“You’ve always told me to trust my instincts. Well, my instincts are telling me not to fight this.”
He must have read her determination, because he ceded the battle. For now. “How long will you be here?”
“A week. Then we have to go back.”
And it might take her that long to convince her brother she would be well.
Chapter Twenty
Robert smiled down at Beth as she took his hand and swung it back and forth.
He had abandoned his armor in favor of jeans and a T-shirt Josh had generously lent him. On his feet, he wore a pair of Josh’s sneakers, which Robert decided were the most comfortable shoes he had ever worn. It was like walking on cushions.
Beth was similarly garbed in jeans and a T-shirt, but hers molded themselves to every curve.
Josh had invited their friends Marc and Grant to dinner and expected them to arrive soon.
Beth’s pretty face was flushed with excitement. She remained in constant motion, shifting from side to side or bobbing up and down on her toes. As Josh had phrased it, she was totally bouncing off the walls.
“I have never seen you thus,” Robert murmured, thoroughly entertained. He would not have thought anything could distract him from the miraculous television the siblings’ living room boasted, or the gas range with its stunning blue fire in the kitchen. But Beth enchanted him.
She did a funny little shuffle and dance with her feet that made Josh laugh from his position across the living room. “Do you like it or hate it?”
Robert grinned. “I like it.” It made him want to take her in his arms and—
The doorbell rang.
Emitting a squeak of excitement, Beth jumped up and down, then dragged Robert out of the living room and into the hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathroom.
“Do you not wish to stay and greet your friends?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I want to surprise them.”
They heard Josh open the door and greet his guests. Two deep male voices joined his. Beth released Robert’s hand and covered her lips with her fingers as though she found it almost impossible to hold back the delighted flow of words that threatened to burst free.
She was so adorable that Robert was tempted to drag her into the nearest bedroom and make love to her. But just as he decided her friends would have to wait, she jumped into the doorway to the living room and yelled, “Surprise!”
A charged silence followed.
Curious about these men who were so important to his wife, Robert stepped up behind her.
They were tall, matching his and Josh’s height. Both were dressed casually in the jeans and T-shirts that were so common in this time. One of the men had black hair that was almost as long as Beth’s. It framed a handsome face graced with dark eyes, a mustache and a beard that covered his chin, but left the rest of his jaw bare.
The other man, however, was the one who drew and held Robert’s attention.
His skin was a warm, dark brown. Darker than Robert had ever seen. Was he a Moor, like those Dillon had told him tales of after returning from King Richard’s crusade?
The man’s head was clean-shaven and shone beneath the overhead lights. His face was handsome, angular, highlighted by brown eyes and a mustache and beard similar to the other man’s. But while the first man’s short beard was as straight as his hair, the Moor’s was wavy and curly.
Both men stared at Beth as though she were a spirit, their faces a study in shock. Then they lunged forward simultaneously.
Beth held up her arms, waggling her fingers and dancing on her toes. The Moor reached her first, sweeping her up into his arms and holding her tight, her feet dangling above the floor. The other man impatiently awaited his turn, his gaze flickering to Robert’s and holding.
Setting her down, the Moor stepped back.
Beth leaped into the second man’s arms.
Robert ruthlessly tamped down the jealousy that threatened to rise. Loving Beth meant accepting her penchant for openly expressing affection for men she considered her friends, often through physical overtures like this. He knew she meant naught improper, so he resolved not to let it bother him.
When the second man stepped back, the first embraced her again. “Are you all right?”
Though the Moor spoke Beth’s modern English, Robert had learned enough to understand his meaning, if not every word.
Beth nodded. “I’m fine.”
Loosening his hold, the Moor slid his hands down her arms and grasped her fingers. “We thought—” He broke off, lips tightening, throat working in a swallow. “We thought you were dead or…” He shook his head, unable to continue.
Sniffling, Beth gave his hands a squeeze. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“What happened?” the other asked, voice hoarse.
Robert was touched to see that both men battled tears.