Skin Deep Read Online Free

seemed wrong to leave the boy alone after what he had been through, and she fancied she could see some of the pain and distress lift from his sleeping features as she washed his face and stroked his salt-stiffened hair. Poor little thing—he wasn’t much more than a baby, was he? His mother must be frantic—if he had a mother. What had Alasdair said? That they had no family?
    Not surprisingly, Alasdair flinched at Rob’s every touch. Something seemed to trouble him about Rob Mowbray despite the doctor’s gentleness and calm. Was it the questions Rob asked him about where they’d come from and how they’d come to be on Garland’s beach? Just as he had to her, Alasdair would only reply, in a monotone , I don’t remember. I don’t know.
    “Well,” Rob said after cleaning and bandaging Alasdair as much as he would allow. He wouldn’t remove the robe she’d given him and seemed extremely dubious about the dressings Rob had put on his various wounds, including several deep and vicious ones on the bottoms of his feet. No wonder he’d had a hard time walking up to her house. “That’ll do for now till you get to Hyannis. I don’t know why 911 wasn’t working, Garland, but I’m going to find out. In the meanwhile, I’d be glad to give them a lift to the hospital—if you don’t mind coming with me, I can get them admitted pretty quickly—”
    “We will not go anywhere,” Alasdair said, struggling to sit up and frowning at Rob. “We shall stay here.”
    Rob blinked at his vehemence. “You and your son have, God knows how, just survived a horrific ordeal. I’ve done what I can for you here but you should both really go to the hospital for observation to make sure you don’t have any internal injuries—if all goes well you’ll be out of there by tonight, and that’s a promise. But if you can’t remember how you got into this condition or where you’re from, that tells me you need to be admitted at least overnight to check for neurological—”
    “No. We stay here.”
    “Have you discussed that with Mrs. Durrell?” Rob asked just as flatly.
    “Hey,” Garland broke in. Rob and Alasdair were scowling at each other so hard that their hair should have been on fire. “Why don’t we bring Conn upstairs to the spare room and let you and him rest while the doctor and I think about what we can do to help you? You’re in no condition to make decisions right now, and maybe after a nap you’ll begin to remember something. Okay?”
    “Garland,” Rob muttered.
    “It’s okay .” She looked at him meaningfully. “Come on. Is it all right if the doctor carries Conn?”
    Alasdair glared a moment longer, then nodded. He let them help him up and watched Rob closely as he lifted Conn off the couch, then followed behind, leaning on Garland’s arm. At the bottom of the stairs he paused and gazed up them. “So high,” he said under his breath.
    Garland motioned Rob ahead of them. “Left at the top, last room on the right,” she directed. That was the room she’d planned on using for her quilting studio because of the splendid light from its east- and south-facing windows. It was also the only room with twin beds in it. Well, no matter. Alasdair and Conn would be long gone before she was ready to start work.
    She turned to Alasdair. “I’ll help you,” she said, taking his arm. “I’m not surprised you’re feeling dizzy.”
    Alasdair started to say something then closed his mouth again and let her lead him up the stairs. He climbed them one at a time like a small child, staring at his feet in concentration as he did. At the top he looked back down, blanched, and turned away.
    Rob had already tucked Conn under the covers of one bed. They helped Alasdair ease down onto the other. He sighed, and she sensed the rigidity in his frame relax just a little bit. “Rest,” she said. “I’ll close the curtains, all right? Just shout if you need me.”
    “Garland.” He stared up at her, and she got the