Page 16 of The Pilot & the Athlete

Disappeared. Goodbye forever. Shay’s lip trembled. “Yes, sir.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am.” He gave her a warm, firm handshake. “I hate that you’re caught up in a mess.”

“Thank you. I low key appreciate you helping us.” She felt like saying ‘us’ branded her and Paul a couple. As Paul eased closer and his arm brushed hers, she wondered if he didn’t mind. Then she wondered if he thought of her as younger than twenty-seven because of her teenage verbiage. She’d have to make a conscious effort not to use it and see if she could change his mind about the little sister bunk as they spent the majority of their time together the next five days.

Alone. With the most enthralling man on the planet. It would be fabulous … if he returned her interest.

“We’re happy to. You’ll be safe with us, ma’am.” He looked to Paul. “Aiden said you were going to stay right with her.”

“Yes, I am.” He glanced down at her and she swayed from the power of that deep-brown gaze.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her around the truck, loading her into the front passenger seat. He didn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes and the touch of his hands made her think there was no way the term ‘little sister’ could be tossed around.

She leaned her head back as he shut the door and walked around to confer with Clint while Paul did a few more things with the jet.

She was used up. But she was safe. She’d have to deal with her feelings for Paul and all the rest of this tomorrow.

Chapter

Five

When Pauland Clint climbed in the truck, Paul sat behind Shay. Her head lolled to the side and she was breathing slow and even. Paul had never seen someone look so appealing while sleeping in an uncomfortable position. He was trying his best to keep her in the ‘little sister’ box. He felt protective of her like a sister, but that’s where it ended. She was enticing to him. Being there to rescue her had been nothing short of miraculous. Why would heaven bring him together with the one woman he needed to keep his distance from?

“She’s been through a lot?” Clint guessed.

“Yeah,” Paul agreed. He trusted Clint and all the Colevilles but wanted as few people to know about Shay’s case as possible.

Instead, Paul updated him on anything new with Benjamin Oliver and asked about the situation from his end. Shay didn’t stir the entire time.

Clint wasn’t the verbose type and Paul wasn’t overly talkative either, so when silence fell about halfway through thedrive, he wasn’t surprised. Especially as he was sitting in the backseat and conversation wasn’t as easy.

When Clint broke the silence with, “Shay Cannon; she’s an impressive athlete,” in a very respectful voice and then added, “How well do you know her?”

Paul didn’t know what to say, what to reveal. On the off-chance Shay was faking asleep, he couldn’t spill how drawn he was to her. The little sister angle was a safe one. If he could somehow keep her in that box.

“Ironically enough,” he said, “she’s from my hometown. Her older brother and I used to be close.” Used to be. It still hurt that Darian loathed him. For a long time, he’d convinced himself it was better for Darian if he stayed away, especially as Darian would be even more livid when he found out Paul and Carrie had emailed the entire year leading up to her kissing him. But if Darian wasn’t moving on, wasn’t living his life, maybe it was time Paul manned up and paid his old friend a visit. It might help both of them to clear the air. This had gone on too long.

“That makes sense. There’s something between you …” Clint caught his eye in the rearview and his voice trailed off.

The sheriff wasn’t going to spell out what he sensed between the two of them in case she wasn’t asleep. Good man. But it reaffirmed what Paul couldn’t dismiss—there was something happening between them, something enticing and sadly forbidden.

“Makes sense you knew one another before,” Clint added.

“Yeah. I about lost it when I saw her in danger.”

“That’s rough,” Clint agreed. “If my woman was in danger …”

“She’s not … my woman.” Paul felt awkward even saying that. He’d dated a lot of impressive and beautiful ladies. Autumn loved to tease him that he had ‘issues’ since he was thirty-five and unmarried. He’d never dated anyone long enough or seriously enough to think about marriage. Gone too much, married to his Air Force and then security career, closed off—he’d heard all of those from women he’d dated. He could add ‘couldn’t forgive himself for past transgressions, most of all his role in Carrie’s death and Darian’s bitterness’ to the list. But he broke any relationship off before he had to reveal that.

He’d protected Elizabeth Oliver and helped her find the Savior and forgive herself for the awful things her parents had forced her to do. Yet he still struggled.

Okay. Maybe Autumn was right.

None of the women he’d dated held a candle in his mind to Shay, and she’d be the last person to whom he’d reveal what he hadn’t been able to share with Darian all these years. Yes, Darian had blocked his phone number and email address, but he could’ve knocked on the man’s door at some point. At first he’d reasoned that it would only anger Darian more, and then time had slid by. Saving Shay could be a blessing to make him face his past.

“She’s like a little sister,” he insisted. Shay hadn’t seemed to appreciate him saying that, but it was a good boundary to put up. She was in danger, he and Darian were still a mess, and Shayhadbeen like a younger sibling to him. Unfortunately, there were no sisterly feelings for her any longer.

“I see. Well, I’m grateful you were there for her.”

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