was little. She knew she was the only one there to defend her small daughter. With the desperation of a trapped mother bear, she freed one hand and jabbed her thumb into the man’s eye.
He yelled and punched her face.
Pain radiated across her cheekbone, her vision blurred and Kate knew she wasn’t going to last much longer. For Lily, she tried to hang in there, forcing the darkness back, struggling beneath the weight of her attacker.
As the intruder reeled back to hit her again, Kate squeezed shut her eyes.
Before the fist connected with her face, all the weight on top of her shifted backward.
Kate’s eyes popped open.
The man in the ski mask fought against another man wearing a black T-shirt and a cowboy hat. Fists flew, and bodies banged against the old furniture. The cowboy hat flew across the room, landing in a corner.
Kate sucked in air, filling her lungs and clearing her fuzzy thoughts. She scrambled to her feet, clutching the towel around her, searching for a weapon of any kind. Her hands wrapped around the legs of an end table. She lifted it high and waited for the right moment.
The two men tumbled and flew around the room, knocking over furniture. With the lights out, Kate could barely tell who was who.
Then her rescuer hit the floor on his back and the man in the ski mask pulled a knife from his belt, the metal glinting in a ray of moonlight shining through a gap in the curtained window.
Kate’s heart thudded against her rib cage.
The man in the ski mask closed in on Kate’s rescuer.
Without thinking past saving the man on the ground, Kate rushed for the one with the blade and slammed the end table down over his head with enough force to break the small table into several pieces.
The attacker dropped to his hands and knees. He swung his arm out, clipping Kate in the back of her legs.
She fell hard, her head hitting the corner of a coffee table. As she landed, she heard shuffling of feet and tried to rise to see what was going on. When she lifted her head, her vision swam.
No. She couldn’t give up now.
Pain radiated from the back of her head. She closed her eyes, praying for them to clear and let her get back into the fight. Lily depended on her.
Hands gripped her arms. Kate struggled, but the grasp was strong. Too strong for her to fight off.
“Shh. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” The voice was a deep rumble, the tone rich and warm, resonating from deep in his chest, wrapping her in a reassuring blanket.
“Bad guy?” she asked, without opening her eyes.
“He’s gone.” A hand brushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?” The same hand trailed softly over her cheekbone where the masked man had punched her.
Kate winced, and she opened her eyes to stare into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat, and not out of fear. “Who are you?”
“Ben Harding. Hank Derringer thought you could use my help.”
Thank God. The cavalry had arrived.
Chapter Two
Ben stared down at the woman, her long wavy strawberry-blond hair lying in damp ringlets against the wood floor. Wrapped only in a fluffy white towel, she looked like a fallen angel, her creamy smooth skin begging to be touched, the towel riding up her shapely thighs.
“You’re staring.” The woman blinked up at him, her fingers pulling the edges of the towel together over her chest. She tried to sit up, pressed a hand to the back of her head and sank back. “Must have hit harder than I thought.”
“I’ll call for an ambulance.”
She shook her head and winced. “No. I’ll be all right, just give me a minute.” One arm rose to cover her eyes. The top edge of the towel slipped lower over the swell of her breasts, capturing Ben’s attention.
He really needed to focus on the situation, not the female lying almost naked at his feet, which proved hard when the woman had a great figure and very touchable skin. A pang of guilt and sadness knotted his gut. He hadn’t felt like touching a woman in more than two years. Not since…“Any idea what the guy was after?”
“None,” she answered, the arm dropping to her side. “I’m just glad he’s gone and you’re here. I’m Kate Langsdon.” She held out a hand, a frown denting her pretty brow. “What took you so long?”
“I just got the assignment an hour ago.”
“Well, Mr. Harding, I’m glad you came when you did. Any later and…” She shrugged and tried to sit up again. “I have to get up.”
“You should stay put and let me call an ambulance.”
“No, I have to get upstairs.”
“Why the rush?”
“I just need to.” She sat up, swayed and started to fall back. “Damn it, I can’t be dizzy.”
“Pigheaded woman.” Ben caught her before her head hit the floor.
“Stubborn man,” she whispered.
He scooped her into his arms and lifted her off the floor.
She tensed, her arm automatically circling his shoulder. “You don’t have to carry me. I’m perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet.”
“Not with a knot on your head and a crazy determination to get upstairs.”
“Give me a minute and I’ll argue this point.” Her uninjured cheek lying against his chest belied her ability to put up much of a resistance. Her free hand struggled to keep the towel in place.
Ben ignored her protest and carried her up the stairs. “Which room?”
She sighed. “Last one on the landing. And really, I can get there on my own.”
“No need. From what Hank told me, I’m the hired hand, here to help rebuild a ranch and protect its owner.”
“Hank’s words?”
“Right.” His lips twisted, a frown creasing his forehead. “Let me do my job.”
She chuckled, a smile curling her lips, making her face shine even with the nasty bruise turning her cheek purple. “Somehow, I don’t think carrying a woman to her bedroom is part of the job description.” The smile faded. “But thanks.”
For a brief moment the sun had shone in the woman’s face, tugging at a place Ben thought buried for good with his wife and daughter. He shook the thought from his head and turned left on the landing.
When they crossed the threshold into the room, the woman twisted in his arms, her gaze darting toward
