up.
“You’ve got to swim for it, Eve. Crawl in behind the falls. I’ll return fire, give you time to make it. Do you understand?”
She nodded, the veil of her hat bobbing in time with her answer.
“I’ve got six rounds and two reloads. I’ll squeeze them off a couple at a time. Stay under the surface. He’ll have a hard time getting a clear shot.”
He squeezed her hand. “Go.”
Eve’s heart slammed against her rib cage. She clawed for the water’s edge. Sucking a deep breath into her lungs, she slipped into the pool on her belly.
Pulling with her arms, she reached for depth. The force of the water floated her hat off her head.
Panic bit into her brain, robbing from her oxygen supply.
Turning back for the hat, she heard the first couple of rounds from J.P.’s gun resonate at the surface of the water.
She spotted the disguise suspended like a filmy jellyfish just within her grasp. She reached for it. It slipped through her fingers and floated farther away.
Another loud report fired from J.P.’s weapon.
Her lungs burned, on fire with uncomfortable jolts of tension, warnings that her air was short.
Drowning for a stupid disguise?
Still torn, she turned for the base of the falls and kicked as hard as she could in her cowboy boots. She reached the face of the outcropping below the waterline. Using it as a guide, she pulled herself up the rocks and broke the surface of the water.
Bam-bam. Two rapid-fire rounds blasted from J.P.’s pistol just over her right shoulder.
Terrified, she squeezed through the opening and rolled onto the rough contours of the stone directly behind the falls. It was a place she knew well. A place she’d explored many times, but never with a sniper bearing down on her.
Sucking in one deep breath after another, she felt her heart rate slow before she pushed up onto her knees and crawled into the narrow space on the left side behind a massive bolder, careful to keep her head down in case the shooter fired into the cranny.
Counting the seconds, she prayed J.P. wouldn’t get hit by a bullet. She slicked the water out of her eyes with her hands, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the crystal sheet of water in front of her.
Movement at the water’s edge signaled his plunge into the pool.
Reaching up, she pressed her palm against the left side of her face. Wisps of horror intertwined with fear, and both conspired to rip her composure to shreds. If only she could erase the scars.
How would J.P. react? Would his assessment be as brutal as Thomas’s had been? Oh, he’d soothed her that day in the hospital when the bandages came off, told her she was still beautiful, still his, but she’d watched his dark eyes grow cold. Seen the thinly concealed flare of disgust in them whenever he’d dared to focus on her for more than a second instead of the clock on the wall, or the bed linens.
She closed her eyes against the onslaught she knew was coming. How would J.P. react when he finally got the chance to see what was left of her face? Worse yet, what would he really be thinking behind those incredible blue eyes?
Would she see revulsion darken them like black clouds over the sun, or—
She heard him exhale in a spray of water as he broke the surface and pulled himself through the narrow opening in the rocks.
Tension locked her in place. She braced for his appraisal. Every muscle in her body clamped tight until she knew she’d shatter.
Chapter Six
Thud.
Something slapped against her leg. Her eyes flew open in the misty confines of the rocky crag. Next to her on the stone lay the waterlogged remains of her hat and veil.
“I snagged it when I saw it. I thought you might need it.”
Without looking in his direction she snatched up the soggy disguise and pressed it to her face to block his view.
“Has he stopped shooting?” she asked, releasing the tension binding her body so tightly it threatened to crush her.
“He didn’t return fire after my last barrage. He’s
“You’ve got to swim for it, Eve. Crawl in behind the falls. I’ll return fire, give you time to make it. Do you understand?”
She nodded, the veil of her hat bobbing in time with her answer.
“I’ve got six rounds and two reloads. I’ll squeeze them off a couple at a time. Stay under the surface. He’ll have a hard time getting a clear shot.”
He squeezed her hand. “Go.”
Eve’s heart slammed against her rib cage. She clawed for the water’s edge. Sucking a deep breath into her lungs, she slipped into the pool on her belly.
Pulling with her arms, she reached for depth. The force of the water floated her hat off her head.
Panic bit into her brain, robbing from her oxygen supply.
Turning back for the hat, she heard the first couple of rounds from J.P.’s gun resonate at the surface of the water.
She spotted the disguise suspended like a filmy jellyfish just within her grasp. She reached for it. It slipped through her fingers and floated farther away.
Another loud report fired from J.P.’s weapon.
Her lungs burned, on fire with uncomfortable jolts of tension, warnings that her air was short.
Drowning for a stupid disguise?
Still torn, she turned for the base of the falls and kicked as hard as she could in her cowboy boots. She reached the face of the outcropping below the waterline. Using it as a guide, she pulled herself up the rocks and broke the surface of the water.
Bam-bam. Two rapid-fire rounds blasted from J.P.’s pistol just over her right shoulder.
Terrified, she squeezed through the opening and rolled onto the rough contours of the stone directly behind the falls. It was a place she knew well. A place she’d explored many times, but never with a sniper bearing down on her.
Sucking in one deep breath after another, she felt her heart rate slow before she pushed up onto her knees and crawled into the narrow space on the left side behind a massive bolder, careful to keep her head down in case the shooter fired into the cranny.
Counting the seconds, she prayed J.P. wouldn’t get hit by a bullet. She slicked the water out of her eyes with her hands, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the crystal sheet of water in front of her.
Movement at the water’s edge signaled his plunge into the pool.
Reaching up, she pressed her palm against the left side of her face. Wisps of horror intertwined with fear, and both conspired to rip her composure to shreds. If only she could erase the scars.
How would J.P. react? Would his assessment be as brutal as Thomas’s had been? Oh, he’d soothed her that day in the hospital when the bandages came off, told her she was still beautiful, still his, but she’d watched his dark eyes grow cold. Seen the thinly concealed flare of disgust in them whenever he’d dared to focus on her for more than a second instead of the clock on the wall, or the bed linens.
She closed her eyes against the onslaught she knew was coming. How would J.P. react when he finally got the chance to see what was left of her face? Worse yet, what would he really be thinking behind those incredible blue eyes?
Would she see revulsion darken them like black clouds over the sun, or—
She heard him exhale in a spray of water as he broke the surface and pulled himself through the narrow opening in the rocks.
Tension locked her in place. She braced for his appraisal. Every muscle in her body clamped tight until she knew she’d shatter.
Chapter Six
Thud.
Something slapped against her leg. Her eyes flew open in the misty confines of the rocky crag. Next to her on the stone lay the waterlogged remains of her hat and veil.
“I snagged it when I saw it. I thought you might need it.”
Without looking in his direction she snatched up the soggy disguise and pressed it to her face to block his view.
“Has he stopped shooting?” she asked, releasing the tension binding her body so tightly it threatened to crush her.
“He didn’t return fire after my last barrage. He’s
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