Free Operation Mail-Order Bride by Elnora Field Page A

let my studying slide and…. If she’s gone for good, I don’t know what I’ll do, Cassie.”
    I sighed, picked up a towel and wrung out the excess bleach water. I swabbed the counter in order to have something to do, though it didn’t need to be cleaned any more. The angry impulse that brought Blair to the doughnut shop at four in the morning seemed to have passed, but I didn’t want him to think he could come whining to me whenever he was having relationship problems.
    “I’m sorry for your troub les, Blair, but you’re a grown man. You can straighten this out without my help.”
    “I suppose.” He stared at the fresh doughnuts arrayed in the cases, but I could tell he wasn’t really seeing them. He was deep in thought and said nothing for a couple of minutes. Then he seemed to come to attention and he met my eyes. His were inexpressibly unhappy. “I guess I shouldn’t have come here,” he began. “It’s just … ever since you moved here, it seems as if things have been going downhill for me.”
    I controlled an urge to laugh.
    “Good night. I’m sorry I bothered you,” he concluded, and left. I watched him climb into his car, start it and pull out of the parking lot, heading toward the campus and his apartment.
    “Has he ever walked in here and given you a hard time when I wasn’t here?” asked David, emerging from the kitchen. I did laugh then, with relief. There had been nothing to worry about after all, not with David nearby. He poured himself more coffee and seasoned it, eyeing me curiously. “I know it’s none of my business, Cassie, but….”
    “Former boyfriend. He dumped me. I’m over it.” I smiled at him, then I walked up to him, took his face in my hands and planted a kiss on his lips.
    “What was that for?” He looked far more pleased than he sounded.
    “For being such a prince.”
    David left the spoon standing in his mug and put his arms around me. After studying my eyes briefly, he kissed me: a deep lingering kiss. He didn’t pull away until we heard the sound of an approaching car. As he returned to the kitchen, he gave me a look that warmed me all the way to my toes. Our relationship had entered a new phase.
    David confirmed this on our next date—dinner at my cottage. I had put a small rump roast in my crock pot that morning before I went to sleep. When David arrived, it was perfectly cooked and a pot of rice was bubbling on the range. He leaned against the doorjamb, watching me make gravy.
    “I’ve been thinking, Cassie.”
    “And?”
    “I like you. A lot. I think I’m in love with you. How do you feel about me?”
    I smiled at him, but kept stirring. If this was a proposal, he was springing it on me at an awkward moment, for I didn’t dare ignore the gravy. I would ruin it.
    “I like you, too, David, and I may love you as well. I’m not sure, but I know what we have is good. You seem to bring out my good qualities. I … feel good about myself when I’m with you.” I paused, remembering unpleasant experiences before I had met him, and shook my head. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
    “That’s how I react to you. I feel as if I can tell you anything, and I never get the impression that you’re judging me, or comparing me with someone you dated in the past. It’s as if with you, I can just … be.”
    “I’m glad.” I continued to stir.
    He pushed off from the doorpost and came over to the stove. He kissed me briefly, then embraced me from behind and pressed his head alongside mine.
    “I know you can’t stop what you’re doing,” he said, watching my hands. “I just felt it was time … ahh, that smells good … ah, time to talk about getting serious.”
    I relaxed against him. I should have known he would understand about the gravy.
    “I’m glad you did, David. I never would have. You met me when I was hurting from my breakup with Blair and desperate from losing my job. I knew I was vulnerable and I decided to just let things