“I figured it out.”
His eyebrows lifted. “You taught yourself to read.”
The tent was too hot, his surprised stare too probing. I licked my lips and eyed the door again, just to remind myself it was still there. My coat, too. I could escape if I needed to. “It’s not like I created the written word or composed the first sonata. I just made sense of what someone else had already done.”
“Considering how other people’s logic and decisions are rarely comprehensible to anyone else, I’d say that’s impressive.”
“Or a testament to their skills, if even I can figure out how to read.”
He gathered the empty mugs and put them away. “And the sonata? You figured that out as well?”
“Especially that.” I covered my mouth to yawn. “I wanted something to fall asleep to, even if it’s only in my head.”
“Hmm.” He dimmed the lamp and shifted bags around the tent. “I’ll think about repayment, Ana. Get some rest for now. If you want to find your bag and go to Heart, you’ll need all your strength.”
I glanced at the blankets and sleeping bag, wary in spite of exhaustion. “Like before?”
“Janan, no! I’m sorry. I thought we knew each other. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay.” He was probably wondering how he’d managed to find the only nosoul in the world when chances were so much higher of him rescuing someone he already knew. He was showing me more kindness than anyone ever had, though; I should try to reciprocate. “There isn’t much space. I’ll face the wall if you’ll face the other way. That way neither of us is cold.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll face the wall.” He motioned me closer to the heater. “We’ll discuss other issues in the morning, and that’s”—he checked a small device—“in three hours. Get some rest. It sounds like you’ve had a difficult day.”
If only he knew.
About the Author
JODI MEADOWS lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a cat, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut. You can visit her online at www.jodimeadows.com.
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Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by Jodi Meadows
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPUB Edition AUGUST 2013 ISBN 9780062315588
ISBN: 978-0-06-231558-8
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