A Chance Encounter by Lindsay McKenna Page A

she rested her head on his chest, aware of the strength of his arms around her. Safe. She felt safe and cared for…and loved. The word seeped into her cartwheeling mind and found solace in her heart. It was more than mere guilt that pushed Taylor to help her, she realized. He could have walked away from her, and this whole business, but he hadn’t. He had taken responsibility for his actions and moved to help her deal with the situation. And the tremor she detected in his carefully modulated voice told her of his feelings for her….
    Katie gently dislodged herself from his arms, searching his worried face. “I want to stay here. I know it sounds crazy, Taylor, but my apartment is a sanctuary for me, a place where I can hide from the world. I love the colors I’ve chosen for it, the music I play there and the peace it provides. Please try to understand. I live half of my life upstairs. The colors, the sounds, my plants—all are a part of me. That’s where I feel safe and secure.”
    His mouth tightened into a firm line. “I can’t persuade you to leave?”
    “No.”
    His hands gripped her arms. “All right, then, I’ll move in with you until this situation clears up. And no arguments, Katie. I’ll sleep on the couch at night, so don’t give me that panic-stricken look.
    “But—”
    “You’re leaving me no choice, dammit! Now listen to reason. You’ve got a dangerous sociopath out there, tormenting you for some twisted reasons. I got you into this, and I’ll get you out of it. But you’re going to have to trust me.”
    She searched his eyes, fraught with frustration. “I don’t know if my couch is long enough…”
    Taylor managed a sour smile, relaxing his hold on her arms when he realized she wasn’t going to fight him on that point. “So, I’ll bring a sleeping bag. It doesn’t matter.”
    “Yes, it does. You can have the bed. The couch is plenty big enough for me.”
    “I’ll do whatever you want, Katie. Just allow me to help you, that’s all.”
    Her heart was pounding erratically, and not from fear. Taylor Grant affected her senses like sunlight caressing flowers, flowers that turned their heads to follow the sun across the sky. With sudden certainty she knew Taylor’s presence in her life signaled a transformation that was entirely new to her. “Why don’t you bring whatever you need over, then?”
    Taylor hesitated, watching as two customers walked through the door. “Okay. Sure you’ll be all right here by yourself? I’d like to be here when the police arrive. We could get my things later.”
    Katie shook her head firmly. “Go on. You’ve got better things to do today than play watchdog.”
    He gave her a sharp look. “I’ll guard you with my life, sweetheart. No one’s going to harm you. I can promise you that.”
    Suddenly, all her anxiety about the forthcoming weeks melted away beneath his warm dove-gray gaze. Her world had been turned upside down, and her belief in herself had been severely tested. But it all looked far less threatening when Katie realized that Taylor Grant would be at her side throughout the ordeal that lay ahead. He might not know much about her, but she was beginning to learn that his integrity and his values were unquestionable. A silken thread of burgeoning love twined through her beating heart like a soothing balm….

Chapter 6
    Maud gave Taylor Grant a disgruntled look when he sauntered into the Unicorn Bookstore, but she was too busy with a roomful of customers to do much else. Katie stood beside Maud, slipping the newly purchased books into plastic bags as her friend rang the purchases up.
    “You know, at three o’clock, five people are bringing in their animals for you to lay hands on,” Maud groused just loud enough for Katie to hear.
    “I know.”
    “You’re pale, Katie. Are you up to it?” Katie gave Maud a tender smile. “That’s out of my hands, isn’t it?”
    “Humph, I’spose so.” Maud frowned darkly as she watched Taylor