He cracked the door and peered inside. The foyer was empty. He could hear footsteps toward the front of the house, probably Alastair. He grabbed his gifts and darted across the foyer and into the kitchen.

So far, so good. He set the large box of donuts on the kitchen table, just like he'd been doing every morning for the past week, then placed the flowers next to it. It was the biggest bouquet they'd had in the grocery store-pink roses that reminded him of Elsa's pretty mouth, white daisies as soft as her skin, and big green fronds that reminded him of her eyes.

He was halfway to the door when he heard Elsa's voice. In the foyer.

"Ready for your morning donut?"

"Lord, yes," Alastair answered. "We'd better grab a few before Oskar and The B Boys arrive."

Elsa chuckled. "I swear they inhale the entire box in five seconds ..."

Howard took a quick peek. Holy c.r.a.p Holy c.r.a.p. He couldn't exit the back door without them seeing him.

He surveyed the kitchen. A small window over the old sink. Too small. Another door on the far side of the room.

He dashed over to it and peered inside. Jackpot. There was a huge opening in the wall where a big window had been taken out. He could slip through there and make it back to his SUV without Elsa seeing him.

He hesitated. Was this the cowardly way out? Why not stay in the kitchen and confront her? But he'd given his word not to see her. And what if her aunts came running with their weapons?

No, he'd leave for now. Maybe the flower strategy would work and she would contact him. It would be better if it was her decision to see him.

He eased inside the small room and shut the door.

Elsa followed Alastair into the kitchen and smiled when he headed straight for the table. She was getting hooked on the daily donuts, too.

She set her tool belt on the counter, close to the kitchen sink. Today, she would take measurements and plan how to tackle the cabinets. She would need to add more overhead ones. And a big island with more- "Blimey, look at this."

She turned to see what Alastair was pointing at. Flowers? Her mouth fell open. "For ... for me?"

Alastair gave her a wry look. "You think Howard has a crush on me me? Besides, your name is on the card. That's what we call a clue."

"Oh." Her heart swelled in her chest. Howard had given her flowers?

She rushed over to the table. "They're beautiful!"

Flowers from Howard. She touched the card with his bold handwriting, then gently stroked one of the pink roses. She couldn't recall ever getting flowers before. Her last boyfriend had surprised her on Valentine's Day with two tickets to a wrestling match. Somehow, guys never understood that inside her large body there was a woman who craved pretty, girly things as much as any other female.

But Howard understood. And he hadn't forgotten her or given up on her.

"Are you sure you don't want to see him?" Alastair watched her closely. "You have an incredibly sappy look-"

"Hush." She glared at him, then grabbed the flowers and marched toward the kitchen sink, putting her back to him so he couldn't see her read the note. She lay the bouquet down next to her tool belt.

Crack! A loud noise erupted in the room next door, followed by a man's shout. A loud noise erupted in the room next door, followed by a man's shout.

She jumped.

"What the h.e.l.l?" Alastair ran toward the laundry room and flung the door open. "Oh my G.o.d."

"What?" Elsa b.u.mped up against him, trying to see into the room.

She gasped. There was a huge, gaping hole in the floor. Someone had fallen through? A masculine groan floated up from the cellar. Howard? Howard?

She rushed forward.

"Careful." Alastair grabbed her arm. "Don't get too close."

She craned her neck, trying to peer into the hole. "Howard, is that you?"

A groan answered, then a muttered, "Holy c.r.a.p."

Her heart plummeted. Howard could be seriously injured.

"Call an ambulance," Alastair whispered. "I'll go downstairs to check on him." He rushed from the room.

An ambulance? A wave of dizziness swept over Elsa, and she crouched on the floor to keep from falling. Where had she left her handbag and cell phone? In the kitchen? The parlor? Had Howard gotten hurt bringing her flowers?

"Howard?" She crawled toward the hole. It was dark in the cellar, and she could barely make out his form.

"Elsa, don't get close to the edge," he called up to her. "You could fall."

He was worried about her? Her aunts had to be wrong. Howard wasn't a beast, planning to harm her. The poor guy had to be in pain, yet he was more concerned about her safety than his own injuries.

"How badly are you hurt?" she asked.

"Just a few sc.r.a.pes. No big deal."

She suspected he was making light of it. "What were you doing?"

"I-I was running late this morning. I thought I could leave through the window opening."

A pang of guilt shot through her chest. He had tried to leave the house without her seeing him. He'd gotten injured trying to honor her wishes.

A light suddenly brightened the cellar, and Alastair appeared below, aiming a flashlight at Howard. She gasped at the sight of blood on his arms and chest. He'd fallen at least ten feet right onto hard cement. His clothes had been ripped by the jagged ends of the wooden floor that had cracked and collapsed under his weight.

"Any broken bones?" Alastair knelt beside him. "Did you hit your head?"

"I'm okay."

"We'll let a doctor decide that." Alastair glanced up at Elsa. "Did you call the ambulance?"

"No!" Howard sat up and grabbed his rib cage, wincing. "I don't need that."

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," Alastair hissed. "You should have been backboarded. Now lay still until-"

"No." Howard rose slowly to his feet. "This is no big deal. I'll be fine."

"You're not fine!" Alastair shouted. "You're bleeding."

Howard limped out of Elsa's view. She scooted back, then ran toward the head of the stairs. In a few minutes, she saw him slowly climbing up from the bas.e.m.e.nt.

Her heart squeezed. He looked so beat up. "Can I take you to a doctor?"

He glanced up at her. "I appreciate that, but there's no need."

"I'm so sorry you felt you had to ... escape out a window. I feel terrible-"

"No, don't feel bad." He reached the top of the stairs and whispered, "I'll be fine. I'm self-healing."

She blinked. "You mean you can-" She leaned close. "It's like a superpower?"

"Something like that." He gave her a wry smile. "Can we meet sometime when I'm not bleeding on the floor?"

She gazed into his eyes, and for the life of her, she couldn't see the wild beast her aunts warned her about. All she could see was a man who was strong enough to retain his sense of humor and polite demeanor even when suffering from pain.

"Howard," Alastair said as he came up the stairs, "at least let me take you to the clinic in town."

"It's not necessary," Howard a.s.sured him. "There's a clinic where I work, so I'll be on my way." He gave Elsa a hopeful look. "Will you call me?"

She nodded. "Yes." Her aunts would throw a fit if they found out, but they didn't know Howard like she did.

"Good." He smiled at her. "You must think I'm an awful klutz."

She shook her head, her cheeks warming with a blush. "No." She thought he was the sweetest man she'd ever met.

He glanced toward the front door. "To avoid sustaining further injuries such as gunshot wounds, I'll just make my exit out the back."

She winced. "I understand." As he walked haltingly toward the back door, her heart squeezed.

"Be careful," she called as he eased out the door.

"You're totally smitten," Alastair whispered.

"Hush."

"Not that I blame you. The man nearly killed himself just to bring you flowers."

She shot him an irritated look, then rushed into the kitchen. She spotted Howard through the small window over the sink. He was walking into the woods.

She opened the note he'd left with the flowers. Give me a chance to prove I'm worthy of you. Give me a chance to prove I'm worthy of you.

"Oh, Howard," she whispered. She glanced back at the window.

He was going deeper into the woods. Shouldn't he be going toward the road so he could return to the school and the clinic there?

I'm self-healing. Maybe he didn't need a clinic. Maybe he didn't need a clinic.

She bit her lip, watching him disappear among the trees. Where was he going? How did he heal himself? Dammit, there was so much she didn't know about him. How could she make an informed decision on whether to trust him, when she didn't have enough information?

She rushed into the foyer.

"Oskar's here," Alastair yelled as he headed for the front door.

"I-I'm going to make sure Howard gets back to his car all right."

Alastair glanced back with a smirk. "Right. Take all the time you need, luv."

"Ah, if you could not mention it to my aunts-"

"Mum's the word." Alastair pretended to zip his mouth.

"Thanks." She slipped out the back door and jogged into the woods in the direction Howard had gone.

After a few minutes, she was surrounded by trees and beginning to wish she'd left a trail of donut crumbs. It would be just her luck to get lost in the woods. The dark, creepy woods.

She snorted to herself. Some Guardian of the Forest she made. All the trees looked alike to her. She glanced back. The house was no longer visible. A deer peeked around a tree, watching her. Then another deer peered around a bush.

"Sheesh," she whispered. "You guys always show up. At least I don't have to worry about being alone in the dark, creepy woods." Though she doubted these two deer could offer her much protection.

The deer ambled closer.

They were bigger than she'd thought. She stepped back. "That's close enough."

They stopped but continued to stare at her.

"What do you want?" Did they expect her to do some sort of guardian thing? What the heck did a guardian do?

She waved a hand in the air. "Carry on, my loyal subjects. Cheerio."

They gazed at her blankly.

Apparently, being a guardian wasn't like being a queen. "Look, I don't mean to disturb your normal routine. I'm just trying to find a man who pa.s.sed through this way."

The deer sprinted past her, then paused to glance back with an inviting look.

"He went that way?"

They cantered off, and she jogged after them. "I hope you're not taking me to some weird animal ceremony. I never liked venison, okay?" Except in sausage, but she wouldn't tell them that.

She winced. What if they could hear her thoughts?

She followed them for about five minutes, weaving around trees and jumping over moss-covered logs. Then they scampered downhill, moving quickly and nimbly. She slowed down, afraid she would skid on the damp, fallen leaves and hurt herself in the middle of nowhere.

The sound of rushing water grew louder, and the ravine grew steeper and rockier. She picked her way down slowly, grasping the branches of trees to keep her balance.

Finally, she reached the bottom. The trees ended, along with the spongy ground covered with pine needles. A rocky slab extended toward the edge of a creek. The sun shone brightly, and she blinked to adjust her eyes.

The stream serpentined along the bottom of the ravine, tumbling over rocks and meandering around large boulders. Downstream, she spotted Howard, partially hidden behind a pile of rocks. His back was to her, his torso bare. He'd taken off his shirt.