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Elizabeth didn’t know what possessed her to allow him to pick up her foot, slide her dress up to her ankle and unlace her boot.
    It was as though she wasn’t in her own body, she was watching someone else. His long fingers slipped off her rough boot and rolled down her sock. His touch sent zings up her leg, straight to her pussy. Warmth flooded her most private core. What on earth was happening to her?
    An angry red mark transected the top of her foot. He traced the injury with the lightest movements, then pressed around it.
    “I don’t feel anything broken. Does it hurt?” His dark gaze showed concern, which surprised her.
    “Um, not too much.” Her voice had dropped to a husky whisper. She didn’t sound like herself, either. Perhaps this was a dream and not reality. Then his fingers slid around to touch the bottom of her foot.
    Elizabeth always had a problem—she was ticklish. Extremely ticklish. She laughed and yanked her foot out his grasp. Vaughn’s grin slid across his face, making him appear boyish.
    “You’re ticklish.”
    She scowled. “I can’t help it.”
    “It’s adorable.”
    Her scowl deepened. “It certainly is not.”
    “Oh yes, it is, Ellie. Very much so.” His smile was sexy and the sight of that handsome visage made her mushy inside.
    Damn.
    She jumped to her feet. “I’ll go get the cold water so you can bathe.”
    Elizabeth told herself she wasn’t running from him again. It was a lie. A big one. After pumping water into the empty bucket, she cooled herself down. Standing there with one bare foot, she felt foolish. Vaughn probably considered her more foolish after running off like she did.
    She sighed and tried to dredge up her self-respect and strength. Vaughn was a handsome man with beautiful hands and bone-melting charm. He was a stranger, a charlatan who would be gone as soon as his feet carried him out the door.
    Yet the newly awakened feminine side of Elizabeth wanted more. She wanted to be kissed, to be touched, to be held. The painful truth was she might not ever get another chance. Did that mean she should take a chance? Or wait until his natural instinct to charm her out of her drawers kicked in?
    She carried the bucket as her guts warred with her head with each step. Sometimes in life, a woman had to do what she wanted, no matter the consequences. She certainly had role models in Hannah, Olivia and Aurora. They were all strong women who took what they wanted.
    The question was, what did Elizabeth want?
    When she stepped into the room, she still hadn’t decided what to do. Vaughn sat where she had left him, her boot and sock in his hand. Her cheeks heated yet she didn’t drop her gaze.
    “I’ve got the cold water.” It was a ridiculous, obvious thing to say but it popped out of her mouth anyway. As she poured the cold water into the bath, he got to his feet.
    She watched him in her peripheral vision, noting his feet appeared larger than normal because the pants he wore were too short. He had dark hairs sprouting from his toes, and manly looking feet. It was a silly thing to notice.
    “Thank you for getting the bath ready.” His voice slid over her, smooth and deep.
    She suppressed a shiver. He didn’t need to know how he affected her. It would give him a power over her she refused to grant him. Elizabeth would tread with care.
    “It’s for selfish reasons. I told you that you stink.” She was only being honest. Her brothers would expect no less.
    He chuckled. “You might be right.”
    “There is no maybe about it.”
    He held the sock and shoe out to her. She set the bucket down and took it. His thumbs grazed her palm. She didn’t know whether it was deliberate or not. Regardless, his touch sent sparks up her arm.
    “Will you help me?” His soft question almost knocked her off her feet.
    The moment had arrived when she would have to decide. To explore it felt like to be within the circle of his arms or walk away and spend the rest of her life wondering what