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Mariah settled back on the bed. That meant she had been there six nights, too. Nights during which Thorn had insisted on staying at her side, sleeping in an uncomfortable chair. |
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It was, after all, his house. But there were other beds in which he could have slept. |
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He'd wanted to be with her; the idea made her insides sing. |
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That first morning, when she'd regained consciousness, she had been amazed to see his dark hair spread across the sheet beside her waist. She'd studied it for a long moment, more closely than ever before. It was richly brown, mostly dark as the richest teak yet sun-bleached at the top to a lighter redwood. It was straight and uneven, and the most adorable head of hair she had ever seen. |
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She had needed to touch it, and so she had, awakening Thorn. |
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He'd pretended to be crabby, but she could sense his relief that she was awake. He seemed glad to see her. |
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She'd been amazed and delighted when he'd admitted he finally believed she'd come from the future. |
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And when he'd left later, after Holly returned, Mariah had closed her eyes and remembered a dream she'd had while unconscious. A dream in which Thorn had promised her mold and earthworms and shoe scrapings . . . and had said he'd loved her. |
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Delirium certainly made one's imagination run wild, she thought. |
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"I heard you were awake." The rich, British-tinged voice made her smile, especially when she looked up to see the large, beloved body of Thorn filling the doorway. |
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"René's such a tattler." She crossed her arms behind her head. She wished she had a mirrorbut better that she didn't. She knew she'd hate what she saw. "I thought I'd just laze around here for the rest of my life. It's pleasant for a servant to have the tables turned, after all, and have the master of the inn serve her." |
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"A maid as sassy as you will not long have anyone at her beck and call." He crossed the room and towered above her. |
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