Lightning Game (GhostWalkers #17) -Christine Feehan Page 0,46
try to always do the same with you, Jonquille. I know it bothers you to think that Whitney paired us and you don’t want anything to do with that, but I’ve had the advantage of witnessing so many of his pairings really working out to be genuine love matches. I don’t want to waste time fighting it. I’m not a dating kind of man. I’d rather accept what feels like a tremendous gift to me and go from there.”
Her lashes fluttered down. Rubin wasn’t certain if it was because her lashes were so long and thick but light colored, almost bluish silver they were so blond, that she appeared vulnerable when they veiled her eyes, but he instantly felt protective of her.
“I come at things as logically as I can. It just seems to me that we work, Jonquille. I can direct energy away from you so you can be in a room with others. You can use your healing skills when you feel the desire to do so. It isn’t a perfect answer, but it buys us some time to find one. There is one, we just haven’t found it yet.”
Her gaze jumped back to his. “You can do that? Direct energy away from me?”
“I believe I can. I came up here to practice a little, directing lightning to specific targets. If I can direct that amount of energy, surely I can direct a much smaller amount. We can practice with Diego and then you can go with us to one of our regular patients and see how you do. If it doesn’t work, you can wait outside.”
She sent him a small smile, but there was hope in her eyes. “I might get pitchforked if I’m alone outside.”
“That’s only if they have an eligible daughter they want married off.”
Jonquille groaned. “I hadn’t even thought of that. An outsider comes up to the mountains and nabs the most eligible, hot-looking doctor around. I’m definitely not going to be popular.” Her smile faded. “You were telling me about the Sawyer family. You said they were your favorite family and were telling me why.”
“The Sawyers,” he repeated. “They’re really good people. Patricia has three sons, including my nephew, and a daughter. It’s not easy to make a living up here. More than most, she’s open to modern ways and education. She sent all of them to school and then to college. It wasn’t easy, but she managed without them. That’s the kind of woman she is. She would have been a pioneer.”
“You admire strong women.”
He smiled at her. “I do. I hope to introduce you to Wyatt’s grandmother someday. She’s a strong woman, and you would love her. I think you’d really like Patricia as well. Diego and I hired two of her sons to look after our property for us. Her youngest, Edward, went to school but really had a difficult time being away from the mountains and came back as soon as he could. One of his older brothers, Rory, had an accident in the mill where he was working as a supervisor, and he came home. He’d always been interested in keeping the trees healthy. He had studied the subject in college, minoring in it, but that was his real interest. Like Diego and me, he doesn’t want to see West Virginia lose our part of the Appalachian Mountains.”
“Where are Patricia’s other two children now? The daughter and son?”
“Her daughter, Maggie, is in her last year of college. She’s been studying in the field of artificial intelligence and robotic engineering. It just so happens that one of the leading experts in the field of AI has a research lab where I live in Louisiana and has been looking for someone really intelligent to work with her that would be open to traveling and giving lectures. I’ve asked her to keep an eye on Maggie. I’m hoping Maggie meets her requirements and she offers her a job. That way I can know she’s safe.”
“That is so like you.”
“Nick, my nephew, joined the service. The Air Force. I keep an eye on him as well. He’s doing very well. Patricia has some arthritis but nothing major yet that worries me. I’m watching her right shoulder. She broke her arm a couple of years ago. It was a fairly bad break, up high, in three places, and I didn’t like the way it healed. She waited too long before she could get out of here to get help. The winter was bad