finally realized that her rescuer was none other than the man she had fallen asleep thinking about. Aaron Westhaven.
Even as she watched in stunned awe, he snapped the gun from the intruderâs grasp, removed and pocketed the clip, then ejected the bullet in the chamber. And he did it all in about a half second, while she stood there with the cell phone in her hand. He met her eyes and gave her a subtle shake of his head, telling her no.
Then the intruder ran for it, blowing past her and out through the front door. Aaron ran after him, but she caught hold of his forearm just as he reached the doorway.
âAaron, please donât!â she cried.
He stopped in his tracks in the doorway, turned to look at her. But she was focused on Freddy again. Releasing his arm, she returned to her beloved pet. She rubbed his giant head as tears spilled over her face. âOh, God, oh, God, oh, God! Freddy.â
She heard a motor roaring away, and then Aaron waskneeling beside her, his hands on her dog. âHeâs breathing. Hey, you hear me? Heâs okay.â
She sniffled and lifted her eyes to his. âHeâs not dead?â
âNo, heâs breathing. His heartâs beating strong. Feel.â He closed one of his hands around hers, enveloping it entirely, and then he pressed it to Freddyâs chest. She felt the powerful, steady throbbing of his massive heart against her palm.
Her mouth fell open, and her eyes closed. âHeâs alive! Freddy, come on boy, wake up. Wake up for me now.â She bent and kissed his muzzle, then rubbed his face and ears, but he didnât respond.
Aaron sighed and then bent closer, running his hands over the dogâs huge body in search of injuries, frowning the entire time as if puzzled. He laid his head on the dogâs side, listening. Then he sat upright again, nodding. âI think heâs fine. Thereâs not a mark on him. My best guess is that heâs probably been drugged.â
â Drugged? Dammit, it was the steak.â
He looked at her, brows raised.
âHe was eating a piece of steak when I got home, and I couldnât get it away from him.â
âSo your burglar fed him some doped meat. Canât blame him. You donât break in to a house with a dog this size unless you take some precautions, right? I think heâll be fine. Can you turn on a light?â
Sniffling, she got up and found a light switch.
Aaron was still looking at her dog, lifting his eyelids,looking at his eyes. âYeah, heâll be fine. Heâs starting to come around already. It would take a huge dose to do any lasting harm to a dog this size. Hell, heâs almost a pony.â He glanced up at her, and his face changed. âDamn,â he said, and he rose, coming to her, gripping her chin very gently, turning her face. âWhat did he hit you with?â
âFirst my bedroom door. Then his gun.â She ran her fingertips over her hurting jaw. âWhat are you doing here, Aaron?â
âI was feeling like a sitting duck at the hospital. And I overheard you and the doc talking before, so I knew where to find your key and your car.â
âSo you just left?â She let him help her to her feet.
âI didnât think youâd mind.â
âMind? You probably just saved my life.â
She let him lead her into the kitchen, though she hated to walk away from her dog. But he eased her into a chair that left her a clear line of sight to Fredâs still-prone form. Then he turned on the water, located a washcloth and soaked it, then went to the fridge, where he filled the cloth with ice. âHere, hold this on your jaw.â
âThanks.â
âItâs not even close to enough to say how sorry I am, Olivia.â
She frowned up at him. âSorry? About what?â
âBringing this to your doorstep.â He returned to the fridge, this time in search of something to drink, and brought out
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