Twice Blessed Read Online Free PDF Page B

her ears.
    Then he drew his hands away so quickly she would have guessed he had sensed the sudden burst of warmth within her. His eyes shifted away, and she bit her lower lip. She had not wanted him touching her. Yet now she was bereft, a feeling that frightened her. Behind her safe web of half-truths, she had been able to keep herself separate from the strong, dangerous emotions she could not trust. In less than an hour, Noah Sawyer had unbalanced the precious equilibrium she had created for herself in Haven.
    â€œI’ll get that invoice for you now,” she said as she went to the door. Walking ahead of him was a mistake, she realized. His gaze drilled into her back. She did not turn to ask him to explain himself and the peculiar behavior she seemed to have too few defenses against.
    A door inside the store opened, and she jumped back before it could strike her. Arms surrounded her in a far too intimate embrace, for she was pulled back against Mr. Sawyer’s chest so tightly that the buttons on his shirt cut into her.
    â€œYou may release me,” she said quietly as she had on the porch.
    â€œDo you always get yourself into endless mishaps?” His breath curled around her braid to caress her nape.
    â€œI have yet to get into a mishap.” She tried to escape his hold.
    â€œYou shall if you keep squirming.”
    Emma clenched her hands in front of her. “So shall you if you don’t release me immediately.”
    He drew away his arm and surprised her again by chuckling. “You speak your mind, I see.”
    â€œI’ve never found it wise to refrain from doing so.” She walked over to where a man hobbled down the steps, and she offered him her arm. “Why don’t you sit on the bench here, Mr. Baker?”
    Noah Sawyer frowned as he took off his hat and knocked dust out of it. From her words, he would have guessed Mr. Baker was an elderly gentleman. This man must be on the young side of forty. His left leg had been amputated just above the knee, and Noah wondered if Baker had served in the War Between the States or had suffered an accident around here. Probably the former, because Miss Delancy had said the man was half deaf, which could have been caused by the concussion of cannon fire.
    A smile tugged at one corner of his lips as he looked at Miss Delancy. He had not guessed the owner of Delancy’s General Store would be such a pretty blonde. That soft gold had fallen over his hands when he had held her in the barn, trying to keep her from getting mixed up in chasing the kid.
    He let his gaze edge along her splendid curves as she made sure Baker was comfortable on the bench. Her practical white blouse and dark skirt emphasized her slender waist, and his arm recalled how it had held her twice now. He would not mind holding her again, longer and when she was not trying to escape. Knowing he should look away, he cursed silently when she looked up and her amazing green eyes narrowed.
    â€œHow much?” he asked, his irritation at himself sharpening his voice. “How much is it for the two bags of seed?”
    â€œLet me check what the latest price is.” She gestured toward the man on the bench. “Mr. Baker, this is Mr. Sawyer. Mr. Sawyer is new in Haven.” Without another word, she walked toward the counter at the other side of the store.
    â€œNew, eh?” asked Baker.
    â€œRecently bought a farm outside of town.” He made sure he spoke his answer as loud as Baker had asked his question.
    â€œSo you’re the one Collis sold his place to.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œHeard you got taken on the price.” Baker grinned. “Said he sold it for twice what it was worth.”
    â€œOdd, for I’ve been told I got a real bargain to get the land and the woodlot, too.”
    â€œHe sold you the woodlot for that price?” Baker’s smile vanished as he cursed, not lowering his voice.
    Noah glanced at where Miss Delancy was taking