Chapter 4
Athena had broken one of her many rules.
Never return to a place after she’d left. Her heart had been working overtime and she’d not been thinking clearly when she’d darted from the barn the last night. But this ranch was out in the middle of nowhere and she didn’t think she’d make it to the next one.
So she’d waited out by the road until the party died down and then she’d slipped back into the barn. She’d chosen a different stall, and she’d promised herself she would get up with enough time to get out of there before someone came out to do their work.
But she’d slept in.
And now she was sitting across from the one guy she would have preferred never to see again.
He didn’t have any right to be as handsome as he was. He’d taken off his hat the second they’d entered the diner and now that she could get a really good look at him, she realized just how much of a pretty-boy he was.
If there was one thing she’d learned around here, it was how many different versions of cowboys there were in this town. There were rugged ones, gruff ones, softies, sweethearts, quiet ones, and pretty ones.
This cowboy was the last on her list. He had warm brown eyes that reminded her of milk chocolate. His hair was a dusty blond color that could have put the fields of wheat to shame. But it was his boyish grin that really set him apart. He wore a short, neatly trimmed beard that allowed her to see a set of matching dimples on his cheeks when he smiled.
He glanced up at her and immediately she had to tear her eyes from him. Great. That was the fourth time since they’d been seated that she’d been caught staring.
She already knew what she was going to order, and the menu wasn’t nearly as interesting as the man seated across from her—a man she couldn’t quite nail down. There was no telling if he was as genuine as he appeared to be.
No, he couldn’t be. No man was. No woman, for that matter. She’d run across all kinds of people in her lifetime, and she could usually figure them out without much effort. Were there kind people? Yes, she wouldn’t deny that. But even the kind folks had their limits. Those who were willing to help the homeless would only do so to boost their own egos.
Athena dropped her gaze to the menu in front of her. After breakfast, she’d have to find a way to get back on the road again. If this guy was as nice as he was trying to convince her he was, maybe she could persuade him to drive her somewhere.
Copper Creek was nice and all, but it was too small. She needed a bigger city where the public transportation was better.
“I wasn’t lying, you know.” The cowboy’s soft voice dragged her from her thoughts, and she lifted her eyes to meet his.
He stared at her, those brown eyes drawing her in and trapping her within his warm gaze. She wouldn’t have been able to look away even if she wanted to at this point.
“About the room and the warm bed. You see, we have a lot of them—beds, I mean. My family is huge. You probably couldn’t pick us out at the wedding, but I have eleven brothers and sisters.”
Her brows shot up. That was a huge family.
He laughed. “I know, right? Anyway, some of them have gotten married and one of my brothers moved away. Granted, there’s a couple still living at home and we don’t all have our own rooms… but there are a few empty beds. Hudson moved into Mason’s room a couple days ago so he didn’t have to share with me after the wedding, but I can make him move back. You could have your own space.”
There he went again. This weirdo was trying to get her to move in with their family. And a family with a dozen kids? Sheesh, what was his endgame?
“I know it sounds… odd, and I guess you have no reason to trust me…” His voice trailed off and he chuckled again. “I guess I’m making the offer because I get this feeling you need help.”
That statement rubbed her the wrong way and she scowled at him again.
He held up both hands. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I’m not trying to say that you can’t take care of yourself. Clearly, you’re doing okay.”
Her flat expression remained plastered to her face.
“All I’m suggesting is that you take me up on the offer for a few days. I’ll make sure you get some decent food, and you can have a safe place to sleep at night. We can even put a lock on the door.”
She huffed and turned her attention to the menu. People didn’t do things that nice out of the kindness of their hearts.
“Will you just think about it?” His soft voice drew her attention, and she peeked at him from beneath her lashes.
Would it be so bad if she accepted what he was offering her? A hot shower did sound like a dream. She hadn’t managed to get one of those since the one she snagged at a trucker’s stop. Her stomach did a flip. Hot running water. A homecooked meal. Four walls and a mattress that wasn’t riddled with strange smells and vermin. She could always slip out in the night if it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. And despite what he was saying, she could handle herself.
Athena sighed, then lifted her eyes to meet his. She opened her mouth but then snapped it shut and nodded instead.
With the smile that spread across his face, she would have thought she’d accepted his marriage proposal. What was with this guy that he was so persistent? Was she making a mistake? Probably. But that hot water was already calling for her, especially after sleeping in a barn last night.
The waitress arrived at their table with a wide smile. “Good morning, Henry! Who’s your friend?”
Henry glanced toward her with the question in his eyes. Athena looked down at her menu, considering what would happen if she kept quiet. With the waitress and Henry staring at her, she felt so on the spot she did the only thing she could.
Lie.
“Sam,” she mumbled. Technically it wasn’t a full lie. She didn’t actually know her real name. Every name she ever gave to people had been a way for her to hold onto a sense of anonymity. Maybe somewhere out there was a birth certificate with the name Samantha, and right now she was actually telling the truth.
“Pleasure to meet you, Sam,” the waitress said with a large smile. “What can I get for you both?”
Henry placed his order and then they stared at her expectantly. Athena turned her menu toward the waitress and pointed to the large breakfast combo with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast. Then she pointed to the milk and the juice.
“I’m sorry, your meal only comes with one,” the waitress said as she scribbled something on her notepad. “Which one would you like?”
“Go ahead and get her both,” Henry spoke before Athena could decide. “In fact, make her order a double and she’ll have the second one to-go.” He retrieved both menus and held them out to the waitress. “Thanks, Hope.”
Hope nodded. “Of course, sweetie. I’ll get that going right away.”
Athena watched their waitress leave, then swiveled her gaze back to Henry. She itched to ask him why he would do something like that—get her so much—but she couldn’t bring herself to utter a single word. Speaking the least amount possible was one of her many rules. The less she talked, the safer she was.
Instead of saying anything, she clasped her hands in her lap and stared at her twiddling thumbs.
Food.
A place to stay.
This was all… too good to be true.
But maybe she could just accept it this time. There wasn’t any harm in that, was there?
* * *
Athena heldonto her to-go box as she stared at the house from the night before. She still sat in the truck, unwilling or unable to climb out and follow Henry inside. He’d chatted all through breakfast and the whole way back here.
And it wasn’t until he stood outside her door that she started to really regret agreeing to this.
Henry knocked on the glass. “Come on, Sam. Unlock the door. You realize I have the keys, right?”
If he was so insistent, then he would have unlocked the door by now. What was holding him back?
“Will you just unlock it so I can open the door? I have more stuff to do today. I can’t just let you stay in the truck all day long. It still gets hot.”
She glanced at him and then down at the lock. The swirling in her stomach continued to increase and she shut her eyes tight.
Hot shower.
Warm bed.
Safe.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled up on the lock and he immediately opened the door.
“Now, was that so hard?”
If only he knew. There were reasons for her rules. And “cruel people” was only a small part of them.
Henry held out his hand. “Come on, I’m going to take you to your room and if you want to lock me out up there, then I give you full permission.”
She stared at his hand just like the night before. Only this time, she didn’t have a glass full of liquid to toss in his face. Athena grimaced at the memory. She’d agreed to come here. He’d fed her. It was time to put aside her concerns if only for a few hours and allow herself to trust him.
But maybe only him.
Athena placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her from the vehicle. The second her feet hit the ground, she tugged her hand free and clutched the to-go box once more.
“This will be nice. You’ll see. I mean, it’s better than it was even five years ago.” He chuckled. “You should have seen it back then. Man, we let this place go… but then what can you expect when you live with a bunch of children.”
She must have given him a strange look because he slowed his steps and faced her. “That probably sounded weird.” Henry rubbed the back of his neck. “We didn’t exactly have the best parental guidance growing up. It’s a long story, and I won’t bore you with the details.” He shifted his attention to the house. “Come on. It’s on the second floor. Let me show you around.”
He moved up the porch steps first, and for a second, she contemplated running. But then something squashed that thought and she squared her shoulders before following him up the stairs and inside. This couldn’t be nearly as bad as the time she’d slept under that bridge or the time she’d stayed a full week in the back of a truck at the junkyard.
This was a real house with real running water.
She’d be living it up like a queen. But only for a few days.