Page 5 of Safe in His Arms

Sterling sighed. “I’m not going to get back to sleep, am I?”

“Just take a look and let me know what you think. I’m going to make them both hot chocolates, then go home. I won’t be making any ground with Kat tonight, but you might.”

He nodded. “What room?”

“The pink one.”

The two men paced out to the hall, where Sterling went left and Tione turned right. He put Pixie outside, then heated milk and dark chocolate in a pot, mixing until they combined. He inhaled the rich aroma and gave into temptation, pouring a small mug for himself as well as two for the women. He added marshmallows to each, drank his, then carried the remaining mugs to the pink room. The door was ajar and he pushed it with his foot. When Kat glanced between him and Sterling and narrowed her eyes, he handed her a mug and kept a blank expression.

“Hot chocolate.” He placed the other on the wooden cabinet beside the bed. “One for you, too.”

“Thank you,” Hope said.

He bit the inside of his lip to keep quiet, waved at both women, and went into the hall to wait for Sterling. A moment later, the other man joined him.

“Well? What do you think?”

They walked down the hall together and paused outside Kat and Sterling’s room.

“I think she’s had a rough day,” Sterling said.

That much was obvious.

“And I agree, she’s hiding something,” he continued. “But if Kat trusts her enough to let her stay here, that’s okay with me.”

Of course it was. Sterling was absolutely smitten, and Tione shouldn’t have expected anything different.

A furrow formed between Sterling’s brows. “Strange thing, though. I could swear she looks familiar.”

“Huh.” Nowthatwas interesting. “But you don’t know from where?”

“No, but I’ll think on it.”

“You do that.” With a racing mind, Tione left the lodge, wandered across the garden to his cabin, brushed his teeth and went to bed. Whatever “Hope” was up to, he’d figure it out.

* * *

“Thankyou for not calling the police,” Megan said to Kat as the other woman peeled back the blankets and rubbed anti-inflammatory lotion into her multi-colored torso. To distract herself from the licks of pain dancing up her side, Megan applied the lotion to her forearms, breathing in the familiar menthol smell. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the pillow, feeling like her limbs had been infused with lead. Everything was heavy and sore. But the weariness was more than physical. It was soul deep.

“No problem.” Kat probed her ribcage with firm fingers and Megan hissed in pain. “Might be broken.”

“Or bruised.” She’d known as soon as Charles’s foot had connected with her body that he’d done some damage but she wasn’t convinced they were broken.

“This isn’t from a car accident.”

Megan didn’t want to reply, but she also didn’t want to get kicked out. It had been so long since anyone had touched her with as much kindness as Kat did. Since anyone had smoothed a hand over her skin with the intention of healing rather than hurting. Charles had isolated her from anyone who might fill that role, and she hadn’t even realized it was happening until she was alone.

She cleared her throat, and winced when it burned. “No, it’s not.”

The other woman nodded. “Is this the first time?”

“No.”

Kat made a sound of distress in the back of her throat. A moment later, she said, “You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

Thank God. Kat wasn’t going to push her. She wasn’t going to force her to voice what had happened. Hot tears prickled in her eyes and she tried to contain them, but they slid from the corners and rolled down the side of her face, soaking into the pillowcase.

“Thank you,” she said, her tongue thick in her mouth. “A… friend… told me that Sanctuary is a good place to start over. That’s what I want. A fresh start.”

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