“What about my company?”Henry asked from the doorway.
“You want to run with me?”
A strange expression flickered across his features before he replied.“Yes, not that you’ll be running for a few days.Your head is aching again.I can tell.”
“Smartarse,” she said without heat.“I took a painkiller half an hour ago.I need to write and powered up my computer, but my eyesight seemed blurry.”
“Let me see your eyes.”Henry peered into them until she felt uncomfortable.“They look all right, but you should head to bed.Have you eaten?”
“I had soup and toast.Tomato,” she added, giving him a little attitude because she wasn’t a kid.“How old are you?”
“Thirty-six.”He paused, that strange expression flickering over his face.“You?”
“Almost twenty-two.”
“Older than I thought.”
“Are you trying to insult me?”
“No,” he drawled.“I thought the gap was larger.”
Maia tried to decipher the man’s thoughts.He remained deadpan, so she asked the question.“Meaning what?”
“Once you’re feeling better, can I take you to dinner?We could visit Naseby or one of the other nearby towns.”
Maia gaped, still unsure of what he was thinking.But he wasn’t running away, which was unusual.He’d left every time they’d met.What had changed?While she puzzled, Juno ambled over to Henry and nudged him.He ran his hand over her head and spine, and the dog leaned into him with total trust.
“I’d like that,” she said, not giving herself a chance to overthink.“I never had a chance to explore Middlemarch when I was here as a child.”Besides, having Henry along would help her stop glancing over her shoulder, searching for possible attackers.And on that note, the back of her thigh had started to ache, and if she didn’t sit soon, she’d fall.
Henry smiled wide and bright, stealing her breath.Before she could comment on how good a smile looked on him, he said, “No more computer work.You need to follow the doctor’s instructions.”
She sighed, thinking of her next deadline.She could make up for the time lost, but it would mean late nights.“I will.The sooner I get better, the sooner I can train and aim for a place on the starting team.”
“You’ll get there.You don’t want to push too hard.”
But she did because she needed to prove they hadn’t made a mistake signing her.This injury was annoying, and she wished a horrid fate on the person who’d conked her over the head.
She drank a glass of water and prepared for bed.Henry had left Juno’s bed in Maia’s bedroom, and she heard Juno settle in with a doggy sigh as she slipped into sleep.
A shout woke her, and she lay in bed, every sense screeching at her to run.Maia leaned over and pressed the base of her lamp to switch it on and nullify the scary shadows.Juno sat in her basket, but she’d heard the noise, her ears pricked toward the door, muscles quivering.She released a tiny whine, the sound almost covered by another shout.Had that been Henry?
Maia slid her legs off the bed.The last time she’d heard a sound like this, someone had struck her over the head.Was she gonna be that stupid heroine who crept down into the cellar?
Why, yes.Yes, she was.
A snicker escaped, the burst of humor giving her a bravery boost.She grabbed her dressing gown and belted it before she grasped Juno’s collar and crept out to face her fears.
Chapter 12
Theterrifiedshoutrepeated,and Juno growled, her muscles bunching as she scrambled down the passage, dragging Maia after her.Maia stumbled after the powerful dog.Had someone broken into her house?No, the alarm would’ve gone off, and Henry was a soldier.Every bit of research she’d done for her writing indicated military men slept lightly.The cries had held anguish that tugged her heartstrings.
Maia paused in the doorway of her spare room, but Juno didn’t hesitate.She burst inside, looking neither left nor right.Taking confidence from the dog’s behavior, Maia followed, the light coming through the single window letting her see Henry on his sleep mat.He was tossing and turning, his moans painful to hear.
What did she do?Should she wake him?
Judging by Juno’s reaction—yes.
Maia edged closer and used her voice rather than trying to touch him.She didn’t want him to throttle her before he was fully awake.
