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Chapter Three
Natalia
What was going on? I was still suspicious of the turn of events, but mom had said Gavin was taking me home, so I trusted him because she, dad, and uncle E did. I just wondered why I’d never seen or heard about the sexy Mountie before, and Gavin was definitely sexy.
He had a long, lean runner's build, and his tall frame was big enough to make me feel small and dainty next to him, which was no easy feat since I was five foot eleven. Gavin’s hair was a medium brown, and his eyes were golden brown. He had a classic good-looking square jaw, and his nose was slightly bent from being broken before. In a word, he was hot. Hot in a way that just came naturally to him.
“How were you injured?” I finally broke the silence to ask a question. We had two hours ahead of us, and I was curious about the guy next to me.
“Gunshot wound to the chest. It’s why I couldn’t carry all your bags.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Thank you for taking the ones you did. Chivalry isn’t dead, I guess.” I shrugged and looked out the window. We were leaving the city and headed north. The streets were plowed, but the snow was picking up.
“Maybe I should have flown directly into Fort McMurray,” I said when he made the wipers go faster. He was driving slowly, not pushing the truck too fast for the weather.
“You did good making your journey last over the week, Natalia. If this guy is following you, that made it more difficult for him. Changing your hair and appearance helped, too. You were smart to do it the way you did. The weather is just a small bump in the road.”
“Do you think we will make it back to Fort McMurray tonight?” I wanted to be home where it was warm and safe. God, I wanted to be safe. The last time I felt truly ok was months ago. Since then, sleeping and eating have been almost nonexistent. That’s why I decided to take a break from that world.
“We should if it doesn’t get any worse than this. Did you happen to bring copies of the letters your stalker sent?”
“No. I don’t ever want to see those notes again.” I shuddered over the memory and put my hands closer to the vents to seek their warmth.
“I’ll see if I can get in touch with the investigators on the case down there. Not sure they will cooperate or give me anything, but if I can at least get a copy of the letters, I can try to pull some information about our stalker from them.”
“You think you will be able to figure out something they didn’t?” I asked skeptically. The police had the letters for three months. The third one was where I realized he was getting creepier with each gift. It was the sixth letter that had my blood running cold.
“It never hurts to have more eyes on it.” He shrugged. “The sooner we can catch your stalker, the sooner your life returns to normal.”
Normal. My life wasn’t normal anymore, it was a giant mess. The problem with getting everything you ever wanted sometimes is that you aren’t prepared for the new normal that life creates.
“How long are you on medical leave?” I asked, changing the subject back to him.
He didn’t answer at first, and I wondered if he was going to ignore the question, but he didn’t. “I’ll be on leave for a while. The bullet did some major damage to my shoulder.”
“Oh, that sucks.”
“Yeah, but it is what it is.”
“So, you’re in the Mounties with Uncle E. Is that how you know him?”
“No. I’m a Mountie because of him. Elijah saved my life.” He didn’t expand on that or offer up any more details, and I didn’t push for any.
“What’s your last name?”
“Kinkaid.”
This had to be the most awkward trip ever. I made a mental note to give my mom a hard time when I saw her. Gavin’s short and simple answers were driving me nuts. He didn’t ask questions about me unless it pertained to the stalker. When I asked questions to try to initiate conversation, he answered the questions but didn’t reciprocate. It was like playing table tennis by yourself—useless and not as much fun.
“You do realize I’m trying to make conversation with you, right?” It was a little bitchy, but seriously, I was on a whole new level of tired and hungry.
He glanced in my direction with a small smirk. “I’m aware, Natalia, but I’m trying to concentrate on the road and make sure nobody’s tailing us. I’m sorry if that bores you, but I’d rather us arrive in one piece.
Well shit, he was right. He didn’t deserve my attitude. I shouldn’t take my frustration out on him, but for some reason, he made me want to.
I felt on edge and cranky around him, and I’m not sure why. “Sorry,” I mumbled, leaning my head against the window. “I’m going to take a nap so you can concentrate.”
“Sure thing, Princess.”
I leaned the seat back and curled up as much as the seat and belt would allow. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but it damn sure beat the seats on the airplane.
“Thanks for picking me up, Kinkaid,” I said around a yawn, but I didn’t hear his answer because I was already being pulled down into an exhausted, peace-filled, dreamless sleep—something I hadn’t had in months.
