Page 2 of Bound By Her Baby Revelation (Hot Winter Escapes)

What the hell...?

Thirty-six hours! He’d been here, in the town that time forgot, forthirty-six hoursand he was already deeply regretting the journey he’d made.

Hell, he could have wrapped up all the paperwork from the comfortable, warm, luxurious surroundings of his New York offices. Instead, what had he chosen to do? Come here.

Driven by what, exactly? A thirst to discover the joys of small-town living in the heart of British Columbia? A sudden need for vast amounts of space? The scenery—the little he had managed to glimpse—was eye-wateringly majestic, but he was a city guy, someone who thrived in the jungle of streets and skyscrapers, at home where big money was made, and the cut and thrust of deals being done had a heartbeat of its own.

No, he’d come because he’d been curious.

A private jet and the solid four-wheel drive waiting for him at the airstrip had brought him here, and no sooner had he arrived when the weather had decided to make an appearance. The snow had begun and it was obviously here for the long haul. He’d just about managed to make it to the local shops to stock up on food and drink, and since then he’d been holed up here, without Internet connection and plenty of time to rue yielding to the temptation of seeing a past that had been denied to him.

The last thing Leo needed in the early hours of the morning was the tedium of having to dispose of someone who’d broken in in the hope of escaping the snow storm swirling outside.

He’d remained where he was, waiting for developments. The development that opened the door was not one he had expected. He’d figured on a guy, maybe a teenager or a couple of teenagers out and about in the dead of night, doing whatever they shouldn’t have been doing in a small town where everyone probably knew everyone else—smoking or drinking and then suddenly realising that, if they didn’t find shelter, they stood a good chance of dying of hypothermia. They probably knew that the house had been lying vacant and hadn’t thought twice about breaking and entering.

A couple of drunk teenagers? He could have dealt with that. He could deal with anyone, if he was to be honest. A tough upbringing in foster care had served as sterling preparation for pretty much anything. From the minute he’d been able to walk, he had learnt how to handle himself and, the older he had got, the better he had become at it. Nothing scared him. The only scary thing he had ever faced had been the dawning realisation that he had been abandoned as a baby and that nobody would be coming to rescue him—ever. When faced with that, something as hard as granite settled in the soul and nothing, however frightening, could ever compete.

Every muscle in his body was primed for action as he sat up. His senses were on full alert and he was as still as a predator waiting for its prey to make the first move.

The door was pushed open. No lights were on, but still, there was no need for a light for him to realise instantly that his intruder was a woman.

‘Who thehellare you and what are you doing in this house?’

That from the figure framed in the doorway, giving Leo no time at all to frame his own question, which would have replicated what she had just hurled at him, word for word.

The overhead light was slammed on, and for a couple of seconds he was rendered speechless at the sight of the furious avenging angel glaring at him.

She was tall, at least five-ten, slender with very long, dark hair trailing from underneath a woolly hat and she was olive-skinned. And she was exotically and unusually beautiful.

‘Well?’ she demanded, folding her arms, making sure to stay right where she was within easy reach of backing out of the room and slamming the door shut just in case he tried to reach her.

Smart move, Leo thought, although the last thing he wanted to do was frighten her. His instinct was to push aside the duvet and get out of the bed but he remained where he was so that he didn’t spook her.

‘I could ask you the same thing,’ he threw back at her.

‘How did you get into this house?’

‘The legitimate way.’

‘I know for a fact that that’s a lie! I don’t know who you are, or what you’re doing here, but I want you out!’

Curiouser and curiouser, Leo thought, driven to stare at her because she was so physically compelling to look at and he hated the feeling of being caught on the back foot.

‘You would toss a poor guy out in a blizzard?’ he asked, blatantly sidestepping the fury on her face.

‘Without a second thought!’

‘I’m thinking that we need to have a little chat.’ He pushed aside the duvet to slide off the bed.

‘Don’t take another step!’

‘Or else what?’

‘Or else...’

They stared at one another. Kaya’s heart was thudding so hard that she found it hard to breathe.

There was a man in her bed—and not justanyman. This was the most spectacularly beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. His skin was burnished gold, his hair as dark as hers and his features were so classically perfect that he could have been a lovingly sculpted statue into which life had been breathed.

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