simply reassuring her that that ' s not the case. "
" What happened to t he teacher? "
" Which one? " He gave her a wry smile. " Misty ' s been through three teachers in the past seven months. She can be a bit of a handful, and it ' s hard to find someone with experience in teaching ASL and in dealing with…well, let ' s say her streak of stubbornness. " His voice grew gentle as he watched his daughter. " I don ' t know what to do with her anymore. "
" What about your wife? Can ' t she home-school Misty? "
He looked at her, his jaw clenched and eyes burning with contempt. " Her mother is no longer in the picture. And even if she was, she ' d be absolutely useless. "
Rhianna swallowed hard. " That ' s kind of harsh, don ' t you think? I mean, she is Misty ' s mother. "
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway.
" My wife abandoned us seven years ago, Ms. McLeod. She left us the day the doctor confirmed that Misty was deaf ―the day she found out she didn ' t have a perfect child. "
Rhianna ' s mouth gaped in shock.
How could a mother voluntarily leave her own child―especially a deaf, yet beautiful little girl who needed her?
She thought of her own mother, of the tragic car accide nt that had ripped Rhianna from her parents and forced her to grow up afraid, abused and so alone.
" I didn ' t know, " she whispered.
" Of course you didn ' t, " he snapped. " You ' re a stranger here. You know nothing. "
" You ' re right. "
He was silent.
" I-I ' m really sorry. "
Her apology seemed to diffuse his anger. His shoulders relaxed, his hands unclenched and his mouth softened. She couldn ' t take her eyes off his lips.
He looked at her for a long moment, then glanced away. " It ' s a touchy subject. My apologies, Ms. McLeod. "
When they entered Misty ' s bedroom, Rhianna studied the small child with the wild hair and untamed temperament.
" There must be a suitable teacher on the mainland, " she suggested. " One that ' s qualified. "
Jonathan shook his head. " I think we ' ve gone through them all. I ' ll have to put an ad in some of the other island newspapers. "
Misty sat on her bed and played silently with two Barbie dolls. She was mimicking an argument, one that resulted in one of the dolls slapping the hands of the other. After a moment, the girl raised her head and locked eyes with her.
" I ' ll do it. "
The words were out of Rhianna ' s mouth before she could even contemplate the consequences.
~ * ~
Taken aback, Jonathan gawked at her. With auburn hair framing a heart-shaped face, Rhianna McLeod sure didn ' t look like any teacher he ' d ever met.
I could probably teach her a thing or two.
Unable to resist, he glanced at her full lips covered only with a touch of pink gloss. He wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips. What would she taste like? Cotton candy came to mind.
" You ' ll teach my daughter? "
" Yes. "
" The last teacher said Misty is uncooperative and undisciplined. Why do you think you ' ll have any better luck? "
There was a spark of challenge in her eyes.
" It ' s not a matter of luck. It ' s a matter of trust. "
He smiled. " You think you can get Misty to trust you? "
She shrugged.
" And why should I trust you, Ms. McLeod? "
" Because you ' ve got no one else. "
He leaned one hip against the wall and crossed his arms. " There ' s a private school for deaf children in Miami. They have a great success record. I ' ve been thinking of maybe sending her there. "
" You ' d send your own daughter away? " she asked, shocked. " To live with strangers? "
" It ' s not the best scenario, but it might be better for her. "
" How can you be so insensitive? "
" Maybe it ' s what she needs. "
" Misty needs her father, " she hissed. " Not some cold institution surrounded by strangers. "
" It ' s just an option. I ' m not ready to make that kind of decision yet, but it might be good for her. Sh e ' ll have other children to play with, proper education, and― "
" And it '
" What happened to t he teacher? "
" Which one? " He gave her a wry smile. " Misty ' s been through three teachers in the past seven months. She can be a bit of a handful, and it ' s hard to find someone with experience in teaching ASL and in dealing with…well, let ' s say her streak of stubbornness. " His voice grew gentle as he watched his daughter. " I don ' t know what to do with her anymore. "
" What about your wife? Can ' t she home-school Misty? "
He looked at her, his jaw clenched and eyes burning with contempt. " Her mother is no longer in the picture. And even if she was, she ' d be absolutely useless. "
Rhianna swallowed hard. " That ' s kind of harsh, don ' t you think? I mean, she is Misty ' s mother. "
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway.
" My wife abandoned us seven years ago, Ms. McLeod. She left us the day the doctor confirmed that Misty was deaf ―the day she found out she didn ' t have a perfect child. "
Rhianna ' s mouth gaped in shock.
How could a mother voluntarily leave her own child―especially a deaf, yet beautiful little girl who needed her?
She thought of her own mother, of the tragic car accide nt that had ripped Rhianna from her parents and forced her to grow up afraid, abused and so alone.
" I didn ' t know, " she whispered.
" Of course you didn ' t, " he snapped. " You ' re a stranger here. You know nothing. "
" You ' re right. "
He was silent.
" I-I ' m really sorry. "
Her apology seemed to diffuse his anger. His shoulders relaxed, his hands unclenched and his mouth softened. She couldn ' t take her eyes off his lips.
He looked at her for a long moment, then glanced away. " It ' s a touchy subject. My apologies, Ms. McLeod. "
When they entered Misty ' s bedroom, Rhianna studied the small child with the wild hair and untamed temperament.
" There must be a suitable teacher on the mainland, " she suggested. " One that ' s qualified. "
Jonathan shook his head. " I think we ' ve gone through them all. I ' ll have to put an ad in some of the other island newspapers. "
Misty sat on her bed and played silently with two Barbie dolls. She was mimicking an argument, one that resulted in one of the dolls slapping the hands of the other. After a moment, the girl raised her head and locked eyes with her.
" I ' ll do it. "
The words were out of Rhianna ' s mouth before she could even contemplate the consequences.
~ * ~
Taken aback, Jonathan gawked at her. With auburn hair framing a heart-shaped face, Rhianna McLeod sure didn ' t look like any teacher he ' d ever met.
I could probably teach her a thing or two.
Unable to resist, he glanced at her full lips covered only with a touch of pink gloss. He wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips. What would she taste like? Cotton candy came to mind.
" You ' ll teach my daughter? "
" Yes. "
" The last teacher said Misty is uncooperative and undisciplined. Why do you think you ' ll have any better luck? "
There was a spark of challenge in her eyes.
" It ' s not a matter of luck. It ' s a matter of trust. "
He smiled. " You think you can get Misty to trust you? "
She shrugged.
" And why should I trust you, Ms. McLeod? "
" Because you ' ve got no one else. "
He leaned one hip against the wall and crossed his arms. " There ' s a private school for deaf children in Miami. They have a great success record. I ' ve been thinking of maybe sending her there. "
" You ' d send your own daughter away? " she asked, shocked. " To live with strangers? "
" It ' s not the best scenario, but it might be better for her. "
" How can you be so insensitive? "
" Maybe it ' s what she needs. "
" Misty needs her father, " she hissed. " Not some cold institution surrounded by strangers. "
" It ' s just an option. I ' m not ready to make that kind of decision yet, but it might be good for her. Sh e ' ll have other children to play with, proper education, and― "
" And it '
Similar Books
