Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) Read Online Free

bay at Kitner Memorial Hospital. He’d called ahead and there were two people outside waiting for them with a wheelchair. They helped ease Laurie into it and rolled her inside.
    They got all of her personal information and headed towards the treatment area. He turned to find the waiting room but paused when Laurie called to him.
    “You aren’t coming?”
    “I was going to stay out here until they finished treating you.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “There’s always a lot of waiting. You may as well take my statement now. It’ll save us both some time.”
    Tuck looked to one of the nurses who was escorting Laurie and ran his fingers through his short hair. At her nod of approval, he followed them back. The odor of antiseptic assaulted him and he wrinkled his nose.
    Laurie sat on the hospital bed and was told a doctor would be in shortly.
    Tuck hadn’t realized he’d been staring at her until her gaze shifted to collide with his. Vulnerability shone in the green depths of her eyes, mixed with a healthy dose of determination. He admired that. The clench of her jaw told him that she would probably rather go toe-to-toe with the man who broke into her studio, if given the chance. Strong and beautiful – a dangerous, and fascinating, combination.
    She crossed her arms in front of her and shivered.
    Glancing around the small space, he spotted a pile of blankets on top of a cabinet. He took one off the top, not impressed with the roughness of the fabric, and draped it over her shoulders. He was close enough to smell her shampoo and the light citrus was a welcome change from the sterile air. Purposefully taking a large step back, he gave her some space. 
    She clutched the gray blanket together in front of her with one hand. “Thank you.” The corners of her mouth turned upwards just a bit.
    It was the first time he had seen a smile of any kind from her. He tried to imagine what she would look like if she were laughing. He bet those emerald eyes would have more sparkles in them than the sky had stars. Yes, he would really like to see that.
    He cleared his throat, returning his focus to the case. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
    “Absolutely.”
    He took a notebook out of his back pocket and reached for a pen. He sat down on a small, hard chair against one wall. “Tell me everything that you can remember.”
    Laurie sat for a long moment as if in thought. It gave him the opportunity to observe her. Even with her hair a mess and dried blood on her hands, she was truly a beautiful woman. He hoped it wouldn’t take the doctor too long to return and help her. He would go find someone himself if they did. The intensity of his need to fix things for her surprised him.
    It was as though someone had flipped a verbal switch as words started pouring from her. She described to him, in detail, about how she had returned to her studio when she first saw the intruder. It was the most he had heard her say since he’d met her.
    At one point during her account, Tuck interrupted her. “You saw the door was already open when you reached it?”
    She nodded.
    “If it ever looks like someone has broken into your place, don’t enter the building or room to check. Immediately go somewhere else and call for help.”
    Laurie sighed. “I know. I always lock the door, even if I’m only taking out the trash. By the time I had convinced myself that I hadn’t been careless, I’d already opened it and turned the light on.” Pink dusted her cheeks and she shrugged. “I acted before I could think about what I was doing.”
    “That happens a lot when we’re in a situation like that. Tell me about the burglar. Did you notice anything unusual about him?”
    She watched the clock on the wall above his head, but her eyes weren’t focused on the time.
    “He was dressed in dark clothes. I couldn’t tell if it was a sweat suit or something else. He had a ski mask that covered everything but his eyes.” She paused. “I remember him looking at me.