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“Not a chance.” Crystal gave a small shake of her head. “I’m just glad it all ended well.”
Angie returned with Johnny, who sucked on a lollipop.
Mary’s eyes softened as she watched them together. They took a seat in the waiting room.
“I have some release instructions to give you if you’ll follow me to the desk,” the woman said to Paul.
Mary glanced up at Crystal. “Sounds like it’s going to be a while here. I don’t want to keep you and Zach any longer.” She turned to him. “Would you mind taking Crystal back?”
Mind? Hell no, he wouldn’t mind. He wouldn’t mind one bit taking her back to his house and doing a repeat of the night before, but she’d need some rest after all this. Didn’t mean he couldn’t think about it, though. “No problem. I want to hear the whole story, anyway.”
“Great. I appreciate you bringing us out here.”
Crystal handed Mary the keys to their car. “I hope everything is fine tonight.”
“I’m sure it will be. Thanks so much.” Mary walked over to the kids and sat beside Johnny.
Zach gazed down at Crystal. Now that the commotion was over, he had a chance to really look at her. He’d been thinking about her all day. The softness of her skin when he’d stroked her body and the fire in her eyes when she’d demanded more. God help him, he craved her like a drug.
Her cheeks pinkened, as a shy smile formed. So, she’d been thinking about him too. And apparently, hecouldmake her smile.
“You ready?” He touched her arm, and his heart slid sideways at the mere contact.
“Yeah.” She waved to Mary and the kids as she headed toward the door. “I’ll see you all back at camp. Good luck with Murphy.”
“Hold on.” Angie stood and crossed the room, stopping in front of Crystal. “I…uh…I want to tell my mom what you said about the clothes if you still want to help me?”
“Sure.” She gave Angie a quick pat on the shoulder. “We’ll come up with a plan.”
“Thanks.” Angie shifted her feet. “For…you know…everything.”
“You got it. Catch you later.” She grinned and glanced at Mary, who was staring with wide eyes.
Zach opened the door for Crystal. He’d have to ask what that was all about. Something must have gone down between her and Angie because the girl was acting completely different. She’d even been nice to her brother.
When Crystal sank into the passenger seat, he started the engine and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yup. Just tired.”
“No doubt.” He put the truck in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. “Wanna tell me what happened?”
She sighed and nodded. “Murphy attacked a snake when it was about to strike me. I freaked out, which I know is in your book of things-not-to-do.”
His belly flipped at the comment, and he hitched an eyebrow. “You read some of it?”
“Uh huh. The parts on snakes, thank God.”
“Glad to hear it. There’s hope for you yet.” He tried to keep things light, but she’d been in real danger. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call. I was in a patchy service spot, and it never came through.”
“It’s okay. I figured things out.”
“You really did. I can’t tell you how impressed I am.”
“What do you mean? That dog almost died because of me.” She shrunk into the seat.
“Just the opposite.” He found a place to park on the side of the road. This needed his full attention. He turned to her. “You took complete control of this. It could have gone south fast.”
“Yeah, I know. I was nervous about having enough credit on my card. It was a nail-biter. In the end, I was able to cover the fee.”
