Chapter 5
5
Ani was sure her heartbeat would give them away. Her heart felt like it wanted to gallop right out of her chest—which, of course, she knew would be a medical first. Could Gil McGowan hear it too?
He crouched next to her, keeping an arm securely around her, as if afraid she might jump up and yell to the military personnel pulling up to his house. He smelled surprisingly good, considering he’d been jogging shortly before this. The fresh scent of the spruce forest hung in his black hair. It was even darker than hers; maybe he was what they called “Black Irish,” which would also explain the green of his eyes.
Even in sweatpants and a black t-shirt, he was pure male magnetism, even more so because he didn’t seem to bother with that kind of thing. His hair could use a trim, and he hadn’t shaved yet this morning. His t-shirt had a hole in the sleeve. Her mother would disapprove, and assume he was some kind of ruffian. What had Victor said—“doesn’t hurt him with women”?
John had always been a magnet for female attention, too. A flirt, a player, whatever you wanted to call it. In high school, the first time he’d looked directly at her, she’d nearly fainted. The hottest guy at school had noticed her, then talked to her, then asked her out.
Maybe she should have looked a little deeper before throwing all of her heart and soul into loving him.
The sound of voices carried from the direction of Gil’s house. She met Gil’s gaze, widening her eyes as a kind of question— what now ? He gave a gesture she took to mean they should stay where they were, then put a finger to his lips.
She frowned at him to convey that she was offended. Why would she rush out there now? She’d made her choice, and she wasn’t going to back out now.
Which was her thinking for the last six years of her marriage, and look where that had gotten her.
Her gaze drifted to Gil’s left hand. Was he married? No sign of a ring. He came across as more of a lone ranger than a settling-down type. But maybe she was reading too much into that hole in his t-shirt.
The voices coming from the house grew clearer. “Got two vehicles here, but no one’s answering.”
Ani remembered the coffee mugs they’d left behind. Not too suspicious. She caught Gil’s eye and mimed sipping from a cup. He shrugged—not much to do about it now.
He bent and whispered in her ear. “They’re on the back deck now.” His lips tickled her hair and made her skin tingle.
They heard the sound of someone knocking on the door. “Anyone home?” a voice yelled. “We just want to talk.”
More footfalls as the soldier left the deck and joined the others.
“I’m guessing they aren’t authorized to go in the house,” Gil whispered.
“You’re guessing ?” she whispered back. “That’s not very scientific.”
“My brother’s the scientist, not me.” He paused to listen to the sounds coming from the driveway. The voices were receding. “Anyway, it is scientific. They come up with theories, hypotheses, and then test them. But it’s all an educated guess at first.”
“How educated is this guess?”
He cocked his head, considering the question. “Not especially, since I don’t know what they want. Maybe it’s an uneducated guess.”
“What could they want? Why would there be anyone from the military here?”
“Excellent questions.”
She frowned at him. “Don’t you have any answers to go with all the questions?”
He barely glanced at her. She was getting the impression he didn’t like her very much. He kept trying to get rid of her, after all. “Just one. No, I don’t have answers.”
She pulled a face at him, then they both shushed at the sound of an engine starting up. Wheels on gravel, the honk of a horn, and the Jeep was—theoretically—gone.
“Well, I guess you were right,” Ani told him, still keeping her voice low.
He gave a matter-of-fact nod. He was probably used to being right about such things. He had that confident air about him. That could be a potentially irritating quality, so it was a good thing they were simply two strangers hiding from a military Jeep, no more.
“Should we go back inside now?” she murmured.
“Let’s wait a little longer, just to be safe. They might know we’re hiding, and plan to turn around and ambush us. Might as well get comfortable.” He brushed something away from her face. “Don’t let this pushki touch your skin. It secretes a substance that reacts to sunlight and can give you blisters.”
“Maybe we should go a little farther away from the house.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be—” Oh. He must be talking about her limp. “I can walk just fine, in fact I can hike several miles without a problem,” she said irritably. “I’m on my feet all day at work. You won’t catch me running down a trail, but I can keep a steady pace.”
He gave another of those matter-of-fact nods. “Okay.”
She liked that he didn’t ask any more questions. It wasn’t his business. Except maybe it was, if they were going to walk any distance together. She decided not to hold his original question against him. Are you okay with that? was innocuous enough.
Not that she was sensitive about her limp…it was just a part of her by now. But she was so used to it that she forgot that it stood out to other people. She didn’t want them to focus on it instead of her .
But Gil hadn’t done that, he’d simply checked in with her. Fair enough.
He rose to his feet and was about to head deeper into the ravine, when she remembered the car she’d borrowed from Gunnar to come out here. “How long do you think we’ll be gone? I told Gunnar I’d bring his car back later today.”
“Can someone come pick it up? I want to go to Smoky Lake to search the building where Victor was working. It might be a couple of days.”
“A couple of days ?” She ended in a squeak. “I can’t just disappear for a couple of days. My friends would worry about me.”
He studied her face, showing no expression. It probably didn’t matter to him whether she came with him or not.
“I understand. It’s probably safer if you go back. Victor isn’t your problem. All I ask is that if you feel like you’re in danger, either call me immediately or get somewhere safe.” He took her phone and added his number to her contacts. “And keep my whereabouts to yourself, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. I know how to keep a confidence, with patients and with friends. Virtual strangers, too, of course. Although hiding in the pushki has brought us closer together, don’t you think?”
He merely lifted one eyebrow and gazed down at her like that fearsome Highland warrior Victor had described.
A thrill traveled through her. What would it be like to abandon all sanity—all normal rules of common sense—and disappear into the wilderness with Gil McGowan? She’d never seen Smoky Lake, but she’d heard it described as remote, beautiful, and mysterious.
But Gil wasn’t going on a sightseeing trip. If she simply wanted to see the place, Sam could probably fly her over it. This was a quest for answers, an investigation. And she had responsibilities to tend to. She was supervising the treatment of two injured teenagers.
And face it, she was an indoors kind of person, not someone who loved the wilderness. For all her bravado about her leg, walking several miles over rough terrain would be difficult.
She squashed that adventurous, reckless part of her and stuck out her hand. “I should get back to reality. It was nice to meet you, Gil McGowan.”
“You too, Ani Devi.”
They shook hands in the shade of the ravine, surrounded by pushki and spruce saplings clinging to the steep rock walls. His palm felt rough and warm against hers, and his eyes picked up the deep green of the forest. The way he looked at her, with such close attention…she wasn’t used to it, and it gave her a shiver down her spine.
“You’re a kind person,” he said, as if coming to a sudden decision. He dropped her hand. “It was kind of you to worry about Victor enough to come see me.”
“Will you let me know if you find out anything?”
“Possibly.”
At her questioning look, he explained, “It depends on what I find out. There’s a chance his research has put him in someone’s crosshairs. He hinted about that. If that’s what’s going on, I wouldn’t want you to be involved. He wants me to protect you.”
That certainly made sense, and yet, as she picked her way back along the embankment toward his house, she felt…empty. As if she’d let something important slip away.