She waited for them to say something to her, but they didn’t. Instead, they took the tray that had her empty bowl on it and carried it back into the next room. She looked at the man on the floor again, this time trying to study him. Suddenly, recognition struck as his tan shirt, and black vest looked familiar.
Gasping, she crawled to him. The movement made her head pound faster, but she didn’t care this time.
“Maverick?” she said quietly as she shook his arm.
He lay motionless, and panic filled her. Why had they gotten to him, too?
Gently, she rolled him over on his back. The moment she noticed the bruises on his face and his bleeding nose and lip, she cringed. Without another thought, she pulled up her dress enough to rip a portion of her slip. She used that material to remove the blood under his nose and lip. Thankfully, he wasn’t still bleeding.
Taking special care not to hurt him, she lifted his head and scooted closer so that his head could rest on her lap. Tears stung her eyes as she stared down into his battered face. “Oh, Maverick. What have we gotten ourselves in to?”
Gingerly, she ran the pad of her fingers over his face, making sure not to touch his bruises or cuts. He had strong features, but it was his kissable lips that she mostly stroked. Not to mention the cute dimple in his chin.
Hannah couldn’t fathom why she found him so irresistible. He’d outright lied to her, making her think he was the Easton brother she was going to marry. She should be extremely upset with him, and yet, she recalled how easy he’d been to talk to. She especially remembered how her body had warmed from his touch, and her heartbeat had flipped crazily. Even thinking about it now made her breathless. When she’d seen him at the front door earlier this afternoon, she’d been so excited.
Now, he was the man who was going to stop her from marrying his brother. Hannah understood that Bryan should marry the woman he loved, but since this love affair had happened years ago, did the man truly want Coralie? Or would he settle on marrying Hannah?
However, Hannah didn’t want anyone to settle on her. True, she needed to find a husband quickly, but she also wanted to believe there might be a chance to love her husband eventually.
Sighing, she drew the tips of her fingers over his lips again. Could she convince Maverick to marry her? Earlier, she’d felt impressed to tell him the truth about her unborn child. She didn’t know if that would help or hinder the situation. At the very least, maybe he could find her a man who didn’t mind that she came with extra baggage. Yet... she wouldn’t mind having Maverick for her husband.
A small groan escaped his throat, and his head moved slightly. She hitched a breath, praying he would awaken soon.
“Maverick?” she whispered. “Can you hear me?”
His forehead furrowed, and he grimaced. “Ma?”
She rolled her eyes. Did her voice really sound that old? “No, I’m not your mother.”
Slowly, his expression relaxed. “Hannah?” he asked, blinking open his eyes.
Her heart soared. He actually knew who she was. She caressed his cheek. “Yes, it’s me.”
“What... happened?” His head rolled to the side on her lap, looking toward the door.
“I don’t know. I heard them beating you, and then the next thing I knew, they brought you in here, unconscious.”
He grinned and then cringed when the cut in his lip opened again. A small amount of blood came out of the wound, and she dabbed the ripped material to his lip.
“I’m glad to know it worked,” he said.
“What worked?”
He chuckled and then grasped his ribs in pain. “I didn’t know how else to get inside to make sure you were all right, so I let them capture me. Of course, I didn’t plan on them beating me, but at least I’m here with you now.”
Her heart melted. This was all for her? “Oh, Maverick.” Her voice broke, and tears filled her eyes. “No man has done that for me before.”
His smile softened. “I won’t be able to do this alone. I need your help.” He winked. “I believe we make a great team.”
Her heartbeat quickened. “I’ll do my best, but I’m injured as well. Whoever took me from your house, knocked me upside of the head. I have a coal-sized lump.”
Maverick lifted his hand to cup her face. “We are quite the pair, aren’t we?”
She choked on her laugh. “Why? Because we’re both invalids who are determined to escape?”
“Exactly.”
She glanced up toward the door again. The men’s voices were still yacking away in the other room, and she prayed they were kept busy so as not to hear her and Maverick. “What do you think they want?”
“Money.”
She looked down at him, gasping. “So, this is all about money?”
“Yes. They are tired of working for it. Apparently, they don’t think my brothers and I work for our money, either.”
“Are they trying to ransom me?”
He nodded. “They have sent Bryan a note. I don’t know when he’ll receive it.”
“Where do you come into play in all of this?”
“At first, I was the distraction. Fred – the drunken cowboy you met when you arrived – was supposed to distract me so that another man could kidnap you. That worked. However, they didn’t plan on me chasing after them and trying to take you back.”
She could stare into his eyes forever, and she enjoyed touching him, even if it was just light strokes across his face. “Now, you are a complication to their plans.”
“Possibly. One way or another, they want money. A lot of it. I’m not going to
