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Suddenly, Ghost’s big head was between the seats. He whined, then licked her cheek. That’s when Cameron saw the tears. Ghost whined again.
“She’s okay, buddy. She’s just like us. She’s been alone too long.”
Then Cameron reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “If you want it to be, this trip is the beginning of us and the end of your exile. But only if you’re ready. Otherwise, we’re still going to make a crackerjack team. Oh…and I have a really important question.”
“Ask,” Rusty said.
“Is Rusty your real name?”
It was the last thing she expected him to say and it made her smile. “No. My name is Faith.”
Cameron felt the word as she spoke it. It fit, because it was how she made him feel. Like he could believe in something good again. “It’s beautiful, like you,” he said.
Rusty sighed. “It’s a good thing we’re on the same side in this battle, because I’d be tempted to walk on the wild side for the pleasure of your company.”
Cameron pulled a handful of tissues from the box in the console and handed them to her.
“No tears for my girl,” he said softly. “You’ve been in my heart for years. I’m taking you to my home, and then to my bed. Can’t have you crying when you walk in the door. People up here would say that’s bad luck.”
She wiped away the tears as they left the lights of Jubilee behind. Now the headlights were focused on the dark, winding road before them, and the looming silhouettes of the bordering trees. The farther they drove, the darker it became.
When Cameron turned left off the blacktop onto a heavily graveled road, her heart began to pound. She recognized where they were.
Almost home.
And then the house was before them. The porch light was on, and the house was lit from within. She could smell woodsmoke even before they drove under the carport. She looked at Cameron and then the dog between them and wondered if they were ready for a woman to invade their space.
Cameron parked and opened his door, then let his dog out of the Jeep. Ghost went sniffing off into the yard as Rusty got out. Cameron went to get Rusty’s bag from the back of the Jeep as she began to scope out her new abode. There was nothing but trees all around the clearing in which the house was sitting.
One way in to the property.
One way out.
She saw two security cameras just beneath the eaves of the porch, and when she gave the house a closer look, realized the shutters weren’t just decorative. If the need arose, they could actually be closed. In the dark, in the cold, the house now took on the aspect of a bunker. Cameron Pope may have come back from the war, but he’d brought some of it with him.
And then he was at her side. She looked up just as his head came down. His lips were cold, but his breath was warm on her face. “You’re safe here, darlin’. Come inside.”
She followed him to the side door. He put her bag down long enough to unlock the door and whistle for Ghost. The dog loped across the yard and up the steps, then ran into the house in front of them.
Cameron saw the surprise in Rusty’s eyes as Ghost charged past them. “He’s cleared the perimeter. Now he’s clearing the way to make sure it’s safe to go inside. After you.”
The warmth inside welcomed her like a big hug. Cameron locked the door behind him and started down the hall.
“I have a spare room. I am not assuming you will want to sleep with—”
“You should assume that,” Rusty said.
Cameron grinned. “Then I’ll take your bag to the spare room so you can unpack there. We’ll call it your dressing room.”
“Works for me,” Rusty said. “As to this sleeping arrangement, how’s Ghost going to feel about—”
“His bed is by the fireplace. He’ll be fine,” Cameron said. “Follow me. I’ll show you the lay of the house as we go. Nothing is off-limits to you.”
Rusty followed, admiring the width of his shoulders and the steady stride of his footsteps rather than the rooms they were passing. That she was even here felt surreal, and all she wanted was to come undone in his arms.
“This used to be Rachel’s room when she was a kid,” he said, as he flipped a light switch, put her bag on the bed, then pulled the curtains to shut out the night. “I’ll leave you to unpack. Oh, and there’s an extra bathroom across the hall if you want to put all of your stuff in there. However, I would not take offense at sharing the shower in my bedroom.”
Rusty was taking off her coat when he said that. She glanced up, saw the look on his face, and tossed her purse on the bed.
