Page 3 of Crossroads of Betrayal
“What are you doing here?”
The hard edge of Grace’s voice tightened every muscle in his body. He longed to turn toward her, to see the soft lines of her face and huge blue eyes. But he couldn’t trust himself not to reach out and touch her the way he’d dreamt of doing for the last few years. “I could ask you the same thing. How long have you been here?”
A beat of silence followed, punctuated by the rustling of camping gear and shuffling feet at the makeshift site.
Anger surged through him, forcing him around. He steeled his nerves, emotions in check, and stared into a face he barely recognized anymore. That hard edge wasn’t just in her voice but practically vibrated from every pore of her body. “You can’t even answer the simplest question, can you? Well, I refuse to waste my time speaking to you. I’ll stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine.”
He forced himself to move past her without a second glance. Finally, he was the one who got to walk away. He only wished it didn’t break his already shattered heart.
CHAPTERTWO
Twigs snapped under Grace’s feet as she walked a wide perimeter around the camp site in search of firewood. One of the guests, Joan, stayed close by—her arms loaded down with dry logs. Usually, Grace welcomed the help when gathering enough wood to keep the fire going for the night.
But not now.
Hell, if she wasn’t responsible for keeping a handful of people alive, she’d pack up her stuff and trudge back to her cabin in the dark to get away from Zeke. She shouldn’t have approached him. Shouldn’t have asked him why he was here. She’d given up the right to know anything about him when she’d asked for a divorce and ran away.
A lump of regret lodged in her throat. Damnit, this was why she preferred being alone. She couldn’t afford to go back to that dark place where life wasn’t even worth living. She’d fought like hell to crawl out of that hole and being around Zeke and everything he represented would drag her right back there.
Realization dawned on her like a slap in the face. Had Penelope sent Zeke here? Brooke mentioned someone had recommended Crossroads Mountain Retreat to him. It’d be just like Pen to stick her nose in her business and try to smoke her out of her safe haven by using Zeke. Determination surged though her, and she yanked up another log. She didn’t care if Zeke wanted to talk or not, she’d get answers from him one way or another.
“Looks like we have enough, don’t you think?”
Joan’s gravelly voice broke into Grace’s spiraling thoughts, and she glanced down at the heavy load in her arms. “Good for now. I’ll grab more if we run low.”
Joan stayed in step beside her as they weaved through the evergreens. “This place really is beautiful. Tessa had to talk me into the overnight trip though.”
“The girl wearing the sneakers?” If Grace had to venture a guess, she’d assume Joan was the one who’d convinced her friend to camp in the wilderness. The older woman’s strength surprised her, and she’d kept up during the strenuous hike. Not to mention Joan had been more than prepared.
Her younger friend, on the other hand, was full of complaints and off-handed remarks that had raised Grace’s hackles from the moment they’d left.
Joan chuckled. “That’s the one. She’s a nice girl, if a little naïve. But I guess we all were that way in our twenties. Tessa’s a spitfire though, who thinks she can take on any challenge. That’s a good quality to have in a partner. She’s a hell of a cop, even if she’s young. And she saved my ass. That’s why we’re here and not in the morgue right now. Her quick thinking and bravery.”
Grace gave a non-committal hum. “Sounds like a good person to have on your side.”
Shaking her head, Joan made a clucking noise. “I almost feel bad for that handsome boy. Tessa set her sights on him as soon as he jogged down the hill this morning. He doesn’t stand a chance against her. All she’s got to do his bat those big, brown eyes and men just melt. Something about a beautiful young woman who knows how to handle a gun that gets them every time.”
Red rage colored Grace’s vision, and she lengthened her stride. She couldn’t fault Tessa or any other woman for finding Zeke attractive, but the thought of him falling for someone else made turmoil explode in the pit of her stomach.
“We need to hurry,” she said, not caring if Joan couldn’t keep pace. “Fire needs started.”
She focused on the sound of the birds overhead and whisper of nature all around her to calm her trembling nerves. Once she made it back to camp, she’d start the fire and make sure everyone had food before turning in for the night. Then she’d be down to three days and nights before she could return home.
Hell, maybe she could fake an injury or food poisoning and turn back early. That might make her a coward, but she didn’t care. She’d rather be a chicken than be forced to watch Tessa flirt with her ex-husband for the next three days.
A smattering of tents clogged the clearing. The pit she used for the fire on every outing sat in the middle of the grouping of temporary nylon shelters. Grace dumped her armload of wood near the pit then relieved Joan of her burden.
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
Joan smiled, the thin wrinkles around the corners of her hazel eyes deepening. Gray streaked through her brown hair that she’d pulled back into a stubby ponytail. “No problem. Let me know if you need help with anything else. I’m a great cook over an open flame.”
Grace offered a tight smile then surveyed the group. Darrin sat on a stump outside his tent, his eyes on her way too much. Two woman whose names she couldn’t recall laughed while sharing a flask, and the other man—Trevor—rummaged in his pack.
Her gaze landed on Tessa and dread expanded in her chest. Zeke stood beside her, helping her construct her tent. Tessa’s melodic laughter was light-hearted and carefree…two things Grace hadn’t been for years. The young woman held up two steel rods and shrugged, as if not understanding how they fit together.
Did she not have instructions? Setting up a one-person tent wasn’t hard.
Either Tessa had no clue what she was doing or continued her campaign to gain Zeke’s attention. Something that had clearly worked as a smile poked through his dark beard, and he grabbed one of the poles and shoved it into the nylon.
