Page 65 of Mountain Refuge

“Sure are.” Ryan widened his grin. “Just got married in Langley, and now we’re on our way home.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Got the little lady knocked up. You know how it is.”

“Good luck, buddy.” The men laughed and kept walking.

~

Knocked up? Taya would strangle him with her bare hands. She glared at him as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Really?”

“I had to think of something fast. That’s something those two goons would’ve thought was funny. They didn’t spare the Jeep a second glance.”

The man had actually done very well. Maybe he was as smart as the sheriff thought. Ryan might’ve made good in the special forces. Still, she couldn’t allow herself to get too close to him, to trust him too much. The only person she could trust one-hundred percent was herself.

Back at his cabin, she unpacked the few items she possessed in the master closet, then joined Tracy in the room they’d actually share. Thankfully, the room possessed a queen-sized bed because the dog usually slept curled up next to Tracy.

“This is much better.” Tracy folded a pair of jeans. “Wi-Fi, TV…a refrigerator! Definitely a step up.”

“Just don’t forget to call him Dad.”

“Since I don’t remember my dad, and my mom didn’t talk about him before she died, that shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t have anything to compare Ryan with.” She closed the drawer with a bang. “Now what?”

“We try to stay alive long enough to find The Boss.”

Tracy plopped onto the bed. “I’d rather not ever see him again.”

Taya knelt in front of her and took the girl’s hands in her own. “You don’t have to. All you need to do is point him out to me, and I’ll take care of the rest. Okay? I won’t let him hurt you.”

“Okay.” Tracy sighed. “Let’s go see what lies Ryan is cooking up so we all stay on the same page.” She stood and held out her hand.

Hand in hand, they joined Ryan at the kitchen table.

“Let’s write our story.” He turned his laptop so she could see the screen. “I uploaded the two photos. Posted about how we met on my last book-signing tour in Florida. A whirlwind courtship we kept private until signing the marriage license.”

“Why keep it a secret?” Taya crossed her arms. “I don’t care that you said so, but I need to know why.”

“We met in college. You got pregnant with our daughter, Amber, but only recently revealed to me that I was a father. We fell back in love and got married.” He tilted his head and smiled. “I think this is getting rid of my writer’s block.”

“Glad to help.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Okay. That story works. I studied art in college but dropped out when I got pregnant.”

“I studied journalism, which is the truth, and switched colleges—also true.”

At least one of them wouldn’t have a hard time keeping most of the facts straight. She glanced at Tracy. “Why the service dog?”

It took a second for the glimmer showing she understood to shine in her niece’s eyes. Tracy thought for a minute, idly scratching behind Betty’s ears. “I’m chronically shy. That way, if we do meet people, I won’t have to say anything and can keep my head down.” She spoke barely above a whisper. “It won’t be hard to pretend that at all.”

Taya’s eyes stung, and she stepped outside to keep Ryan from seeing the emotions welling. Her niece was one of the bravest, strongest people Taya had ever met, but day by day, the deep wounds were starting to show. The Boss needed to be put away so Tracy could obtain the help she’d need to fully heal.

She turned and watched through the back window as Ryan leaned against the kitchen counter and said something to Tracy that made her smile. A surprised, genuine smile. Loneliness assailed Taya. She was being silly, since she was definitely not alone. Not with a man, a teen, and three dogs, yet seeing how easy Tracy could trust Ryan after the kidnapping left Taya feeling as if she was missing something.

Ryan caught her watching and tilted his head for her to join them.

She shook her head and turned away, choosing instead to let the peace of the view wash over her. Trees stretched as far as she could see. A slight rise let her know they weren’t exactly at the top of the mountain. An eagle soared overhead, floating in a sea of light blue.

A few minutes later, Ryan carried paper plates and sodas to the patio table. “Frozen pizza okay? We might need to make a run into town for food. A single man doesn’t eat much.”

“Don’t go to any extra trouble for us.”

“We could eat supper at the diner. Let people see the new family in town, then pick up some things.” He glanced into the house. “Amber, you want to start a grocery list? Amber?”

“Oh. Sure.”

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