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She shivered, suddenly very alone in the big, old two-story house.
Her family’s home was at the edge of town with no other homes behind. Someone could come up through the woods, across the creek and into the yard without her seeing a thing. And someone had a key to this house.
Brooke’s imagination took flight.
Shaking, she stuffed the phone in her pocket. Was some one watching her every move?
A hot shower was a fine invention.
Gabe rubbed a towel over his damp hair and then shrugged into his shirt. On the couch next to him, also fresh from the shower, A.J. waited patiently for his father’s attention.
“You need a comb, little man.”
“I got comb.” A.J. whacked the side of his head with a hairbrush in an attempt to groom himself. Gabe chuckled, scooped the boy onto his lap and took the brush.
“You need a haircut, don’t you?”
“No.” No and mine were A.J.’s favorite words.
“Yes, you do. Do you think there’s a barber in Clayton?”
“No.” A.J. wiggled down and headed for his toy four-wheeler. When Gabe didn’t follow, A.J. turned back. “Come on, Daddy. Let’s pay outside.”
A.J. loved outside. He’d stay out all day if someone had the patience and time to watch him.
“So much for your early bath,” Gabe muttered, but he took the riding toy in one hand and offered the other to his son. He’d endured a long, busy day. Some down time in the quiet backyard sounded good to him, too. “Out we go.”
In a jitterbug of excitement, A.J. gave a little scream and pumped his short legs up and down. “Outside,” he yelled and raced for the door.
Just as Gabe set the mini-ATV on the porch, he saw Brooke Clayton come around the corner of her house, moving rapidly toward her parked Toyota. Something in her body language held his attention. She kept looking around as if someone was chasing her. Stiff, rushed, head turning left and right, she looked…scared.
He walked to the end of the porch. “Brooke, everything okay?”
She spun around, hand to her throat. When she saw him, she wilted. “Gabe. You scared me.”
While maintaining a clear view of his son, he started toward her. “That’s two I owe you.”
“What?” Her face was smudged with dirt and pale as paste.
Gabe frowned. Something was not right here. “Never mind. Are you okay? You look upset.”
Her huge blue eyes grew wider. “Where’s A.J.? Don’t leave A.J. alone.”
“A.J.’s right there. See?” He angled his body to give her a clear view.
She blew out a long sigh. “Of course he is. I’m sorry. I should go.”
“Hey.” He caught her arm. “You’re shaking. What’s going on?”
Part of his brain said to mind his own business, but Gabe had trouble doing that. Manny called him Lancelot because he had a knack for stumbling into people, usually women, who needed help. How did a man walk away when a woman needed him? Wasn’t that why God made male and female? So they could help each other? Hadn’t God given man instructions to take care of the woman?
Right, he thought grimly—caring for the last one had nearly cost him his son.
“I had a scary moment. That’s all.” She shuddered. “Big, old empty houses. I’m fine now.”
Gabe squinted, thinking there was more to this than getting spooked in an empty house. She was not fine.
Go back to your porch, Gabe. Let it go. That’s what his brain was saying, but his mouth said, “Anything I can do?”
She weighed the offer, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. He wished she wouldn’t call attention to the fact that her mouth was full and soft and curved upward at the corners.
“Would you mind some company?” she asked. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually impose on new acquaintances, but I’d rather not be alone right now.”
Yep. Something was going on, though he wondered why she didn’t tell him. He did a quick appraisal of her house and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“No imposition. We’re neighbors. Neighbors help each other. Remember? You helped me out with A.J. the other day. Come on over. A.J. and I are chillin’ out after a long day.”
