Free The Haunting of Brier Rose by Patricia Simpson Page A

out. With his slow walk, he wouldn't make it back
for half an hour, at least. He couldn't let her suffer that long. And if there
were dogs around, they might return.
    Scowling, he stepped down the bank, using his cane to fend off
the encroaching brambles. Even so, he received more scratches on his already
scarred face and legs. A lusty brier brushed the gash on his leg and ripped off
part of the bandage. Taylor felt a warm trickle of blood course down his shin . He ignored it and blocked out the throb of pain as he hacked his way to
Rose.
    "How'd you manage to fall into these?" he grumbled,
whacking at a stray vine.
    "The dogs lunged at me. Please hurry."
    Taylor bent over her and inspected the intricate tangle of hair
and briers. Gingerly he pulled a strand of red hair free, trying not to hurt
her. He was accustomed to working with his hands on small difficult details, a talent honed by many hours spent building his
models. The practice provided him with unusual patience and concentration,
which he could apply with ease to his ships but found nearly impossible to
grant to people.
    He pulled on another strand, and she let out a gasp.
    "Easy, Rose," he encouraged. "I’m getting
somewhere."
    He put aside his cane and slipped a hand under her head,
supporting its weight to take the strain off her neck. She sighed in relief,
and he felt her relax somewhat. If this were a ploy to get them together, she
had certainly placed herself in considerable pain for the cause. He wondered
whose idea it was, Bea Jacoby's or Rose Quennel's, and
whether she had become far more entangled than she had planned?
    He worked quickly, freeing tangle after tangle, until the last vine
was pulled from her hair. "There," he said, helping her to her feet,
one hand on her wrist, the other on her hip, knowing he should step away from
her as quickly as possible. She rose gracefully and stood before him, slightly
dazed and pale, brushing her tousled hair out of her face. Her actions and
expression seemed too genuine to be mere fabrication. Worried that she might
collapse back into the thicket, Taylor grabbed her around her slender waist and
surveyed her critically.
    "Are you all right?" he asked.
    "I—I think so," she murmured. "Thank
you." In wonder, she looked up at him, as if seeing him for the first
time. "You saved my life."
    "I wouldn't say that."
    "I might never have gotten away."
    "You'd have managed." His eyes locked with hers, and he
wasn't even sure what he was saying. All he knew was that he longed to bend
down and kiss her lips, so red against her pale skin. She was lovely, even
covered with scratches, and the paleness of her skin accentuated the blue of
her eyes, the same periwinkle blue of the forget-me-nots growing at the edge of
the briers. Beads of moisture hung in her lashes, adding to their lushness.
    "I just can't understand where those dogs came from,"
she said. "I've never seen them around here before."
    "And they attacked you?"
    "Yes. And I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't come
along when you did."
    Suddenly Edgar swooped down at them and landed on the grass
nearby, cawing raucously. Rose glanced at the bird, breaking off the tender
possibility that had hung between them.
    "And where were you, Edgar?" she admonished. "You
could have gone for help."
    "He did. He guided me over this way."
    "He did?" Surprised, Rose looked back at the bird.
    Edgar bobbed his head.
    Taylor came to his senses and realized that he had been considering
succumbing to Rose just as they planned for him to do. This was no time to play
the fool. Immediately, he released his light hold on her.
    Rose backed away and lowered her lashes, while two patches of
crimson blossomed on her cheeks. The shock had worn off, and it was obvious she
was embarrassed. Flustered himself, he picked up his cane and gently took
her wrist to lead her out of the briers, thankful to occupy his hands with
something other than her soft curves. If he touched her again or gazed at