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He was watchingher. Worriedly, his gaze traced the planes of her face, and he was on his knees in a heartbeat. One of his hands reached for her, but visibly hesitated, before brushing her bruised cheek.
Every muscle in her body tensed at his touch. Not out of fear, but he was warm. Sowarm. A foreign emotion bubbled in the pit of her stomach. Greed maybe? His heat traveled hungrily through her skin, inciting an urge that had her aching to move closer. Become engulfed in that furnace-like warmth.
The look in his eyes stopped her, though—something told her that if shedidtouch him, he wouldn’t hesitate to bat her hand away.
I don’t want this!The memory of the declaration was almost as painful as what he said next, “Don’t youeverdo this again. Ever. In fact, don’t ever leave this property without my permission. Do you understand?”
Her heart sank beneath the weight of the order.Never again.She nodded, but he was already on his feet, his focus beyond her.
“I need to find the horse. Come with me.” He took off, and she followed robotically, cutting across the field.
Xavier had carried her farther than she’d realized, and it seemed to take an eternity to return to the heart of the property. McGoven remained silent during the entire trek, but his tense posture spoke for him.I’m angry. Don’t you ever do this again. You could have been killed!
She was shivering by the time they reached the farmhouse—not only because she walked barefoot in a sundress. Dread was another reason her teeth chattered. She knew that look in his eye. One way or another, she would pay for this little stunt.
But is there any room left?she wondered, glancing at her fresh bruises. It didn’t really matter. When they mounted the front porch, Loren tensed in anticipation of a blow.
But—even though he seemed just as angry—the only move McGoven made was to sidestep Sonia, who rushed to greet them.
“Is she okay?” the woman asked breathlessly. “Bill? Is she okay?”
He didn’t answer. With single-minded focus, he stalked off in the direction Xavier had taken off in. Simmering fury battered off him in waves, cutting through the icy mist.
“Ugh, Men.” Sonia clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “So damn dramatic. You okay? Bill nearly had a heart attack when we saw that you’d gone off on that horse.” She bit her lower lip at the memory. “They can be a little wild, as I’m sure you’ve found out. To be frank, I’m surprised he hasn’t sold them yet. Keeping them here has probably caused them more stress than anything. Not to mention the expense. I guess it’s out of loyalty. The rogue who used to live here kept them for so long—” She broke off, shooting Loren a worried glance. “Oh dear, you still look a little shaken. Your hair is a mess. Let me—” She attempted to finger a lock of wayward hair, but Loren nearly tripped off the bottommost porch step in her haste to back away.
While Sonia might not hurt her, she couldn’t say the same for everyone on the property. Fearfully, she eyed the direction Officer McGoven had marched off in, only to find that he’d vanished from view.
“I’m going to have to give him a littletalking toabout proper ways to express our anger,” Sonia muttered ominously. “Come on inside. I’ve made some chamomile tea. Oh, you’re feet! Let’s clean you off first.”
Loren waited while Sonia ran inside to fetch a towel. Once clean, she retreated to the couch, and Sonia reappeared armed with a steaming mug of tea. As Loren took a sip, she eyed the window, just in time to witness a dark shape streaking across the west field.
Xavier. But something else was hot on his heels. Or make thatsomeone,who easily herded the animal straight into the barn. Still holding the stable door, the figure turned as if seekingherout through the distance.
“Oh! Loren!” Sonia was staring at her, wide-eyed. “You’re bleeding.”
Sure enough, she had unintentionally bitten her bottom lip. Warm beads of blood dribbled down her chin, but she barely felt the sting.
“Wait here,” Sonia said, before racing down a hallway. “I’ll grab the first aid kit!”
Loren remained on the couch, tucking her knees beneath her chin. That inevitable ache in her gut that always preceded one of her father’s rages plagued her ceaselessly. That“shit’s about to hit the fan”feeling.
When she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, she tensed, but it was only Sonia sitting beside her with a white case on her lap.
“This might hurt a little,” the woman warned as she fished out a length of gauze. “But we don’t want it to get infected—”
“I’ll do it.”
Both women turned to the doorway, where officer McGoven stood as if he’d been there all along. The only signs that gave him away were mud-caked boots and tousled hair. The scent of fresh air diluted his unique smell, and Loren couldn’t help how her nostrils flared. He smelled wilder than ever.
Ours,the voice within her purred as if thrilled by his disheveled appearance. His clothing clung to every straining bit of muscle, damp with sweat.
“Are you sure, Bill?” Sonia clutched the med kit to her chest. “I can—”
“No.” He stepped forward, his voice ringing with authority. “I’ll do it.”
Sonia shrugged and retreated to a corner while Officer McGoven continued to approach. As he came close enough to touch, Loren cleared her throat.
“W-Wait.” She didn’t know what made her speak up. Maybe guilt. “X-Xavier? Is he alright?”
