Protecting Annie. by Jodie Wolfe

Author:Jodie Wolfe [Wolfe, Jodie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Fiction, inspirational fiction, Clean and Wholesome Novels, Religion and Spirituality
ISBN: 9781522303558
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2021-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

16

Silence settled on the room. Josh considered the blustering woman in front of him. His head screamed at him to leave her alone to fend for herself, but his gut twisted, not allowing him to move. She was in a fix because of him. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“Why do you keep calling me that? I know I’m old, but I’ve never been married. Didn’t anybody ever teach you the difference between ma’am and miss? Miss is used for unmarried women; you uncouth sidewinder.” Her blue eyes flashed at him. She was anything but old.

Josh bit back a smile. She looked mighty pretty when riled. He dipped his head to hide his laughter. “Sorry, miss.”

“Are you laughing at me?” She pounded her hand on the table and then winced.

“You need to take care of that burn.” He brushed his finger against the side of her hand, being careful not to touch the injured area. “It must hurt something fierce. Do the burns on your face bother you?”

Her hands covered her cheeks, and her face paled. “M-my face.”

“What happened? How did you get those burns?” He snagged her wrists and tugged them toward his face.

“I had to bend close to the pan to check on the food.” Her words were a mere whisper.

His gut twisted and turned. This was his fault. The poor critter. Josh couldn’t imagine not being able to see. He must be crazy to find himself pitying her. Surely, it was because of his relief Jules had survived childbirth. Or maybe he could blame it on being in a good mood because he could now call himself an uncle. It had to be what had him all befuddled. “Have you worn spectacles long?” He ran his finger along the lacy stuff along the sleeve of her dress.

“Since I was a wee child.” She nibbled on her lower lip. Probably to keep it from trembling. Tears sparkled on her eyelashes. “You should g-go.”

He lowered his head to see what her lips tasted like. They were a mixture of salt and sweetness, just like… He sprung backwards and slammed his hat on his head. What was he doing?

“Forgive me.” He vaulted for the door to her apartment and slammed it shut behind him. His boots made loud clomps as he took the stairs, two at a time. Josh couldn’t get away fast enough.

A voice interrupted his sprint to his own dwelling behind the jail. “Sheriff Walker.”

He mumbled to himself and turned, praying it wasn’t the schoolmarm.

~*~

Annie sat glued to her chair, unable to move as Mr. Outlaw practically ran from the room, banging the door behind him. Her hand trembled as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. She’d waited all those years for this. Somehow, she’d envisioned a kiss to be much more pleasurable than what she’d exchanged with the blackguard. What had possessed him to do such a thing? She didn’t know exactly what she’d envisioned with her first kiss, but what had transpired left her with no desire to repeat the activity.

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.