SHE LIFTED PLEADING green eyes to him and Edric felt his anger softening. The woman before him was obviously terrified. Yet she was willing to put herself at risk to help Brita and the girl from the restaurant. He realized suddenly that she’d most likely been facing that type of fear all her life. And rather than cringe away and hide, she’d learned to stand tall in the face of it.
His feelings for her, already growing steadily, grew exponentially at this realization. Bella Rawnie might look and feel like a soft, genteel woman, but Edric understood in that moment that she was made of much sterner stuff. This was no fluffy female. Giving in to an impulse, Edric reached out and pulled her into his arms.
She came willingly, even gratefully, sighing softly against his chest. “Whatever you’re
