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Chapter Sixteen
Hannah’s nerves would not settle, even though the cops had left hours ago, and the party had continued undisturbed. Everyone just acted like nothing had happened, and she didn’t understand that.
She didn’t want that kind of relationship with anyone. She already had to tiptoe around her mother, and after a disastrous visit, it was always Hannah who broke the silence and texted her sisters. Then they’d all reach out to their mother after they’d all vented their true feelings.
She hated the tension in the silence, and she just wanted to talk through everything.
She stood from the bed where she’d been reading for the past hour. She couldn’t remember a single sentence she’d read, and she’d have to go back several chapters and start again. Otherwise, she’d never be able to solve the mystery in her book before the heiress.
Luke’s uncle had been kind enough to let her and Luke stay in his house that evening, and Luke’s parents were here tonight too. Tomorrow, they planned to spend the day with just his parents, and Hannah was actually looking forward to going to Wolf Mountain. She’d only been once, and she remembered feeling like she’d arrived in a magical place.
She had many more years behind her now, of course, but she still liked shopping, eating good food in a good restaurant, and lying beside a swimming pool in the warm sun.
They’d stay at the resort tomorrow night, and the following day, Hannah had arranged for an early dinner at her parents’ house in the woods. Both of her sisters would be there, along with her nieces and her nephew. She and Luke would then make the forty-five minute drive back to Sweet Water Falls.
As she stepped out into the hall, Hannah didn’t want to continue the trip if she had to deal with anxiety every time she even thought about being with Luke, This trip was supposed to bring them closer together, not pull them apart or reveal to her something that could kill their relationship completely.
Watching him stride toward that man had terrified her, and she’d only hesitated for a few moments before hurrying over to his parents and telling them he’d gone to talk to someone named Atticus Stein. They’d obviously known who he was, and Luke’s father had called the police within the next two minutes.
After the party, Luke had claimed he needed to shower, and then he’d texted Hannah that he was tired and going to bed.
His room was at the very end of the hall, with his parents between his and Hannah’s. She didn’t care. She was thirty-five years old, and she wasn’t going to bed without talking about this. She stepped right up to Luke’s door, her ear practically pressing against it. She rapped lightly, and said, “Luke? It’s Hannah, and I just want to talk to you for a minute.”
The house was old, and the floorboards up on the second level echoed with every step. She heard them behind Luke’s door, and she backed up just as he opened the door. Their eyes met, and Luke definitely hadn’t been asleep—or even close to it. He did wear a pair of gym shorts and a bright blue T-shirt that was a snug fit across his broad shoulders and chest.
“I can’t go to bed like this,” she said. “Can we please talk?”
He stepped back and opened the door even further, a clear invitation for her to come in. She did, her nervousness increasing and coming out in the trembling of her hands. She went all the way across the room to the window and looked out. The street lamps came from a century ago, and they had bright, white lights shining into the night.
She drew strength from the way the poles stood so straight and tall, and she pulled in a breath and turned around. Luke had stayed by the door, and he leaned against a desk, looking very much like the thug who’d shown up and almost crashed his birthday party.
He seemed to realize it, and he straightened and unfolded his arms.
“I’m not sorry I told your parents about Atticus Stein,” she said, cinching her strength tight. She’d broken up with several men. She’d been on the receiving end of a hard break-up. She could have this conversation.
“I was worried about you, and when that other man pulled up, I blinked, and I could see things spiraling out of control.” She lifted her chin. “So I’m not sorry about that.”
“I’m not upset by that,” he said quietly.
“What are you upset about?”
“That I’m even in this situation in the first place,” Luke said. “That you had to be afraid at my blasted birthday party.” His gray-blue eyes practically spit fire. “That a potentially dangerous situation manifested itself in my uncle’s backyard, in front of everyone. That I had to be rescued by my father and my girlfriend.” He stopped, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “That suddenly, Beeville—a place I love and have always loved—suddenly doesn’t feel safe for me.”
Hannah’s heart broke listening to him. She hurried across the room and wrapped him in her arms. He stood still and rigid for a moment, then two, and when he finally softened and hugged her back, Hannah’s tension broke.
“Nowhere feels safe but you,” Luke whispered. “Things are even different with Nate now, and Ted. Slate and Dallas are about the same, but they’re busy with new wives and new babies on the way.” His voice cracked slightly, and she felt him swallow.
She wanted to bind up his broken heart and tell him everything would be okay. She didn’t, because sometimes things broke, and sometimes they didn’t end up okay.
“I feel safe with you,” he said again. “And I’m scared about that, because it’s unreasonable to be with you all the time. It’s unreasonable to think I can protect you when I know I can’t, and it’s terrifying to think you might be in any sort of danger because of me.”
Hannah stepped back, letting her hands drop to his. “Why would I be in danger?”
“I don’t know.” He looked down at their joined hands. “I just keep thinking about Slate, and how his drug guy followed him to the ranch.”
Hannah’s heart skipped a beat, then two, then stalled completely. “Do you think Tick or whoever that other guy was would go there?”
“I don’t see why they would,” he said. “It’s not the same situation at all. Tick didn’t earn money from selling me drugs. He knows I can’t fight again.” Luke looked into her eyes. “I’m falling in love with you, Hannah, and what happened today is embarrassing for me.”
