“The Heartwishes Stone,” Colin said as he again moved forward, but this time he stepped between Tris and Gemma. Given that Colin was so large, this meant that Luke had to take a step back.
Chuckling, Luke said he thought he was needed in the house.
The last thing Gemma wanted was to cause more gossip. “I think I’ll go with you,” she said, but she stopped when Tris said to Colin, “Have you found out anything more about this Stone everyone’s been talking about?” That sparked her curiosity.
Luke went into the house, but Gemma stayed by the grill. She still had her back to Colin.
“Tris,” he said, “would you mind if Gemma and I—” He broke off when Tris’s cell rang.
“Sorry, but my profession says I have to answer this.” He pushed a button and listened. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He looked at Colin. “Mr. Gibson had a heart attack. I have to go to the hospital.”
“I’ll drive you,” Colin said.
“No thanks!” Tris said quickly. “He’s under care now, so I can travel at less than warp speed.” He looked at Gemma. “I’m really sorry, but I have to leave.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about me.” When he seemed to want to say more, she put her hand on his arm. “Go! And thanks for all your help.”
“You’re very welcome.” He bent forward to kiss her cheek, but then glanced at Colin, and on impulse he gave her a quick, sweet kiss on the mouth. “I swear I can still taste the chocolate,” he said, then started running toward the front of the house and his car.
For a moment Gemma stood where she was. She was very aware of Colin standing close to her, but she didn’t look at him. She thought of several things to say, but none of them came out. Instead, she just turned on her heel and started toward the house.
Colin placed all two hundred-plus pounds of himself in front of her, but she didn’t look up at his face. “Gemma, I apologize for whatever I did to make you angry at me.”
“I’m not angry. I think I should help in the kitchen.” She tried to step around him, but he blocked her path.
“This is because I fell asleep in your bed, isn’t it? Rachel sent Lanny to get me up. I was so dead asleep he said he thought he was going to have to fire a canon to wake me up.”
Gemma listened with her head down. “Fine. I understand. You were tired.”
“And you fed me that wonderful breakfast. It was great to eat a home-cooked meal.”
She didn’t reply, just stepped around him. “I really do need to go inside now.”
“Sure,” he said. “I didn’t mean to keep you.”
When Gemma got inside the house, she saw that Tess and Sara had been watching out the window.
Tess was smiling in an I-told-you-so way, but Sara went to Gemma and took her arm. “Whatever you’re doing to Colin, I love it!” she said softly. “He needs to have his whole life shaken up.”
Gemma didn’t want to discuss her personal problems with someone she’d just met. In spite of what Tris had said, she still worried that if Mrs. Frazier found out what had happened, she’d lose her job.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of doing anything with any of the Frazier sons. Is Joce around?”
“Sure,” Sara said as she let go of Gemma’s arm. “She’s upstairs with the babies.”
&nb
sp; “I shouldn’t disturb her.”
“I’m sure she’d like your help.”
Gemma went up the stairs and found Joce snuggled in the big four-poster holding a baby with a bottle, about eight months old, another one squirming on the bed beside her.
“May I?” Gemma asked as she looked at the baby on the bed.
“He’d love it,” Joce said. “He’s David and this one is Edilean.”
Gemma gently picked up the little boy and held him as he pulled at her hair, then tried to put her necklace in his mouth.