Chapter 12Madison woke with a pounding head and burning eyes. Her neck was at an odd angle, and she realized she had slept on the settee, still fully dressed. She’d decided yesterday evening not to let him touch her last night. It wasn’t a resumption of the Cold War strategy she had implemented upon her arrival. Instead, it was pure self-protection. She was still hurting and angry, and she hadn’t been able to tolerate the thought of his hands on her after his cruel words. She had girded herself to battle both him and herself, opting to stay on the settee to confront him.All her preparation had been for naught. Unless he had come in long after she was asleep—and she had slept poorly—and crept out before she woke, Tiernan had not come back to the room last night. She’d been wrong to think he couldn’t hurt her any more than he already had. Knowing he had shunned her presence cut deeply. Also knowing Tiernan hadn’t spent a night alone in years made her burn with agony, because he wouldn

Chapter 14After it reopened, Madison returned to the clinic and her apprenticeship as nurse, assistant, and receptionist. Much to her guard’s dismay, she had recruited Corporal Vincent to be at Lucy’s beck and call. She didn’t think Vinny minded helping out with the clinic—or following around the slightly older Lucy, who had a butt he couldn’t seem to stop admiring. Rather, his apprehension seemed to stem from the fact that she was out of his sight a good part of the day.She couldn’t fathom what danger might befall her in the clinic. Honestly, why would she be a target in any form, except in general? She appreciated having a soldier to walk her to and from the clinic, for safety’s sake, but didn’t see a need just because she was Tiernan’s companion. He’d have to have some kind of strong feelings for her before she could ever be a weapon used to hurt him.Not that he didn’t care. He’d been sweet to her the past week, bringing her a gift almost every night. Nothing elaborate, and she

Chapter 16Tiernan had returned to the suite for a folder he’d forgotten before his breakfast meeting with Tex. He opened the door a couple of inches and froze when he realized Madison was entertaining Pru. He started to go on in, but froze again when he heard the other girl ask about little Archers. His heart stuttered as they discussed babies, and he found himself holding his breath when Pru asked her fateful question. Madison’s vague answer filled him with disappointment and another emotion he couldn’t identify.Easing backward, he made sure to step forcefully, so they would hear him coming. This time when he opened the suite door, they were talking about the goods available at Pike Place Market, particularly baby items. He smiled and greeted them both before retrieving his folder, never letting his neutral expression falter. It wasn’t until he was out of the room and making his way back to the dining room where Tex waited that he allowed his thoughts to return to the overhead conv

Chapter 18Tiernan had ignored the feeling all afternoon, but it had persisted. Something was wrong. He thought maybe he should have listened to Madison, but her request to go home after their past few weeks of happiness had blindsided him. He had reacted on impulse, surrendering to the need to keep her at any cost. He hoped it hadn’t cost him the progress he’d made with her recently.The feeling of wrongness swelled as he opened the door to the suite and found it deserted. No dinner waited on the table, and Madison was certainly not waiting with a warm smile—or even a recriminatory sneer. She must be pouting and had decided to give him the cold shoulder. He should just let her have her sulk and get over it. She’d be back by tomorrow. Still, it didn’t sit well with him to indulge her in these matters. She had to know who was in charge, and if he let her sleep away from him tonight, she would think it was she.He radioed the guardhouse to find out if she had left the premises and raise

Chapter 20They arrived at her home the next afternoon. The train was still in Seattle-Archer, so they’d had to finish the trek on horseback. Madison was excited and impatient to see her family again, even as her mind worried at Tiernan’s silence. He had a brooding air that screamed to leave him alone, and her attempts at conversation had stalled with his monosyllabic responses. She had a new appreciation for the frustration he’d felt at the beginning of their relationship, when she had refused to engage in anything but the most superficial conversation.Madison hopped off her horse as they neared the front porch, not even waiting for the painted animal to stop completely. With a whistle that made the dogs bark with gusto, she rushed up the stairs, forgetting manners and everything else in her need to see her family again.The screen door opened with the squeak of rusty hinges, and her papa stood there. He was a tall man, with a big frame that swallowed most of the space of the doorwa