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Page 360
"You must never be afraid," he said fiercely. "I will take care of you."
She pulled back, her eyes flashing despite their moistness. "I'm not the sort of woman who needs to be taken care of," she said with sweet belligerence. "But"
"Yes?" He waited, half afraid to hear what sort of woman she was. Did she need to be near a city, where there were at least more amenities than he could ever hope to offer here?
Or was she about to tell him that she was returning, after all, to her own time?
"I am the sort of woman who needs a man who' s reliable. Who recognizes he's dependable. It helps that he always comes through, of course, and I know I can rely on him even when things look impossible. But I want him to acknowledge it."
"If that's what it will take to keep you here," he said, reaching out to rub the softness of her hair between his fingers.
She closed her eyes, as though savoring the moment. But then she said, "That's not all." She leaned her side against the bar.
"What else?" She was torturing him.
"I need a man who will promise never to duel, no matter what the provocation."
"But" What if he had to defend his honor? Her honor?
"Promise!"
"All right," he said reluctantly. "But Mariahwhat happened when I could not find you?"
"Pierce tried to send me back home. It was tempting, in fact." She told him an incredible tale of what she had done by stopping his duelhelping Pierce's descendants over generations. Including herself. "And he swore I'd go home to a big, loving family."
"That sounds wonderful, Mariah." He grew quiet, then said, "I cannot offer you that, or much else."
"I have a loving family here, with Holly and René. And you."
The last sounded questioning, and he pulled her tightly

 
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