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He nodded. “I like baking for you. And I swear I will lie to keep you safe if I need to. But I want more.”
“More,” she repeated.
He nodded, knowing his next question would probably earn him a big fat no. But she’d kissed him with a hunger that matched his own. She’d turned to him for help when the chief of police questioned her. “So what do you say? How about we give dating a shot?”
CAROLINE FOUGHT THE urge to move away from the man who’d broken through her barriers. Tilting her head back, she stared up at the stars. He’d found her under the night sky over a year ago. And she’d known better than to put her faith in him then.
But she’d let him draw her away from the grip of isolation. She’d let down her guard. She allowed the feeling that someone—the military, the police, or her rapist—was hunting her to slip away when she was with him. Josh had taken the time to get to know her, slow and steady as if he had all the time in the world.
That time had just run out.
“And if I say no?”
“Then the answer is no, Caroline.”
She studied the constellations, picking out the few she’d learned as a child. These same stars had followed her around the world, unchanged by the events that had uprooted her life.
But everything on earth moved forward. When she’d first run away, she’d felt as if she had more in common with the stars. Her future felt stagnant, reduced to hiding, running, and more hiding.
By lying to the police chief, she’d tried to drag Josh into hiding with her. Part of her admired him for being brave enough to say no to perpetuating an illusion. He could have tried to win her over under the cover of deception. But he wouldn’t do that.
“You asked me out before,” he said. “And yeah, you have every reason, every right to change your mind.”
She lowered her chin and looked him straight in the eyes. She waited for his too-charming smile. But his lips formed a thin line.
“We could start with dinner,” he continued. “Someplace you’re comfortable. In town. Or someplace where nobody knows us. I’ll drive you up to Portland on your next night off if you want.”
She found herself nodding. Dinner. Someplace safe. They would be an ordinary couple.
“And no sex,” he added. “I promise.”
The words felt like a direct hit and her defenses rose up. “Without the possibility of sex,” she said, “we’re just two friends sharing a meal.”
“Caroline—”
“Sex stays on the table.” She unfolded her arms and allowed them to drift down to her sides. She fought the urge to clasp them behind her back and assume a parade rest position. She was moving on, moving forward toward a future that glowed bright despite the past. “I’m not saying we’ll head back to your place or mine tonight—”
“You live here.” He nodded to the farmhouse separated from the barn by a gravel parking area. “With Noah’s dad.”
“I’m not saying it will happen on the first date,” she continued, summoning the courage that had thrust her into his arms for that first kiss in the back room at Big Buck’s and again tonight. “And we don’t need to choose between my place or yours. I grew up with an overprotective mom. Once upon a time, I knew how to make the most of the limited space in the backseat of a car. And your pickup has a lot more room in the front.”
He cocked his head. “I don’t know. With the stick and all, it might be tricky.”
“It might.” She stepped away before she moved into his arms. She’d ridden a roller coaster of emotions tonight. At the top, she’d faced possible discovery by the police. Fear had swept her down and somehow landed her back in ‘once upon a time.’
“I guess we’ll find out.” She sidestepped and walked past Josh, heading for the tent. “Not on the first date,” she added, her voice soft and low. “But maybe by the third. Or perhaps the tenth . . .”
“Caroline.” He reached out and ran his fingertips over her bare arm. But he stopped short of grabbing ahold of her and pulling her to him. “If we wait until the tenth date, I promise I’ll have mapped out a way to work around the stick shift.”
Chapter 4
WHAT DO I wear to a date when I hope to end the night making out in the front seat of a truck?
Caroline scanned her meager wardrobe. She’d filled Noah’s guest room closet with a line of Big Buck’s T-shirts, three pairs of hand-me-down jeans from Josie, two pairs of faded black cargo pants, and the green sundress she’d worn to the wedding. She’d left every other piece of clothing that she owned behind in California when she’d run away. Her older sister’s attic held boxes of cute tops and fun, flirty dresses from her life before she’d joined the Marines. But she’d enlisted at nineteen and she doubted those nine-year-old clothes would be in style even if she had access to them.
She closed the closet door and headed to the landline in the kitchen. A cell phone still felt like a risk. It was too easy for the authorities to track if they were still looking for her. And a cell was an unnecessary expense considering she couldn’t afford new clothes. She picked up the receiver and dialed the bar. It was ten in the morning on a Monday, only two days after his wedding, but she knew Noah would be at Big Buck’s.
The happy couple had put their honeymoon on hold until their daughter was a little older. At eleven months old, little Isabelle was still nursing. Plus, Josie wanted to pay down her debt from the heartbreaking past that had sent her running home to Forever—and landed her in Noah’s arms—before they planned a trip.
