Beloved Enemy Read Online Free PDF Page B

his grandmother’s home in Rhinebeck. Thinking of that reminded him once again of this year’smuch different Independence Day. Instead of shooting off a string of squibs among a seated flock of his assorted aunts, a Rebel’s bullet, the size and shape of a marble, had torn into his hand, splintered most of his bones, and severed the main nerve.
    This Fourth of July, Rob had lain outside one of the temporary field hospitals in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, enduring both the heat of the sun and the drenching rain that followed while he waited his turn on the surgeons’ butcher table. It was nearly three days before someone looked at his wound. The harried doctor had wanted to take his hand off, even had his knife out, but Rob’s vanity made him object to amputation. How could Miss Lucy possibly marry him with only one hand to hold her?
    Muttering “gangrene” and “touched in the head,” the doctor wrapped up Rob’s stiffened hand and left the healing to Providence. The Lord had allowed Rob to recover without infection since the bullet had gone clean through, but divine generosity had stopped there. Since that day, Rob had not been able to move his fingers nor experience feeling below his wrist. The worst injury was not his hand but his heart when Miss Lucy walked away from him in disgust. Ever since, Rob’s passionate nature had turned stone cold.
    A soft gasp from the pretty pilferer brought Rob out of his dark reverie. To his consternation, and her delight, she had spied another dish of caramels a little nearer to his hiding place. Feeling like a burglar in his narrow silken mask, Rob flattened himself against the ivy-patterned wallpaper and waited to see what would happen next. Surely she had packed away enough booty to last her until February.
    But no, it appeared that the lady still had sugared larceny on her mind. Once again, she glanced behind her.Rob, too, looked over her bright hair that was crowned with glossy green sprigs of holly. Most of the room’s attention was centered around the far table where cups of very potent eggnog were ladled out to the noisy guests. He glanced back at the lady just in time to witness several more caramels dumped into her expanding bag. She pulled the ties shut with a sleek, self-satisfied smile on her lovely lips. Then she turned her back to the table, snapped open her white silk fan and cooled the pink glow on her cheeks.
    Rob noticed that a third dish sat near to him, hidden from her view by a large arrangement of purple hothouse grapes. He wondered what she would do if she spied that one. Propelled by his curiosity and a small spurt of mischief, Rob stepped out from the screen of palm fronds, took the dish in his good hand and circled to the other side of the table. He had meant to place the tempting candy within her reach and withdraw before she turned around, but she must have heard him. The auburn beauty glanced over her shoulder at him, then at the full silver plate in his hand.
    His breath caught in his throat. A sliver of his once-legendary charm awakened. On a sudden impulse, he bowed his head and offered her the candy dish. “I believe you missed these,” he murmured. One corner of his mouth twitched upward. The startled expression on her face made her look even more alluring in the golden candlelight.
    She blushed a little, but did not turn away shamefaced as he had expected her to do. Instead, she beamed a radiant smile. “How silly of me to have misplaced those little rascals, and how clever of you to find them for me! Thank you so very much.”
    Without a moment’s hesitation, she shut her fan, then pried open her bag and swept a few more caramels on top of the others. The entire operation took less than a minute.She sucked the powdered sugar evidence from her fingers. Her pink tongue curled around her thumb in the most innocently provocative manner. Rob swallowed hard. She smiled at him again. Her smiles,