were riveted on his face. A slight frown puckered her brows. She bit her lower lip. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand. Just that. To feel the warmth of human contact and know he wasn’t alone. But after what she’d been through, she’d think he wanted something else and he didn’t want to ruin her fragile trust in him.
There was a moment of silence so profound he could hear the scurrying feet of a mouse somewhere in the room and the voices of passing pedestrians, horses’
hooves, rattling wheels, even distant piano music from a saloon.
Huiann began to speak quietly. The cadence of her lilting voice had a tangible feeling, shapes floating in Bonnie Dee
91
the air he could reach out and pluck like strange fruit.
The gravity of her expression reached inside him and wrapped around his heart. She was confiding a secret or something important to her.
As her story ended and she fell silent, Alan dared to reach out and brush the back of his hand against hers.
When she didn’t pull away, he slipped his fingers around her soft hand.
All other noises receded and they were alone in a hushed bubble of warm companionship. Alan never wanted to let go. He listened to her quiet breaths and his own chest rose and fell steadily. A peaceful calmness stole over him even though his heart was beating fast.
Finally, they both let go, their hands sliding apart with a whisper of skin against skin until they were separate once more.
Alan thought he would never see her busy hands cutting vegetables, wiping the table, holding a pencil or sewing cloth without remembering how her hand had felt resting like a nesting bird in his.
Chapter Seven
Huiann fled to her room to escape the spell that wove her and Alan together. She closed her door and leaned against it then rubbed her palm, trying to erase the warmth of his touch. It had felt so good and comforting but she mustn’t allow such closeness between them or he might expect more from her.
There’d been such pain in Alan’s voice and eyes that she’d found herself returning the confidence he shared.
She closed her eyes, frowning as she recalled what she’d told him.
“I know we must revere our parents, but whenever I think of how mine sent me off with a stranger I’m full of rage. Of course, my father didn’t know what Xie Fuhua intended, but even so he let me go to a foreign land, never to see my family again. If he loved me, how could he send me away? I’m a bad daughter, not dutiful or respectful. I should be happy to have brought some security for my family. But I’m angry.
I’m angry!”
The burning feeling in her chest had lifted a little as she admitted the truth at last. And when he reached over and held her hand, Huiann had gripped him like a shipwreck survivor clinging to flotsam. She could’ve held his hand all night.
With a curse, Huiann pushed off the door and crossed the room to the hook where her nightdress hung.
Bonnie Dee
93
She was in the middle of changing when she heard Alan’s footsteps on the stairs. Her fingers froze on the buttons of her dress as she listened to the floorboards creak in the hallway. Her heart beat faster. Would those footsteps stop in front of her door? Would he knock or call her name? But Alan’s heavy tread continued on down the hall to his own room.
She exhaled and the heaviness of disappointment filled her. Shameful woman.
Huiann finished dressing for bed and lay down on her bed. She stared at the faint light and shadows on her ceiling for hours, thinking about secrets exchanged in the stillness of night and the potent force of attraction between phoenixes and dragons.
In the morning they behaved politely to one another over breakfast as if nothing had happened the night before, then Alan went into his store and Huiann began another day alone in the house.
Although she would’ve liked to launder the clothes and bedding, she didn’t dare go to the water pump for buckets to fill the washtub. She’d cleaned
There was a moment of silence so profound he could hear the scurrying feet of a mouse somewhere in the room and the voices of passing pedestrians, horses’
hooves, rattling wheels, even distant piano music from a saloon.
Huiann began to speak quietly. The cadence of her lilting voice had a tangible feeling, shapes floating in Bonnie Dee
91
the air he could reach out and pluck like strange fruit.
The gravity of her expression reached inside him and wrapped around his heart. She was confiding a secret or something important to her.
As her story ended and she fell silent, Alan dared to reach out and brush the back of his hand against hers.
When she didn’t pull away, he slipped his fingers around her soft hand.
All other noises receded and they were alone in a hushed bubble of warm companionship. Alan never wanted to let go. He listened to her quiet breaths and his own chest rose and fell steadily. A peaceful calmness stole over him even though his heart was beating fast.
Finally, they both let go, their hands sliding apart with a whisper of skin against skin until they were separate once more.
Alan thought he would never see her busy hands cutting vegetables, wiping the table, holding a pencil or sewing cloth without remembering how her hand had felt resting like a nesting bird in his.
Chapter Seven
Huiann fled to her room to escape the spell that wove her and Alan together. She closed her door and leaned against it then rubbed her palm, trying to erase the warmth of his touch. It had felt so good and comforting but she mustn’t allow such closeness between them or he might expect more from her.
There’d been such pain in Alan’s voice and eyes that she’d found herself returning the confidence he shared.
She closed her eyes, frowning as she recalled what she’d told him.
“I know we must revere our parents, but whenever I think of how mine sent me off with a stranger I’m full of rage. Of course, my father didn’t know what Xie Fuhua intended, but even so he let me go to a foreign land, never to see my family again. If he loved me, how could he send me away? I’m a bad daughter, not dutiful or respectful. I should be happy to have brought some security for my family. But I’m angry.
I’m angry!”
The burning feeling in her chest had lifted a little as she admitted the truth at last. And when he reached over and held her hand, Huiann had gripped him like a shipwreck survivor clinging to flotsam. She could’ve held his hand all night.
With a curse, Huiann pushed off the door and crossed the room to the hook where her nightdress hung.
Bonnie Dee
93
She was in the middle of changing when she heard Alan’s footsteps on the stairs. Her fingers froze on the buttons of her dress as she listened to the floorboards creak in the hallway. Her heart beat faster. Would those footsteps stop in front of her door? Would he knock or call her name? But Alan’s heavy tread continued on down the hall to his own room.
She exhaled and the heaviness of disappointment filled her. Shameful woman.
Huiann finished dressing for bed and lay down on her bed. She stared at the faint light and shadows on her ceiling for hours, thinking about secrets exchanged in the stillness of night and the potent force of attraction between phoenixes and dragons.
In the morning they behaved politely to one another over breakfast as if nothing had happened the night before, then Alan went into his store and Huiann began another day alone in the house.
Although she would’ve liked to launder the clothes and bedding, she didn’t dare go to the water pump for buckets to fill the washtub. She’d cleaned
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