She could figure out the identity of her hunter and why he was hunting her then.
Staying clear of the path, she moved gingerly, picking a makeshift trail through the tangled undergrowth. The damp earth sucked at her numbed feet like the hurt sucking at her spirits.
Camouflaged stickers and taloned limbs clawed at her hair and stabbed her feet, but the shock coursing through her bloodstream, and the certain knowledge that her pursuer was near, that he was one of the twins, deadened her awareness to physical pain.
After what seemed an eternity, April spotted the lights of Calendar House glowing through the trees and patchy fog like bright yellow beacons. The sight gave her heart.
Panting, she rounded the last stand of trees and veered toward the house. A dark form reared up in her path.
A message telegraphed from her brain to her feet too late for retreat.
They collided.
Her screams fled on the wind.
Two strong arms snapped around her like a sprung trap, pinning her upper arms to her sides, her hands against the man’s chest. She tried ineffectually to struggle free, to pound her fists, but his grip was as restrictive as a straightjacket.
Chapter Five
Even through her heavy clothes, he could feel the erratic thud of her heart. “Hey, it’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Recognizing Spence’s voice, April felt her knees go weak. Without questioning why, she quit struggling, and buried her fear and her cheek in the rough suede of his sheepskin coat. It smelled of spicy aftershave and cold and rain-freshened salt air. Her breath slowed. Within minutes she realized she felt warm, secure, and wondered how she could have been so frightened of this man one moment, then feel so safe in his arms the next?
Spencer felt the trembling in April’s body dissipate while deep inside himself a subtle quaking commenced. The swift tenseness in his gut startled him. What was he doing? This was a mistake! Hell, under the circumstances, it was dead wrong. He had no right to harbor such feelings toward this woman. Even less right to act on them.
The nervous clouds overhead abandoned their jealous vigil of the moon at the same time Spencer relinquished his grip on April. She stumbled backward, blinking from the sudden effusion of moonlight as much as from Spencer’s abrupt release.
All the worry he’d felt when he’d spotted her running along the cliff rushed into him with a renewed vengeance. “What were you thinking, wandering about with a fog bank rolling in? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
Confusion and hurt tangled inside April. She stepped farther away from Spencer. Where did he get off berating her? “The only danger I faced was you!” What a fool she was, falling into his arms and clinging to him like some shrinking violet. Every time she got near Spencer, her reasoning took a leave of absence. Well, R&R was over. “Why were you following me?”
His dark brown eyebrows rose, but his voice was menacingly low. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
Unexpected, this question brought April up short. “No. What does that have to do with anything?”
“ It’s after ten. Your father has the whole household looking for you!”
Heat furled into her cheeks. Good Lord, she’d nearly plunged off a cliff trying to get away from Spencer all because she’d let her imagination run wild. Embarrassed at her own foolishness, she couldn’t meet his reproving gaze. “Oh…. Well, I…I hadn’t realized how late it was, or that anyone would fret.”
For the first time, Spencer noticed the twigs and leaves in her hair, the scrapes on her face and hands, the mud on her clothes. And lastly, her bare feet. “What the hell happened to you? Where are your shoes?”
His harsh tone uprooted April’s chagrin faster than a gardener pulling weeds. Her hands landed on her hips and this time, prodded by the defiance heating her blood, she met his icy gaze with one of her own. “I lost them when I
Staying clear of the path, she moved gingerly, picking a makeshift trail through the tangled undergrowth. The damp earth sucked at her numbed feet like the hurt sucking at her spirits.
Camouflaged stickers and taloned limbs clawed at her hair and stabbed her feet, but the shock coursing through her bloodstream, and the certain knowledge that her pursuer was near, that he was one of the twins, deadened her awareness to physical pain.
After what seemed an eternity, April spotted the lights of Calendar House glowing through the trees and patchy fog like bright yellow beacons. The sight gave her heart.
Panting, she rounded the last stand of trees and veered toward the house. A dark form reared up in her path.
A message telegraphed from her brain to her feet too late for retreat.
They collided.
Her screams fled on the wind.
Two strong arms snapped around her like a sprung trap, pinning her upper arms to her sides, her hands against the man’s chest. She tried ineffectually to struggle free, to pound her fists, but his grip was as restrictive as a straightjacket.
Chapter Five
Even through her heavy clothes, he could feel the erratic thud of her heart. “Hey, it’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Recognizing Spence’s voice, April felt her knees go weak. Without questioning why, she quit struggling, and buried her fear and her cheek in the rough suede of his sheepskin coat. It smelled of spicy aftershave and cold and rain-freshened salt air. Her breath slowed. Within minutes she realized she felt warm, secure, and wondered how she could have been so frightened of this man one moment, then feel so safe in his arms the next?
Spencer felt the trembling in April’s body dissipate while deep inside himself a subtle quaking commenced. The swift tenseness in his gut startled him. What was he doing? This was a mistake! Hell, under the circumstances, it was dead wrong. He had no right to harbor such feelings toward this woman. Even less right to act on them.
The nervous clouds overhead abandoned their jealous vigil of the moon at the same time Spencer relinquished his grip on April. She stumbled backward, blinking from the sudden effusion of moonlight as much as from Spencer’s abrupt release.
All the worry he’d felt when he’d spotted her running along the cliff rushed into him with a renewed vengeance. “What were you thinking, wandering about with a fog bank rolling in? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
Confusion and hurt tangled inside April. She stepped farther away from Spencer. Where did he get off berating her? “The only danger I faced was you!” What a fool she was, falling into his arms and clinging to him like some shrinking violet. Every time she got near Spencer, her reasoning took a leave of absence. Well, R&R was over. “Why were you following me?”
His dark brown eyebrows rose, but his voice was menacingly low. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
Unexpected, this question brought April up short. “No. What does that have to do with anything?”
“ It’s after ten. Your father has the whole household looking for you!”
Heat furled into her cheeks. Good Lord, she’d nearly plunged off a cliff trying to get away from Spencer all because she’d let her imagination run wild. Embarrassed at her own foolishness, she couldn’t meet his reproving gaze. “Oh…. Well, I…I hadn’t realized how late it was, or that anyone would fret.”
For the first time, Spencer noticed the twigs and leaves in her hair, the scrapes on her face and hands, the mud on her clothes. And lastly, her bare feet. “What the hell happened to you? Where are your shoes?”
His harsh tone uprooted April’s chagrin faster than a gardener pulling weeds. Her hands landed on her hips and this time, prodded by the defiance heating her blood, she met his icy gaze with one of her own. “I lost them when I
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