Mountain Rescue, page 2
Also, she made him feel alive. For a man who was dead inside, that was as enticing as sugar water to a hummingbird. Would she tell him the truth today, or had she spent the night thinking up a bullshit story? He was looking forward to finding out.
He was on his second cup of coffee when his mystery woman walked out. She went straight to the railing without even a glance at him. “Morning.”
“Oh.” She faced him, leaning back on the railing. “You’re still here?”
“As you can see. Wasn’t sure you would be, though.”
She looked away, shielding her eyes, but not before he saw the fear in them.
“You don’t have any other place to go, do you?”
Determination was in those whiskey-colored eyes when her gaze returned to him. “I was here first. You find some other place to go.”
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t tell Jack he has a squatter.”
“How do you know Jack?”
He chuckled. “You’re good at that, avoiding answering questions. Here’s the deal. I’ll answer a question for each one you do.” He set the rocking chair in motion, sipped the last of his coffee, and waited her out. Not like he didn’t have all the time in the world. Besides, she was keeping him entertained.
A full minute passed, then she sighed. “You’re right, I don’t have any other place to go. Not at the moment.”
It was a start, but there was a whole lot of additional intel he intended to get out of her. “Okay, my turn. Jack and I were on the same SEAL team.” Her eyes widened at that. Surprised you, huh, wildcat? “Who’s Robert? An abusive boyfriend you’re running from?”
“No. You could stay with Jack.”
“Hurts my feelings how hard you’re trying to get rid of me. Answer the rest of the question.”
“You said one for one. I answered the second one.”
“A technicality, but go ahead. Ask me something else.” He liked that she was making him work for that intel he needed. She was no pushover, this one.
“Should I be afraid of you?”
Now, that was a question he wasn’t expecting. “No, ma’am. My mama would skin my hide if I ever hurt a woman. What’s the story on this abusive boyfriend of yours? Is he looking for you?”
“You’re devious. You keep asking two questions.”
He swallowed a smile. “My apology. Choose one.” The last thing he’d expected from this trip was all the smiling his mouth wanted to do around this woman.
“Robert isn’t my boyfriend.” She crossed her arms, which resulted in pushing her breasts up, and being a man who happened to love breasts, his eyes fell to her chest before he could stop the rascally things.
“Eyes on mine, cowboy.”
Heat flamed in his cheeks at being called out. He didn’t mean to disrespect her. It was what men did with a woman who interested them, and however inconvenient, she definitely interested him. She had on jeans and the same thin white T-shirt from last night but had added a gray hoodie. Still no bra, and no complaint from him on that.
“Are you a cowboy?”
“I guess I can claim the title. Grew up on a working ranch. Rode some bucking broncs when I was young and reckless.”
Her gaze fell to his stomach. “Is that a championship belt buckle?”
“Yep. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re two questions ahead of me now. If Robert isn’t your boyfriend, then what is he to you and why are you afraid of him?”
“I’m tired of this game.” She turned her back to him and stared at the mountains.
“No problem. I’ll ask Jack if it’s okay if you hang out here for a while.”
She spun around. “No, please don’t.”
He thought that would get her attention. She didn’t need to know that he’d already decided to keep her existence here a secret, at least until he found out why she was hiding and how much danger she was in. It concerned him that her trouble wasn’t a boyfriend. Asshole boyfriends were easy to deal with. “Then give me a reason not to.”
“You’re a jerk, you know that?” She glared at him, and he was glad she didn’t have that tree branch in her hands.
He swallowed another smile. Damn if he didn’t like that fire in her eyes. “I’ve been called worse.” Recently, in fact. His captors had had a long list of insulting names they’d thrown at him.
“Fine. Here’s your reason. Jack’s wife, Nichole, is my best friend. I didn’t break in.” She pulled a key out of her pocket and held it up. “I stayed here for their wedding because her house was full of family. I forgot to give it back, and when I needed someplace to go, I came here.”
That didn’t make any sense. “If Nichole’s your best friend and you’re in trouble, why wouldn’t you turn to them for help? Believe me, Jack’s capable of protecting you. He’s not a man to mess with.”
“That’s exactly why. He’d want to get involved, and I’m not about to put the man Nichole loves on the radar of a man who’s a ruthless son of a bitch. Robert wouldn’t see much difference between killing Jack and stepping on a bug.”
Dallas was seldom at a loss for words, but she’d left him speechless. What the hell had she gotten herself involved in? While he was scrambling for a response because he suddenly had a shit ton of questions, she walked past him back into the cabin, then popped her head back out.
“If you care about your friend, you won’t tell him and Nichole I’m here.” Then she was gone again.
He thought about the little she’d revealed and decided she was under his protection, Ruthless Robert be damned. After giving her time to cool down, he went inside to see if he could sweet-talk a wildcat into making him breakfast.
Chapter Two
Rachel wanted to scream at the infuriating man and crawl onto his lap at the same time. He was or had been a SEAL like Jack and would have the skills to protect her, and a part of her wanted to let him. If ever she needed someone at her back, it was now, with Robert looking for her.
But no. She wouldn’t let anyone risk their life for her. Not Jack, who was Nichole’s everything, or this man who called her wildcat. She’d never tell him how much she liked his calling her that, as if he got she wasn’t a woman he could tame.
Her regret was that she hadn’t listened to her instincts when she’d met Robert. The man had made her uneasy from the start, but his wife was a sweetheart, so she’d ignored the alarm bells going off in her head.
Robert would find her. With his money and resources, it was only a matter of time. She had to be ready for him, both mentally and physically. Because her job required it, she was in good shape from daily workouts, and she needed to continue to keep it that way. Unfortunately, she didn’t have her trainer or a gym handy, so she’d have to improvise.
She exchanged her jeans for running shorts, added a sports bra under her T-shirt, and slipped on a pair of track shoes. After a good run, she’d find a grocery store. The refrigerator and pantry were stocked, but not with the things she wanted. She’d wondered why there was so much food when she’d arrived the day before. Now she knew the reason for the steaks, hamburgers, and the like. All man food. Cowboy food to be more accurate.
Speaking of cowboys, why did he have to be so hot? It was distracting, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted. She’d make another attempt to get him to stay with Jack. If he didn’t want to do that, he could rent his own cabin.
“Heading out?” he asked when she walked into the living room.
“Going for a run.”
“Stand by for a minute. I’ll change and go with you. When we get back, maybe you could make us some breakfast.” He palmed his hands together, as if in prayer.
Was he for real? “I’m not your mother, your girlfriend, your wife, or your chef. Make your own damn breakfast.” Lord help her. Even his smirk was sexy.
“Retract your claws, wildcat. It was worth a try.” He winked, then headed down the hall, presumably to change. “Wait for me,” he called over his shoulder.
Nope, not waiting. She needed to put distance between her and the cowboy. Outside, she glanced around and headed for a trail going up the mountain. Ten minutes later, pounding footsteps sounded behind her. She glanced back to make sure it was Dallas and not one of Robert’s men. Seeing it was the man she’d spent half the night thinking about, she picked up her speed. She was used to running on a track, not up a mountain, and already her leg muscles were protesting.
“Learned something new today,” he said, coming up next to her.
Don’t bite. Don’t bite. Don’t bite. Curiosity got the best of her, though, when he didn’t say anything more. “What’s that?”
“Wildcats aren’t so good at following instructions.” He glanced at her, and she could see the amusement in his eyes. “Guess that’s typical of a cat, huh?”
Deciding not to encourage him, she didn’t answer. He seemed content to let her stew in peace for a while as his stride matched hers. The infuriating man wasn’t even breathing hard, while she was doing her best to hide her struggle for air.
It was spring in the mountains and although the air was cool, sweat rolled down her face and back. The only sign that he was expending any energy was the light sheen across his forehead and cheeks, but that was it, and that was even with him wearing sweats and a long-sleeve T-shirt. Who covered up like that to run unless it was freezing?
“Aren’t you hot?” She had on her sports bra, and if a man she both wanted gone and wanted to climb like a tree wasn’t in her personal space, she’d take off her shirt. Of course, he’d like that and have something witty to say that would make her want to laugh.
“I’m good.”
Something in his voice caught her attention, his sharp tone warning her off asking more questions. That made her all the more curious as to why his choice of running clothes was off-limits.
How was it that a man she’d tried to whack upside the head with a tree branch made her feel safe mere hours later? She wouldn’t involve him in her problems, but why couldn’t she have met him when she wasn’t hunted by a man who wanted to kill her?
“You have a job you need to worry about?” he said.
She stopped, bent over, put her hands on her knees, and inhaled air into her lungs. She’d passed the point of talking and trying to breathe at the same time.
“Here. Drink.”
A bottle of water was pushed under her nose, and that made her feel brainless. She should have thought of bringing water, but she was used to her trainer thinking of those kind of things. “Thanks.” She grabbed the bottle and guzzled it.
“Easy there.”
“Hey!” she said when he snatched it away from her.
“I’ll give it back but drink it slowly. You barfing will make me barf, too.”
She laughed, damn him. He was right, so she took a few more slow sips, then handed him the bottle. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. My trainer usually takes care of me.”
“Trainer for what?” He took a sip from the water bottle, then capped the lid.
“For me. I have to stay in shape for my job.”
“And just what is your job?”
“I’m a stunt double.”
“Like in the movies?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, like in the movies.”
“You just get more fascinating by the minute.”
Oh, no. She didn’t want to be fascinating to him, and she didn’t like that calculating gleam in his eyes. “Nothing special about me.”
“Uh-huh.” He grinned as if entirely pleased with himself. “It’s your lucky day. I’ll be your trainer.”
“What? No.” She needed to get rid of him, not spend more time with him.
“No one trains to stay in shape harder than a SEAL, making me the perfect choice for a stand-in,” he said, ignoring her. “I’ll work up a regimen when we get back. How many hours do you usually train?”
“Did you miss me saying no?” Gah. The man and his adorable grins. She wondered if she could run fast enough to get to the cabin in time to lock him out.
Dallas chuckled when Rachel shot him a dirty look before taking off back down the mountain. He was going to have to thank Jack for inviting him to visit. He followed, enjoying the view...of her amazing ass. It seemed a wildcat was the perfect distraction from his demons. Not that he could tell Jack there was a wildcat in residence at the cabin. Eventually he would, or better yet, talk Rachel into revealing herself to her friends.
He still had to find out who Robert was and why the man was after her, and he would. Until then, he was in the dark about what kind of trouble she was in, and lack of intel didn’t make for successful missions. Because Rachel was his mission now. It had been a stroke of brilliance to offer to train her. That would keep her close, and whether she knew it or not, whether she wanted it or not, he had her six.
“So, about that breakfast,” he said simply to rile her up once they were inside the cabin.
“Have at it. I need a shower, then I’m making a run to the grocery store.”
“Speaking of, how’d you get here? You have a car somewhere?”
“In the garage, out of sight.”
“Okay, good.” They had some serious talking to do about what kind of trail she’d left to get here. Since he intended to go to the store with her—again, like it or not—he grabbed an apple on his way to the shower. Afraid she might try to skip out on him, he made quick work of getting clean and dressing.
“Who are you, and what did you do with Rachel?” he said when she appeared.
“Good disguise, huh?”
“That would be an affirmative.” If he hadn’t been sure there was only one woman in residence, he wouldn’t have known it was her. She had on a spiky black wig, red-framed glasses, a half dozen earrings in each ear, and cherry red lipstick. Her jeans were ripped, and that red sweater was about a size too small. “I’m especially impressed with how much your breasts grew since the last time I saw you.”
She peered down at her chest. “Being a man, of course that’s the first thing you’d notice.”
“Not gonna deny it.”
The last person that Robert guy would notice if—or when—he narrowed down her location and managed to get a hold of security camera footage would be a brassy woman intentionally calling attention to herself. If he or any of his men were in the area, showing a photo of her, no one would be able to say they saw her.
“Clever to hide in plain sight.”
She smiled as if his compliment pleased her. “I stunt doubled in a movie where the star did it to hide from the bad guys. She walked right past two of them without being recognized. Seemed like a good idea.”
“What about when you traveled here from... LA, was it? Did you wear a disguise?” He hoped so.
“Yes, from LA I made myself up to look like a college student. Strawberry hair down to my waist, a nose ring, eyebrow ring, and an Ole Miss sweatshirt. Even pretended to work on my thesis while waiting to board and on the plane. Did some whining in a Southern accent to those around me about running out of time to get it done before it was due.”
Damn. He already thought she was something else. He didn’t need more reasons to be captivated, but how could he not be by a beautiful, clever, and yes, a snarly wildcat? He liked her brain, her face, her body, and even those claws that came out when she was fired up, and he really did like firing her up.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Didn’t know I was.” But, yeah, she made him smile, and she had no idea how astounding that was. Another reason to like her. “You use any credit cards once you left LA?”
She looked at him as if he was stupid. “No, I did not. I’m not dumb, you know. I went to the bank and withdrew money before leaving. I paid cash for my airline ticket, flew as far as Atlanta, then searched the classifieds for a clunker I could buy from a private individual. I haven’t put the title in my name. The only thing that worried me was not having insurance, so I changed my appearance to that of an old woman and drove here like an old woman would...slowly and carefully.”
Too bad she hadn’t been with him when he’d been captured. She would’ve had them free before they had to spend one night in Hotel Hell. “Okay, one more test. Phone?”
She didn’t even ask what he meant. “Not sure where it is. I deleted all my contacts, quit all my apps, then found a pickup truck full of junk in the bed. Hid my phone under a pile of garbage. If Robert’s trying to track it, it’s still roaming around LA or for all I know, on its way to Nebraska. I bought a burner.”
Oh, she was pleased with herself all right, as well she should be. He could see it in her eyes and the sly smile on her face. “Marry me.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
He was teasing her. Well, he was pretty sure he was. “I don’t know. When a man meets a beautiful woman as smart as him, he’d be a fool not to claim her.” He was kidding. Probably.
“As smart? How about smarter? And that’s something most men can’t handle.”
“I’m not most men. You ready to go?”
“You don’t have to come. I’m perfectly capable of going to the grocery store by myself.”
“I’m sure you are, but it’s actually better if I do. We’ll look like a couple. Your Robert won’t be looking for a couple.”
She sighed as if hating he was right. “Fine. I passed one on the main highway on the way in yesterday.”
“I’m driving.”
“You’re such a man.”
“Glad you noticed.” He thought she muttered, “How could I not?” He chuckled as he followed her to the Jeep. She was good medicine. Not once when he was with her did he have to drag his mind out of dark places.
“This is the same Jeep that Jack gave me to use when I was here for their wedding.” She opened the glove box. “Aha!” She pulled out a package of Starburst candy. “My weakness. Want one?”
