Page 11 of Carter's Battle

With that, she left the gym and walked out into the sunshine. Cold seemed to have seeped into her bones as she sat with Akela and now it was glorious to be out in the warmth. Too bad the sun couldn’t burn away garbage like Bobby. She was stuck with him.

Mia got in her vehicle and then drove home. It was Saturday and she usually spent the day sorting out paperwork. Today, with nervous energy to burn, she cleaned her house until it was spotless, trying to erase any trace that Bobby and his goons had been there. Then she made some cookies and a lasagna for the week—anything to keep her hands and her mind busy. She did not want to think about the problem at hand.

Finally, with all of her chores finished and the afternoon stretching before her, Mia sat down at her dining table and started on the paperwork. She didn’t last ten minutes before jumping to her feet to pace. Setting aside the problem of Bobby, there was another issue. The reason Mia didn’t gamble anymore was because she liked it. She liked it a lot.

A sudden knock at the door startled her. Heart doing a two-step in her chest, she checked the peep hole.Carter. Shit.Would this guy never give up? She opened the door. “What do you want?”

He studied her face. “Nice to see you, too.”

She frowned.

“I brought food.” He held up a brightly colored bag. “Tacos.”

She recognized the bag from her favorite taco place. Her stomach rumbled as she caught a whiff. Lasagna was fine but tacos were much better. “Fine,” she said less than graciously as she backed up and let him in.

“I’ll take it,” Carter said with a grin.

She walked over and cleared the papers off the table and gestured for him to sit down. Then she went about getting plates and cutlery. “Do you want something to drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.” She nodded and got out a bottle of wine. She poured herself and Carter glasses of the dry white wine and carried them to the table.

Mia sat down and Carter handed her a couple of tacos. She nodded her thanks and put them on her plate but didn’t unwrap them immediately. She suddenly realized she owed this man a thank you. He’d come to her rescue last night and she’d been less than grateful for it.

“About last night. I just want to say thank you. It was…a tense situation and you helped. I guess I owe you one.”

Carter gave her an appraising look and she couldn’t help but notice his blue eyes. They really were spectacularly blue, like the sky at twilight. His t-shirt stretched across his chest in a way that made her want to see more and if she was truly being honest, he had the nicest ass. She’d noticed it when he’d walked across the room in front of her. None of those things were helpful but they sure made him easy on the eyes.

“You know what you can do to pay me back?”

“Surfing. Yes, I’ll teach you.” She smiled and then started unwrapping her taco.

“Well, that too, but I’d rather you tell me what the hell is going on with that guy and his goons.”

She froze. It hadn’t occurred to her that Carter was going to want to know more about the situation last night, but it should’ve. Stupid. If she hadn’t been distracted by those eyes and the tacos, then she would’ve been smart enough to tell him no when he said he wanted to come in.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s none of your business.”

He cocked his head. “True, but it appears to me that you’re in trouble. And chalk this up to my savior complex, but I’d like to help.”

“I don’t need help.” God, the last thing she needed was to involve anyone else in this mess.

“I beg to differ. You needed my help last night and you’re gonna need it again. That guy isn’t going away, is he? He wants you to do something for him. Something you don’t want to do. I can help you.”

She pushed her chair back from the table and stood. “Carter, I appreciate what you did last night, and I thank you for dinner. I will teach you to surf, but I need you to stay out of my business. It doesn’t concern you. I can take care of myself. Please leave.”

He stood and started to say something when his cell phone went off. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and closed his mouth. His expression went blank. “I’ve got to take this. But this isn’t over, Mia. You need help that I can provide. Take advantage of me. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and then he was gone, leaving her staring after him. What the hell just happened and why did she suddenly feel so alone?

CHAPTER 7

"Castle called,"Carter said as he turned onto the ranch road. "Tell the other two and meet me at my cabin. I'm just pulling in now."

Bowie grunted, "On it," and then hung up.

Carter parked the Jeep and climbed out, grabbing the bag of groceries from the back seat. He'd left Mia's when Castle called and stopped for a few supplies on the way back.

Ten minutes later, the sound of boots on the outside steps announced the arrival of his team. Bowie pulled open the screen door. "Yo, you got any beer?"

Carter, who had just finished putting everything away, opened the fridge again and handed Bowie a beer. "You two want one?" he asked.

---