Free Shades of Gray by Carol A. Spradling

spell, he blinked and turned his gaze away as though embarrassed. 
    “Mr. Gregory,”
she said, allowing him time to regain his composure.  “I never had the
opportunity to thank you for rescuing me.  I am very grateful.”
    He held his
chin downward and seemed to study the dresser top.  Lifting something from
behind the oil lamp, he turned it in his hand.  Kat stretched her neck for a
better view.  The object lay hidden in his palm.  She’d have to look at the
bureau later to see what had captivated his attention.  Whatever it was, he
replaced it lovingly to its proper place and sighed.  His pained and drawn
profile pulled heavily at Kat’s heart.  She had been so concerned about her own
struggle; that she hadn’t considered Gray and his mother.  Clearly, his pain
was as fresh as her own.  What demon had tortured this poor soul?
    “You may call
me, Gray,” he said and turned to face her.  His shoulders relaxed as though he
had downed a stiff drink.  Although he seemed glad she had covered herself,
modesty couldn’t be an issue.  He had taken care of her the night she arrived
without Laura being present.  There had to be more than a bad memory connecting
him to the nightdress.  She wondered if she should tell him that Laura had
offered her the garment or simply let him draw his own conclusions.  Her
stomach rolled with the thought of being turned out with no other place to go.
    “If my being
here is too much of a burden,” she said.  Her voice shook and she wondered if
she had the courage to finish her thought.  “I will leave.”
    Gray narrowed
his eyes as though he considered her suggestion a viable option.  “And where
will you go if you leave Oak Willow?”  His head tilted to the side as he waited
for her answer.
    Concentrating
fully on one specific word he had used, she had no immediate response.  He had
said if not when she left his home.  If her presence had not
initiated the argument she had overheard or the pain that marked his face, what
did he want to talk with her about?  She had noticed a lack of servants.  In a
home of this size, she would expect a minimum staff of twelve.  At least,
that’s what other passengers had estimated while she was aboard ship.  Perhaps
he would offer her a means to offset her keep.  She glanced around the room. 
It would be pleasant to work for this family.
    “If you will
allow me to stay until I am healed,” she said.  “I will work to pay any expense
you have incurred with my being here.” 
    Gray’s eyes
narrowed, disappearing into two, cinched holes.  “I don’t employ servants,” he
snapped. 
    Kat drew
back.  His eye sockets resembled primped, musket barrels, and they were aimed
at her forehead.  Employment was clearly not the topic Gray planned to discuss
with her.  She scrambled to find an agreeable option.  “I could pay you after I
secured a position with a family who does hire indentured.”
    Gray slapped
the dresser drawer with the flat of his hand.  Small items clattered against
larger ones, rattling like a wind chime in a hail storm.  Kat was certain the
wood had cracked from the impact.  He breathed in deep and exhaled slowly. 
“Miss Bailey.  I am not in need of your funds.  You may stay here as long as
you deem it necessary for you to recover in full.  Is that agreeable to you?”
    Kat pushed
back into the pillows and drew her brows together.  Although relieved that she
would not be thrown out into the elements, Gray’s temper, and the fact that he
continued to address her in a formal manner, needed harnessing.  She squirmed
under the blankets, wanting to set a blaze to his hind quarters.  “There is no
need to call me Miss Bailey, Mr. Gregory.  I am comfortable being addressed as
Katherine.”  She bit her lip.  “Or Kat, if you prefer.  And yes, your terms are
agreeable to me.”  He was the one who gave her the nickname; he might as well
use it.
    He nodded. 
“Very well.  Katherine.  As