Celia Kyle - Battered Not Broken by Celia Kyle

Author:Celia Kyle [Kyle, Celia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-03-08T00:17:34.708000+00:00

Chapter Eight

Dressed in her new jeans, layered flannel shirts, jacket and boots, Gillian set off into the snow-covered wilderness, leaving two very unhappy men behind. They'd pointed her in the right direction, mumbling about being careful and to stay on the path, the whole time looking like little kids who'd had their candy stolen. Tough, it was high time she made decisions for herself and got used to confrontation. It seemed her life with these three men would be full of it.

The thought made her stop dead in her tracks and lean against a tree. Had her thoughts really wandered there? Was she considering staying with the three brothers? No. Good, moral women didn't do things like live and love three men. Love? No, it wasn't love either. Affection, maybe. Like, and a connection, sure. But love? Nope, it was too soon to be love.

She wasn't trudging through the snow, opening her body up to new aches and pains for love. She wanted to make sure Conner wasn't mad and was okay. And maybe spend some time with him alone to see if they had a connection like she did with Ronan and Max. Damn. She really must have a “slut” tattoo somewhere on her body.

Gillian pushed away from the tree, continuing her journey to God only knew where. They'd told her it was a few hundred yards away, but she felt like she'd walked that far and a few thousand more. Oh well. One foot in front of the other—she'd done it before—she trudged through the snow-filled mud. At least this time, her body wasn't wracked with shivers and shooting pains as she walked. The clothes Conner and Ronan had purchased kept her body relatively warm and comfortable, even in the freezing temperatures.

Eyes glued to the ground, searching for the trail the brothers had convinced her could easily be seen, she ran straight into a tree, bumping her head on the trunk. The collision knocked her flat on her ass. She landed with a grunt.

So much for following the path.

She wiped the snow and bark debris from her hair, her fingers came away smeared in blood. Now they'd never let her out of the house by herself. After a few minutes, the bleeding seemed to stop and she hoisted her body from the ground. Ass soaked from sitting in the snow, she looked around, trying to find the trail. She couldn't see the “unmissable” trail, but could hear the gurgle of water in the distance. Hoping the sound came from the river the brothers had said Conner liked to sit near, she took off at a slow plod toward the noise.

Coming through the trees, she found Conner just where Ronan and Max said he would be—sitting on a twenty-foot high natural outcropping of rocks along the river's edge, staring into the water. The sound of the water muffled her approach, and he didn't turn to look at her until she'd nearly crawled onto the mound next to him. When he did notice her, he acted as if the world was coming to an end.

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