Resisting Her Rebel Hero Read Online Free PDF

little salute and tossed the container back in the box. “Gotta go,” he said, scooping up his clothing in his good hand. With one last heated look in her direction he sauntered from the cell, all long loose-limbed masculine grace, leaving Cassidy staring at the wide expanse of his muscular back and the very interesting way he filled out his faded jeans.
    Fortunately, before the outer door could close behind him, Cassidy pulled herself together enough to croak, “You need stitches, Major. I suggest coming to the hospital before you get septicemia and die a horrible death.”
    Grinning at her over one broad shoulder, he drawled, “It’s a date, darlin’,” and disappeared, leaving Cassidy with the impression that he had absolutely no intention of following through with his promise.
    At least, not for sutures.

CHAPTER THREE
    T HE   SMALL   TOWN   of Crescent Lake had been established when traders heading north had come over the mountains and found a large crescent-shaped lake nestled in a thickly wooded area. According to Mrs. Krenson at the Lakeside Inn, it had started out as a rough fur-trading town that had gradually grown into the popular tourist town it was today.
    The inn, once the local house of pleasure, had been remodeled and modernized over the years. Rising out of a picturesque forest, with mountains at its back and the lake at its feet like a small sparkling sea, it now resembled a gracious, well-preserved old lady, appearing both elegant and mysterious. At least, that’s what it said in the brochure and what Cassidy had thought when she’d arrived a few weeks before.
    Now, with dark clouds hanging over the valley, the lake was nothing like the crystal-clear mirror it resembled in the pictures and Cassidy had to wish for “sturdy” rather than mysterious.
    The day had dawned gray and wet and, standing at her bedroom window, Cassidy couldn’t help shivering as she looked up at the mountains shrouded in swirling fog, eerily beautiful and threatening. She wondered if the hikers had been found.
    And if she was thinking of a certain someone, it was only because he had no business being out there in the first place. He might be an all-weather hero, but he’d been exhausted, injured and on an edge only he could see. All it would take was one wrong move, one misstep and... And then nothing, she told herself irritably as she spun away from the window. Samuel Kellan was a big boy, a highly trained Navy SEAL. If he wanted to scour the mountains for the next week, it was what he’d been trained for. Heck, he could probably live off the land and heal himself using plants and tree bark.
    Whatever effect he’d had on her, Cassidy mused as she closed her bedroom door and headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall, it was over. She’d had the entire night to think about her reaction to him and in the early hours had come to the conclusion that she’d been suffering from low blood sugar...and maybe been a little freaked at finding herself in a jail cell. Maybe even a little awed at meeting a national hero. All perfectly logical explanations for her behavior.
    Fortunately she’d recovered, and if she saw him again she’d be the cool, level-headed professional she had a reputation for being. Besides, Samuel J. Kellan was just a man. Like any other.
    After a quick shower, she brushed her teeth and headed back to her room to dress. It was her day off and she intended playing tourist. She might have come to the Cascades to escape the mess she’d made of things in Boston, but that didn’t mean she had to bury herself in work. Crescent Lake was a beautiful town filled with friendly, curious people who’d brought her baked goodies just to welcome her to town.
    She’d read that the Lakefront Boardwalk housed a host of stores that included a few antiques shops, an art gallery selling local artwork, a quaint bookshop and, among others, a cozy coffee shop with a spectacular view of the lake and mountains.
    She