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“Yes.” Her whisper was barely perceptible, carried away on the wind.
“You ran away from him.”
She nodded.
“Why?”
He watched her beautiful face as various emotions played over it. She looked so lost, so fragile. He gave her a few minutes to compose herself, but eventually took control. “Honey, your friend Helen told me that something, or someone, frightened you right before you disappeared from the Harvey House that night. Was she right?”
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “Louis came for me. I—I never expected—well, actually I did think he would one day find me, but—it was all so unexpected when it actually happened.” She fumbled in her jacket pocket and withdrew a handkerchief that she wiped her eyes with and then began to twist in her fingers. “He—he was just sitting there. At one of my tables. Like—like he’d done it any number of times.” She shuddered. “And then he smiled.”
“Why does he frighten you? Or better yet, is that why you ran away?”
She nodded and one tear slowly tracked down her cheek. “Not just that, although some of the beatings have been particularly bad.”
He jerked as if pulled from behind and a surge of anger washed over him like the waves from the Gulf behind them crashing on the shore. He clenched and unclenched his hands and had to take several deep breaths to calm himself. The thought of this fragile, delicate flower being hit by a man’s fist had his stomach roiling. Any woman being struck bothered him, but Emily—his wonderful Emily—made him sick.
But then she wasn’t his. Not yet.
“What else, sweetheart?”
“He—he has me spying on people, looking for ways for him to threaten them, those who have invested money with his business. It’s all very shady, and I really hate doing it. I just had to get away.”
“What sort of a business does he have?”
“He and his partner, Greg Sanders, have an investment company. They take people’s money and invest it for them. Except they don’t really invest much of it. From what I’ve learned over the three years we’ve been married is he takes a large portion of their investment for his ‘fees’ and when they want a return on their money, he pays them with the money from new investors. He acquires the new investors by promising a large percentage of profits. More than anyone else offers.”
“That’s illegal.”
“I figured as much.”
If the man were caught, he would end up in prison. But that wouldn’t free Emily. Which brought another question to mind. “I chased you down to Galveston because I wanted to make sure you were all right. When you left unexpectedly I was scared, and then angry.” He held up his hand as she started to speak. “Yes, I was angry with you at first, but once I discovered you had been coerced into leaving, I knew I would not rest until I found you. To learn who you really were, what you were running from, and . . . where I stand in all of this.”
She stared out over the expansion of the Gulf. Waves broke on the shore, one after another, leaving behind clumps of seaweed and bits of jellyfish. The scene calmed her, along with having Hunter near.
Where I stand in all of this.
A fair question. Before Louis, when she still had some faith and trust, Hunter would be the man she would want standing right next to her for the rest of her life. But in reality she had a husband who would never let her go.
And what if she were free? Was she really stupid enough to trust a man once again? She’d been let down twice before. Did she have to keep repeating her mistakes over and over?
Gathering her thoughts, she stared into the eyes she’d dreamt about for weeks. Deep hazel, with flecks of brown. Her gaze wandered over his face, broad forehead with locks of light brown hair always falling over it. Thick eyelashes, straight nose, and a strong chin right below full lips that had kissed her in a way she’d never been kissed before.
She could care a great deal for him, but she would forever hold her heart back, saving a part of herself that would always be cautious, always waiting to be let down again.
“I don’t want to be hurt and used anymore. I don’t want to be afraid all the time. I don’t want to be watched like I’m a criminal.” She bent her head. “I want to be free,” she whispered.
“And?”
She chewed her lip, not sure how her words would be received, but at the same time determined to take that leap. Slowly she let out a deep breath. “I don’t know what my feelings are, they’re still too new, too wrapped up in deceit and wishful thinking. What I know at this point is I am not as anxious to run away from my life as I am to run toward something better.” She ran her finger down his cheek.
Hunter closed his eyes and lowered his head. “That’s enough for now. My feelings are also muddled, but know this.” He stood and held out his hand. “No matter what happens between us, I will not leave you here. When I return to Guthrie, you will be with me.”
Emily took his hand and rose, brushing the back of her dress. He drew her into his arms and kissed her lightly, a mere brush of his lips over hers, but enough to set her insides to fluttering.
“How much time do we have?”
“My appointments generally run about two hours. I don’t think Martin would come into the shop to look for me unless I was gone longer than that.”
