She needed the money for her father's hospital bills she would do anything for money including selling her body. But she didn't expect to fall in love with him. He was dark, dangerous and made her doubt everything she knew, and her body reacted to him in a way she didn't even know existed
View MoreEpilogueHe broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, âHello, Connie.I have missed your cooking.ââDonât you âHello, Connieâ me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mira half to deathâŚââWere you?â he asked. âWorried? You didnât fancy being a rich widow?âMaybe he already knew the answer because he didnât wait for it but looked down and said, âHello, Toby. Been to a party?ââMmm.â He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up his goodie bag. âI have got cake.ââAny to spare? Iâm starvingâŚââLater. Itâs bath time,â Mira said. âCan you take care of Toby for me,Connie?ââI can take care of both of them if you like,â she offered. âHeâs going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You donât want Connie?â And shewent inside chuckling to herself. âJust you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.â Then, âI call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.ââWhat do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?âHe circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.âIâve go
âIf I fell under Mattyâs metaphorical bus, youâd have to sell the house to pay inheritance tax. This way makes more sense. âIt makes sense if you havenât got a heart, but since weâre talking about the unexpected, letâs really go for it.â She looked at him, demanding a response. âWhatâs on your mind?â âThis. We get married. You live upstairs in your little apartment. Me and Lame Ducks Incorporated are spread out all over the rest of your house. Thatâs what you have in mind, right?â âRight.â âOkay. Now tell me this. What happens when you meet the girl of your dreams and fall in love?â Fran had to ask the question, even though the very idea of him falling in love drove daggers through her. âThatâs the one thing that isnât going to happen, Mira.â His conviction shook her momentarily, but she pressed on. âDan, I know you spend most of your life in the wilderness, chipping lumps off rock looking for oil and mineralsââ âReally itâs a bit more technical than that,â he objected
âShe did what?â Mira was utterly beside herself that Layla had gone off on her own and once again acted recklessly, endangering others to thwart the pipeline. Carter had her by the shoulder from where she sat at Nate âs desk, but it did little to comfort her.âShe is in the county jail,â Nate explained. âI could overlook one attack that didnât hurt anyone, but this time she used a grenade, blew out the side of our trailer, and put my father in the hospital. Heâs going to presscharges, needless to say.ââIs he all right?â she asked.âHe hit his head fairly hard and fractured his shoulder, but neither are life threatening.âMira could hear his voice waver as though he was entirely beside himself.âHow are you?â she asked urgently.âA bruised rib, but I will live.âMira sensed Carter get to his feet, as his hand slipped off her shoulder.âI have to see her,â he explained. âLetâs get Harold on this if we can. Get her bail set.ââYou can try,â said Nate . âI doubt she will be offered a ba
While Mira sat in his exam room and endured similar tests as those he had conducted a few days prior, Nate stepped out to make a few calls, the reason for which he had been somewhat secretive about. As Dr. was finishing up, she asked, âWhat do you think the likelihood of Nate finding me donor eyes will be?â The doctor released a sigh then said, âI really couldnât tell you. I have never endeavored anything so ambitious. All I can tell you is the likelihood of whether or not your body will accept or reject your new eyes, and the degree to which you might be able to see once they are in.â âSo whatâs the likelihood?â âIâll have an idea once I examine the photos Iâm taking. I should know in a day or so. Bear in mind, though, that we have three battles. The first is making sure the donor is, in fact, a match. I explained to you earlier that this aspect could be tricky to navigate. Then your body has to accept the eyes. And then after the nerves attach and heal, weâll have to closely m
Chapter 69.He broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, âHello, Connie.Iâve missed your cooking.ââDonât you âHello, Connieâ me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mirahalf to deathâŚââWere you?â he asked. âWorried? You didnât fancy being a rich widow?âMaybe he already knew the answer because he didnât wait for it but lookeddown and said, âHello, Toby. Been to a party?ââMmm.â He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up hisgoodie bag. âIâve got cake.ââAny to spare? Iâm starvingâŚââLater. Itâs bath time,â Mira said. âCan you take care of Toby for me,Connie?ââI can take care of both of them if you like,â she offered. âHeâs going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You donât want Connie?â And shewent inside chuckling to herself. âJust you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.â Then, âI call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.ââWhat do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?âHe circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.âIâve got
Angry with herself, she turned off the television, got to her feet. Dan might not be rescued for months. Was she planning on spending every hour in front of the television in case there was the slightest snippet of news? It was the last thing he would want. Catherine would let her know the minute anyone heard anything and in the meantime there were a hundred things that needed doing. She still hadnât settled on the final layout for the slender catalogue that was going to be mailed out to all their customers, as well put as an insert in one of the Sunday supplements. It was going to cost a fortune. It had to be right. She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror. What a wreck. She needed to take a shower, wash her hair, change. Get her mind back on the job. On her family⌠But when she opened a drawer, searching for underwear that would stretch around her expanding belly, she found herself staring at the tiny silk box that contained the wedding ring Dan had put on her finger and she
Chapter 67.She returned a few moments later with a cardboard box that she placedon the floor and when she opened it the small silky brown and white headof a spaniel puppy appeared. Then a body wriggled free of the blanket andhe looked up at her and whined to be lifted out.She was lost for words. Dan might have left Catherine to pick outChristmas gifts, but this could only have come direct from him. Proof thathe was thinking of her⌠She caught herself. Thinking of Toby.âI made the woman at the kennels promise sheâd take him back if youdidnât want him. Men have these great ideasâŚââWhen? When did Dan ask you to do this?ââOh, months ago. In fact, I think he called from the airport⌠It wassupposed to have been Tobyâs Christmas present, but since he was soparticular it had to wait until the right spaniel produced the right pup.â Sheshrugged apologetically. âYou know Dan. Heâs never satisfied with less thanperfection.ââNo?â Her heart lurched uncomfortably. âNo,â she agreed.â
Chapter 66.Mira felt as if she was grieving all over again.Sheâd pulled into the garage and finally given way to the dammed-uptears she hadnât been able to shed for Natein a mind-clearing storm ofguilt and loss. And when it was over she finally understood it all. That theirmarriage of convenience had been entirely for his expedience, not hers.Not cheap. But then this wasnât about money. It was about control. Tobywas all the family he had. His heir. The boy who carried the family name.Marriage was the simplest and most effective way of stopping her frombecoming involved with someone else, giving him some other manâs name.Which answered any question she had about what was in the letterNatehad written to him. He had been a less than perfect partner, a lessthan perfect anything, except father. Relaxed to the point of being comatoseon most things, he had been uncharacteristically firm in his insistence thatDan be added to Tobyâs name.Too late she saw that all that stuff abou
Chapter 65.The other was that he had simply decided that, despite his fine words,his promises, he expected payment in full for his investment in an unwantedhigh-maintenance wife. Why else would he be planning to move into herhome when, as she had just discovered, there was no need?How could he ask her to forgive him, when he wouldnât be able toforgive himself?Instead he picked up her jacket, handed it to her in silence.âBathroom?â she enquired, so quietly that he could barely hear her.âThrough here.â He opened the door to his bedroom and the untouchedbed, just yards away, seemed to mock him. âYouâll find everything youâllneed.âSoap, hot water to wash him from her body.She ducked through the opening, leaving him to straighten himself out.Consider a future that was suddenly bleaker than he could have imaginedeven a week ago. An hour ago. Then heâd had some hope.He began to fasten his shirt, discovered that several of the buttons weretorn from it, and dug a fresh one out
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