Harlequin Intrigue August 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by B.J. Daniels

Author:B.J. Daniels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

Larkin heard a vehicle crunching over the gravel road and shot up from the stool in the kitchen where he’d been thumbing through the skinny county phone book, wondering who he could call to locate Ava without giving himself away. He knotted the silky ties of the snug, flowered robe he’d found in the bathroom over his jeans, and picked up the carving knife he’d set within arm’s reach on the stone countertop, in case an intruder showed up. He’d prefer his gun—the loaded version—but he could defend himself with a knife if he had to.

When he peeked through the curtains beside the door and saw Ava’s pickup pulling up to the house, with Maxie’s big, panting snout hanging out the passenger window, he exhaled a sigh of relief. “About damn time, woman.”

He paused with his hand on the doorknob. Although he wanted to know why she’d been gone longer than a trip into Pole Axe should take, according to his calculations, and ask if she’d considered the importance of having a backup plan or even a way to contact each other if either one of them got into trouble, he thought better of rushing outside and greeting her with a knife in his hand.

While she unleashed the hound and unloaded several bags from behind the seat, Larkin jogged back to the kitchen to return the knife to the butcher block from where he’d pulled it.

Chances were, he was overreacting to her lengthy absence. She had agreed she’d shop for him today so he could have some clothes that fit and a blessed pair of underpants. She’d told him she rose early to walk the dog and might be out when he got up. But he’d slept in later than he had in years, no doubt a side effect of his injuries and the medications working through his system. The list he’d jotted last night was gone from the bedside table, so he knew she’d come in to see him. He’d been half-aware of her presence as he’d slept—floating around his bed, gentle hands checking his vital signs, tending him in a way that made him feel someone cared. Or maybe that had all been a dream conjured by his jumbled brain.

The ringing telephone had jolted him awake nearly two hours ago. When it became clear that Ava wasn’t around to answer, he’d grabbed his jeans and run downstairs to hear a message from Kent Russell, asking on his whereabouts. Was the doctor really that concerned about his recovery? While he was being nosy, he listened to an earlier message from Dr. Russell, and another from Sheriff Stout. Was that why Ava had been gone so long? Had one or the other cornered her in town and pressured her with their suspicions that she knew something she wasn’t telling them?

He’d been worried that something had happened to her, and he’d had no way to confirm or disprove his worst suspicions. Even more unsettling had been admitting he’d been worried for himself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.