Rescued by a Stranger by Lizbeth Selvig

Author:Lizbeth Selvig [Selvig, Lizbeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780062300386
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

JILL FLOATED UNHAPPILY from sleep fifteen minutes before her 5:30 a.m. alarm went off. She dragged the covers over her head and drifted along with the wisps of a dream.

Chase kissed her until Jamie Barnes flashed past them bareback astride a magnificent black-and-white stallion. Every few seconds she passed the gate from Robert McCormick’s chicken yard. Rebecca wedged herself between Jill and Chase yelling, “This is so stupid, Jamie, you’re the only woman I know who cares whether your chickens get enough exercise.”

Jill’s eyes flew open, and she sat straight up. Sleepiness vanished, and she hugged her knees to keep from laughing. It wasn’t hard to figure out the inspirations for this dream. Seventy by forty feet was just big enough for a functional riding space. The idea was cheerful if insane.

But, by the time she got to breakfast Chase had already borrowed Elaina’s car and gone, leaving her cheeriness faded.

She settled for the anticipation of seeing Chase at lunch, but it lasted only until she learned he’d worked all morning, then gone to a Connery company meeting. Bummed for a second time, she distracted herself by scoping out the stable’s familiar outdoor and indoor arenas with an eye for Jamie’s needs. She didn’t like the outdoor since it had no fence or rail, and the potential for runaway was too great. She didn’t like the indoor arena because the space felt too cavernous for a rider with limited control.

All of a sudden, the prospect of Jamie riding seemed far-fetched. Too many barriers seemed insurmountable. She didn’t have the foggiest clue how to teach a physically challenged rider. That was Dee’s area of expertise. The whole endeavor would take a lot more thought.

When Chase wasn’t in the guesthouse after eight when she got home, Jill finally started worrying, wondering if he’d been hurt and nobody knew whom to contact. Or, she wondered if he was avoiding her, running scared after their kiss last night, as he’d done once already.

She didn’t know how to reach the part of him he kept hidden from the world. When it came to support and tenderness of her, he could out-Casanova the great Casanova. When it came to himself, however, he was guarded as Area 51—hiding who-knew-what behind the half lover, half warrior she could see on the surface.

A fugitive? A deadbeat dad? A drug runner? An undercover cop? A werewolf? She’d considered the most fanciful possibilities. Nothing made sense. He couldn’t be a bad person. On the other hand, nothing less than something bad would make a person toss back every deserved compliment he received like it was an unexploded grenade.

Jill padded around the kitchen scrounging halfheartedly for dinner. When the phone rang, she ignored it, hoping her mother would answer. On the fifth ring, however, she grabbed it, exasperated.

“Hello?”

“Jill? Is this Jill?”

The gruff old voice startled her. “Mr. McCormick?”

“Yah. Say, I think there’s a problem with the mare.” His words came out understated in comparison to the agitation in his tone.

“With Gypsy? What’s wrong?”

“She’s been in labor all afternoon I think, but she’s not right.

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.