The Loner's Guarded Heart by Michelle Douglas

Author:Michelle Douglas [Douglas, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Women's Fiction
ISBN: 9781426815195
Google: g6RLKOClQvgC
Amazon: B0074ZCG6U
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2008-03-31T23:00:00+00:00

Kent woke at two o’clock in the morning to whining and scratching outside his bedroom window. Then Molly set up a howl. ‘For Pete’s sake!’ He threw back the covers, muttering imprecations under his breath as he lurched to the front door and flung it open. Who’d ever heard of a dog afraid of the dark? ‘C’mon, then,’ he grumbled.

Molly didn’t try to bowl him over with ecstatic wriggling and licks the way she normally did. She barked at him then turned her head in the direction of the cabins.

In the direction of Josie’s cabin.

It might be two o’clock in the morning and he might be fuzzy-headed, but Kent didn’t need a second signal. He jumped through the door, realised he was stark naked, raced back inside to pull on jeans and a shirt, dragged on his trainers and slammed out of the house to race after Molly.

Fear surged through him. His heart grew so large it pressed against his lungs, making him battle for every breath. Let her be OK. Let her be OK. The words pounded through him with each step.

Her cabin was all lit up and he didn’t hesitate to catch his breath. He didn’t hesitate for anything. He pounded on her door then tried it. Locked. He peered through the window but the curtains obscured his view. He pounded on the door again. ‘Josie!’ He rattled the handle. If she didn’t answer he’d break the damn thing down. ‘Josie!’

His shout should’ve woken the dead. From inside he heard a groan then a soft shuffling…The door opened. He took one look at her face and pity, tenderness and concern punched him. She looked terrible. She looked worse than terrible.

She blinked and clutched the doorframe, rested her head against it. ‘What can I do for you?’

He could hardly make out the words as they rasped from her throat. Didn’t she realise this wasn’t a social call? That it was two o’clock in the morning? Another rush of tenderness took him off guard. ‘Sweetheart, I think you’ll find you’re not well.’

She swayed and he leapt forward, slid an arm around her waist and moved her back to sit on the end of the sofa bed. She felt small and frail beneath his hands, her skin clammy and hot. She was burning up.

‘Might be why I don’t feel too good,’ she slurred.

She went to lie back down but he stopped her, so she leaned into him instead. Even sick she still smelt good enough to eat. ‘I promise to let you go back to sleep, as soon as you’ve answered a couple of questions.’ She gave no indication she’d heard him, so he placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face towards him. ‘Josie?’

‘I’m wearing my silly, skimpy pyjamas.’ Her mouth turned down. ‘I should get my robe.’

He had a feeling she felt too tired and sick to care about the robe, but he wished she hadn’t drawn attention to her nightwear. He’d done his best not to notice.

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