After that, there was only darkness.
CHAPTER NINE
ARDEN had never passed out in her life. What she knew about such things came from films and books. Women fainted, then returned to consciousness with a sort of genteel grace.
But fiction, it seemed, had little to do with real life. One moment she was submerged in a sea of darkness and the next, she was rushing up through that sea towards a blinding light while an urgent voice repeated her name endlessly.
Her eyelids felt heavy but she forced them open and focused her vision on a face looking down at her. It was Conor, but Conor as she had never seen him, with his skin drawn tight over his cheekbones and his eyes as dark as the darkest jade.
‘Conor?’ she said in a shaky whisper.
A long, slow exhalation of pent-up breath whistled from his lungs and he smiled.
‘It’s all right,’ he murmured. ‘It’s all right, querida You’re fine.’
Was she? Her head hurt a little, but she couldn’t remember why any more than she could understand the reason she was lying here, tightly held in Conor’s encircling arms. She only knew that there was comfort in those arms, comfort and a peace she had never known before.
She ran her tongue over her lips. ‘What—what happened?’
‘You hit your head against the wall and knocked yourself out.’
Arden frowned. ‘Did I? I don’t remember...’
And then she did. The horse, the huge black horse, coming suddenly from out of the shadows, its hoofs slashing down like razors; Conor, shoving her behind him to safety; Conor, facing the animal’s fierce rage alone...
‘The horse,’ she said frantically as she struggled to get up, ‘oh, God, the horse...’
Conor’s arms tightened around her. He held her closer, whispering soothing words in Spanish, rubbing her back gently, as if she were a frightened child.
‘It’s over, querida,’ he said quietly. ‘You’re safe now. Diablo’s safely locked away.’
‘Are y
ou all right?’ She drew back, enough so she could look searchingly into his face. ‘Did he hurt you?’
He smiled a little. ‘No, no, I’m fine. The horse broke loose from the boy who was taking him back to his stall, but he’s safely locked away now.’
Arden sighed, closed her eyes, and let Conor’s gentle hands go on stroking the tension from her body.
‘Good,’ she whispered.
‘Arden.’ His hand cupped her cheek and she opened her eyes and looked at him. ‘Don’t drift off again, querida. You might have a concussion.’
‘I don’t think so. I can see OK, and I’m not nauseous or anything...’ She winced as she sat up a little. ‘My head hurts, though.’ Her breath caught as she touched her fingers lightly to the back of her skull. ‘And I’ve got a lump here, but—’
‘Let me see.’ Conor leaned forward, his fingers dancing over hers. ‘Yes, I see it. It’s not bleeding, but I’ll take a better look when we get to the house.’
She nodded. The simple action sent a dull pain rocketing through her skull and she made a little sound of distress.
‘Easy, querida,’ Conor shifted her in his arms. ‘A couple of aspirin and an ice-pack will make you feel better while we wait for the doctor.’
‘Don’t be silly. I don’t need a doc—What are you doing?’
‘What does it look as if I’m doing?’ he said as he scooped her up and rose to his feet.
‘I can walk!’
‘I’m sure you can.’ He strode to the stable door and shouldered it open. ‘But I’m not taking any chances until I’ve checked you over more thoroughly.’