Read Online Colonist's Wife by Kylie Scott - Free Book Online Page A

a hand against a hard chest, adrenaline surging through her system like flood waters. Fight or flight. This was it. Oh no.
    “Hi.” Her husband frowned and calmly covered her hand with his own, nonplussed by her over-reaction. “I’ve been thinking.”
    “Adam!” The gods damn heart attack kept right on in her chest. Shit. Shit. Shit.
    “Mmm?”
    Her name was Louise and she was married. Married to this man, Adam Elliot.
    Fuck a duck. Okay. Everything’s fine.
    Apparently he had been lying there, nose to nose with her, watching while she slept. Which might have been kind of cute but he had scared the almighty crap out of her. Her ribs hurt and her throat stung from the pre-emptive heart attack.
    “Great. You’ve been thinking.” Her breathing gradually slowed and her heart rate eased. Who knew how many years he’d taken off her life? “What about?”
    “What we should do today.” He scooted closer and his hard-on nudged her in the thigh.
    “Bet I can guess.”
    Adam’s eyes crinkled and he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. “There’s that too. But I was thinking I could take you top-side—we could go and see the lights. There’s a good vantage point about an hour away.”
    “What? Wait.” She freed her hand and sat up, rubbing her sleep-heavy head. “I’ve promised to do some jobs in the garden today.”
    His dark brows pulled tight and he sat up too. “I’ve got today off, remember?”
    “Yes, but you only told me last night,” she said. “Adam, if you’d given me some notice I would have kept it free.”
    “You can go down to the gardens anytime.”
    “But I promised to be there today.”
    “You’re serious about this?”
    “Yes. I am.”
    The door com chimed and she slid from the bed, wrapped herself in her robe while her husband scowled at her. A lot like a spoiled child.
    “How long will these jobs take?” he asked, with a definite hard edge to his voice, a snarly one. Which shouldn’t have been hot in the least, but he was buck-ass naked, the cheat.
    “Five to six hours, normally. They’re really low on staff right now, Adam. I’m not going to leave them in the lurch. Especially not when I gave my word.”
    She swiped her hand across the sensor. A fine-looking, straight-standing man waited at the door in a black company uniform. His brown hair had been neatly combed. She shoved a hand through her own and hoped for the best. Maybe she should have made Adam answer the door.
    “Hello,” she said.
    “Mrs. Elliot, it’s good to meet you. Though the circumstances are not what I’d wish.” The man put a hand out for shaking and she took it. He had spoken at the memorial, she remembered. His grip was firm but not too firm, and his smile warm. Mid-forties, perhaps? A good-looking mid-forties. His gaze held hers as he shook her hand, and for some reason she couldn’t look away. He had a definite presence.
    “Chief.” Her husband appeared beside her dressed in pants and a T-shirt. Adam slid an arm around her waist, drawing her against his side. Staking his claim, maybe. “Princess, this is the chief of operations, Nathan Hillier.”
    An amused smile flashed across the chief’s face at the mention of her moniker and he ducked his head, presumably to hide it for her sake. Bless her husband for opening his mouth.
    “Come on in.” Her husband waved the man forward and the door slid shut behind him.
    “Thank you. Adam, we’ve had a communiqué from your mother. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I’m afraid your father suffered a terminal heart attack. He passed at 1:20 a.m. yesterday.” The chief’s brow furrowed and he watched her husband closely. “I can get you on a ship in two days’ time. It’s only a freighter, but it’s the best I can do at short notice. Your mother has indicated that she’s willing to delay the funeral for you to be there, or hold a second ceremony upon your arrival.”
    “That won’t be necessary.” Adam’s hand tensed on her hip