Page 3 of Mountain Rescue
“Wait. You didn’t say why you’re here.”
“Visiting a friend for a while.” He’d give her that much. “You?”
“You aren’t going to call Jack, are you?”
So she was going to ignore his question. “Not tonight. I don’t make any promises for tomorrow. Depends on what bullshit story you give me.”
“You can’t stay here.”
He laughed. The woman really was amusing. “You’re a funny girl.” He stepped over the tree branch, picked up his carry-on, and closed the door behind him, pausing long enough to hear the click of the lock on her bedroom door. “Good girl,” he murmured. He retrieved his suitcase—not that he didn’t trust her, but why take a chance—and headed for the other bedroom, where he’d probably spend most of the night staring at the ceiling in a bed that was too short for him.
Who was Rachel, and how much danger was she in? The last thing he needed was a female in distress. Yet, he’d felt more alive while sparring with her than he’d felt since the day he’d been captured.
Not good that females in distress were his kryptonite.
The next morning, after a sleepless night—no surprise there—Dallas sat in a rocking chair on the porch and watched the sunrise. He liked that the cabin was isolated, surrounded by woods on three sides, with a clear view of the valley below from the front. No nosy neighbors wondering who he was or wanting to chat, a definite plus to his mind.
The Blue Ridge Mountains were the complete opposite of the mountains in Montana. Jack had stocked the kitchen, and as Dallas drank his coffee, he debated which he preferred, the beautiful, lush green and gentle slopes of the mountains here, or the rugged and desolate beauty of the ones at home.
From mountain comparisons, his mind turned to the woman in the king bed he coveted...the bed, not the woman.Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. He’d half expected Rachel to take off after she thought he would be asleep, but she was still here. Thanks to his captors, he’d gotten good at sensing the presence of others even when he couldn’t see them. That skillset was apparently still active.
Little did she know if she’d tried to skip out on him, he would have been on her tail, something he would have cursed himself nine ways to Sunday for. But he would have done it anyway. He knew what it was like to be afraid, and she was one scared wildcat in need of protection, in spite of the bravado she tried to wrap around herself.
Also, she made him feel alive. For a man who was dead inside, that was as enticing as sugar water to a hummingbird. Would she tell him the truth today, or had she spent the night thinking up a bullshit story? He was looking forward to finding out.
He was on his second cup of coffee when his mystery woman walked out. She went straight to the railing without even a glance at him. “Morning.”
“Oh.” She faced him, leaning back on the railing. “You’re still here?”
“As you can see. Wasn’t sure you would be, though.”
She looked away, shielding her eyes, but not before he saw the fear in them.
“You don’t have any other place to go, do you?”
Determination was in those whiskey-colored eyes when her gaze returned to him. “I was here first. You find some other place to go.”
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t tell Jack he has a squatter.”
“How do you know Jack?”
He chuckled. “You’re good at that, avoiding answering questions. Here’s the deal. I’ll answer a question for each one you do.” He set the rocking chair in motion, sipped the last of his coffee, and waited her out. Not like he didn’t have all the time in the world. Besides, she was keeping him entertained.
A full minute passed, then she sighed. “You’re right, I don’t have any other place to go. Not at the moment.”
It was a start, but there was a whole lot of additional intel he intended to get out of her. “Okay, my turn. Jack and I were on the same SEAL team.” Her eyes widened at that.Surprised you, huh, wildcat?“Who’s Robert? An abusive boyfriend you’re running from?”
“No. You could stay with Jack.”
“Hurts my feelings how hard you’re trying to get rid of me. Answer the rest of the question.”
“You said one for one. I answered the second one.”
“A technicality, but go ahead. Ask me something else.” He liked that she was making him work for that intel he needed. She was no pushover, this one.
“Should I be afraid of you?”
Now, that was a question he wasn’t expecting. “No, ma’am. My mama would skin my hide if I ever hurt a woman. What’s the story on this abusive boyfriend of yours? Is he looking for you?”
