Chapter 3
No. No. No. This was all wrong. People didn’t just stick their necks out for others without some type of ulterior motive, no matter how much Cassie trusted this man. She had no basis for her confidence in him, which scared her the most. Was she getting lazy?
Tired. You’re tired, girl. You’re a human being who has been surviving on an empty tank for weeks.
She took a step toward the truck. “No need to unload your horse. Just drop me off where you found me, and I’ll be just fine.”
Hudson clamped his mouth shut. A muscle in his jaw ticked. It looked as though it was taking much effort to bite back his words. “Whatever you want.”
The way he studied her made her want to change her mind.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be.” With that, he locked up and headed back to the truck. “For what it’s worth, I thought you could use a minute to regroup, especially since there’s a hungry and wounded mountain lion out there.”
Cassie froze. Right. There was that. Could she go back to her campsite and pretend nothing had happened with little more than a thin layer of canvas between her and countless predators?
She’d been fine before the encounter. Ignorance was bliss.
Now that she knew the dangers, she couldn’t stop thinking about them.
Would the knowledge cause her to be more careful or stay in a near-constant state of panic?
She still had her rifle, which was currently on the floorboard of Hudson’s truck.
It had come in handy when she’d needed to use it to save Hudson, not that she’d been a good shot, or would be next time.
She’d brought along the weapon to use more as a threat than anything else.
The thought of killing a person or animal sent a wave of panic crashing through her.
“Hang on,” she conceded, needing a minute to think this through. “I’m not sure what I want to do.”
“Take your time.” Hudson turned and leaned against the truck. “I’m not going anywhere. And, for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you now or ever.”
A guy like Hudson could crush her both physically and emotionally. Where’d that come from? The man was offering a helping hand. Had she become so jaded that she would refuse the help of a good human being? One who wanted nothing from her in return?
On second thought, was there some kind of catch?
She studied him. The man had an honest face. His eyes said he knew pain. Based on what she knew about him so far, he’d been through an abusive childhood and had still turned out to be the kind of person who helped strangers.
He wasn’t asking for anything. Could she trust her instincts and trust him?
“Okay,” she said, figuring he could have done anything he wanted to her by now if he’d wanted to. Placing her safety in the hands of a stranger, in theory, was beyond stressful. With Hudson, she felt safe.
Was that dangerous?
He didn’t waste any time unlocking the door. Was he concerned she’d change her mind again?
“Sorry,” she said in barely a whisper.
“It’s okay.” His calm voice brought her more comfort than she should probably allow, but she was tired. Tired of not sleeping in a bed. Tired of not being clean. And tired of not being able to trust a soul.
Wasn’t life about taking risks anyway? Experience had taught her that you could think you knew someone and be completely wrong.
You could miss the signs that you’re moving in with someone who turned out to be a jealous monster.
And you could be forced into hiding when he tells you that if you ever leave him, he’ll hunt you down and kill everyone you love before forcing you to come home again.
And that person could work as a pilot for a criminal organization with connections that could bury your body in a remote location, cover the crime, and then pull strings to erase your entire existence.
As an orphan, Cassie had made other mistakes, too, like getting involved with an older man at seventeen, getting pregnant, and having no choice but to put her baby up for adoption when she’d found out the guy already had a wife and three kids under the age of four.
The experience had caused her to be even harder on herself when she’d made the second mistake…
Jarek. In the beginning, his intense feelings for her had made him seem like someone who wasn’t afraid of commitment.
After dating guys who’d had no idea what they wanted from life or a relationship, Jarek’s clear intentions had been a refreshing change of pace.
He’d been honest from the beginning, or so she’d believed.
Technically, he had been upfront with her.
He’d said that he was interested in long-term commitment, not a quick thrill.
They’d dated for all of a month when her landlord had decided to lock her out of her apartment and keep all her things, stating she hadn’t re-signed the lease he’d dropped off.
Cassie never saw a lease, but she’d been itching to move again. The thought of staying in one place too long made her shirt feel like it had shrunk five sizes. As soon as Jarek had found out what her landlord had done, he asked for the man’s number so he could “handle it.”
Willie had reached out within a matter of minutes, offering a month of free rent for the inconvenience.
No one had ever gone to bat for Cassie. She’d confused Jarek’s protectiveness with love.
She’d moved in with him after her free month had run out, and then the walls started closing in.
When she’d tried to break up, Jarek had shown his true colors.
The very real threat that he would kill her before he would let anyone else have her kept her awake at night.
Crafting her exit had taken resourcefulness and careful planning.
She’d only used cash, so there was no paper trail.
She’d secured a fake ID to check into motels, and while spring cleaning, she’d found—and left untouched—hidden bags of money.
There had been no doubt in her mind that every dollar had been accounted for, so she hadn’t touched any of it until she’d had the perfect plan.
“Cassie?”
Hudson’s voice broke through her dark train of thought.
Embarrassed, she realized he’d been holding the door open for her and waiting.
“Did you make up your mind about coming inside?” he asked. He must have thought she’d been having a mental debate rather than getting lost for a few moments in her past.
“Yes.” She walked inside and looked around.
The place was cozy with neutral colors. A deep brown leather sofa was positioned in front of a natural stone fireplace.
A flatscreen TV hung over the mantel. A blanket had been thrown over the back of the couch.
A hand-carved wooden coffee table, along with a pair of floor lamps, gave the room a warm feel despite the lack of pictures hanging on the walls.
The place might be simple, but it reminded her so much of Hudson.
“Bathroom’s this way,” he said, walking toward a hallway to the left. “Along with a guest room.” He paused at the mouth of the hallway. “I can lend you a bathrobe if you want to throw your clothes into the wash.”
“Okay,” she said, thinking every bit of this sounded like heaven. “Thanks.”
“There should be towels hanging in the guest bath and plenty of soap and shampoo. Nothing fancy, but all the basics should be there, including a new toothbrush.”
Those probably shouldn’t sound like the sexiest words she’d heard in far too long, but hearing them spoken by Hudson with that deep timbre made sensual shivers race across sensitized skin.
Since her throat picked that moment to dry up, she cleared her throat and headed toward the bathroom.
“Hold on while I grab a robe.” With that, he jogged off.
Cassie’s pulse ticked up a few notches almost the second he was out of sight. His presence brought a sense of calm that she shouldn’t allow herself to grow accustomed to. This visit would be short. She would shower, rest, and then get her bearings.
Hudson returned a minute later with an oversized cotton bathrobe in hand.
She took the offering and said, “If you want to take the horse to the barn, I’ll be okay with staying for a while.
At least long enough to get some real rest.” She probably had bags the size of a car underneath her eyes at this point. A mirror would not be her friend.
“I can wait until you get out of the shower first,” he said.
“That would be nice, actually, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“You’re worth the wait,” he said, and his voice was gravelly.
Before she could analyze the feelings ripping through her faster than a category four hurricane, or change her mind about staying, she turned to the bathroom and didn’t stop walking until she could close the door behind her.
Cassie needed to get a grip while she could still handle her feelings. Hudson was a game-changer.
She couldn’t risk relying on him.
Hudson stood at the top of the hallway for a long moment, trying to figure out what had just happened between him and Cassie.
Electricity had charged the air between them with enough energy to power a small town.
What the hell was up with that? He didn’t believe himself to be capable of experiencing feelings of this magnitude again.
He chalked them up to his protective instincts kicking in and ignored the little voice in the back of his mind calling him a liar.
With all the drama going on around his family and the ranch, he figured his emotions were on high alert.
Caffeine. He needed a cup of coffee and, at this point, hunger pangs reminded him that he’d given away his meal.
Heading into the kitchen, his phone vibrated.
He fished it out and checked the screen.
The billionaire needed to cancel today’s visit.
Said his mare wasn’t on her feed, and he didn’t want to take any chances.
Cool. For once, timing seemed to be working in Hudson’s favor instead of conspiring against him.