Heart's Delight by Cheryl Holt

Author:Cheryl Holt [Holt, Cheryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2014-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Michael tiptoed into Maggie’s bedchamber and stood next to the bed.

She was sleeping, looking young and pretty, and the oddest wave of protectiveness surged through him.

She inspired a host of peculiar emotions he’d never supposed he could experience with a woman. She made him laugh, made him relish the hours they’d wasted together.

He shouldn’t have tarried with her for a single minute, should have returned her to her brother-in-law, untouched, unsullied, and told Farrow he didn’t like her and wasn’t interested. But the sorry fact was that he liked her very much and was afraid maybe he more than liked her, and now he wasn’t sure what to do with her.

He was too disconcerted to decide such an important matter, and he was about to marry someone else—a pertinent detail he kept conveniently forgetting.

The bad dream he’d suffered at their picnic had rattled him. Usually he marched through the world without being sidetracked by peripheral issues. He was dispassionate and unsentimental, but old recollections had reared up to plague him, and he often felt as if he was racing toward some kind of violent collision.

The wounds from his past had wreaked significant damage that he hated to acknowledge, and he’d never understood why they’d been inflicted or why they continued to haunt him. Yet when he was around Maggie, the painful memories weren’t nearly so excruciating.

As he’d ridden in the rain, as he’d galloped down deserted country roads and let himself be pummeled by the deluge, he’d begun to question whether he shouldn’t accept Gaylord Farrow’s terms.

If Michael ruined her, he’d have the right to keep her for six months, would be able to fill his days and nights with her. And if he pressed ahead, he refused to think of it as a ruination. A bond had developed between them, and he was certain she’d agree to his proposition—if he posed it correctly.

During their affair he’d shower her with gifts and affection, and when he was finished with her, he’d set her up with a trust fund so she’d always have an allowance, so she’d never have to work again. It was much more than most women could ever hope to receive.

He wondered if she owned the building where the rescue mission was located. If so, he’d buy it from her and give her that money too. If she didn’t, he’d find out the identity of the owner, purchase the property and shut it down so she couldn’t work, so she had to take the allowance.

No, there would be no ruination. There would be joy and companionship and financial reward when it was over.

He eased a hip onto the mattress, and she frowned but didn’t awaken.

“Magdalena,” he murmured.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and on seeing him, she smiled. “You’re back.”

“Of course I’m back. I told you I’d be fine.”

“I was so worried. I sat by the window for hours, watching for you.”

It was the sweetest remark she could have uttered, and the comment had his heart lurching in his chest.

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