Page 20 of Red Hunt

He didn’t rush me, though I felt like I’d sprinted the entire way to his truck. He opened the passenger door for me. I hesitated. How in the world would I get in there without having both legs to count on?

I didn’t have to worry. Max took my crutches, placed them inside the truck, then he wrapped his hands around my middle, and I froze. He stopped immediately, released a bit of pressure, but kept his hands where they were.

“Okay?”

I looked up…way up into his eyes, and there he was, his body against mine, the heat of his skin burning through my T-shirt.

He didn’t move an inch, didn’t step back, didn’t release me. He just waited.

I took a deep breath, nodded once, and he lifted me up and into his truck as if I weighed nothing. Then he closed the door, rounded the car, and got in next to me.

“Let’s make this a quick one.” He cruised through Whitebrook until he found an open drugstore to fill my prescription.

He got back in and handed me the pills and a bottle of water. Probably so I could take one right there in the car. I took a sip, but no pill.

He watched me, one eyebrow raised, assessing me in silence before he started the engine. He didn’t speak for a while. We left the city limits behind and took the dark and deserted highway toward Moon Lake. Somehow, the darkness calmed me down, and when he didn’t make any advances of any kind, I gradually relaxed enough for my brain to stop producing endless questions and finally get up the gumption to ask the most pressing.

“How did you find me?”

I felt his eyes on me for a second, not sure if he’d really taken his eyes off the road. “I saw your bike and then I heard you cry for help.”

“Yes, but what were you doing up there? Nobody ever goes up there.”

“Then what were you doing up there?”

It took me a little while to answer that question because it wouldn’t be good to tell him my routine.

“Oh, now I get it. You’re Cat Lady.”

“Cat Lady?”

“You’re the one who’s feeding the cat at my house.”

I went completely still, and my mouth fell open. “What?”

He chuckled. “It’s mine—the house, not the cat, I mean. I moved in a couple of days ago.”

“How…why…” I swallowed. “I didn’t know the place was for sale.” My voice sounded almost accusing, which was not good. But damn.

“Yep, bought it over the internet. But I only came down here a couple of days ago. I’m glad and a bit surprised it’s in such good shape.”

The lodge had been sold? My mind was reeling. How did I not know about that? “You bought the lodge over the internet?”

He shrugged. “It might have been up on that site a long time, but as soon as I saw the pictures, I snatched it up.”

“Just like that?” I could feel heat rising in my body.

“Just like that.”

There was something definitive in his voice. Who the hell was this guy who bought a house off of some photos?

“So, you’re going to live up there?”

“For the time being.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. For the time being? For the time being? So, this was only what…temporary? The guy bought my dream home, and he didn’t even intend to stay?

I balled my hands into fists and focused on the darkness outside the window.

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