When Rand returns home to find a squatter in his house, he tosses her out, only to discover she has two children, one feverish and the other with a broken arm. He lets them stay the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cMister, ah, sir? May I have a word?\u201d When Rand returns home to find a squatter in his house, he tosses her out, only to discover she has two children, one feverish and the other with a broken arm. He lets them stay the night. \u201cMister, ah, sir? May I have a word?\u201d He jumped up at the sound, dumping Cat into the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2158","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nHe jumped up at the sound, dumping Cat into the chair, and squeezed his eyes shut. Damned woman. Can\u2019t she leave me at peace even in my own parlor?<\/em>
\n\u201cMy name is Wheatly,\u201d he growled. \u201cYou might have found that out before you broke into my house. What do you want? Did I fail to provide silk sheets and a down coverlet?\u201d
\nShe stood with her back to the stairs in the flickering candlelight. Her face turned red, and she swallowed hard. \u201cOf course not. I came down to thank you. The willow bark seemed to help. My daughter is sleeping peacefully.\u201d
\n\u201cThat makes one person in this damned house. Is that all?\u201d he growled.
\nShe pushed away from the door. \u201cIf you\u2019re finished, I\u2019ll clear up your dishes.\u201d
\n\u201cDamn it, woman. I fend for myself here.\u201d He scrutinized her from crown to toe, taking time to examine her deep blue eyes, midnight black hair, and dusky skin. \u201cWhat are you? Gypsy? Is that where you learned how to diddle a man out of his belongings?\u201d
\nShe drew her back up straight and squared her shoulders. The gesture pulled her dress tight across obviously ample breasts.
\nThere\u2019s a practiced enticement. She\u2019s in for a surprise if she thinks that trick will work on me.<\/em>
\nChin high, she met his eyes without flinching. \u201cMy grandmother is Ojibwa, my father was French, and my husband was a Scot. You can despise whichever one of those your English heart chooses, or all of them, but I am not a thief.\u201d
\nShe grabbed her skirt and took a step toward the door. \u201cDo fend for yourself. We\u2019ll leave as soon as we can.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ll decide when you\u2019re a thief,\u201d he snarled, bringing her to a halt. \u201cIt\u2019s my house.\u201d
\nShe spun on him, eyes blazing, but he spoke before she could.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d
\n\u201cMeggy Campeau.\u201d
\n\u201cHow do you come to be on the road out here in the back country with two sick children?\u201d
\n\u201cI, ah\u2014I came seeking my grandmother, in the direction I remembered from some time ago, but the last of her people have moved on. I can follow her above the lakes, but\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cBut not until spring. What do you plan to do in the meantime?\u201d He didn\u2019t like the way her bleak eyes made him feel, didn\u2019t like that she had an exotic beauty he couldn\u2019t ignore. He knew better than to succumb to a pretty face, better than to give in to pity where it hadn\u2019t been earned. At least the woman doesn\u2019t seem to harbor any illusions about staying.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. Find work. I can cook. I can clean. I\u2019ll find something.\u201d
\nNot bloody likely and not my problem either.
\n\u201cWhere is your husband, Meggy Campeau? Couldn\u2019t he keep you satisfied?\u201d
\n\u201cDead.\u201d She rushed her reply.
\nA widow? A brief flare of interest, quickly doused, raised his body temperature. There are plenty of widows in Upper Canada\u2014too damned many.
\n\u201cDead? When?\u201d
\nShe waved her hands as if to wave away the question. \u201cLast month,\u201d she said. She appeared as skittish as a deer, immobilized but ready to bolt.
\nThere\u2019s more to that story. I\u2019d stake my land on it. She showed more fear when I threatened her with the authorities than when I pointed a gun at her.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"