Love Walked In (Stevens Book 7)

Chapter 9

Norah laid in Caleb's bed for hours before deciding that sleep wasn't going to come easily. Getting up, she slowly went down the stairs listening in the dark, hearing the gentle snores of Scarlett and Caleb, and she smiled realizing that the sound made her feel content.

She walked over to Caleb's drafting board with her sketch book and pencils, turning on the lamp attached to it and taking the time to study Caleb's work, she was impressed with his clean lines.

He was an artist too.

Very gently she picked up his drawing and walked it over to the large table, making sure it was safe before she returned to the drafting board and opened her sketch book. Now that she had a plan of sketching the couples instead of the individuals her fingers itched to get everyone one on paper.

She started with Lizzy and Brian and managed to get through Bryce and Grace before sleep overtook her, and that was how Caleb found her the next morning asleep over the drafting board, her sketches strewn about her.

It was early but he knew he couldn't leave her sleeping in such an awkward position.

Very gently Norah felt a hand on her shoulder and as she jerked away causing agonizing pain to shoot through her back and neck. She couldn't even lift her head from where it had fallen on the drafting table.

"Norah, wouldn't you be more comfortable in bed?"

"Yes," Norah said but didn't move, hoping he would leave.

"Norah?" Caleb's voice had an edge of impatience to it.

"I can't move," she whispered so softly Caleb had to ask her to repeat herself.

"I cannot move." She closed her eyes in frustration at her broken body. "I have some pills in my blue toiletry bag upstairs in the bathroom."

Caleb assessed the situation before he went to retrieve the pills, and when he returned to he was carrying the bag that she had described.

"Can you pull them out and I'll tell you which ones I need?"

Caleb followed her instructions giving her the pills she requested. She hurt so bad she could barely lift her arm to get the pills in her mouth so Caleb had to feed them to her.

"Thank you," she said softly once again and he had to lean forward to hear her. She was mortified that she had let it happen. She should never have tried to work so late or allowed herself to fall asleep.

"I'll need to stay here for at least a half an hour until the meds start to work. You might as well go ahead with your day." Norah tried to rotate her neck but it was too soon and she winced in pain, still unable to lift her head off of the desk.

"How on earth would I be able to work knowing you were unable to even move?" Caleb had pulled one of the chairs from the dining table towards her straddling it as he rested his chin on his arms.

"Why didn't you tell me about your father?"

It appeared he was going to take this chance to question her. "When it happened I had no way to contact you. Not that it would have a made a difference; you had already decided that you didn't want me what would have been the point."

"And this weekend when I asked you about his allowing you to earn money through your art?" His eyes searched hers.

"You mean my pretty pictures?" she was still stung by his earlier comment, "Again, what would have been the point? Would it have made you want me? Why now when he's gone, why not then? Was I not worth fighting for?"

Norah watched as he flinched at her question.

"It wasn't a matter of me not fighting, you left me with the distinct impression that you didn't want a fight, that you were automatically going to acquis to your father's wishes."