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Authors: Eleanor Woods
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entrance, she made her way up the wide cypress steps of the side gallery to a door that she remembered as opening into a downstairs sitting room.
Just as she reached up to grasp the heavy knocker,the door was wrenched open and a scowling Christian reached for her arm.
"It's about time," he rasped in a rough voice as he pulled her inside, then slammed the door.
"I did have to leave a note for the housekeeper," Toni remarked in a stiff voice, then pulled her arm from his grasp. As she spoke she saw the ugly raised lump over his right eye.
"That . . . that looks pain- ful" she said in a kinder tone.
"Of course it's painful," Christian said tightly. "That damned goat knocked me into a steel water pipe.
Toni's eyes quickly traversed the length and breadth of her patient, her lips tightening with resignation as she prepared herself for a long and trying evening.
Ch ristian was dressed in jeans and a dark pullover and looked mean enough to go bear hunting with a switch.
"Well?" he demanded in a near roar. "Are you going to stare at me all night or are you going to take me to see a doctor?"
Toni met his glaring blue eyes with her own dark
smoldering ones. "I doubt you'll die from being butted in the rear by a goat."
"In case you haven't noticed, it's my head and not my rear that needs attention," Christian said icily.
"Sorry." Toni sighed. "You're acting like such an ass, I got the two confused." She dropped her purse onto a table beside the door, then stepped around him. "Where is the phone?"
"On that desk." Christian nodded toward a massive, heavily carved piece of furniture in one comer of the enormous room, then gave a sharp gasp. Toni swung back around in time to see him holding an un- steady hand to his head.
Oh, Lord! she thought. He really is in pain. Momen-tarily forgetting her distaste for the man, and the fact that his presence was as welcome as the plague, she caught him by one arm and urged him toward a chair.
"Please sit down while I call Brent."
"Who the hell is Brent?"
"My cousin Susie's husband. He's a doctor."
"Well, at least the two of you aren't related by blood." Christian scowled. "I can only hope he hasn't been around you long enough for your disaster-prone ways to have rubbed off on him."
"If you're that concerned," Toni sweetly countered, "I can always go back to my aunt's and let you fend for yourself." She stood directly in front of him, one hand on her hip as she narrowly eyed him. "What's it to be?"
Christian allowed his dark head to drop back against the chair and closed his eyes. "Call your damn cousin. If he kills me, then at least I'll be out of my miserv."
"I should be so lucky," Toni muttered to herself as she turned and walked toward the phone.
"I heard that, Antonia."
"Good for you, Christian," she threw over her shoulder, unperturbed. "At least Billy left your eardrums intact."
Toni dialed her cousin's number, and after a brief coversation Brent agreed to meet them at the emergency room.
The drive to the hospital got under way only after another altercation regarding transportation.
"I prefer to go in my own car," Toni informed Christian as she stared at his black Lincoln. It looked as long as a hearse and would be the very devil to park. "As you can see, it's foggy and I'd really rather not be driving a strange car under these conditions."
"Do you still have the Subaru you were driving in Virginia?" he asked.
"Then we'll take mine," he replied in such a manner to lead Toni to believe he wouldn't change his mind.
"My head already feels as though it's been split in half I have no intention of being jostled to death in that tin can of yours."
Toni refrained from commenting, although she thought that a good brain scrambling might do wonders for his personality.
Fortunately Christian wasn't one of those people who looked for instant death at every curve or expected a spook to jump from behind every tree. And even on the two or three occasions when Toni almost
Just as she reached up to grasp the heavy knocker,the door was wrenched open and a scowling Christian reached for her arm.
"It's about time," he rasped in a rough voice as he pulled her inside, then slammed the door.
"I did have to leave a note for the housekeeper," Toni remarked in a stiff voice, then pulled her arm from his grasp. As she spoke she saw the ugly raised lump over his right eye.
"That . . . that looks pain- ful" she said in a kinder tone.
"Of course it's painful," Christian said tightly. "That damned goat knocked me into a steel water pipe.
Toni's eyes quickly traversed the length and breadth of her patient, her lips tightening with resignation as she prepared herself for a long and trying evening.
Ch ristian was dressed in jeans and a dark pullover and looked mean enough to go bear hunting with a switch.
"Well?" he demanded in a near roar. "Are you going to stare at me all night or are you going to take me to see a doctor?"
Toni met his glaring blue eyes with her own dark
smoldering ones. "I doubt you'll die from being butted in the rear by a goat."
"In case you haven't noticed, it's my head and not my rear that needs attention," Christian said icily.
"Sorry." Toni sighed. "You're acting like such an ass, I got the two confused." She dropped her purse onto a table beside the door, then stepped around him. "Where is the phone?"
"On that desk." Christian nodded toward a massive, heavily carved piece of furniture in one comer of the enormous room, then gave a sharp gasp. Toni swung back around in time to see him holding an un- steady hand to his head.
Oh, Lord! she thought. He really is in pain. Momen-tarily forgetting her distaste for the man, and the fact that his presence was as welcome as the plague, she caught him by one arm and urged him toward a chair.
"Please sit down while I call Brent."
"Who the hell is Brent?"
"My cousin Susie's husband. He's a doctor."
"Well, at least the two of you aren't related by blood." Christian scowled. "I can only hope he hasn't been around you long enough for your disaster-prone ways to have rubbed off on him."
"If you're that concerned," Toni sweetly countered, "I can always go back to my aunt's and let you fend for yourself." She stood directly in front of him, one hand on her hip as she narrowly eyed him. "What's it to be?"
Christian allowed his dark head to drop back against the chair and closed his eyes. "Call your damn cousin. If he kills me, then at least I'll be out of my miserv."
"I should be so lucky," Toni muttered to herself as she turned and walked toward the phone.
"I heard that, Antonia."
"Good for you, Christian," she threw over her shoulder, unperturbed. "At least Billy left your eardrums intact."
Toni dialed her cousin's number, and after a brief coversation Brent agreed to meet them at the emergency room.
The drive to the hospital got under way only after another altercation regarding transportation.
"I prefer to go in my own car," Toni informed Christian as she stared at his black Lincoln. It looked as long as a hearse and would be the very devil to park. "As you can see, it's foggy and I'd really rather not be driving a strange car under these conditions."
"Do you still have the Subaru you were driving in Virginia?" he asked.
"Then we'll take mine," he replied in such a manner to lead Toni to believe he wouldn't change his mind.
"My head already feels as though it's been split in half I have no intention of being jostled to death in that tin can of yours."
Toni refrained from commenting, although she thought that a good brain scrambling might do wonders for his personality.
Fortunately Christian wasn't one of those people who looked for instant death at every curve or expected a spook to jump from behind every tree. And even on the two or three occasions when Toni almost
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