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kick him. In a swift move, she picked up her skirts and darted to the side. But before she could take her first step toward freedom, he flattened both hands against the trunk of the tree behind her and trapped her between his outstretched arms.
    Josie fought the emotions racing through her. Her heart thundered in her breast and she was suddenly so warm she thought she must be standing very near a blazing fire. She wanted to pull away from him. Knew his presence was the cause of the heat that consumed her. And yet…
    ”You haven’t answered my questions.”
    “And I don’t intend to.”
    He smiled, but instead of backing away and letting her go, he leaned closer as if he knew his towering height would intimidate her. It did.
    “I haven’t lived in this area long, Miss Foley, but since I’ve arrived I’ve heard your praises sung every time your name comes up. What do you think everyone would say if they knew about your midnight rendezvous?
    Josie wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of a response.
    “Such behavior is not at all what I expected from such an outstanding example of propriety. It makes one quite curious as to who or what is so important that you venture out at such a strange hour.”
    “I’m simply taking a walk,” she bit out.
    He broadened his grin. “You make a terrible liar. Perhaps you’d like to try again with more conviction.”
    “What I’d like, is for you to step aside and let me pass.”
    Josie followed her demand by placing her hand against one of his arms and pushing. The nighttime sky was dark again as a puffy cloud skittered in front of the moon. But she didn’t need light to point out what her other senses already knew. Touching his muscled forearm was like pushing against a stone wall. The feel of him beneath her fingers was rock solid.
    “What secrets are you keeping, Miss Foley?” he whispered, then ran one long, graceful finger down her cheek and across her jaw. Josie sucked in a gasp of air and tried to ignore the way her heart thundered in her breast. Damn him. Damn him!
    “I have no secrets.”
    “Don’t you?”
    He moved his hand to the other side of her face and cupped her cheek. His thumb gently stroked the contour of her jaw and she shivered.
    “Please, take your hand away from me.” She gritted her teeth and pressed her head against the bark of the tree until her scalp hurt. She wanted to blame her reaction on fear but she knew that wasn’t the only reason her blood pounded against her ears and her skin tingled as if on fire. It was him. “I don’t want you to touch me.”
    His brows shot up as if he questioned her words, then rubbed his thumb across her jaw once more. She prayed he’d let her go, but instead he anchored his hand against the tree again to keep her from escaping.
    “Why won’t you tell me where I can find Carrie Gardner’s child?”
    His abrupt switch of subject caught her off guard. A small gasp caught in her throat at the same moment a cloud slid away from the moon to expose his face in vivid clarity. It was then that she remembered in detail the steel gray of his eyes, the dark, haunting boldness. The promise of danger.
    “You’re lying when you say you don’t know what happened to the child. From what I’ve gathered, there isn’t anything about a child in the whole area to which you are not privy.”
    “I don’t know what you’ve heard, Lord Rainforth, but—“
    “I’ve heard that you’re the first person on the spot when a child is left unprotected. I’ve heard you steal them away before the authorities have a chance to decide what’s to be done with them.”
    “Steal them? You make it sound as if I’m a bigger threat to the children than if they were left alone in the world to fend for themselves.”
    “Do I?”
    Josie bristled. “Just what are you implying?” She shoved hard against his chest, trying to move him. He didn’t budge.
    “I’m not implying anything. I’m simply stating a fact as I see