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as gags. Then he pulled Ryder across the living room and out the door onto the porch before doing the same with Danforth. When they were outside, he rolled them off the porch and left them lying on wet leaves in the front yard. Trying not to breathe hard, he watched them struggle for a few minutes, satisfied that they were secure before returning to the house.
    Morgan was standing in the doorway, staring from him to the men he had just tossed out like sacks of garbage. “What are you doing?”
    â€œStowing them where there’s not a chance they can hear us discussing our plans,” he clipped out as he came in and closed the door. It had been kicked in, and the lock no longer worked, but he hoped nobody could tell that from the outside.
    â€œWon’t… won’t someone find them if you just leave them there?”
    Her shaky voice tore at him. “Like he said, when they don’t come back, their buddies will be looking for them. They know their assignment, so it doesn’t make any difference if they’re inside or out. The main point is that we have to get out of here—fast. And we’re going to have to hoof it.”
    She didn’t move, and the doubt and confusion on her face made his chest constrict. They’d known each other for only hours, yet in some ways it felt like a lifetime. Before he could consider what he was doing, he reached for her and pulled her into his arms.
    She held herself stiffly for a moment, then melted against him, her head dropping to his shoulder.
    â€œYou handled that like a pro,” he murmured as he cradled her in his arms, feeling her shaking in reaction. She might have been shocked and scared when Trainer’s men had burst in, but she’d kept her head and defended herself—and him.
    He stroked his hands over her back and shoulders. It felt amazingly good to hold her. Too good. He hadn’t allowed a woman into his life since before Afghanistan. He hadn’t been seeing anyone special, and he’d thought it wasn’t fair to start something when he was leaving and might not come back.
    But circumstances had thrust this woman into his path, and he was holding on to her like they meant something to each other, even when all the reasons for not getting involved with anyone still held. All those—and more. He should turn her loose immediately, but he couldn’t do it. Not yet. Not when it felt like he had been out in the cold forever, and she was offering him her warmth.
    Or more likely, it was the other way around. She was the one who needed him. Too bad he couldn’t spare her more than a moment’s comfort.
    ***
    Morgan had been without a man since Glenn’s death, and she liked it that way. Well, not liked it exactly. She knew that she was rationalizing, but she hadn’t been able to imagine a relationship with anyone else besides her husband.
    At this moment, she wasn’t sure what she had with Jack No-Last-Name, but she allowed herself to lean on him as she tried to cope with everything that had happened in the past few minutes—or in the past eight hours, come to that. For a few moments, it was comforting to focus on the man who held her in his arms.
    She was amazed by how much everything had changed since last night. When she’d found him in the woods and dragged him inside, he’d been barely functional. And when she’d examined him, she’d been appalled by his injuries. Today he seemed to be operating on what would pass for full power with most men, even when she was pretty sure he still wasn’t up to par, not by his own standards.
    She didn’t know much about him. But she’d seen him in action a few minutes ago and knew he was capable of extraordinary bravery and of calling on hidden reserves of energy when he went into defender mode. When the knock had sounded on the door, he could have tried to get out of there before the invaders discovered him. Instead, he’d