Page 15 of Escape to Lighthouse Cove

“Miss Wyatt, potential traumatic brain injuries are not to be taken lightly,” he told her in a scolding tone. “I strongly advise, and even insist, that someone keep you under observation for at least twenty-four hours, preferably forty-eight. If there’s no one here who is able to do that for you, you can accompany me back to Eastport and spend the night at the community hospital near there, although considering your injury, I think it would be better if you stayed exactly where you are.”

“I can’t go to the hospital,” Grace said. What would she do with Jacob then? She rubbed her forehead and then winced with pain. All right, maybe the doctor had a point. Unfortunately.

“Then I really think you should stay here,” he stated firmly. “I know Isaiah Hawksworth, and he is entirely trustworthy. You’re in good hands, Miss Wyatt, whether you realize it or not.”

9

Noah listened impassively as the doctor relayed his instructions while Grace looked miserably on. Clearly she was unhappy about the need to stay at Grayhaven overnight, and she wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding her feelings. Her face was pale, her eyes dark as she chewed her lip nearly to shreds, and Noah thought she looked as if she were fighting back tears. Considering she didn’t even know him, her reaction seemed a little much. After all,heknew he was a jerk, but she didn’t.

“Of course we can take care of her here,” he assured the doctor smoothly. “And the symptoms we should look out for—disorientation or confusion, headaches, or vomiting?”

“That’s right.” The doctor looked relieved by his command of the situation. “I told Miss Wyatt she was in good hands.”

“I assure you, she is.”

“You can call my cell if you have any questions.” He turned back to Grace. “I hope you feel better soon and do come in for a CT scan if the pain hasn’t gone away in a few days.”

She nodded minutely, not looking at anyone, and then he was gone, leaving the three of them alone.

“Well,” Noah remarked after a moment, when Grace still hadn’t spoken. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but you are more than welcome to stay here, of course. Isaiah can collect anything you might need from the warden’s lodge.”

A shuddery sound escaped her, her head lowered, and with a jolt of shock Noah realized she was crying.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she wiped her cheeks. “I don’t normally… I just… I just really want to go home.”

Noah eyed her uncertainly, wanting to comfort her with a hug or a touch but knowing he could not take that liberty. “You mean… the warden’s lodge?”

She nodded, still wiping her face. “That’s the only home I have right now.”

Jacob, having heard the catch in Grace’s voice, looked up from his game and then walked silently over to his mother and slipped his hand in hers. Grace smiled down at him, through her tears.

“I’m okay, Jacob,” she murmured. “Don’t worry. I’m okay.”

Watching them both, Noah could sense the strength of their bond. Jacob, he realized, was looking out for his mother as much as she was looking out for him, both of them so clearly hurting and trying to heal. It was touching, but it was also painfully sad. Jacob couldn’t be much more than six.

And what could he do about it all? Noah glanced outside; it was now well into the evening, and a dark and windy night. He didn’t think it was a good idea for Grace to go anywhere, but he did appreciate how lost she might feel. Andafraid, he realized. She didn’t know him, after all, and she’d just been told she had to spend the night in the same room with him. He’d already stripped her naked once today. No wonder she was feeling out of sorts.

“Look, I understand this whole situation feels uncomfortable,” he told her with what he hoped was an understanding smile. It had been a long time since he’d had to engage socially with anyone, and he felt like those muscles, including the ones in his lips, weren’t working all that well. “But it’s late and I don’t think it’s wise for you to go anywhere tonight. Tomorrow, if you’d like and you’re feeling up to it, you can return to the lodge and Isaiah can check in with you periodically to make sure you’re okay. But as for tonight…” He hesitated.

Didhewant to spend the night in the same room with this woman, never mind what Grace herself preferred? He’d become an incredibly restless sleeper over the last eighteen months. He and insomnia were well acquainted with each other, and more alarmingly, when hedidsleep, he had dreams. Nightmares that left him tossing and turning or worse, caught in the grip of his own memories. He didn’t really want Grace Wyatt privy to those.

And yet… he knew he couldn’t ask Isaiah to sleep with her instead. The old man would find it awkward and uncomfortable to do so, and in any case, he was a heavy sleeper and probably wouldn’t wake up if Grace took a turn for the worse.

“You and Jacob can share a room here,” he suggested, “and I’ll try to be as unobtrusive as possible, I promise.”

“No peeking?” she quipped with a tiny smile, the tracks of her tears still visible on her cheeks, and a rusty laugh escaped him unexpectedly.

“Certainly not.”

She shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, I know I’m overreacting about all this. I just…” She blew out a breath. “It’s hard to explain, but this whole thing is bringing up… some memories.” She looked away quickly, still holding her son’s hand. “I don’t even know why.”

“Memories are funny like that,” Noah remarked quietly. “I understand.”

She glanced back at him, her gray gaze sweeping slowly over him before it dipped down, hidden by her thick lashes. “You seem like you do,” she replied softly, glancing up at him again. Noah had absolutely no response to that, and for a few seconds they simply stared at each other, just as they had before, and he had the very inconvenient thought that her lips, soft and pink and parted, seemed eminently kissable.

What a ridiculous thing to think right now, Noah reflected, irritated with himself. That wasnotwhat was going on here. At all.

“Let me find Isaiah,” he suggested, breaking the silence. “And you can tell him what you’d like him to fetch from the lodge. And then I’ll show you one of the guest bedrooms.”