Special Ops Bodyguard. Beth Cornelison

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СКАЧАТЬ didn’t mean it, Katie. I’m fine. I provoked him. He’s sorry, and he promised never to do it again.

      Kate was thoroughly sick of Janet’s excuses, but what could she do if her sister refused to leave the abusive marriage? Kate would stick by Janet, her only blood relative, as long as it took.

      Knowing that this rough-hewn man, this stranger who had found his way to their small town, was taking her side, seeing the situation for what it was and doing something about it, made Kate feel a certain bond with him. As though they were allies in a war.

      Even if her ally was rather … brutish and gruff.

      He was here, after all, to protect Hank Kelley. That meant he had to be tough. Right? But he was still a good guy. Wasn’t he?

      “Move your ass,” Larry snarled, releasing Janet but not backing down from his opponent.

      Gage held firm. “Apologize to Kate for shoving her and to Janet for hurting her arm.”

      “Bite me.” Larry balled his fists.

      The dark glare Gage nailed on Larry left a cold dread curling in Kate’s stomach. Ally or not, she decided the smart move on her part would be to avoid Gage Prescott while he was in town. She had no room in her life for brutish, grouchy men, even if she had felt a spark of attraction earlier, when he’d cracked his granite facade for an instant. She’d have sworn he was flirting with her, that he’d felt the same crackle of electricity when their eyes had met.

      But what did she know about men? She’d never had more than a few dates before she’d moved to Maple Cove, and the list of available, desirable men in her new home was frighteningly short. Kate had resigned herself to being alone and celibate for the foreseeable future, because she refused to abandon her sister. Somehow she had to save Janet from her bad marriage and poor choices.

      A muscle in Gage’s square jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth. “Apologize to the ladies. Or we’ll still be standing here at breakfast tomorrow morning.”

      Kate had no doubt Gage had the stamina to outlast Larry in a battle of wills. She stooped to right the chairs she’d knocked over as she fell, but she kept a wary eye on the standoff.

      Larry finally huffed a disgusted sigh and turned an angry gaze aside. “Sorry, Kate. Janet.”

      He cut a sharp look to Gage and cocked his head as if to say, “Well?”

      Gage grunted and stepped aside.

      Kate hurried over to her sister and stopped her from following Larry out the door. “Don’t go yet, Janet. Give him time to cool off.”

      Janet shook her head. “He won’t cool down. He’ll just get madder. It’s better if I go now.”

      “Janet!” Larry barked from the sidewalk, “Come on—now, or you’re walking home!”

      She shrugged and forced a grin for Kate as she headed out. “Don’t forget to scrub out the tea urn, Kate. See you in the morning.”

      Kate’s gut knotted, and tears clogged her throat. “Be careful, Janet! I love you!”

      The diner door closed with a jangle of bells that seemed mockingly cheerful in light of the tension still vibrating in the air.

      Kate stared out the plate glass window long after Janet and Larry had disappeared from view. How was she supposed to convince her sister that Larry wouldn’t change? Real love didn’t hurt. The promises Larry made and the apologies he piled on his abuse didn’t make up for his rough and demeaning treatment when he lost his temper.

      “Are you hurt?”

      The deep male voice shook her from her troubled thoughts. She spun around to find Gage watching her with those glacier-pale eyes. Wiping her hands on her apron, she managed a grateful smile as she shook her head.

      “I’ll be fine. Just bumped my elbow.”

      He stepped toward her as she hurried to the counter to finish cleaning up for closing. When he wrapped his large hand around her wrist, she gasped, as much startled by the electric tingle that raced through her from his touch as by his unexpected approach. “Let me have a look. I’m familiar with first aid.”

      Kate felt the heat rush to her cheeks, and she silently cursed her Nordic genes that made her flush at the slightest provocation. Having Gage’s wall of testosterone towering over her as he gently probed her elbow was more than enough to start butterflies swirling inside her.

      “I don’t think anything’s broken,” he murmured as he examined her arm.

      “Told you.”

      When he angled his gaze to meet hers, Kate flashed a teasing grin. He arched one dark eyebrow, and a dizzying combination of attraction and intimidation buffeted her. With his thick, wavy brown hair, broad shoulders and square jaw, Gage definitely had masculine appeal. But his piercing blue eyes and unsmiling mouth rattled her, especially since she didn’t have a lot of experience with men to begin with. She didn’t fear him, per se. After all, he’d come to Janet’s rescue, stood up for them against Larry. His chivalry went a long way, in her book, toward excusing a stern persona.

      As if she were looking for a man … Kate gave her head a quick shake. She had no business sizing Gage up. He was only a visitor in town, and until she convinced Janet to leave Maple Cove, perhaps go back to Ohio where they had grown up, she had to make her sister her priority.

      Besides, when she chose a man, she’d be looking for someone sweet and warm and kind. Someone safe. No temper-prone Larrys or gruff Gages for her. No thank you!

      Gage released her arm and narrowed his eyes. “Tell me about him.”

       Chapter 2

      Kate blinked. She’d been lost in her own thoughts, and Gage’s request felt like a non sequitur. “I’m sorry?”

      “Your sister’s husband. What’s his story?”

      Kate’s shoulders sagged. “Oh. Larry.” She puffed her bangs off her forehead as she circled the end of the counter and started putting away silverware. “Well, clearly the guy acts like a jerk sometimes.”

      His steady gaze held hers, showing no reaction to her comment. He showed little if any emotion at all, in fact. For not the first time, meeting his stoic expression brought to mind the craggy rock cliffs of the surrounding mountains. Hard. Cold. Unmoving.

      “Go on,” he prodded.

      Kate twitched a nervous grin, embarrassed to have been caught staring. And what about him staring at you?

      “He’s not always like that, mind you.” Kate sighed and jammed a handful of drinking straws in the dispenser. “By tomorrow he’ll be apologizing all over the place and making her promises …” She let her voice trail off, wondering why she was telling this stranger her sister’s private business. With a quick, embarrassed grin, she shrugged the topic away.

      “And he convinces her to stay.”

      She cut a startled glance to his and nodded.

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