The Unexpected Millionaire. Susan Mallery

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СКАЧАТЬ her arms around Kane’s neck.

      “What are you doing?” she demanded. “Put me down.”

      “I’m taking you inside so we can ice your ankle. Then I’ll wrap it and figure out a way to get you home.”

      “I can drive.”

      “I don’t think so.”

      “You said it wasn’t that bad,” she reminded him as she noticed he seemed to carry her effortlessly. Apparently the muscles were for real.

      “You’re in some kind of shock. You shouldn’t be driving.”

      Shock or not, she didn’t like the sensation of being swept away. She preferred to be in charge of her own destiny. Besides, there were other considerations.

      “You left my shoe and sock back there,” she said. “And your jacket.”

      “I’ll get them when you’re settled.”

      “What about the cat?”

      Her rescuer gave her a look that told her he was questioning her grip on reality. She really hated when that happened.

      “The one in the tree. I think she’s giving birth. I saw her when I was falling—I’m good at multitasking that way. It’s cold. We can’t leave her out there. Do you have a box and some old towels? Or newspaper first, maybe towels later. Isn’t birth messy? I know it’s a part of the cycle of life and all, but there are fluids.”

      He stepped onto the stone path and walked toward a gatehouse. Willow let the cat issue drop as she stared at the pretty structure. It was all windows and wood, perfectly suited for the surroundings. But it wasn’t the main house.

      “Hey, where are you taking me?” she demanded, having sudden visions of a dark dungeon with chains and handcuffs on the walls.

      “My house. I have first-aid supplies here.”

      Oh, right. That made sense. “You live on the property?”

      “It’s convenient.”

      “It shortens the commute, if nothing else.” She glanced around at the gardens. “Nice southern exposure. You could grow anything here.” Gardening was a favorite hobby. Her fingers itched to be in the soil and planting.

      “If you say so.”

      He slowly lowered her to the ground, but kept an arm around her and supported most of her weight. She leaned on him, her body nestled close.

      He had to be well over six feet and a couple hundred pounds. He felt as solid as a building and she had the thought that whatever happened, this was a man who could keep a woman safe.

      He dug keys out of his trouser pocket, then unlocked the door and carried her inside.

      “If we were dating, this would be romantic,” she said with a sigh. “Can we pretend?”

      “To be dating? No.”

      “But I’m injured. I may die and, frankly, it’s your fault. Is it because you’re married?”

      He lowered her into the chair by the fireplace, then put her injured foot on the ottoman.

      “You’re the one who ran,” he said. “It’s your fault. I’m not married and don’t move.”

      He disappeared into what Willow suspected was the kitchen. All right, so Kane didn’t mind doing the rescue thing, but he wasn’t exactly friendly about it. She could handle that.

      She looked at the room, liking the high beamed ceiling and the earth tones. The space was bigger than she would have thought, yet still cozy. The large windows that faced south cried out for a few planter boxes, though.

      On the table next to her was a book on the Middle East. Financial magazines littered the coffee table in front of the sofa. Interesting reading for a security guy.

      “Engaged?” she yelled.

      He mumbled something she couldn’t hear, then said, “No.”

      “So the lack of pretending is a personal thing. Are you getting ice?”

      “Yes.”

      “Don’t forget the box for the cat.”

      “There’s no cat.”

      “Oh, there’s a cat. It’s too cold. Even if she’d be okay, what about her kittens? They’re newborn. We can’t just leave them to die.”

      “There’s no damn cat.”

      

      There was a cat, Kane thought grimly as he stared into the hollow of the tree. A gray and white one with three tiny kittens. Despite having been pregnant until a couple of hours ago, the cat looked skinny and bedraggled.

      A stray, he thought, wondering what he’d done to deserve this. He was a decent guy. He tried to do the right thing. All he asked was that the world leave him alone. For the most part, the world agreed. Until today.

      As the odds of the cat getting into the box were close to zero, he set it on the ground and studied the situation. He wasn’t a pet person, but he knew enough to know cats had claws, teeth and miserable dispositions. However, this cat had recently given birth, so maybe it was weak and therefore feeling more cooperative. It was also a new mother and likely to be protective.

      One way or the other, he knew there was going to be blood spilt and it was going to be his.

      He reached inside the hollow and closed his hand around the first kitten. The mother cat stared at him and put her paw on top of his hand. As he began to move the impossibly small ratlike baby, claws sank into his skin. Oh, yeah, a real good time.

      “Look. I’ve got to get you and the kittens inside. It’s cold and it’ll be foggy tonight. I know you’re hungry and tired so just shut up and cooperate.”

      The cat blinked slowly. The claws retracted.

      He scooped up the kittens and set them in the nest of towels he’d folded in the box, then reached for the mother cat. She hissed, then rose and jumped gracefully onto the towels and curled up around her babies.

      Kane grabbed his coat, Willow’s shoe and sock and the box, then headed back to his place.

      This wasn’t how his day was supposed to go. He lived a quiet life by choice. He liked his place—it was secluded and he didn’t get visitors. Solitude was his friend and he didn’t need any others. So why did he have an uncomfortable sensation that everything was about to change?

      He walked into the gatehouse and found Willow on the phone.

      “Gotta go,” she said. “Kane’s back with the cat and her kittens. Uh-huh. No, that’s great. Thanks, Marina. I appreciate it.”

      “You called someone?” he asked as he set the box by the fireplace.

      “You СКАЧАТЬ