Part 11 (1/2)
There was Boone, looking particularly wonderful in baggy cotton slacks and s.h.i.+rt. Riding atop his shoulders, Jessie was laughing and clapping her hands.
”We had a ride on the carousel and had ice cream and we saw you.”
”Looks like you're still overloading,” Boone commented.
”They're not heavy.”
He patted Jessie's leg and, following the signal, she began to slide down his back. ”We'll give you a hand.”
”That's all right.” She knew it was foolish to reject help when she needed it, but she had managed quite successfully to avoid Boone for the better part of a week. And had managed-almost as successfully-to avoid thinking about him. Wondering about him. ”I don't want to take you out of your way.”
”We're not going any way in particular, are we, Jessie?”
”Uh-uh. We're just wandering today. It's our day off.”
Ana couldn't prevent the smile, any more than she could prevent the wariness from creeping into her eyes when she looked back at Boone.
He was certainly looking at her, she realized, in that disconcertingly thorough way of his. The smile creeping around his mouth had less to do with humor than it did with challenge.
”I don't have to go far,” she began, grabbing at a package that was beginning to slide. ”I can just-”
”Fine.” Overriding her objections, Boone s.h.i.+fted boxes from her arms to his. His eyes stayed on hers. ”What are neighbors for?”
”I can carry one.” Eager to help, Jessie bounced in her sneakers. ”I can.”
”Thank you.” Ana handed Jessie the lightest box. ”I'm going a couple of blocks down to my cousin's shop.”
”Has she had her babies?” Jessie asked as they started to walk.
”No, not yet.”
”I asked Daddy how come she got to have two in there, and he said sometimes there's twice the love.”
How could anyone possibly have a defense against a man like this? Ana wondered. Her eyes were warm when they met his. ”Yes, sometimes there is. You always seem to have the right answer,” she murmured to Boone.
”Not always.” He wasn't certain if he was relieved or annoyed that his hands were full of boxes. If they'd been free, he would have been compelled to touch her. ”You just try for the best one at the time. Where have you been hiding, Anastasia?''
”Hiding?” The warmth fled from her eyes.
”I haven't seen you out in your yard in days. You didn't strike me as the type to scare that easily.”
Because Jessie was skipping just ahead of them, she bit off a more acid response. ”I don't know what you mean. I had work. Quite a bit of it, as a matter of fact.” She nodded toward the boxes. ”You're carrying some of it now.”
”Is that so? Then I'm glad I didn't resort to knocking on your door and pretending I needed to borrow a cup of sugar. I nearly did, but it seemed so obvious.”
She slanted him a look. ”I appreciate your restraint.”
”And so you should.”
She merely tossed her hair out of her eyes and called to Jessie. ”We'll go down this way, so we can go in the back. Sat.u.r.days are usually busy,”
she explained to Boone. ”I don't like going through the shop and distracting the customers.”
”What does she sell, anyway?”