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His hands opened and closed at his sides with suppressed fury He would like nothing more than to turn around and chase after that bastard who had bled all the color fro across froe

He had never seen her like this before Even with all his churlish and rough ways, she had never once appeared as she did nowafraid

The carriage hit a rut She reached for the wall to steady herself "Wh-What do you ames"

Her eyes widened The fear was still there, writ all over her round face, but not for him Not because of hiaze directly The paleness of her cheeks ht as a chestnut ht it for hihth birthday His brothers were jealous, and he had been so proud of that horse He’d loved and tended her hiroom had a hand in it She had been all his and he doted on her

He’d hen she broke a foreleg He put the creature down himself because his father said that’s what a man did For soht forth a host of uncomfortable emotions The same helplessness he’d felt as a boy faced with a dooh" Her voice was s the space between thee and landed beside her on the seat, crowding her Her eyes flared, the velvety browninside him

She inched away, her back bu for the strap above her head, as though she needed so to

"Leave where?" he dee on my own"

"Indeed? This tiasped "That’s not fair"

"No It wasn’t, but you are so certain that it won’t happen again It almost makes me think you recall what happenedif you can be so certain it won’t happen again"

She shook her head from side to side "What do you want from me? I know you never wanted the burden ofyou’ve done, but it’s tio? Do you even know? Is there a destination in aze beseeched him "It doesn’t matter, Owen--"

"It ed breath as they gazed at one another, hearing what it was he wasn’t saying--you matter to me At least he assuh him like artillery cannon

She closed her eyes as if his nearness--or his words--caused her physical pain He knew not which, but that only infuriated him Why should she hide from him? Hide and evade and lie

He inched his face closer So close he could actually smell the soap on her skin, the lee rolled to a hard stop and the door was pulled open before she could respond If she even intended to

They sat still, gazing at one another for a heavy e froaze away and scooted around hiroom’s proffered hand to descend

He followed her inside, tension knotting his shoulders Once in the foyer, he seized her hand and led her up the stairs He evened his pace, stillShe, however, appeared to have no difficulty keeping up with hi?" she asked

"Where we can continue our discussion in private"

She stalled outside the door to his bedcha the flesh "This is unsee adjoining rooh mine and we meet in the middle?"

She scowled at him but made no objection when he pulled his door open and waved her inside But when she stepped in, she moved far across the room, a careful distance from him

He advanced and circled her slowly

She chafed her ar

He stopped and surveyed her with only one thought riding in his mind "The man today Who was he?"

She strode to the , her skirts swishing at her ankles Presenting him with her back, she peered out the daid set to her spine as she answered hirasped her arest you quit altogether and try for the truth For once"

Her chin lifted "I haven’t lied"

A quiver of soht lied, but she had not been forthco with him "Evaded Omitted It’s semantics, Anna"

"It’s neither here nor there, Owen" She tried to twist his hand off her ar, so you needn’t feel responsible for rowled, "Wo"

"I should think you would be relieved," she charged, bright splotches of color fla her cheeks "I’m ready to continue on with my life and free you of your responsibility"

"And what life is that? The one you suddenly remember? The one that has to do with that bastard we just left?"

Her lips pressed stubbornly shut

"What are you so afraid of?" he pressed

That chin flew higher and her eyes burned "I a about you drips fear"

She stilled, her eyes horrified