Reckless Rescue by Rinelle Grey Read Free Book Online Page A

this storm.” As he spoke, the dull roar of the rain increased. Lumps of ice bounced on the grass outside, quickly turning the area white. Marlee winced. Was Nelor okay? Had they stayed at the ship, or were they on their way home and caught in this?
    “There they are,” Jaimma called out, pointing out the window. “They just went into Brenda’s house. I saw them.”
    Marlee couldn’t see what she was pointing at from this distance, but she couldn’t leave the stranger to look. Jaimma had seen them, so Nelor was safe. She turned back to the stretcher. Was the pilot looking paler?
    “We should go out there as soon as the storm is over,” Belac said, stepping up beside Weiss. “Maybe we could bring the ship back to the village.”
    Marlee shook her head. Belac was so similar to her stepfather, but she wasn’t afraid of him. “It’s too big to move,” she said. “We’ll have to go out there to repair it. As soon as the pilot wakes.” She wished she knew his name. Would it be something that sounded as exciting and exotic as the name on his ship?
    Kalim exchanged a glance with the other elders.
    What was wrong? Surely they could see the possibilities. “If we can repair it quickly, we might be back in the Colonies before winter hits,” Marlee said.
    The other council members were frowning as well. Marlee opened her mouth to say more, but before she could speak, Kalim turned back to Karla. He had to yell to be heard over the storm. “Do you have room for him in your house?”
    Marlee froze. She didn’t want the stranger to go to Karla’s. If he did, she wouldn’t see him again. Her stomach clenched.
    Karla shook her head. “There is no need for him to be near me. There is little I can do for him besides the initial care. I already have Talta and her daughter staying, the child’s arm has a bad break, and I need to make sure she doesn’t move it too much before it has a chance to heal. I don’t want any excitement around her right now.”
    The council began discussing options.
    “Balac has a spare bed. He could go there.”
    “No, Jenka has moved back home now that the baby is nearly due. She wants to be near her mother in case she has difficulties.”
    “Well how about Brenda? She could move some of the children around to make a spare bed. They could share for a week or two?”
    The definitive shake of Karla’s head stopped them. “I don’t think he should stay in a house with children. Not when we know nothing about him.”
    “He can stay with me,” Marlee blurted out. As soon as she said it she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it earlier. It was perfect! She tried not to smile, to look properly serious.
    Everyone turned to stare at her.
    Her mother frowned, but she didn’t say no outright. “You don’t have a spare bed.”
    “I can sleep on a pallet on the floor. I have a whole house to myself. I have more than enough room.” The rain stopped abruptly, right as she spoke, leaving her shouting in the sudden silence. She took a deep breath to slow the words tumbling out of her mouth. She tried to think of something she could add that would convince them, but when nothing came to her, she kept silent.
    They had to agree. She couldn’t bear it if he disappeared off into someone else’s home where she would only see him if she could come up with an excuse to visit.
    Her mother had spent the last two weeks trying to push her to invite someone to move in with her. Surely she wouldn’t say no when Marlee was asking. Just to be sure her mother got the picture, she let her eyes stray to the stranger, let them linger on his face, and let a smile turn up the corners of her mouth.
    She hoped it worked. She’d do whatever it took to get off this planet, away from the council’s rules, even pretend to be attracted to the handsome stranger.
    What she felt wasn’t real attraction, it couldn’t be. The excitement bubbling along her veins was because of what he represented. A world she had