Page 27 of Inventions of the Heart

CHAPTER

EIGHT

MICHELLE’S EYES POPPED OPENin the dark room, and a chill rushed down her spine that almost sent her screaming from the bed.

But a year of living with Edgar had taught her caution.

What woke her up?

A dream?

A noise?

A cry for help?

Without moving, she opened her eyes just a slit and studied the room. Luckily for her, she slept on her side. The window was open, and something moved in that window. A black shape, but it was a night with a bright moon.

A man slipped in the window.

Silent as the grave.

Think. Think. Think.

Scream? Leap from bed? Run? Grab something ... her bedside book? Fight?

Remaining silent wasn’t a choice. If he was sneaking in here, he had evil intentions, and if they weren’t for her, they were for someone else.

He stepped one leg down on the floor to a slight creak. Then the other leg came through. In that second, she could see he was a big man and knew in a fight, she’d lose.

All the possibilities coalesced. She did it all—except the quiet parts.

She flung back her blanket, leapt to her feet, and screamed.

Grabbed her heavy book and ran, screaming every step. “Help! Help! Jilly! Zane!”

With an open window, her voice might even alert the bunkhouse.

The man hissed out an awful word, and his feet thundered as he stormed at her. She wrenched open her door just as the vicious brute slammed her to the floor with all his weight.

“Help!” Her cry broke off as the air rushed from her lungs, but she sucked in another chestful and went back to screaming for help. It was enough to shred eardrums. Lying flat on her belly under a massive weight, she swung the book behind her, as high and hard as she could, and caught his head.

His grunt of pain turned to a vicious growl, as if he were an animal attacking her.

Something else hit.

Michelle, her face pressed to the floor, couldn’t see, but she heard Jilly yell as she dove at the man.

“Zane!” They both hollered and struggled.

Michelle was free as the man rolled off under Jilly’s assault. She scrambled to her feet to face the man. He and Jilly were tumbling, Jilly wailing, but her words were threats not fear.

Michelle, still shrieking with all her might, couldn’t hit anyone in the dark, afraid she’d hurt her sister. Holdingthe massive book in both hands, she rushed at the two of them. She felt around long enough to be sure it was Jilly now crushed to the floor with the man on top of her. Michelle hit the man with the book, glad it was a heavy tome. She struck again and again, pummeling him. She swung down, the sideways book hammering him in the face, then she hit the back of his head so hard he let out a thick grunt.

While she swung her only weapon, she never let up the noise. Jilly was still shouting threats. They both knew noise would be their salvation.

He broke off his attack on Jilly to lunge up at Michelle just as she was bringing the book around again. She clobbered him hard enough he staggered back, tripped over Jilly, and went down. He was back on his feet with a roar of anger. If Zane didn’t hear her or Jilly, he’d hear this fool.

The housekeeper’s door slammed open. Michelle didn’t have time to look, but she knew Zane was here.