Free The Baby Bargain by Dallas Schulze Page B

he let his hand drop away from her.
    "I would never hurt you, Kelly," he said quietly.
    She said nothing, watching him warily. Clearly she didn't believe him.
    "You should see a doctor."
    "No." The word was little more than a whimper of protest. She turned away, wrapping her arms around her knees and pressing her battered face against them.
    Dan stood. Looking down at her, he felt a sense of helplessness, a feeling he'd grown familiar with during the two years he'd spent in prison. It was not a sensation he enjoyed. Kelly began to rock back and forth, seeking comfort in the gentle rhythm.
    Dan's hands clenched into fists at his sides. He wanted to reach out and gather her up and tell her that no one was ever going to hurt her again. His mouth twisted. He was a fine one to promise her protection, considering the results of their brief acquaintance on New Year's Eve.
    Still, he was all she had at the moment.
    "Kelly, you've got to let someone take a look at your injuries. If not a doctor, then it's going to have to be me."
    For all her response, he might not have spoken at all. He waited but she didn't lift her head. It was as if by wrapping her arms around herself she had shut out the rest of the world. Considering what the world had done to her lately he couldn't say he blamed her.
    Someone still had to look at her injuries. He turned on his heel and left the room. When he came back a few minutes later, he was carrying a bowl of warm water, a wash cloth and a bottle of alcohol. He set everything on the floor next to the bed.
    Ben's answering service had informed Dan that Ben was unavailable but would return his call at the first possible moment. He'd left a message, saying it was urgent that Ben call him. Meanwhile, he could take Kelly to a hospital, which seemed likely to throw her into hysterics—or he could try to tend her injuries himself.
    He snapped on the lamp next to the bed. The sudden rush of light in the darkened room seemed almost painfully brilliant. Kelly hadn't moved. She was still crouched in the middle of the bed, curled protectively into herself. He set his teeth and reached for her. She started when his hand touched her shoulder, pulling back.
    "Kelly, I'm not going to hurt you." He made the words firm but gentle, trying to pierce the wall of her fear.
    ''No," she whimpered, trying to pull away as he drew her forward.
    "I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated.
    For a moment, it seemed as if his words had gotten through. She didn't protest as he pulled her coat open. Dan thought they might be able to get through this with a minimum of stress. But when he started to ease the coat off her shoulders, she seemed to explode.
    "No!"
    She came off the bed, her arms swinging wildly. He had been expecting passive resistance, protests and tears, but the sudden violence caught him off guard. He ducked back, muttering a curse as her hand slammed into his nose hard enough to send a jolt of pain all the way to the back of his head. His heel bumped into the bowl of water and he staggered back, half falling. The back of his head hit the wall with a resounding thump.
    Her breath coming in deep, sobbing gasps, Kelly scrambled off the bed. Blinking to clear the momentary fuzziness from his vision, Dan lunged after her. He caught her at the bedroom door, one arm snaking around her waist.
    "No! No more!" She turned in his hold. Dan caught a quick glimpse of her face, her features twisted with fear, all sanity gone from her eyes. Though he knew she wasn't really seeing him, that her fear was directed at terrors he could only imagine, having that look directed at him struck with all the force of a blow to the stomach.
    "No more!" Her nails caught him across the side of his face. He jerked his head back but didn't loosen his grip.
    She fought like one possessed, her terror giving her more strength than he would have thought possible. He was hampered by the fact that he was trying not to hurt her, trying to keep her from hurting