Chapter 7
Maia lay on her mattress, devoid of energy and as weak as the softly whimpering puppy that the vet was checking over in the room next door. Her heart twisted with sympathy, although she knew from experience the man had gentle fingers and a fantastic bedside manner. She’d liked Gavin on sight.
A sound from the doorway caused her head to turn, and she immediately tugged the sheet to her chin.
Henry stood there, a fierce frown etched into his face. She half-snorted a laugh because, really, did the man have other expressions?
“What?” Her weird obsession with this man unnerved her. She hadn’t understood it as a child and didn’t understand it now.
“Why did you go outside?”
Indignation rose in her, burning away her anxiety at him seeing her this vulnerable and in her flimsy nightgown. “Did you see that puppy? Hear it? You love your dogs. You would’ve gone outside.” Her defensive words spewed, and she tensed, her chin rising defiantly.
He blinked once, and a tic burst into motion on his jaw when he gritted his teeth, but he didn’t argue. She’d been right and challenged anyone to ignore that tiny puppy. Whoever hurt it needed to be locked up and the key lost. She’d show them suffering if she ever got her hands on them.
“Going outdoors at night wasn’t a smart decision. Charlie said you saw nothing. What about smell? What did you hear?” Henry glanced at her in clear expectation.
Her body went rigid, and she blew out a noisy breath of frustration.
He wasn’t wrong, but she challenged anyone to ignore the puppy’s cries.
She’d do the same again. Then, his silent demand for answers intensified.
His questions ran around inside her head, and she tried to recall the moments leading up to her falling and thumping her head on the tree.
A shard of pain speared through her skull, striking her temple, and she prodded the area with careful fingers.
“My focus was on the puppy. By the time I realized someone had sneaked up behind me, it was too late.” She scowled, thinking back.
Her assailant hadn’t made a sound. They hadn’t uttered a word.
They’d merely acted, striking her head and the back of her thigh.
“I didn’t hear anything.” Apart from the sickening crack when the person thumped me on the skull.
She barely suppressed her shudder. “But I smelled something,” she said, the memory drifting to her slowly.
“What?” Henry demanded.
“I smelled mint, which is weird.”
“Ah.”
“Ah, what?” She wouldn’t allow him to pat her on the head, figuratively or physically. She was an adult, and she’d been looking after herself for a long time.
“I followed their trail from where they’d attacked you to where they’d parked their vehicle. I picked up two candy wrappers that smelled of mint.”
“Where did they park?” Maia’s pulse jumped up a gear.
She’d wanted a fresh start and to be close to Henry, although she’d admit that gem under pain of death.
Maia hadn’t even understood the impulsive urge that had sent her back to Middlemarch, but the instinct had felt right, and she’d gone with it.
“Beyond the neighbor’s paddock, there’s a service road, and they parked out of sight.”
“They’ve been watching me.” Someone had planned this carefully. “I haven’t sensed anyone following me around. I haven’t been in Middlemarch for long.”
“No, if I were a gambling man, I’d say you brought your assailant with you,” Henry said.
“You think it’s someone I know?” Apart from Bryce and her teammates at Auckland, she didn’t have any close friends.
Bryce was like a brother, and she and her teammates were sisters.
They’d done everything together, shown in their play on the field—they’d moved like a well-oiled machine. She refused to suspect one of them.
“Yes, I think you know them, but it might not be a close friend. It’s someone on the peripheral, and you’ve upset them,” Henry said. “I’ll get you to write me a list so Gerard and I can do a quick background search.”
“You’re not prying into my friends’ lives,” Maia said. “I trust each of them implicitly.”
“What about fans? Does your team have fans?”
Maia snorted. “Of course we do. They’re enthusiastic but civilized. I can’t imagine any of them would hurt me.”
“What about boyfriends? Lovers?”
“None of your business. Stop bothering me. I’m tired.”
“You’ll need someone to stay and wake you every few hours.”
Her mouth opened and closed because Gavin had told her that, and she’d intended to ignore his advice.
She didn’t know anyone here enough to ask them to stay.
Besides, she was too tough to die and add pissed on top of that.
The person who’d assaulted her was a coward.
She frowned, trying to recreate her memories of what had happened.
Yes, the person who’d thumped her had taken care not to get in her line of sight, and they’d disappeared quickly.
She recalled legs clothed in black trousers or perhaps sweat pants, and then blackness had overtaken her.
“Will the puppy be okay?” she asked rather than admitting Henry was right.
A muscle in his jaw twitched, and his hands balled into fists at his sides. “Gavin thinks if she makes it through the night, she’ll pull through.”
Henry was as angry as she was about someone injuring a defenseless puppy. “What will happen to her?”
“I told Gavin I’d take her.”
“Good. That’s good.” Suddenly, she felt exhausted, and her eyes fluttered closed.
She forced them open, but it was a losing battle.
Fatigue weighted her limbs, and her entire body ached.
Then there was her leg. She was more worried about that because the injury might interfere with her rugby training.
Gavin had told her the cut was superficial and the bruising might bother her for a few days, but it shouldn’t prevent her availability for the first match of the season.
Something to be thankful for, at least, although she wished she understood why someone had attacked her.
Henry sat on the floor next to her mattress.
It was too much effort to order him to leave, and she closed her eyes again.
The truth—not that she’d ever admit it to anyone—Henry made her feel safe.
He had all those years ago, which was why she’d plucked up the courage to speak with him.
Right now, she didn’t want to delve too deeply into the emotions that went into her decision.
She let the healing sleep take her and trusted him to keep watch.
Henry scanned her pale face and the freckles dotted across the bridge of her nose. Without her beautiful blue eyes to distract him, he noted other details. Her skin bore a tan from spending time outdoors, while her lips were pink and plump. He ached…
No! No, he couldn’t do this. It was wrong. There were too many years between them. His life experience compared to hers. Yet he didn’t rise or attempt to leave the bedroom. He stayed and quietly watched the woman who’d wormed into his heart.
A mate.
He sighed loudly, but she didn’t wake. A tiny frown etched into her smooth forehead before it evened out.
Yeah, he could run, but since she seemed determined to stay, he couldn’t keep avoiding her.
It wouldn’t work, not when London had taken a liking to her.
His stepfather and Megan would like her, too, and his dad was cannier than most. He’d see through Henry’s denials.
He scowled because there was no decision. Someone wanted to hurt his mate, and he couldn’t let that happen. Not again.
His thoughts stuttered, and his frown grew fiercer. He hadn’t saved Jenny. What if he couldn’t protect Maia? What if she died?
The low rumble jerked him back, and this time, he rose abruptly and left the room before he woke Maia. He found himself in the kitchen and poured a glass of water while he tried to think.
He’d have to catch and stop this person before they harmed Maia.
They’d be back. He sensed it in his gut.
They’d planned how to get her outside, even though she’d already called the cops.
Yes, they’d gone to a lot of trouble. He needed a list of Maia’s friends and acquaintances, but right now, he could start filling the gaps in his knowledge by researching Maia. It was no longer time for avoidance.
Maia was his mate, and while they mightn’t have made promises, she understood this too on a subconscious level.
Henry found a seat in the sparsely furnished room.
Maia had a laptop open but powered down.
Henry hesitated for a moment and fought against prying into her privacy.
He glanced over his shoulder, but the house remained silent.
His gaze shifted back to the laptop, and he sighed, knowing only one course of action existed.
Time to snoop and learn more about this mate of his.
A soft chuff echoed through his head, his wolf in total agreement.
Henry switched on the laptop, and it opened to a password screen. He swore softly, irritated on one hand yet pleased on the other. Security was necessary, and it was surprising the number of people who didn’t bother to protect their information.
He didn’t enter a password but pulled out his phone and started a basic internet search for Maia Jacobs.
His brows rose when he encountered several stories about her rugby successes in Auckland and a recent newspaper article about her signing with the Dunedin club.
Apart from this, Henry found little else on her.
Her social media presence was basic, and what she had was out of date.
So he’d use the old-fashioned method. He’d ask Maia herself and get to know her.
From there, he could extend his searches.
There was also the possibility that whoever had attacked her was staying locally.
That was another avenue to check. Henry noticed an hour had passed.
It was time to check on Maia. Gavin had told him to wake her every three hours and make sure she made sense when he spoke with her.
Henry padded down the passage and stopped in the bedroom doorway.
He’d left a light on in the bathroom, which spilled into the room, allowing him to see Maia.
At some point, she’d kicked off the covers, and her nightgown hid little from his gaze.
She was solid but still shapely and feminine, and she’d fit in his arms perfectly.
A rugby player. He shook his head, marveling at the thought. Someone to run and train with. Henry forced himself to stop thinking about the future, but his gaze strayed to her again, and his muscles tensed because he wanted to touch her.
No! That wouldn’t happen.
It was bad enough that there were so many years between them, but no way would he act like a creeper.
She’d had enough bad luck tonight. He swallowed hard and sternly informed his wolf they would cover her and wake her.
Nothing else was going to happen because of her injuries.
If they took the next step, there would be plenty of communication, and they’d get to know each other better.
His relationship with Jenny had moved at warp speed, and maybe if he’d gone slowly, he might’ve noticed not all was well in her life.
Swallowing, he reached for Maia’s shoulder. Her skin was warm beneath his fingers, but he shoved away that thought. Impersonal. Slowly, remember?
“Maia. Wake up, Maia.” When she didn’t respond, he shook her. “Maia, it’s time to wake up.”
Henry frowned when she didn’t stir.
“Maia.”
She jolted awake, her blue eyes flying wide. Fear slid across her face, and she opened her mouth.
“Maia, it’s Henry. We’re in your bedroom, and I’m waking you as per Gavin’s instructions.” He spoke soothingly, his heart jolting rapidly because he hated to scare her. She’d been through enough tonight.
“Henry?”
To his relief, the tenseness seeped from her body, and she fell into his arms. Henry hesitated before he gathered her closer and held her.
He didn’t dwell on his wolf’s soft sigh, how she felt pressed against him, or how being in the same room was like coming home.
Instead, he let her take her time. He inhaled the fruity scent of her hair and the floral scent radiating from her skin. It was subtle and perfect.
Maia stirred, and he made himself pull away.
A shudder ran through her, and she swallowed audibly. “Every time I shut my eyes, I see that poor puppy.”
“Gavin will look after her, and once she’s better, I’ll give her a safe home.”
“I’d adopt her, but I’ll be away playing rugby. It wouldn’t be right to have a pet, no matter how much I’d like one.”
“You can spend time with her once she’s better,” Henry said, working on his gentle voice. “Tell me more about your rugby.”
“I’m lucky,” she murmured, her focus on her hands, one of which bore blood.
Henry cursed inwardly because he should’ve washed her hands and face. She didn’t need reminders of the attack. He’d seen a stack of facecloths earlier. After wetting one with warm water, he returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed to cleanse the dried blood from her hands.
“I should shower.”
“No! Gavin instructed me to monitor you. If you want a shower, I’ll have to watch. I’m not ready for that.”
Her gaze jerked upward, and her mouth dropped open before a slow grin crawled across her lips. “Do I scare you?”