Honky-Tonk Cinderella. Karen Templeton
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Название: Honky-Tonk Cinderella
Автор: Karen Templeton
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Ужасы и Мистика
Серия: Mills & Boon Intrigue
isbn: 9781408946596
isbn:
Alek wasn’t sure which was more clear: that she was in way over her head, or that she would cut off a limb before she’d admit it. Then, slamming right up against those first two thoughts with a breathless oomph came an idea of just how he might be able to rescue the woman without her realizing that’s what he was doing.
“Can you imagine him running around a palace?” Luanne suddenly said, startling him. He turned to catch her wry, sad smile. “He’d just charm the pants right off everybody, wouldn’t he?”
Swallowing his irritation at the self-censure in her voice, he said, “About as much as I did at that age, I imagine.”
“You sayin’ you were a handful?”
“According to my grandmother, I was a holy terror.”
A little of that humor that had at once time stolen his breath sparked in her eyes. “And I’m supposed to find that reassuring?” she said, then let out a weighted sigh, as worry once again creased her brow. “He wasn’t always like this.” He saw her swallow and look away, rubbing her belly. “Everything just seems to have gotten away from me.”
The urge to hold her—and the terror of what the feel of her softness in his arms would do to him—was so strong Alek shook with it. Barely five feet separated them, a space he could cover in two strides…a space that spelled the difference between sanity and folly. But dear God—the only other time he’d ever heard her admit to needing something beyond herself was the night they’d made the child currently having a sulk-fest in his room. The night Alek had run from the very things now staring him in the face and demanding his attention.
Whether or not he was now any better equipped to deal with any of it, he had no idea. And there was the very real chance that his clumsy attempts to atone for his youthful cowardice could well make things worse. But what choice did he have? All his life Alek had gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid letting another human being lean on him. Now, in one breath-stealing, epiphanous flash, he realized what a precious thing it was to earn someone’s trust enough to be considered worthy of being leaned on.
Especially the trust of a woman who would choke on her own pride before she admitted she needed help.
Be that as it may, the fact was that too many people had turned their backs on Luanne Evans Henderson. The least Alek could do was reverse the trend.
“I have an idea,” he said.
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