"Yes'm. " He sat, studying her face. "Not a scratch on you. "
"Hmm?" Distracted, she glanced at her own hands, then looked at her face in the mirror over the sink. "I guess you're right. "
"I don't think she wanted to hurt you. Not that she won't, directly or inadvertently, being as she's more than a little crazy. But this was a warning. It's interesting. "
"I admire a man who can get cut up by an angry bitch of a ghost and find it interesting. "
"I admire a woman who goes toe-to-toe with an angry bitch of a ghost and wins. "
"My house. " Her voice gentled as she tipped up his chin. "Here now, this won't hurt. "
"That's what they all say. "
But she cleaned the cuts with a deft and easy hand while he continued to watch her face.
"Looking for something?" she asked him.
"I'm wondering if I found it. "
"This one here barely missed your eye. " Shaken more than she cared to admit, she bent down to brush her lips over the cut. "There. " She stepped back. "You'll live. "
"Thanks. " He took both her hands, those sharp green eyes on hers. "I have some theories. "
"And I'm anxious to hear them. But I want to clean up that mess in there first, then I want a glass of wine. A very big glass of wine. "
"I'll give you a hand. "
"No, I'd rather do it myself. In fact, I think I need to. "
"You make it hard, always asking me to take a step back. "
"I guess I do. " She brushed a hand through his hair. "Maybe it'll help if I tell you it comforts me to know you're confident enough in yourself to take that step back when I need you to. "
"Maybe that's something else that makes this a good fit. "
"I think so. I'd appreciate it if you'd go down with the others, give me a half hour to put things back to rights. It'll settle me down a little. "
"Okay. " He got to his feet. "I'm staying the night. I'll take a page from Stella's book and tell you that part's not negotiable. But you can use the half hour to decide if I'm staying in there with you or in a guest room. "
He left her frowning after him.
HE FOUND EVERYONEin the kitchen. Like family, he thought, gathered together in the hub of the house with something simmering on the stove, a baby c
rawling on the floor, and two young boys pulling on jackets while their little dog jumped with excitement.
Every eye shifted to him, and after a beat of silence, Stella began speaking brightly to her sons. "Go ahead and let him run, but stay out of the flower beds. We're going to eat soon. "
There was a lot of scrambling, barking, a scream of laughter from Lily, then dog and boys were gone with a slam of the back door.
Stella's hand slipped into Logan's. "How is she?"
"Steady, as usual. She wanted half an hour. " Mitch looked at Harper. "I'm staying tonight. "
"Good. I think that's good," Hayley said. "The more the better. It gets so you're used to having a ghost in the house, but it's different when she starts throwing things at you. "
"You, specifically, from the look of it," Logan put in.
"Noticed that?" Mitch rubbed absently at his cut cheek. "Interesting, isn't it? There was a lot of rage up in that room, but nothing - nothing tangible - was directed at Rosalind. I'd say there was deliberate care not to do her physical harm. "