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“You don’t owe me anything, Sally.” Accepting his apology and extending the forgiveness he craved was payment enough. And yet he suddenly needed more. Her love. “I was such a fool. I’d like to think I could make it up to you someday. Obviously not today—we’re a little busy. And probably not tomorrow. But maybe…next month sometime.” He grinned at the slight twitch of her lips. “If you don’t believe anything else…believe this—I’m here until you send me away. I’m not turning my back on you this time, and I’m going to try my best to make you forget I’m an idiot.”
What sounded like a muffled laugh escaped her lips, and he struggled to suppress a chuckle.
She cocked her head slightly and her gaze swept his face. Whether she was looking for confirmation of his promise or simply checking to see what had changed between them, Sally studied him intently for several seconds. Just when he began to fear she would peel back too many layers and discover his remaining insecurities, a smile curved her lips, and her relief was evident.
The dull ache in his chest receded a little farther. It was a start. Threading his fingers with hers, Luke took a step back and nodded his head toward the cab of the pickup. “That little girl in there is practically sleepwalking. I called Aunt Peg and she’s expecting us. She said you’re welcome there for as long as it takes. Sorry I didn’t ask you first, but I really think Cougar Ridge is our best bet…unless you’ve got a better idea.”
A little over twenty miles away, the Cougar Ridge Hunting Lodge and Resort had been owned and operated by his mother and his Aunt Peg until his mother’s death two years before. Luke and his brother had inherited their mother’s share, and Garrett had lived nearby ever since. Although, if his brother was truthful, he stayed primarily because of Rachel, the sassy little redhead he’d met on his first visit and subsequently asked to marry him. The lodge was secluded and secure. Sally and Jen would be surrounded by people they both knew and trusted.
She looked away for a moment before she nodded. “It’s nice of Peg to put us up. A day or two at the most. I’ll have to make other arrangements for Jen. She can’t miss too much school.” She sighed. “It’ll be good to see Rachel. It’s been a while.”
Luke stepped toward the passenger door and gripped the handle. “Is that my fault too?”
Sally shrugged. “I suppose so, if you want the truth. Our friendship was never the same after Bethesda.”
Rachel and Sally had been best friends since Jen was born. Luke scowled, irritated all over again that his actions had driven a wedge between them. He opened her door and closed it carefully after she’d climbed into the cab. Then he circled the bed of the truck and clambered behind the wheel. Once they were in the clear, he’d see what he could do to repair the rift.
“Where are we going?” Jen sat straight in the middle of the bench seat, her face even paler in the moonlight that shone meagerly through the windshield. Though the interior of the cab was several degrees warmer than it had been, her lips still trembled as the words escaped. Immediately, Sally whisked the blanket from her own shoulders and wrapped it around Jen.
Unable to resist, Luke dragged his gaze from the creamy skin of Sally’s bare thighs, all the way up to where the small patch of fabric covered her crotch. His arousal was instantaneous, rock hard and reaching the uncomfortable stage before he had the presence of mind to look away. He cranked the heater up a notch and reached into the backseat of the extended cab, grabbed his duffel and hauled it onto his lap. He chose one of his Navy T-shirts, wadded it up and tossed it over Jen’s head to the sexy brunette, who blushed appealingly as she caught the garment with one hand.
An instant later, she yanked it over her head and squirmed in the seat until she’d pulled it down almost to her knees. Then she glanced at him with an is-that-better look, and Luke wanted to kick himself for being instrumental in covering any part of her beautiful body.
He smiled at Jen instead but suspected it looked more like a feral baring of teeth. “We were talking about going to Cougar Ridge. How do you feel about that?”
She considered his words solemnly for a moment, then nodded. “It feels safe there. I’d like to see Rachel.”
Luke was concerned about the detached quality in her voice. His gaze flickered toward Sally and caught her chewing worriedly on her bottom lip. Even bruised, homeless and scared, her apprehension centered on her daughter’s state of mind. The phone call he’d overheard earlier had made it clear someone wanted to take Jen away from Huntington, and Sally apparently hadn’t been in full agreement. No way in hell anyone was taking a nine-year-old girl away from her mother. All Luke had to do to stop it was find out who, when and why.Shouldn’t be that hard.
He patted Jen’s knee. “We’ll be there before you know it. Why don’t you stretch out between your mom and me and catch a few z’s?”
At once, Jen moved to do as he suggested, laying her head in her mother’s lap and curling her legs so her bare feet were braced against his outer thigh. With one final look at the smoldering glow and the firefighters still bunched around the ruins of Sally’s home, Luke pulled away from the curb.
Before they’d even left the lights of Huntington behind them, Jen’s soft breathing made it clear she was sleeping. From the corner of his eye, Luke watched Sally rub Jen’s back and shoulders gently through the blanket. “She’ll be fine, you know. I’ve heard kids are amazingly resilient creatures.”
Sally met his gaze and nodded. “I know.” Her voice caught, and she cleared her throat. “I can’t even speculate on what would have happened if you hadn’t been there tonight.”
“I’m glad I could help. I mean—I’m not really a big believer in fate, but sometimes things happen for a reason. Maybe your boss decided to use you as a punching bag so I wouldn’t be able to put off facing you any longer and you’d have a light sleeper in the house tonight. And maybe, because we’re working hand in hand with fate, you won’t hold it against me for dropping by without calling first.” He offered what he hoped was his most charming grin. “It’s really a minor offense among my other screwups.”
She ducked her head, but he saw the beginnings of a smile, and when she glanced his way again, her eyes held amusement. “I didn’t think you’d be able to do that.”
He turned his gaze to the rearview mirror. “Do what?”
“Make me forget long enough to find something funny in anything tonight—but then, you always could make me laugh.”
“Well, that’s because I was a clown in my previous life.” He cocked his head as he hummed a few notes of a circus tune that popped into his mind.
Sally smiled and seemed to relax. “Are you sure it’s okay—just showing up at the lodge?”
“Are you kidding? I get the feeling Aunt Peg will hunt me down and have me drawn and quartered if you and Jen don’t show up there soon. She always did like you best.”
Sally went still, and when he glanced over, she was stroking Jen’s hair with such tenderness he wished, for just a heartbeat, he could be the recipient of her attention.
The dark outline of a bruise on her jaw caught his eye, and he reached out to stroke her cheek. “Your friend Emmett packs quite a punch when it comes to beating up women.”
She toyed with a lock of her hair. “Emmett wasn’t half as mad tonight as he’ll be when the sheriff comes calling to ask if he had anything to do with destroying my home—especially when Ben tells him it was my suggestion.”
“Technically, it was mine. You let me handle him from now on. He won’t hurt you again. That’s a promise.” Luke dragged his hand across her shoulder and down her arm, until he folded her small hand in his where it rested on Jen’s back. The fingers of Sally’s other hand combed through Jen’s curly hair while she stared at the darkness beyond the side window.
