Page 92 of Love and Memories

He pulled the key from his pocket and held it up between them. “You need to study for the test so you can drive your new car.”

34

ISABELLA

“Acar!”

Travis had bought her a car, and her mind couldn’t make sense of the outrageous surprise.

“It’s not a new car, but Beau and Gage helped me make sure everything has been inspected and serviced.”

The key still hung in the air between them. How could she accept such a huge gift?

“Travis, I can’t believe this. A car is expensive.”

“I know, but even though you usually have someone around to drive you anywhere, you need to know that you’re free to go and do whatever you want.”

Bella stared at the key as Travis’s words seeped into her heart. He’d given her a home and a new life. He’d given her freedom and safety. He’d given her love and a Savior.

“Travis, what does this mean?” she asked slowly.

“Before you start getting any wild ideas about how this means you owe me or feel obligated to stay with me or even like me, let me take all those thoughts and throw them out the window. This is for you. That’s all. There isn’t an IOU attached to it. It’s just yours.”

Bella shook her head and squeezed her eyes closed. It wasn’t that she felt tied to him because of the gift. It was the opposite. He was giving her freedom when she’d only ever known a chained life.

Yet, she didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to stay right here in this new haven with him.

Travis moved the key closer to her. “Take it. It’s yours.”

She grabbed the key and his hand before pushing them to the side. Of course the car was a wonderful gift, but Travis was the most amazing gift of all.

Stepping closer, she brushed a hand over his bearded jaw. “I love you, Travis. You’ll never understand what this means to me, but it pales in comparison to how grateful I am that you’re here with me.”

Travis’s hand slid from her waist to her back, pulling her in until her baby bump pressed against him. Lowering his head, his nose brushed against hers as he whispered, “I love you too. Nothing will change that.”

He pressed his lips to hers, and she inhaled a breath that sparked through her chest and into her bones. Every brush of his lips against hers stole her breath and bound her heart to him. The way he adored her set her on fire from the inside out.

Sleeping in a small cabin with this man was going to be torture of the best kind.

Footfalls on the porch made Bella jump, but Travis brushed a soothing hand over her hair.

“It’s just Nathan.”

A second later, there was a knock at the door. Despite knowing who was coming, her heart didn’t get the memo to slow down.

Travis opened the door and greeted the security agent that had been Bella’s shadow on the days when Travis worked at the fire station.

“Come on in,” Bella said as she caught up with Travis.

Nathan stepped inside and held up his briefcase. “Is now a good time to go over how to use the system?”

“It’s a perfect time,” Bella said quickly, welcoming him into the kitchen so they could sit at the small round table that Tammy had left in the cabin.

Bella listened closely as Nathan explained the security measures Anna had ordered. Security cameras saw every inch of the cabin’s perimeter as well as the entrance to the ranch. Sensors were on every window and would sound the alarm if the glass was broken.

Once he went over the exterior features, he moved to the inside where the control panel was installed beside the front door. There was also an app where she could call for help at the press of a button. It would alert local law enforcement as well as Travis. Nathan’s company headquarters also had the ability to notify Travis and Bella if they saw anything strange on the camera footage.

“Wow. This is a lot,” Bella said as she clicked through the app features on her phone.

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