Rancher's Refuge. Линда Гуднайт

“Was this the first time he hurt you?”

      “No.” Her face darkened with a fierce determination. “But it’s the last. I won’t go back. I won’t see him again. No matter what he does.”

      Rage boiled in Austin’s gut. If he could get his hands on that jerk... “Maybe you should call the cops.”

      Not that he wanted anything to do with cops.

      Hands raised in a defensive gesture, she jerked back in panic. “No! Please. I can’t. Don’t say anything. I’ll leave here today and won’t bother you again. Only promise you won’t tell anyone, especially the police.”

      “A scum like that shouldn’t get away with hurting a woman.”

      “The police won’t help. Trust me. I’ve tried.”

      In a way, he understood her reluctance. The police weren’t always helpful. Sometimes they were dead wrong.

      Austin gazed into her pretty face and saw fear. He heard the tremor in her voice and the desperation.

      A heaviness came down around him, a cloak of responsibility and dread. He knew what he was about to do and he didn’t like it one bit.

      No matter how much he wanted Annalisa Keller to leave, he couldn’t send her away.

      For the next few days or weeks or months, until his conscience would let her go, Annalisa was here to stay.