"Don't over do it."
She glanced around the room anxiously. She was little more than half-done and already he thought it was too much? What was it he found so objectionable? Unable to discern the source of his objection, she finally turned an inquisitive gaze on him.
"You don't like it?"
He actually smiled, though it was so brief that she questioned whether she had imagined it. No, it had been there - brief and beguiling. And now it was gone, not even a trace lingering as he spoke.
"I meant don't over work yourself."
"Oh." She took a step down and missed the next rung - plunging her shin against the step. She gave a startled squeal and fumbled on the unsteady ladder.
Instantly strong arms scooped her off the ladder and lowered her safely to the floor. It all happened so fast that she didn't have time to think, only to cling to the one solid thing she could find - Cade. The arms that rescued her continued to cradle her gently, and what the fall had failed to do to her heart beat, his close proximity completed.
Color raced to her cheeks. What must he be thinking to hold on to her like that? She chanced a glance at his face, but he was contemplating the ladder.
"I'd better get a screwdriver and tighten that ladder before you fall and break your neck."
He glanced down and noted her color with obvious confusion. One arm tightened around her in a light hug. He released her, striding away after a screwdriver.
She stared after him, still perplexed by the hug - a fatherly or brotherly demonstration of fondness - or maybe an expression of relief that she wasn't injured? She rubbed her shin. Not badly, anyway.
Maybe that incident inspired her dream that night. How the dream began, she couldn't remember but she was in his arms and he was gazing down at her, his expression as bland as usual. She lifted her face to receive his kiss and he leaned forward, giving her a fatherly peck on the cheek - and a friendly squeeze. She clutched his sleeve as he turned away.
She woke, her fingers entwined in the sheet, feeling aroused and frustrated. She untangled her fingers from the sheet and punched her pillow. What was it about him that she found so attractive? And why couldn't she force these erotic thoughts from her mind? Nothing but heartache could come of it. Cade was completely uninterested. Even in her dream she knew it, so why the persistent desire? Should she walk away from this job? Could she walk away from it - and Cade? The job would be harder to walk away from than Cade - wouldn't it? Mary was right about one thing. She was falling for Cade. It was time to pack up and get out - as soon as the visit from his sister was over. He could always find another maid and she could go back to the diner.