Shelter in a Soldier's Arms Read Free Page B

with mothers with babies. But in her heart she felt incredibly alone. Where were she and Maggie supposed to go? She didn’t have the money for a hotel, and even if she did, Ashley knew she was close to physical collapse. If—or rather when—that happened, who was going to watch over her daughter?
    Involuntarily her eyelids closed. She desperately wanted to sleep. She wanted this horrible nightmare to end. And just once in her life, she wanted someone else to take charge and make everything better. She wanted to be rescued, just like in those fairy tales she read to her daughter. However, it seemed unlikely a handsome prince would show up to take her away from all her troubles and
    A shadow fell across the cot. Even with her eyes closed Ashley noted the sudden darkening. She forced herself to gather her last bit of strength and look at her visitor. Probably the shelter volunteer, Julie something, who had gently explained she couldn’t stay.
    But the person looming over her wasn’t a too-perky student from the nearby college. Rather he was tall, silent and frighteningly familiar. Not a handsome prince, but the evil wizard—a creature both powerful and deadly.
    She knew she was hallucinating, because there was no way her soon-to-be ex-boss was really gathering her up in his arms. She was still lying on the cot, imagining it, she told herself even as powerful male strength surrounded her. The illusion was surprisingly real and in it, he carried her as easily as she carried Maggie.
    “You’re staying with me until you’re better,” Jeff Ritter said.
    She blinked. The voice sounded genuine and she felt the soft whisper of his breath across her cheek as he spoke. Now that she made herself think about it, she could feel the smooth wool of his suit where her hand rested just below his collar at the back of his neck. She blinked, not sure what was real and what was fever induced.
    “Are you carrying me?”
    Gray eyes stared into her face. “You’re sicker than I thought.”
    True or not, it wasn’t much of an answer.
    “We can’t—” She pressed her lips together. What couldn’t they do? She couldn’t remember.
    “You’ll be safe at my house,” he told her.
    Safe? Not likely. Suddenly she was being lowered into nothing. She clutched at Jeff, then sighed in relief when he settled her onto a chair.
    “Collect her things,” he said to someone just out of Ashley’s field of vision.
    “I’ll get her shoes.”
    The last statement, spoken in her daughter’s bright, cheerful voice, brought Ashley back to the land of the living faster than any drug.
    “Maggie?”
    “She’ll be fine.”
    She shook her head slightly and ignored the subsequent wooziness. With a couple of deep breaths, she managed to clear her head enough to focus on the man crouched in front of her. She hadn’t been mistaken—it was Jeff Ritter, all right. Still dressed in his well-tailored suit, still looking distant and the tiniest bit scary.
    “Why are you here?” she asked.
    “Because you’re too sick to stay at the shelter. I’m taking you home until you’re on your feet.”
    She wiggled her sock-clad toes and wondered if he had any idea that she felt as if she was going to be sick forever.
    “We can’t,” she told him. “I mean, we don’t even know you.”
    His steel-gray eyes stared directly into hers. She searched for some flicker of warmth, of humanity, but there was nothing but her tiny reflection in his irises.
    “What do you want to know?” he asked. “Should I give you a list of references?”
    That would be a start, she thought, but didn’t dare speak the words.
    Surprisingly Jeff reached out and touched her cheek with his fingers. Just a fleeting moment of contact, during which she felt heat and amazing gentleness.
    “Don’t be afraid,” he said quietly. “I’m not going to hurt you or Maggie. You’re sick. You need a place to stay. I’m offering one. End of story. I won’t hurt you or pressure