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Her gaze followed his
movements. “Because by the time you get to school tomorrow, it will be too late.”
“Perhaps you better explain.” He grabbed a chair from in front of his desk, turned it around, and straddled it. As far away from the bed as he could get.
Ellie went through the story of John Ridley and his unfortunate family. When she finished, she placed her hands in her lap and slumped.
“Why didn’t you come to me and tell me the story at school?”
“You were already gone by then, and besides, I didn’t think you’d give it back to me.”
He sat back, his mouth open. “Why? What sort of man do you think I am that I wouldn’t feel sympathy for the boy’s plight?”
“I don’t know what sort of man you are at all, Mr. Colbert.” She stood and rubbed her shoulder. “But now I need to get home. It’s almost past curfew time.”
He watched her carefully. “How do you plan to do that?”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems your mode of entry is now lying in the mulberry bush.” He motioned toward the window.
“Can’t I just leave out the front door?”
“And how am I to explain to my landlady, who is now in the parlor enjoying her cup of tea and cookies, how you came to be in my bedroom? Not only is your reputation at risk, Miss Henderson, but so is mine. You’re one of my teachers.”
She blushed a bright red and sat back down on the bed. “Oh.”
“Yes. Oh.”
“What are we going to do?” She kept rubbing her shoulder and blinking.
Good heavens, tears again? The last time she cried in his presence he did something totally foolish. Best to get her out of his house and back to the safety of her own.
“Simple. We’ll have to go back out the window.”
“But there’s no ladder.” She blinked furiously and wrung her hands. “I’ll lose my room if I don’t get home by ten o’clock. Then I’ll have to move back with my family, and Uncle Jesse will demand to know why, and when he finds out, he’ll send me to a convent, like he’s always threatened.”
At least the man had some sense, and knowledge of what direction his niece headed. “I’ll climb out the window and drop to the ground. Then you’ll climb out after me, let go of the window, and I’ll catch you.”
Ellie stared at him for a minute. “Never mind, I’d rather go to a convent.” She headed for the door.
“Stop.”
She remained at the door, her hand on the knob. “You’ll kill yourself, dropping out of the window like that.”
“No, I’m a man. Many a times in my youth I crawled in and out windows. I’ll be fine.”
A bright smile lit up her face as she turned. “You? You climbed out windows?” She shook her head. “I never would have guessed. You sure don’t seem the type.”
“There are a lot of things about me you wouldn’t guess.” His voice lowered; his heart sped up. Why did this woman plague him so? Here she stood in his bedroom, two feet from the large, comfortable bed, her hair and clothes in disarray. He’d already tasted her, knew her feel, her scent. Blood rushed to his groin. He mentally shook himself.
“Come here.” He reached his hand out.
Trance-like, she took his hand and moved in front of him. If he kissed her now, it wouldn’t end until they were both naked and sweating. A very bad idea. For so many reasons. Funny how he couldn’t think of even one right now.
“Mr. Colbert, I need to get home.”
“Right.” He blinked several times, then turned to the window and looked at the ground. “It’s not too far. Once I’m on my feet, you climb out, and when I tell you, let go of the sill and I’ll catch you.”
