Her Dearest Enemy Read Online Free PDF

stairs. Only Helga slept on the groundfloor of the house, and she snored too loudly to hearanything short of an earthquake. As for Jenny…
    His chest clenched at the memory of their confrontationover dinner. Lord, what he wouldn’t giveto wake up and discover that he’d dreamed the wholemiserable scene—and that his precious, innocent girlwasn’t really with child by a moon-eyed yokel whoworked at the feed store and lived in a shack with hisprissy schoolmarm sister.
    First thing tomorrow he would be driving her toJohnson City and putting her on a train for Baltimore,where his sister, God willing, would shelter her fromscandal and see that her baby was adopted by a goodfamily.
    As for himself, he would wait until the train hadpulled out of the station. Then, by all heaven, he wouldgo after the young fool who had ruined his daughter andmake him pay for every despicable thing he had done!
    The pounding continued as Brandon lumberedacross the entry hall. “Hold your horses,” he muttered,fumbling with the bolt. “You don’t need tobreak down the damned door!”
    Released by the latch, the door blew inward. A bedraggledfigure stumbled into the hallway to collapselike a storm-washed bird against the wall.Brandon stared, his gaze taking in the wind-rakedtangle of dark hair above copper-flecked eyes thatwere wide and frightened, set in a face that seemedtoo narrow and pale to contain them. The creaturewore a threadbare cloak, clutched around her thinbody with fingers that looked to be half-frozen. Herlips were blue with cold.
    Time shuddered to a halt as Brandon recognizedHarriet Smith.
    Summoning her strength, she pushed herself awayfrom the wall and stood erect to face him in the flickeringlamplight. Sparks of defiance glittered in her eyes,but her teeth were chattering so violently that she couldnot speak. The shack by the cemetery was almost twomiles from Brandon’s house. Judging from the looksof her, she had walked the whole distance in the storm.
    What was the woman doing here at this hour?Had she changed her mind about his offer? Not achance of that, Brandon thought, remembering herfiery pride. More likely, her damn-fool brother hadjust given her the same news Jenny had given himand she’d come for her pound of flesh.
    A dizzying tide of rage swept through him. Forone blinding moment, it was all he could do not toseize her in his two hands, jerk her off her feet andfling her back into the storm. After all, didn’t sheshare the blame for what had happened? Hadn’t shereared the young hooligan who’d impregnated hisdaughter? Hadn’t her coming to Dutchman’s Creekset the whole ugly chain of events in motion?
    With near-superhuman effort, Brandon willed hisimpulses under control. When he spoke, his voiceemerged as a hoarse croak. “What is it? Are you allright?”
    She shook her head, her mouth working in a futileeffort to speak. Specks of ice clung to her thickblack eyelashes. They glowed in the lamplight likeminiature jewels. Below them, her eyes watched himguardedly, emotions he could not read swimming intheir coppery depths.
    Only one thing seemed clear—if he wanted thewoman to talk, he would have to get her warm first.Shaking off the paralysis of surprise, Brandon setthe lantern on a table and forced himself to move towardher.
    His hands pried her stiffened fingers loose fromthe edges of her cloak. The soggy garment fell to thefloor, revealing beneath it a faded gingham dress, sohastily donned that the buttons down the front weremisaligned with their buttonholes. The resultinggaps allowed glimpses of the creamy skin beneath—far more of it than any lady would want a gentlemanto see.
    Brandon averted his eyes, but not swiftly enough.She glanced down, to where his gaze had rested aninstant before. With a horrified gasp, she jerked herarms across her breasts. Color flamed in her bloodlesscheeks.
    Without a word, Brandon whipped off his woolenrobe and wrapped it around her trembling body. Shehuddled into its