
'
s that?
"

"
If I
'
m to call you by your first name, then I
'
d appreciate it if you did the same.
"

"
Jonathan it is,
"
she said.
"
Or would you prefer I call you Tyler like everyone else here?
"

"
Jonathan is fine.
"
He grinned and extended a hand.
"
Let
'
s seal the deal then, Rhianna.
"

She tentatively placed her hand in his. The sudden warmth caught him off guard. Seconds later she withdrew her hand and he clenched his fist, missing the softness of her touch. An unexpected need surged through him, a yearning so intense that the only thing he could do was watch her walk away.

He released a pent-up sigh.

Rhianna McLeod had a strange effect on him.

And he didn
'
t like it one little bit.

~ * ~

"
I
'
ll read you a story when you
'
re in bed,
"
Rhianna offered.

Misty gave her a suspicious look.
"
Why?
"

The question stumped Rhianna.

"
Because I
'
d like to,
"
she signed.
"
Don
'
t you like books?
"

With an eager nod, Misty smiled.
"
Yes.
"

Rhianna grinned back.
Score one for the new teacher.

She glanced at Jonathan. He watched them from the corner of his eye, yet tried to appear disinterested.

"
You want to read to her?
"
she signed.

Jonathan
'
s face reddened.
"
I
'
m afraid my signing skills are worse than hers.
"

Her eyes widened in surprise.
"
I
'
m sorry. I assumed from the books in the den that you were fluent.
"

"
I
'
m trying to learn.
"
He glanced at his daughter.
"
For Misty
'
s sake.
"

"
Believe me, I understand. Signing comes more naturally to children than adults.
"

"
Misty
'
s sign language is limited,
"
he said.
"
Her teachers said her communication skills were lacking because she wouldn
'
t study. They blamed it on Misty
'
s disruptive behavior.
"

Rhianna frowned.
"
I think it
'
s the other way around.
"

"
What do you mean?
"

"
Because she can
'
t communicate well, she
'
s frustrated, and that leads to her behavior problems.
"

"
According to the last teacher, Misty is the most rebellious, impatient and stubborn six-year old she
'
d ever met.
"

She shot him a smug look.
"
I wonder where she gets it from.
"

Jonathan actually grinned.
"
Yeah, I guess the apple doesn
'
t fall far from the tree.
"

Caught up in his smile, she barely heard him.

He
'
s very handsome when he smiles.

She cleared her throat.
"
I don
'
t mean to pry, but what have the doctors said? Can they do anything for Misty?
"

Jonathan sighed.
"
She has a hearing aid, but she refuses to wear it. I
'
ve tried bribing, threatening and pleading. Nothing works.
"

Misty appeared in the doorway.
"
Read,
"
she signed, handing Rhianna a book of fairy tales.

Jonathan took his daughter
'
s hand and led her inside the room.
"
First we have to get your PJs on,
"
he said, signing the letters
PJ
.

"
No!
"
Misty tossed the two-piece pajama set on the floor and tried signing something to him. She let out a huff and made the same awkward signs.

Jonathan
'
s mouth hardened.
"
I don
'
t know what you want,
"
he said, his hands resting at his side.

"
She
'
d like the purple nightgown instead,
"
Rhianna said softly.
"
The one that
'
s hanging inside her…
"
She paused, looked at Misty and signed,
"
Closet?
"

The girl nodded.

Minutes later, Misty was in her bed, snuggled up with a stuffed penguin.
"
Story?
"
she signed.

She surprised Rhianna by patting the bed.

"
You want me to sit?
"
Rhianna asked.

"
Yes.
"

"
You seem to have made an impression,
"
Jonathan said behind her.

She glanced at him.
"
Have I?
"

There was a moment of silence.

"
With Misty,
"
he said softly.

She slowly blew out the breath she was holding. Lowering her head, she fumbled with the book, opening it to the first page.
"
I knew that
'
s what you meant.
"

There was no reply.

Jonathan was gone.

Chapter 8

As Rhianna closed the door to Misty
'
s room, she thought of how the young girl had tried to copy her as she signed the story. Misty was smart. No doubt about it. With a little encouragement, she could learn to sign more proficiently.

She thought of Jonathan. Where was his ex-wife? Had she remarried? Did she ever come to visit?

Does he still love her?

Shaking her head, she backed away from the door.

"
Is she asleep?
"

"
Jesus!
"
she hissed, grabbing her throat.
"
Don
'
t sneak up on me like that.
"

Jonathan emerged from a shadowed doorway and stepped into the dimly lit hall.
"
Sorry. I didn
'
t mean to scare you.
"

"
You don
'
t scare me.
"

"
I don
'
t?
"
His mouth curled into a lazy smile.

Rhianna frowned.

Why did everything the man say sound so evocative?

"
I
'
ll go say goodnight to Misty,
"
Jonathan said.

"
She fell asleep before I finished the fourth book.
"

"
You should
'
ve gotten me.
"

"
You could
'
ve stayed while I read to her.
"

"
And have you work your magic spell on me too?
"

She laughed.
"
What are you talking about?
"

"
I
'
ve never seen my daughter take to someone so fast. She wouldn
'
t let the other teachers get one foot inside her room.
"
He started down the stairs.

"
I
'
m not a teacher,
"
she said, right behind him.
"
She thinks I
'
m your…
"

At the bottom of the stairs, he turned.
"
My what?
"

"
Friend,
"
she said, swallowing hard.
"
I don
'
t know. I
'
m just some stranger who showed up here.
"

"
Yet there you were, a complete stranger, sitting beside her when usually she throws a temper tantrum.
"
He shook his head.
"
Magic.
"

If she reached out she could touch his shoulders. But she kept her hands glued to her sides.

Look but don
'
t touch.

Jonathan was doing his own observing. It was making her self-conscious. His eyes trailed over her, from the top of her head down to her bare feet. She held her breath as his gaze swept back up, pausing on her mouth.

She licked her lips.

Suddenly, Jonathan jerked his head toward the living room.
"
I think we both deserve a nightcap.
"

The spell broken, she moved down the last two steps and followed him to the bar. He poured two glasses of wine and handed her one.

"
Thank you,
"
she said, sitting on the sofa.

"
No, thank
you
.
"
He took a sip of wine before adding,
"
Misty
'
s teachers said she was so far behind in signing that they couldn
'
t waste time reading to her.
"

"
I don
'
t consider reading a waste of time.
"

"
Those were their words, not mine.
"
He studied her hands.
"
You sign beautifully.
"

"
I
'
m a bit rusty,
"
she admitted,
"
but it
'
s kind of like riding a bike. Once you learn ASL, you never really forget.
"

"
Unless you
'
re me,
"
he said sheepishly.

"
Don
'
t worry about whether your signing is perfect. It
'
s all about communicating with someone you love.
"
She blushed.
"
And I know you love your daughter.
"

"
That I do. So teach me.
"

The wine was making her lightheaded.
"
Teach you?
"

"
To sign. I could use some lessons.
"

"
I don
'
t know if you
'
ll make a very good student,
"
she blurted.

His eyes narrowed.
"
I don
'
t know if you
'
ll make a good teacher.
"

She couldn
'
t resist a challenge.

"
My name is Rhianna,
"
she signed.

He signed his name.

"
Nice to meet you, Jonathan.
"

He reached to take her empty wineglass and his hand brushed hers. As before, a spark of energy made her pull back, her smile fading ever so slightly.

Does he feel it too?

Rhianna was alone with Jonathan for the first time all day. She felt like an awkward school girl, shy and unable to think of anything intelligent to say. So she stared at him instead. He paced the room, moving with feline grace, a jungle cat on the prowl. His eyes darted toward her and she looked away. Finally he sat on the edge of an armchair, poised to pounce.

The silence was excruciating.

She thought of JT. Was the old man okay? Was he worried because she hadn
'
t called him? She hoped not. JT didn
'
t need the stress.

Jonathan cleared his throat, bringing her back to the present.
"
Rhianna, I-uh…I
'
d like to take you up on your offer. Misty could really use some signing lessons, and since you
'
re here I thought, perhaps…
"

"
You want me to teach her.
"
It was a statement, not a question.

"
If you wouldn
'
t mind.
"
He exhaled.
"
I know you
'
re supposed t
o be on holiday―
"

She gave him a wry smile.
"
Some holiday this has turned out to be.
"

"
I
'
ll pay you, of course. The same as the other teachers.
"

She set the wineglass on the coffee table.
"
You don
'
t have to pay me, Jonathan. You didn
'
t know I
'
d end up stra
nded on your island. Six weeks is too long to sit around and do nothing. To be honest, I
'
d be happy to help Misty. She
'
s a lovely child.
"

A sad look crept into his eyes.
"
She is.
"

~ * ~

Jonathan stared into his wineglass, swirling the fragrant liquid.
Misty is a beautiful child, even though she looks like her mother.

He tried not to think of Sirena. Every time he did, he felt a surge of fresh rage for his ex-wife. She
'
d left them when they needed her most. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. She wanted to continue with her acting career and felt that Misty
'
s special needs would hold her back. She resented their daughter, but she resented him even more.

"
You have no time for me,
"
she said.

He
'
d never understand how she could just walk away. When the divorce papers had arrived, he signed them with relief. Now Sirena was somewhere in Europe, from what the newspapers reported, sleeping with anyone who would benefit her.

Forcing his ex-wife from his mind, he poured another glass of wine and watched Rhian
na. What was it about this woman that made him so edgy and grateful at the same time?

The answer came quick.

Rhianna was very attractive―and she
'
d read to Misty when none of the teachers could be bothered.

"
That was pretty generous of your employer to send
you to the Bahamas,
"
he said, struggling to end the silence.
"
You must have worked for him for a long time.
"

"
Less than a year, actually.
"

"
Really?
"

She gave a nod.

His eyes narrowed. What kind of favor had she offered her employer to get him to splurge on an expensive holiday?

~ * ~

Rhianna noticed Jonathan
'
s scowl.

He looks like he
'
s swallowed a fly.

"
My employer is the most wonderful person I
'
ve ever met,
"
she stated.
"
He thought I needed a break, so he made all the arrangements and gave me this trip as a birthday present.
"
She snorted.
"
If he
'
d known I
'
d be stranded on your island, I
'
m sure he
'
d be mortified.
"

Jonathan stared at her, his eyes aglow like flames.

Was she the moth?

Watching him, a strange tingle coursed through Rhianna
'
s veins. The intensity of his gaze seemed very personal, as if he
'
d skimmed the surface of her skin with his fingertips instead of his eyes.

She shivered. Why did her body feel so inflamed?

Jonathan took a sip of wine and licked his lips. Then he smiled, a satisfied gleam in his sapphire eyes.

Her breath caught in her throat.

He knows I
'
m attracted to him.

The heat rose in her cheeks and she prayed that the soft lighting of the room would hide her reaction. She mentally cursed her sudden weakness. What the hell had gotten into her? She never reacted this way to men. Ever. All the men she
'
d met were uninteresting and forgettable. She could shrug them off because she never allowed them to impact her emotions. Or her life.

But how many men like Jonathan had she met? She
'
d spent ye
ars holed up with old people―dying people. She
'
d cut herself off from the world of dating and romance. She didn
'
t want or need a man to complete her, and she certainly could live without physical intimacy.

Yet, here she was wishing Jonathan would kiss her.

She had to think of something else.
Anything
else.

Higginson
'
s face came to mind. How would he react if saw her stretched out on a sofa, sipping wine with an extremely attractive man? A man who oozed sensuality and made her want to―

Don
'
t think of that, R
hianna!

If Higginson could see her now, he
'
d probably faint.