Beloved Counterfeit Read Online Free PDF Page B

of perspiration tracing a path down his freshly shaved cheek only to be swept away by the back of his hand.
    Only an idiot would think he perspired because of the heat.
    No, it was Viola’s uncanny ability to send Fairweather Key’s only physician into either total silence or inane proclamations with one word: wedding . “Not ours, Dan,” she quickly added as she stuffed the folded blanket into the basket, though the words tasted sour against her tongue.
    He tore his attention from the horizon and offered a far too quick smile. “Of course not.”
    Of course not?
    Her hopes plummeted, though she plowed on. “You see, I was down at the McGregor home this morning. Ella, her eldest, the one who sells eggs at the market, said she had heard a wedding was afoot for—”
    “And the baby?” Dan ducked his head to swipe at his lapel.
    “Baby?” Viola paused to try to understand the question. “What baby?”
    “You’re a midwife, dear. I assume yours was not a social call given the advanced state of Mrs. McGregor’s confinement.” His tone held nothing but reproach, sending the last of Viola’s dreams of an imminent proposal skittering to the dark place where she hid them.
    “Yes, of course,” she managed, clutching the handle of the basket so tightly it would surely break at any moment. Perhaps if she remained silent, the topic of weddings could once again be broached.
    Green eyes wandered to the horizon where the sun danced behind the sails of a vessel heading for port. “I trust the delivery went without complication,” he offered.
    Leave it to a doctor to try to turn a conversation about weddings into a discussion on medical issues. “It did,” she said as she paused to contemplate once again how to best recover their lost topic.
    Dan stopped short and took the picnic basket from her, setting it at his feet. “Vivi?”
    He rarely called her by this name, the one he’d somehow convinced her to admit had been her childhood nickname. Like the gulls overhead, Viola’s battered hopes once again soared.
    “Yes?”
    Reaching across the distance between them, Dan took her hands in his. Viola’s heart leapt as she hoped. . .prayed. . .this would be the moment she’d waited for.
    “You’re quite a woman.”
    She waited. And waited. Nothing. Instead, he stared at a spot just above her head, not quite making eye contact, yet not ignoring her altogether.
    “Thank you,” she finally offered. “And you’re quite a man.”
    It was her turn to cringe. She sounded like an idiot, yet most times in Dan’s presence she felt like one. He was superior to her in every way, from his medical prowess to the knowledge that encompassed everything else she held important.
    The only thing she did better than him was the one thing that kept them apart. Perhaps he’d found the ability to finally move past that impediment.
    “This is not easy,” he said, and she felt his fingers tighten around hers. “I’ve waited until the last minute to tell you lest I show myself to be the coward I’d prefer you not see.”
    “Coward?” She shook her head even as she struggled to remain still. “You’re frightening me, Dan.”
    He released her hands to cup her face. A fleeting memory of another man doing the same thing on the cathedral steps sent an involuntary shiver through her.
    “You’re chilled.” Dan stepped back to remove his jacket and place it around her shoulders. “Now that’s better. Come close so I can hold you until you’re warm again.”
    She went into his arms without argument, and she might have stayed there until far past the point at which it might be considered proper. Ever the gentleman, Dan released her before reputations could be harmed.
    Not that anyone cared what a woman of her age did. After all, she was no Emilie or Isabelle Gayarre.
    “Yes, thank you,” she said as she blinked hard. “I’m much better now.”
    A lie, but she kept her mouth shut against retracting it.
    Dan gave a curt nod