Breathe Again

Chapter 20

Ashfield's laughter reached Dottie as she took a steadying breath and prepared to leave her sanctuary. How long had she sat on her bed with her mind spinning in turmoil? What did it matter anyway? She had other worries to concern herself with now.

One of her biggest boiled down to a simple question. How on earth was she going to act normal around Sterling now that she knew the truth? He would never have said those things if he knew she was only feet away and able to hear every word he uttered.

He would know something was up with her the minute he saw her behaving differently toward him. She couldn't maintain the same emotionally distant relationship she'd tried to project over the past fourteen years. Not now that she knew the truth of what Martin had made him do and say.

Ashfield may have put the words of Sterling being in love with her in his mouth, but Sterling hadn't spit them back out in denial. So where did that leave them? She supposed they could pick up where they had been earlier this morning, tiptoeing around the issue of their past.

On the other hand, would it be better for them if she took the knowledge she now possessed and moved forward to clear the hurt feelings away? Was it even her place to try to take control of the situation, or should she leave it up to Sterling?

Staring at the quilt door and hay bale wall before her, a new worry came to the forefront. Would Sterling even broach the subject of him loving her, or was she destined always to love him from her sheltered loneliness as she had before? What would be worse?

Dottie sighed and rubbed her forehead and temples to ease away a growing headache, and pushed the quilt aside before leaving the room.

Smoothing a hand over her hair and tucking an errant strand behind her ear, she cautiously made her way to the stairs. The last thing she wanted was to have a run-in with one or both of the men in her current troubled state.

So intent on listening for sounds from down below, she didn't see Sterling standing over by his bed completely bare-chested.

He rubbed the ointments, and salve Ashfield had ordered him to use on his chest, before removing the shirts from the leather satchel where it rested on his bed.

Glancing up, he saw Dottie walk past him and watched her careful approach to the stairs. He frowned at noticing she looked drawn and pale. Hoping she wasn't ill, Sterling grabbed his shirt.

Walking up behind her, he lightly touched her shoulder. "Dottie is everyth-"

A strangled scream tore from her throat before she could cut it off completely as she spun on her heel. Her fist lashed out and connected with his jaw in a solid punch. Her full skirts whirled around her legs then swished back and forth like a bell when she stared up at him in shock.

Stars exploded before his eyes, and he was barely able to stay on his feet. Sterling staggered back, clutching his throbbing cheek and jaw.

Dottie's heart thundered madly in her chest. Good heavens, what had she just done? She covered her mouth in mortified horror. "Why did you scare me?" she fumed, more embarrassed than angry.

How long had he been there and why hadn't she seen him when she left her side of the room? She was a scatterbrained dolt today, all because of him. She glared at him and rested her trembling fists on her hips, hoping he wouldn't notice how they shook.

Rubbing his jaw, Sterling forgot he stood before her half-naked, his shirt wadded in his hand at his side. "Who taught you to punch like that?"

He opened and closed his mouth, testing his aching jaw, and winced. Just when he was on the mend, something new had to happen to bestow further injury upon his battered body. At the first sign of rain, he was staying indoors because at this rate he was bound to be struck by lightning.