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“Those texts are so annoying,” she said, realizing that she was saying far too much, but that’s what happened to her when she was nervous.
“Your phone said it was your stalker.”
“Yeah…” She gulped. He saw that, huh? “I had to rename my friend that after–after… whoo!” She brought her hand up to her chest. “What a crazy fall, huh?” She scrambled to her feet.
Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding after she’d caught a glimpse of that threatening message. Already, she was having a hard time catching her breath after her little adventure with Cole. Why, oh, why did everything embarrassing have to happen to her while he was around?
Of course, Cole had to be the first to stumble on those threatening messages.
She tried to cover up how mortified she was, just as she’d done after he’d popped her from that hay chute like a cork shooting out of a wine bottle. Eva had never been that convincing at lying. She’d bring up more ideas for the kid’s festival to distract him, but she was sure that she sounded absolutely crazy by now.
She still didn’t understand why he refused to brighten up that cute little kid’s event. She’d only been trying to be helpful, but then when he’d turned her every idea down flat, she’d turned into an absolute nutcase trying to prove him wrong.
Eva had only ended up proving him horribly right after getting stuck. He must be pretty pleased with himself, except he didn’t seem like it.
His eyes shifted to her phone.
She knew how to cut off his interest like a knife, and feeling slightly guilty, she used her newfound weapon without mercy. “It’s from Ashley.”
She was right. He winced in actual pain. Eva glanced down at the message again, her skin tingling with panic as she read it: “It won’t be too hard to find out where you went for Thanksgiving. I have a few guesses…” And then he’d called her some awful name that people liked to call her on social media.
Anyway, it didn’t matter.
No way could some pathetic stalker ever guess that the daughter of an oil czar would be… here. She glanced around the shadowed basement. The goat cellar that had seemed so quaint before with its musty smell and corroded stalls transformed in an instant to something quite terrible, even with Cole’s comforting presence.
Eva shoved her phone into her pocket. She shouldn’t even take it with her anymore… except she loved taking pictures.
Her breath hitched at the sudden fear that crept over her like an encroaching shadow.
What she wouldn’t do for some fresh air. The last thing she cared about was the rain anyway. She needed to get out of this cramped space, prove to herself that she’d never be intimidated by some creep. She had to be free of this panic that began to consume her.
Eva turned to Cole. “Race you to the top.”
She took off for the stairs, feeling like the devil was at her heels. Cole followed at a more leisurely pace. He certainly wasn’t buying into anything she was saying anymore.
The sound of her galoshes squeaked and banged in an echo that resonated through the old creaking barn as she rushed over the shuddering floorboards.
The rain had become a heavy downpour while they’d been gone in the cellar. Hesitating for a mere second, Eva fled outside into it.
Ah yes, here it was. Freedom!
The coolness felt absolutely heavenly against her feverish skin.
Everything was going to be okay. Her stalker wanted to trap her in a maze of fear, make her feel like she was being hunted everywhere she went, but she wasn’t. She was safe. This guy wasn’t going to ruin her vacation. He couldn’t control how she felt.
“Eva?” Cole was after her in the storm. She twisted around with a cry. He was missing his stocking cap from before. Those jeans he always wore were plastered to his muscular thighs like a second skin under the rain. “You’re getting all wet!”
“So are you!”
A part of her realized that he’d only come out for her. She tried to save him from his need to rescue her. The guy should’ve been a firefighter. “I’m fine,” she said. “Go back in if you don’t want to get drenched.”
A wry grin traveled over his lips. “I don’t think I’m going to get any wetter.”
That was probably true.
He hopped over a few round pumpkins to reach her in the mud. When he finally did, he watched her with some concern. “Why is Ashley acting so weird?”
“She…” Eva took a step back and slipped in the mud.
