AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good.” He winked at her. “I should have asked. Are you allergic to anything?”
“No.” Her mouth twitched.
“Great.” He smiled. “You said you were stocked, but I hear there’s no such thing as too many diapers.”
She rubbed her arms as if chasing away a chill. “I wasn’t aware the Triple R had a day care.”
“Not exactly.” He rocked back on his heels and shoved his hands into his pockets. If there was a protocol for helping a woman on the run survive an insufficient hideout, he didn’t know it. “My boss has a baby under a year old and his fiancée has a day care center. I’ve picked up a few things.”
She yawned, and though she tried to hide it, he could see weariness embarrassed her. “Go ahead and roll out the sleeping bag,” he suggested.
“You’re not leaving?” she asked in a rush. “You can’t stay.”
Again, he refused to be offended. “I won’t stay unless you ask,” he said. “I have a camouflage net for your car. Just another precaution,” he assured her. “Once that’s in place, I’ll be out of your hair.” For tonight.
She nodded and set to work on the sleeping bag. He dragged his eyes away from the enticing view of her long legs and curvy hips, away from the temptation to soothe or distract her. They didn’t know each other, and while she’d trusted him with her story, he hadn’t actually verified it. More than that, he’d set himself a task out here that was better done without an audience.
Working in the dark, he added the netting to the scrubby brush she’d used to hide her car. He could come back in the morning to make sure it was all intact and effective. She might think she was alone out here, but she wasn’t. Not while he was on the property. She’d just have to get used to it.
Walking inside again, she had the lantern he’d purchased set up in a corner, giving off better light than the small flashlight she’d been using. The sleeping bag was unrolled, right next to the baby seat. “All set?”
“Yes, thanks.”
“Is your cell phone charged?”
Another slight frown marred her brow. “It is. I’ve been running the car for a few minutes at a time.”
Too primitive, he thought darkly. “Add my number to your contacts.”
“That’s really not necessary,” she said, shying away from him.
“I can be here faster than any first responders because I know where I’m going. Do you have any kind of protection?” He eyed the stick near the doorway. “Besides the bat?”
She had the grace to smile. “Would it ease your mind to know I was the top hitter in softball three seasons running in high school?”
Squinting, he patted a hand around his neck. “Not much, no.”
She laughed lightly. “Thanks for everything, Jarvis. Please don’t worry. I’ve taken self-defense classes, too. We’ll be out of your hair tomorrow. The day after at the latest.”
“Don’t leave without letting me know where you’re headed,” he pressed. “You said it yourself, your stepmom is resourceful.”
“I think it’s best if I reach out and offer to sign a nondisclosure agreement or something. There has to be a way to draw that up. To reassure her.”
Or something? He didn’t think a piece of paper would stop someone devious enough and mean enough to threaten a baby. “What if I found you a better place to hide?” Why couldn’t his brain remember that her problems weren’t his? The sooner she was off the ranch the better.
“We’ve talked about this,” she said. “I can’t go anywhere near the Colton house.”
“I know.” He took a step forward and drew up short. This was so strange, fighting himself to keep his distance. “There are two bunkhouses that we use now instead of this place if we have herds out this way. They aren’t in use now,” he added hastily. “No need for them really this time of year. But they’re updated with power, freshwater wells and septic systems. You’d be more comfortable.”
He’d be more comfortable. The bunkhouse he had in mind was farther off the beaten path of Triple R acreage. And if he loaned her his truck, no one would suspect a thing.
“Won’t people notice the bunkhouse is in use?”
“People really don’t come out here if the herds are grazing elsewhere,” he assured her. He was willing her to take him up on the offer. “If anyone does notice, they’ll assume it’s a grad student taking soil samples.”
“That happens often?”
“Not often. I’ve just heard others mention it. Seriously, it would be a better solution for you.”
