Embrace the Highland Warrior Read Online Free PDF Page A

the angel’s face, as if he didn’t appreciate her disrespect. She heard the whisper again. It came from near the statue. Was someone hiding there? What if it was him? She squinted, trying to focus, and then watched in horror as the statue turned and looked at her.
    A pounding noise yanked her from the dream. Shay sat up quickly, bumping her ankle on the edge of the tub. She gasped in pain.
    “Shay, you’d better answer, or I’m coming in.”
    “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”
    Still trembling from the dream, she grabbed the side of the tub and the built-in soap dish for support and eased up on her good foot. She was in mid crouch when the soap dish broke. She fell back into the water with a screech.
    The door banged against the wall, and Cody rushed in. He stopped, sucked in a breath, and stared at her naked body, limbs askew. “Shi—”
    “Get out!”
    “I thought… sorry.” He turned and smashed into the door casing. “You and water,” he said, holding his forehead as he shut the door.
    A blush warmed her entire body. She hadn’t laid eyes on him in nine years, and now he’d seen her naked twice in one night. She quickly dried off and put on Nina’s sweater, belting it tight. Shay pulled her wet hair into a ponytail, brushed her teeth, and then gathered her damp clothes. Blowing out a breath, she opened the door.
    Cody had turned her bed down. He gave her an awkward glance. There was a red mark on his head where he hit the doorjamb. “Are you okay?”
    “Yes.”
    “You screamed.”
    “I did?”
    “Bloody murder.”
    “I must have been dreaming.”
    “Sounded more like a nightmare. I found soup and some Tylenol.” He pointed to the tray next to the bed.
    “I need to wash my clothes first.”
    “I’ll stick them in the washer on the way out. You heal fast, but you need to get off that ankle. It’s probably sprained.”
    She sighed, dropped her dirty clothes in the doorway, and crawled into bed still wrapped in Nina’s sweater.
    “You’re gonna sleep in that?” he asked, one brow cocked.
    She knew what he and his brothers slept in. Same thing they swam in. “I’m cold,” she said defiantly.
    He shook his head and pulled the covers up. He brushed her arm, and she winced. “What’s wrong?”
    “It’s just a scratch.”
    “Let me see.” He eased the sweater aside. Shay clutched the sheet to her chest to keep from exposing a breast. “You need a bandage. I think Nina’s got a first aid kit downstairs.”
    She rolled her eyes and picked up the bowl of chicken noodle soup. There was no swaying Cody when his mind was set. She’d finished most of her soup by the time he returned.
    The mattress gave as he sat on the edge. He bandaged her arm first, his fingers gentle but sure. She had always loved his hands. She’d seen him snap a board in half and minutes later, splint a robin’s leg.
    “I guess you have to treat a lot of field injuries in your job,” she said.
    He looked startled.
    “Special Forces… I imagine there are times you can’t just go to the local hospital.”
    “Aye,” he said, uncovering her swollen ankle. “Good thing I got lots of practice bandaging you.” He gave her a crooked grin.
    “I bandaged you more than you bandaged me. Remember when we were kids, sneaking out to save the world, signaling from our bedrooms with flashlights?” They spent half their childhoods saving the world from evil, be it fire-breathing dragons, evil monsters, or top-secret enemy spies. With Cody at her side, she had felt invincible.
    “Nina would’ve had both our hides if she’d caught you bypassing the alarm, shimmying down that old oak to meet me.” His hand touched hers, his finger finding the scar on her palm that she got during one of those escapades. “What the hell happened to us, pip-squeak? I know I was irresponsible, but I tried to make it right. Why did you shut me out? Did you hate me that much?”
    Shay glanced away, feeling tears prick her eyes. At one time,