Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
He may have spoken the truth but he needn’t have caused her the hurt, and she couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her response. “Your compliments truly overwhelm me.”
“I do my best to please you.”
Laughter accompanied her sarcasm this time. “You do know how to please a woman.”
“Believe me, ást, I definitely know how to please a woman… many times over.”
A pleasing sensation wiggled its way through her slowly almost as if his words caressed her, and she wondered what he had called her since the word was unfamiliar to her.
“You’re not looking at my wounds,” she said, sounding as though she delivered an edict.
She wasn’t sure if it was him or Thaw that growled low.
“Let me at least tend the scratches on your face and look at the wound on your leg,” he offered more reasonably. “Some are quite red and swollen and a bruise forms by your one eye.” He touched the spot lightly and she grimaced. “I did not mean to cause you pain, and while you can be foolish more often than not this is one time I believe you’d be wise enough to listen to reason.” He stepped away from her. “Think on it while I add logs to the fire.”
“You found logs?” she asked.
“There is a stock pile of them on the side of the house, plenty to keep us warm. I brought in quite a few before I heard Thaw bark,” he said, bending to see to the chore.
Snow felt a bit contrite. He had saved her life more than once today, had provided shelter and warmth for them, and he wanted to tend her wounds. He had kept her safe since finding her and continued to do so. She had no reason to complain.
Still, she could only let him do so much. She might never marry, but that didn’t leave her cause to act improperly.
“You may tend my face and leg,” she said.
“A wise choice,” Tarass said.
“Are you saying I am a wise woman?” she asked.
Her smile told him she was teasing and it brought a smile to his face. “In this situation you are.”
“A true compliment, I’ll gladly accept,” she said and thought the Lord of Fire wasn’t as insufferable as she had thought.
That thought came back to haunt her when she felt him lift the hem of her shift and tunic too high and roll up her wool hose to expose the wound on her leg, and she warned him. “You’ll not take advantage of me and go any further.”
“Rest easy, Snow, I have no desire to poke a bli—” He clamped his mouth shut, realizing how his words would sound.
She, however, finished his words for him. “A blind woman. You have no desire to poke a blind woman. Isn’t that what you meant to say?” She shoved his hand away from her leg. “And I have no desire to be poked by an insufferable arse.”
Tarass learned not to feel. It did little good to feel. It only brought pain and sorrow. So he often spoke in the same manner, not giving thought or caring about others’ feelings. This time, however, his own words had disturbed him. Not that he would apologize. He never apologized. That was another thing he learned not to do.
“The wound on your leg needs cleaning,” he said, thinking she would respond to sound reasoning.
“Give me the cloth and I will see to it myself,” Snow ordered.
“No!” he said sharply. “I will see to it and you will rest afterwards and I will hear no more about it.”
“You cannot dictate to me,” Snow argued.
“I just did,” Tarass said firmly, his hand going to rest at her ankle. “And do not fight me on this, Snow. You will not win.”
Thaw growled from where he sat beside her.
“You’d be wise to teach the pup to let someone tend you when necessary,” Tarass said.
His words had echoed Willow’s when someone the pup didn’t know had attempted to help Snow when she had stumbled and Thaw had snarled and snapped at him. She didn’t want to admit Tarass was right and she wouldn’t, though she would let Thaw know Tarass could tend her.
“It’s all right, Thaw, Tarass helps me,” she said, reaching out to touch the pup.
Thaw quickly stood to receive the pat and rub and know that all was well.
“I’ll see to your face first and then your leg and you should seriously consider letting me look at your side,” he said as he stood.
“I feel no blood there, so it’s probably nothing more than a bruise.”
“Can I at least have a look at your side to make sure no blood has seeped through your garments?”
That he asked instead of demanded had her nodding consent, since it would be wise to make sure her injury wasn’t worse than she thought. She went to move off the chair when she felt Tarass’s hand at her arm helping her and she was grateful since she felt a jab to her side.