[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]his left ear. Thank you, Cade.
For a long, long moment, he stared down at her. Finally, he simply nodded and left.
In the outer hallway, one of the servants offered him his outer coat. Cade woodenly
slipped it on and walked to his waiting limo. As he got in, he gazed out the window
and into the night. I want her so bad I can taste it. She was everything he d ever longed
for. His heart already knew what his damned body had been trying to tell him from the
first moment he d laid eyes on Ann Foster. In fact, there was precious little not to desire.
She pushed tragedy behind her, grabbed life with both hands and shook it to her will.
45
Candace Sams
She even loved history the way he did and had a mind that was nothing less than
phenomenal. It was as if some wayward wind had blown her into his life and his soul,
but the sorry fact was that she was a woman who couldn t join his world. At least she
couldn t do so without giving up her life. Cade felt his throat tighten at the thought of
her precious blood being spilled to do so.
For the first time in all his centuries of existence, he wanted something he couldn t
have. He couldn t buy or collect her. There was no way to own a spirit so fierce and
free. He could feel her desire for independence. She had dreams to chase. Sadly, that
made him want her all the more.
In frustration, Cade struck the side of the door with his fist.
Is there something amiss, sir?
Cade looked at the driver s profile as the man halfway turned his head toward the
rear seat. No, drive on, he replied. Then he closed his eyes and tried to get the picture
of Ann out of his mind along with that breathtakingly soft kiss. All the time his heart
yearned, his brain kept shouting, I can t have her, I can t have her, over and over again.
46
Darkstar Guardian
Chapter Six
Ann was beside herself with joy. After walking Baron around the beautiful country
gardens of Darkstar Manor, then making herself some porridge for breakfast, she found
Maggie s note. Basically, Maggie needed her to type out some jotted reminders that
meant nothing, but could at least be bulleted and neatly printed. Then she was to pick
up clothing from the cleaners, leave requests for various staff members in different
parts of the household, check to make sure the nine horses in the pasture were safe and
that none had come to harm by way of a leg in a hole or fence boards coming loose. She
was also supposed to put in requests for her meals, what she liked to eat and how they
should be prepared in case her dietary needs were an issue. There were dozens of small
chores to see to, but nothing she couldn t handle after holding down three or four jobs
at one time. Her tasks were all the sort of mundane things most assistants might come
to resent, but she found pleasure in setting her own schedule, basically being her own
boss as to how the details got done& so long as they were. That meant she could get up
very early, take care of the animals needs, then see to whatever else Maggie required of
her. After that, she could spend the afternoon in the library reading and in Cade s
private collection room where her imagination soared.
Of all the wonderful weapons and artifacts she found there, the Celtic display
always drew her attention for the longest time. The swords, daggers and ancient
jewelry were in almost pristine condition. She couldn t fathom the pieces being so well
cared for if they d come out of the ground. Therefore, she reasoned that they must have
been obtained from private collections whose families had passed down the
paraphernalia over centuries. There were no plaques under the items as there were in
the other display cases, so she had to guess that even Cade s private visitors were never
to see where those items came from or how they were obtained. Her gut still told her he
might be a rogue where women were concerned, but there was sincere honesty in his
eyes when he spoke about obtaining his collection legally. She believed him and she
believed Maggie.
For her, the days went by in perfect order. She ate her late dinner with Maggie and
Cade, who would then go about their business with all due haste. They d come back to
the manor near dawn. She knew this only because she d taken to keeping Baron in her
room and he d lift his head and nuzzle her from his place at the foot of her bed when
his mistress had returned. Just as quickly, he d lay his huge head back down over her
legs when he could no longer hear Cade or Maggie fussing about as they went to their
rooms for the day.
As for Cade, he remained a perfect gentleman and she began to see an amiable side
to his nature where his sister and the staff were concerned. He never criticized anyone
in front of her. If he took exception to the way any chore was handled, she assumed he
47
Candace Sams
dealt with the matter elsewhere or his devoted staff simply never made mistakes. Either
way, he always treated them with dignity. He was jokingly gentle with his little sister,
which made Ann feel as if she d missed out on not having a sibling of her own.
Ann was determined that life would change for the better, even as she kept banking
her paychecks and only investing in what clothing and equipment that could advance
her situation. Unlike the Maguires, she had only herself on whom to rely. To that end,
Ann made sure she completed each task efficiently and kept up her studies via Cade s
extensive library.
She was there two months when, getting up one morning, she found a square, flat
package in front of her door. Thinking Maggie had left some parcel to be delivered and,
as usual, hadn t knocked because of the early hour, Ann simply put it on a table in her
room then went about her morning schedule. She came back into her room about three
o clock with Baron romping at her side. The dog was intent on grabbing the large
rubber ball she held in one hand. That was when she saw the package and was
reminded that it probably needed to be delivered before the postal service closed for the
day.
All right, Baron. We ve played outside all afternoon and you can t run through the
house with this, she softly chastised, and shook the ball at him. Why don t we take a
walk into the nearest village and get Maggie s parcel mailed?
Baron woofed loudly in response, buckled his front legs and wagged his stubby tail.
You re so vicious, she crooned as she pulled at his floppy ears. Then she grabbed
up the package only to see her own name on the wrapping paper, written in some
masculine scrawl that certainly wasn t Maggie s. What is this? she wondered, then
tore off the paper and gazed at the heavy book in her hands. It was a detailed listing of
all the stone circles in the British Isles. What she d thought of as a wrapped box was
actually a very large reference book that she d desperately wanted to purchase for the
last two years. The expense and its unavailability made the desire for the book only a
grand wish. But there it was, right in her hands. She carefully sat on the edge of her bed
holding the precious volume. When she opened the cover, she read an inscription.
For Ann, May all your dreams come true, Cade.
Shocked, she looked up and immediately remembered that strange dream she d
had where they d made passionate love in an ancient stone circle and had been forever
bound because of their actions. His reference to the word dream in his note and the
subject of the book itself brought that memory back to vivid reality. Surely the gift was
just a coincidence. He couldn t have possibly known anything about her dream. There
was no way he could know how she loved stone circles.
The same coincidence could be referenced at his having a love for ancient artifacts
and her passion for archeology. Try as she might, however, she couldn t get the graphic
images of that old dream out of her head.
Undoing the top button of her blouse as her body temperature rose, she put the
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