Page 20 of Taylor’s Warrior

Taylor sighed. “Not going to lie, I wish we were heading in the opposite direction.”

“Try not to think about it too much. Even if we do end up staying in San Diego for the full two weeks, I don’t believe we’ll be there much beyond that. And if the investigation goes well, we could even be heading home ahead of schedule.”

She sat back in her seat and rolled her shoulders. “Wouldn’t that be fantastic? Strange, how we never appreciate what we have until we don’t have it anymore.”

CHAPTER 8

The hotel in Tucson was clean and comfortable. Rhys had managed to secure adjacent rooms for them, although this time there was no connecting door. The thought of not being able to call on her bodyguard without the rest of the world—metaphorically speaking—knowing left her strangely disappointed. She didn’t want to acknowledge why.

“Are you okay?”

The quiet question jolted Taylor out of her confusing thoughts. “Excuse me?”

Rhys had deposited his bag on the floor; his free was hand poised to open the door to what was going to be her room for the night. He’d insisted on carrying both her bag and his—again. “You look a little distracted. Everything okay?”

Shoving aside her turbulent thoughts, she shook her head. “No. I mean, yes.” She sighed. “It’s nothing. I guess I’m tired.”

A pathetic excuse if ever there was one. Five hours or so of traveling as a passenger—including a generous lunch stop—was hardly an exhausting activity. She still felt utterly drained.

“Let’s get you settled in.”

After scanning the hall for any signs of trouble, he pushed the door open and led the way in, ensuring there was no danger awaiting them, before beckoning to her to join him.

Although she wasn’t hungry yet, Taylor was curious about what he had planned for dinner. “Does this hotel do room service?”

Rhys strode to the side table and opened the information folder. “Yes, we’re in luck. When you’re ready to order, let me know what you’d like and I’ll call it in.”

“Thanks.”

She couldn’t fault him for courtesy and consideration. While they might not have gotten on with each other when he’d first arrived at Honey Fields, this trip had already changed the dynamic between them. She had the strongest feeling the change would prove to be permanent.

“Okay.” He hoisted his bag to his shoulder. “If you need me for anything, call me or text me, and I’ll come to you. I might be being overcautious, but I don’t want you to be in the corridor alone. I doubt anything would happen, but I’m not taking any chances.”

On one level, he probably was being overcautious, but given what Nick had said about KDT having access to all kinds of technology, maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Thanks. See you later, then.”

When the door closed behind him, Taylor let out a long sigh. Curiously unsettled, she crossed the room to the window. The view was less than spectacular, and the thought of staring at it while drinking her first cup of coffee of the day in the morning made her soul ache for her cabin at the ranch. There, she could just walk out of the door, breathe in the fresh morning air, and enjoy all the colors of a Texas sunrise. She might not be a native of the state, but it was where her heart belonged.

The room service menu was a little uninspiring, but after she’d messaged Rhys with her choices—for dinner and breakfast—she freshened up with a very welcome shower. With not a lot else to do, Taylor decided to relax on the bed to play a couple of games on her phone. It was only when her phone buzzed and vibrated that she realized she’d fallen asleep.

The buzz heralded a message from Rhys.

Food’s here. Will bring yours around.

Even though she was expecting it, the knock on the door spooked her as much as the message alert had. When she opened the door, she almost swallowed her tongue. Why did the man have to look so…. edible?

He offered her the covered plate. “Yours, I believe?”

“Actually…”

The word barely made it out of her mouth—her voice sounded so rusty, half of it disappeared. She cleared her throat. “Actually, would you mind if I join you? If… we had dinner together? Again?”

Of all the expressions she might have imagined he’d adopt, a slow smile of genuine pleasure wasn’t high on the list. Reality was vastly different from imagination.

“Sure. Don’t forget your key card.”

She followed him into his room, where his meal was still sitting on the cart. As in her room, there was a small table by the window, with two chairs.