Rescued by the Ranger (10 page)

Was it the intimacy they’d shared that had her in such a state, or the phone call? Garrett decided to go with the latter. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

A forced smile appeared briefly. “Unknown number. Probably a telemarketer.” She stood awkwardly, trying to hold the comforter in place. “My clothes should be dry by now. We should get going.” She turned her back and left him sitting there.

Well, that lie had come easily enough, but he’d seen the guilt written all over her face. Garrett watched as she disappeared into the bathroom. Cowboy rose from his place near the door and dropped down in front of the love seat. Garrett patted him absently. It hadn’t been an unknown number. He’d barely gotten a glimpse before the screen had gone dark, but he’d been trained to focus on details, so the number was forever ingrained in his memory.

If it wasn’t the call that had upset Rachel, why would she lie about it? Perhaps he should dial the number and see who answered—or have his friend Jase find out who the number belonged to. Or maybe he should mind his own business—but hadn’t he already decided to make Rachel’s problem his business?

The same country tune broke the silence again, and Garrett reached automatically for her cell phone. The number was the same that had appeared only minutes ago. For an instant, he debated taking the phone to Rachel, but that would only end in the same result: She’d ignore the call. For agonizing seconds, he held the phone, staring at it, before he remembered his decision. Right or wrong, he couldn’t help Rachel unless he knew what she was afraid of.

He stabbed the answer button. “Yeah.” A vacuum of silence echoed eerily on the other end before Garrett detected a sound that indicated someone was there. “Hello. Who is this?”

“How about if I ask y’all the same thing. Did Rachel put you up to answering her phone?” The man’s muffled voice dripped with scorn, delivered with a deep southern drawl.

“I’m a friend. Name’s Garrett. Rachel isn’t here right now, but I can tell her you called if you want to leave your name.” He really wanted that name to give to Jase. It was likely the only way he’d find out why this guy had been able to turn Rachel’s world upside down just now. And all of Garrett’s instincts were on high alert. Something wasn’t right here.

“I’m Jeremy. Rachel’s my girl. So, as you might imagine, I’m more interested in who
you
are and why you’re with her. Wait. Let me guess. Are you thinking you’ll get her into your bed,
Garrett
? Uh-uh . . . it’ll never happen. She knows better. I’d find you and kill you.” His words were matter-of-fact.

Garrett bit back his angry reply as rage tore through him, leaving flecks of red in his field of vision.
Stalker
—had to be. Was this who Rachel was hiding from? The lunatic sounded deranged, yet just lucid enough to be dangerous. Jase would be able to find out who he was, and they’d put a stop to his harassing Rachel.

“What’s the matter, Garrett? She didn’t tell you about me, did she?” Jeremy grunted a laugh.

Garrett’s jaw clenched so tightly it ached. “Why don’t you tell me, Jeremy? Where did you two meet?”

“Garrett?”

He swung around at the desperation in Rachel’s cry. She stood just behind him, dressed again in her skirt and sleeveless top, one hand on her stomach as though she was nauseous, with confusion and fear in her eyes.

“Uh-oh! You’re fucking busted!” Jeremy’s foul words echoed Garrett’s own thoughts and were punctuated by contemptuous laughter just before the call abruptly ended.

Garrett lowered the phone and searched for the right explanation to erase the betrayal in Rachel’s expression. None came.

She stepped toward him and jerked the phone from his grasp. “What did you do?” More accusation than question, it hung in the silence long after she’d turned and hurried from the cabin, leaving Garrett caught between guilt and good intentions.

Chapter Eight

R
ACHEL HIT THE
ground beyond the steps at a full-out run, desperate to put distance between her and Garrett. She’d peered out from the bathroom, curious about whom he was talking to, but his back had been turned, and she’d seen the phone pressed to his ear—her phone. Still oblivious, she’d walked toward him. He evidently didn’t hear her approach, but she’d heard him use Jeremy’s name, and it had stopped her in her tracks.

Had Garrett picked up her phone and dialed the last number?
Who did that?
Her instant anger had given way to horror as the realization of what Jeremy might have said to him settled over her.

Garrett had finally turned when she’d forced his name from her dry throat. She’d ripped the phone from his hand, ignoring the shock and puzzlement in his gaze, and then, unable to face him, she’d run. That
was
what she did best, after all.

Having no idea where she was going, except away from Garrett’s prying and questions, she ran past the Jeep, following the dirt road they’d driven in on. Sixty seconds later, she heard soft footfalls echoing her own and, from the corner of her eye, saw Cowboy running beside her.

Damn dog. “No. Go back, Cowboy.” That’s
all
she needed. Garrett would never leave her in peace if his dog insisted on following her. Behind them, the Jeep’s engine fired to life and its tires crunched on the gravel.

Rachel stopped and grabbed Cowboy’s collar, turned him around, and gave him a totally ineffectual shove back toward Garrett. Instead, the dog sat, leaning against her legs, and watched the approaching vehicle.

As soon as the Jeep came to a halt a few feet away and Garrett hopped out, Rachel started walking backward away from him. “Call your dog. He won’t pay any attention to me when I tell him to go away.”

Man and dog both trailed her now. “That’s because I told him to stay with you. He’d die before he left your side.” Garrett kept moving closer. “We need to talk, Rachel.”

She shook her head. “Well, you’re not exactly on my most-trusted list at the moment, and I don’t care what you need. I can’t deal with this right now, so that’s not going to happen. Just go away.”

Garrett glanced around the lonely forest pointedly. “I’m not leaving you—not here. Not after what happened yesterday and this morning. Let me take you home, and you can have some time, but we
are
going to talk about what happened back there.”

Rachel snorted. “Maybe where you come from it’s okay to snoop in other people’s business, but we tend to frown on it around here. So, what you think is going to happen and what’s really going to happen . . . are two very different things.” She whirled around and started jogging again.

Garrett said something in a low voice that she didn’t catch, and then Cowboy was suddenly right in front of her. She stumbled in her effort to avoid him, rolling with the fall the way Jonathan had taught her. Unhurt except for her pride, she sat up, casting a scowl at the dog, who appeared to be waiting for her to get to her feet and resume their game. Garrett stood over her, one hand extended to help her up, which she ignored with her best
drop dead
expression.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have answered your phone, but I did. And now that I know there’s a lunatic on the other end, I’m not walking away. I’ll find out who he is with or without your help, but it makes more sense for us to work together on this. For what it’s worth, I think we’d make a pretty good team. How long has this guy been harassing you? Don’t you think it’s time you confided in a friend?”

Rachel swept the hair out of her face with a dusty hand, too close to tears, and desperate not to let him see her fall apart. He made it sound so easy. Talk about it . . . work together . . . find Jeremy. If only it were that simple, but Garrett didn’t know how dangerous Jeremy really was.

She couldn’t be sure Jeremy actually knew where she was. If her hunch was wrong and the stranger at the lodge wasn’t Jeremy, he could still be working for her stalker—looking for her. Either way, she wouldn’t take the chance. Now more than ever, she had to put this place behind her. Leaving was the only way to guarantee he wouldn’t come near the people she loved.

Garrett had inserted himself right in the middle of it. She had to warn him, yet if she did, he’d likely try to stop her from running. After she was safely gone, she’d find a way to send him a message. If he left—went back to California—this might all blow over. Her plan to somehow convince him to stay on for Peg’s sake had just gone up in smoke, but she couldn’t worry about that now. Her first priority was finding a new place to hide—a new life. A tear rimmed over her eyelashes and rolled down her face. Brushing it away with a dirt-covered finger, she focused on Garrett.

He still stood with an outstretched hand, one brow raised in question, a smile of assurance, and eyes filled with sincerity. His obvious belief in her and his promise to help made her feel even worse . . . if that was possible.

She reached for his hand and let him pull her up. “Okay. You promised me some time, but after that I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Jeremy.” Stepping around him, she tried to remove her hand from his, but he held on and turned with her toward the Jeep.

He smiled slightly. “That’s great. You made the right decision. You won’t be sorry, Rachel.” He opened her door. “Can we talk later? After dinner tonight?”

“Peg asked me to do some letters confirming reservations tonight. She prefers everything the old-fashioned way. Hand typed and personalized. No electronic reservation system or group e-mails for us. It might be a late night. How about in the morning? I’ll come to your room. That way no one will interrupt us.” Guilt hit her hard, and she forced a smile. She hated lying to him, knowing that she would be long gone in the morning when he expected her. Still, the comical way his brow hitched upward when she mentioned his room tugged strangely at her heart.

“Sure. That works.” Garrett circled the front of the Jeep.

As soon as he opened his door, Cowboy jumped in and, if it was possible for a dog to look shamefaced, this one did. Rachel laughed and scratched his scruff. “It’s okay, boy. I know it wasn’t
your
fault.”

The dog pushed past her for the backseat while Garrett climbed in. He dug a white towel from the console between them and turned toward her. “I’m sorry, too, and I don’t want you to forget what a good day we’ve had.” He took her hand and pulled her toward him, gently wiping the dirt from fingers to elbows before kissing her lips tenderly. When he was done, he winked and handed her the towel. “You can probably do a better job than I did.”

This time, Rachel’s smile was real. How did he do that? Make her forget who he was—who she was? Cause her to believe that she could have a normal life for more than just a little while? She’d been lucky. Ten years in one place was more than she could have hoped for. It was bittersweet though. With time to foster genuine relationships, now it would be that much harder to let them go.

But Garrett? He’d dropped into her life yesterday. Before that he’d been only a fixation—one that she’d despised. She shouldn’t have any regrets about saying good-bye to him. Yet, in some unexplainable way, she did, which was all the more reason she had to leave. She couldn’t be responsible for what would happen to him if she didn’t.

“Hey.” He gently stroked her hand where it twisted around the towel in her lap. “Relax. Why don’t you give me the rest of my tour?”

Rachel’s gaze swept to the mountain road and the dense forest outside the windows. A smile pulled at her lips, and she filled her lungs with the clean pine-scented air, grateful beyond words for something else to concentrate on.

E
VEN WITH HER
talking nonstop, visiting every scenic vantage point and describing every historical reference along the way, the trip back to the lodge had ended too soon.

Garrett, with Cowboy bringing up the rear, walked her to her room. When they stopped at the door, he turned her toward him. “I had a great time. Thank you for a wonderful day.” His gaze was so intense it sent a shiver up her spine.

“My pleasure. I had fun.” Rachel amazed herself with her confession.

Garrett’s brow hitched upward. “Yeah? So, tell me, if we were still working on our original two-day deal, would you be sending me home?”

“Hell yes.” She had to hide a smile as she met his eyes.

“What?” Garrett laughed. “I don’t believe you.” He stepped into her, pushing her against the door.

She held her breath as his gaze burned into hers. He leaned toward her in painful slow motion until the breath of his lips warmed hers. When he finally covered her mouth, it wasn’t with the same gentleness as earlier in the day. Heat radiated between them as the need in his kiss became obvious, and she responded to his demand to open her lips.

He slowly and thoroughly plundered her mouth, tasting, exploring, his tongue tangling with hers. Rachel’s legs grew shaky as though they’d melt right out from under her, and she grasped his shoulders to hold herself up. His hands dropped to her hips and pulled her against him, and his erection pressed into her, long and hard. Her eyes flew open and searched his.

Immediately, he released her and stepped back. His eyes were almost black, and a sheepish grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “Guess it’s no secret what you do to me.”

Rachel struggled with a need that clearly matched his, but rather than give in to the foolish idea of pulling him inside her room, she stepped around him and reached for her doorknob. “Whatever this attraction is between us, Garrett, nothing can come of it.”

“Why not? Because of Amanda? I thought we’d made some progress on that today.” Garrett reached for her hand and held it close to his chest.

She trembled with the effort not to lean into him. “We’re at the same train station, Garrett, but you’re getting on and I’m just seeing you off. Ships passing and all that. There’s nowhere for us to go with this. It doesn’t matter if you leave in two days or two weeks, the point is you’re not staying. Your life is elsewhere. I suppose you’re used to having a girl in each port, but I’m not that girl. I’m also not prepared to have my heart broken.” As lame as that no doubt sounded, she couldn’t tell him the real reason. In less than twelve hours, she’d be gone, and it wouldn’t do either of them any good to stir the embers of a fire that was about to be smothered.

“Do you distrust all men this much, or is it just me?” He shook his head, a shadow of sadness passing momentarily over his expression. “Frankly, it’s insulting for you to think casual, meaningless sex is my MO. If it was, you’d know that already. And I’ve had my heart broken too, so trust me when I say I don’t want that to happen to you.” His thumb stroked across her knuckles.

It was clear he was talking about his mother. Rachel had always thought of what happened to Amanda as her losing her family because of events that were out of her control. It was obvious Garrett viewed it as his mother abandoning him. Maybe a little of both was true, but she wanted to slap herself for reminding him yet again. Rachel rested her forehead against her fingertips for a second before meeting his gaze. “You’re right. That was out of line, and I’m sorry. But there’s no time for this to go anywhere.”

“Because you think I’m leaving right away?”

Rachel dropped her gaze. “Well, aren’t you?”
Careful. Don’t give yourself away.

“You asked me to stay until we figured out who the intruder at the lodge was, and I agreed. I also plan to hang around until we identify and put a stop to your stalker. Even then there’s nothing back home waiting for me. My military career is all but over. Signing the discharge papers will be the next step. Maybe this place that my mother helped to build is where I belong for a while. Maybe I want to get to know
you
better.” He closed the small gap between them.

Garrett leaned toward her as though to kiss her, his breath caressing her ear, but then his hand covered hers on the knob, turned it, and pushed her door open. “I’m not going to rush you, though. We’ll go as slow as you want.” He winked and a crooked grin made her insides do a flip. “Hell, it’s only been twenty-four hours and already you’ve gone from hating me to tolerating me.”

Rachel laughed in spite of herself. “Yeah . . . not because you haven’t tried to piss me off.”

A smile tipped one corner of his mouth even as anger brewed deep in his eyes. “I said I was sorry about answering your phone . . . but I’m not. We’re going to get this sick son of a bitch, Rach. He won’t bother you again.”

Rachel forced herself to smile. Garrett really believed he could make that happen. Maybe he could, but she wasn’t willing to take the chance. It was Garrett who would ultimately suffer if he was wrong.

She stepped across the threshold. “I have to change and go help Dory with dinner.”

“And I have to find Peg and explain why we didn’t tell the sheriff about our intruder. How angry do you think she’ll be with me?”

A slight smile escaped though she’d tried to be serious. “I wouldn’t worry. I think you’re her favorite.”

Garrett grinned, an endearing blush coloring his cheeks. “Good to know. I’ve never been anyone’s favorite before.”

The image of him as a little boy, growing up without a mother in what Rachel could only assume was a cold and unfriendly environment, wrenched at her heart. She struggled to keep all of the emotions invoked by her musing from parading across her face.

His gaze locked on hers and dropped to her lips for a heart-stopping moment. “Save me a seat at dinner, will you?” He turned to go before she could answer.

Rachel closed the door and leaned against it as his footsteps faded. How had she let him get to her? He was so disarmingly sexy, his lips like a drug she couldn’t do without.
No excuse.
She couldn’t afford to get close to anyone, least of all Garrett Harding.

She stripped off her dusty clothes and stood under the shower only long enough to rinse herself off. After dressing in a clean denim skirt and burgundy knit top, she headed down to the kitchen.

Dory was making her own recipe of French chicken tonight, and she recruited Rachel to chop potatoes, onions, and green peppers. When everything was ready, they carried the two main dishes, along with a veggie salad and fresh, homemade rolls to the dining room table.