Page 9 of Protective Assignment
“Well, one more day, and I’ll want to talk to her myself,”Lawson replied.“See if there’s anything we can do to help her out.”
“She doesn’t talk much, trust me.I’ve tried.”Cade shrugged as he looked after her down the hall where she and Hannah disappeared.
He wasn’t sure what it was going to take to get her talking, or if she would ever be willing to open up at all.Maybe she just wanted to keep herself to herself, and do what he’d suggested—rest and refuel—then leave.Lawson was talking about her staying another day, but as far as Cade could tell, she was already ready to get back out on the road and continue on to wherever she was headed.
“Maybe she’s in trouble with the law,” Lawson suggested.“That’s why she’s keeping her mouth shut.Probably safer for her that way, huh?”
“I have no idea,” Cade replied, but in his gut, he doubted it.She didn’t strike him as the type who could cause any real trouble, but she might be caught up in some unwillingly.“She seems harmless, though.”
Lawson clenched his jaw slightly.“Yeah, well, I’ll be the judge of that,” he replied.
“So, this meeting?”Cade inquired, directing the conversation away from River and her secrets.“Is something going on?”
“We want to run something by you, is all.Talk to you then, all right?I have to meet with a client.”Lawson clapped him on the arm and then continued down the hall.
“Sure.I’ll see you later,” he told Lawson’s retreating form, then turned to head out to his cabin.
Since Carter was with a patient that morning, Cade didn’t have much more to do than wander around thegrounds and get to know the area now that he was finally there.His brother had told him a little about the place when he had been trying to convince him to come.Cade was pretty sure the real reason Carter wanted him there was so he could keep a closer eye on him.
His brother knew better than anyone how hard Cade found it to just sit around and do nothing.When the two of them were growing up, they had always tried to outdo each other.From who could climb up the highest in the big oak tree in their backyard, to who could launch himself the furthest off the tire swing, and countless bicycle races down the driveway in between.Because of that, they frequently found themselves in the ER with their arms in a cast or their heads getting stitched up.It was why Carter had gotten interested in physical therapy in the first place, because he wanted to help people the same way he had been helped when he was a kid.Cade, however, had gone the other way entirely, craving the same kind of thrill they’d sought out when they were kids.That same adrenaline rush that lit a fire in his belly.
Cade found himself on a thin, gravel pathway that wound away from the main building.While most of the guests at the lodge stayed in the main building, there was a small cluster of cabins out in a clearing in the woods where people who were longer-term residents could stay.That was where Carter and some of the others lived and where he’d gotten Cade set up for his time there.He hadn’t had much time to do anything other than drop his stuff off before grabbing a bite with the others and then crash on the bed the night before, but now that the rain had stopped, he wanted to get a better look at the place.
The path Cade was walking on cut through the dirt and a little bit of grass surrounding it, and led the way to the cabins.It was fall, and with the leaves beginning to change colors on the trees, it was really pretty out in the woods.This had always been Cade’s favorite season, but it had been a while since he’d had a chance to spend it out somewhere rural like this.He sipped on his warm coffee as he followed the trail down to where he was staying, watching a few rays of sunshine peek through the gray clouds above him.Maybe it was going to be a nice day after all.
He reached the cabins surrounded by the low-lying branches of trees that sagged with red and gold leaves, and headed to his place.It wasn’t much, but it was cozy enough, and exactly what he needed as long as he was there.
All the cabins were set back in the surrounding trees, like part of nature, and blended in perfectly with the forest.There were walkways leading up to the door of each unit.Each place had the same outside lighting, but they all had different interiors.The inside of his cabin was just slightly larger than the single units, with an open-floor concept in the front, then two small bedrooms separated by a tiny bathroom in back.The living area and kitchen were contained in the same space, the kitchen big enough to hold a small counter with two stools pushed underneath, a couple of cabinets, a compact sink and little fridge.A great place for a basic meal and cup of coffee if he didn’t want to go up to the lodge.He liked the social aspects of the lodge, though, and he didn’t want to miss out on it.Then there was the gym.He needed that space to get in his daily workout to keep in shape and help settle his mind in the midst of his recovery.
The living area was the larger of the two sections, and allowed for a couch, a small side table with a lamp, a comfy chair and a fireplace.Then the two bedrooms each with a queen-size bed, side table, dresser and small closet and then the shared bathroom.
Just before he reached his new home, he heard a laugh.Hannah’s, if he wasn’t mistaken.And then, it was followed by another female laugh he’d never heard before.He stopped in front of a cabin toward the end and peered inside, trying to get a look at what was going on in there.
That was when he saw it—Hannah and River together.But instead of the usual nervous, wide-eyed expression she had on her face, River was smiling.More than smiling, she was laughing.Her head was thrown back and her long hair flowed over her shoulders, her face lit up with joy.Her face was completely unguarded and she was beautiful.
Staring for a moment, Cade felt a smile spread over his own face.After how reserved and jumpy she had been, to see her smiling and laughing lifted a weight from his shoulders.
He found himself wondering what it would take for him to be able to get her to laugh like that.
Chapter Six
She had planned her day out in her mind as soon as she woke, before she had even left her room.She’d intended to scope out the area around the lodge, pick up as many supplies as she could and prepare to continue her journey as soon as she got the chance.But soon enough, she found herself running into Cade when she got lost, and then Hannah caught her before she could slip back off to her room.
“Oh, there you are!”she exclaimed, grabbing River by the arm as soon as she saw her.River had just eaten breakfast, a bagel with some bacon, and had been planning on heading back to her room to get started with her day.But as it turned out, Hannah had something else in mind.
“What are you up to today?”she asked, grinning widely at her.River tried to come up with some excuse, something to get away from her without seeming rude, but she couldn’t think of anything.
“I was just going back to my cabin.You want to come check it out?”she suggested, and River found herself nodding before she could stop herself.Maybe she could use this opportunity to see a little more of the area this way, get a better idea of the layout of the property around the lodge.It would give her a reason to be seen wandering around ifshe was with Hannah, rather than possibly looking suspicious roaming around on her own.
Hannah led River down a gravel path away from the main building and toward the woods.River tensed as she followed her, and couldn’t stop her eyes from darting around.It was going to be fine.Hannah wasn’t going to hurt her.She had been nothing but kind and helpful since River arrived at the lodge.She took a deep breath to relax and reminded herself that not everyone was out to cause her harm.
Still, she kept her guard up as they reached Hannah’s cabin, one seated in a cluster of them out in the woods.It was cute and simple with a couple of chairs out front and a little table in between them.A great place to sit and enjoy the sunrise before starting the day.The inside was basically one huge room with a small kitchen off to the side when you entered and what looked like a tiny bathroom in the back corner.It was also surprisingly colorful.Art hung on the walls, and photographs of Hannah with her friends and family were stuck all over a cork bulletin board next to the door.A huge, fuzzy orange carpet lay in front of the couch and bright pillows were tossed on the bed.The entire space matched her bubbly personality perfectly.
“I was just going to make myself a latte, you want one?”Hannah asked, gesturing to the large coffee machine that took up most of the space on her counter.River furrowed her brow.
“I’ve, uh, I’ve never had one,” she admitted, blurting it out before she could stop herself.
Hannah stared at her for a moment, her eyes widening.“What do you mean, you’ve never had one?”
