Chapter 4
Cassie forced her gaze from Hudson, placed her palms against the thick oak table, and pushed to her feet. “Do you mind if I conk out for a while?” She bit back a yawn at the thought of real rest.
“You’re welcome to take my room, though—”
Already shaking her head, she put a hand up to stop him from finishing the sentence. “I can’t take your bed. No way. A couch would suffice. Hell, I’d sleep on the floor right now.”
“I have a guest room that you’re welcome to,” he said. “It’s across from the bathroom where you took a shower.”
She tried not to think about just how naked she was underneath the robe as she took a step toward Hudson.
She had to pass him on her walk to the bedroom.
Being this close to the man caused sensual shivers to race up her arms, bringing her body alive with sensations she couldn’t afford to feel right now for anyone.
Her life was a literal mess. She would bring nothing but danger to Hudson’s doorstep, which was precisely the reason she had to keep this visit brief before she became too lax, hung around too long, and brought a monster to Sturgess land.
Cassie stopped at the mouth of the hallway and turned her head to one side. “Any update on the mountain lion?”
“It’s still out there.”
It wasn’t the only predator out there. She needed to make certain Jarek wouldn’t catch up to her, either. With a nod, she walked down the hall to the bedroom. It was cozy with a double bed, a nightstand, and a chair.
Cassie walked over to the mirrored double doors and opened them.
The closet was empty, so she exhaled before double-checking that the window locks were secure.
Small towns had a reputation for not locking doors, cars, and windows.
She couldn’t risk it. After ensuring there would be no surprises after she went to sleep, she crawled underneath the covers and closed her eyes. Sleep came swiftly.
The room was pitch black when Cassie blinked her eyes open again.
With nothing but a lamp on the nightstand, she had no idea what time it was or how long she’d been out.
A thick fog covered her brain. Drool ran down her cheek, so she must have been hardcore sleeping.
A moment of disorientation was followed by a bone-deep fear. Was she still home?
Panic caused her to sit bolt upright. Covers fell, pooling around her midsection. She felt for clothing and was relieved to realize she was wearing a robe made of thick cotton. She squeezed it closed with both hands.
Memories slowly broke through the haze. The first came in the form of Hudson Sturgess. She remembered witnessing a mountain lion about to attack a tall, gorgeous, and unsuspecting stranger.
Despite shaky hands, she’d brought her rifle up in an instant and fired two shots, one had struck the hindquarter of the predator. And now? Now, she was at Hudson’s home in his guest room.
The rest of her memories came back in a rush. She sank back against the headboard, heart still pounding. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe.
She repeated the mantra three more times in an attempt to convince her racing pulse to calm down.
A clanking noise in the kitchen meant Hudson was awake and either cooking or doing dishes.
Since she had no sense of time, she kicked off the covers, secured the robe, and headed for the bathroom across the hall.
Light filtered through from underneath the doorframe.
Was it still daylight? Had she slept a couple of hours? More?
She opened the door and practically gaited across the hall, not eager to run into Hudson until she got a look in the mirror and brushed her teeth.
Her mouth was as dry as cotton. Once in the bathroom, she used the facilities before brushing her teeth and gulping water from the spigot.
She ran a brush through her hair, sighed, and then headed down the hallway to the scent of something amazing.
Her stomach growled in response, reminding her that many hours had passed since she’d last eaten.
Once she got inside the kitchen and saw a clock, she could determine just how long it had been since she’d last eaten. Right now, her stomach said, Too long.
“Hey,” she said, not wanting to catch Hudson off guard since his back was turned to her as he stood in front of the stovetop.
“Hey, yourself,” he responded before turning his head enough to make eye contact. It was enough to cause her stomach to free-fall. “You must be starving.”
“As a matter of fact, I could eat a whole cow.” She walked over next to him. “That stir-fry looks and smells amazing.”
His smile lit warm fires inside her belly. “It’s one of my specialties.” He stirred. “Coffee is old. I turned it off at noon when you didn’t wake up.”
“Noon?” Now, she really was disoriented. “How can that be?”
He caught her gaze and studied her. “You’ve been asleep for two days.”
“What?”
“That’s right,” he said, turning back to his skillet. “I figured you needed the rest, so I left you alone.” He quickly added, “But not alone, alone. I was here the whole time, so you wouldn’t wake up in a strange house with no way to leave.”
“Holy shit,” she muttered.
He cut off the burner. “This’ll keep. Let me make you some coffee so you can get your bearings.”
“Do you have toast?” she asked.
His smile had the ability to brighten even the darkest day. Too bad it wasn’t a headache cure. Her brain hurt.
“Yes, I have toast,” he said before getting to work on her request.
Within a couple of minutes, she had a fresh cup of coffee in hand, along with a plate of toast. She realized the headache came from a lack of caffeine almost the minute the warm brown liquid hit her throat.
The coffee greased her throat enough to get the buttered toast down.
She was still trying to wrap her thoughts around losing two days of her life.
Guilt nailed her that Hudson had brought his life and schedule to a halt to babysit her. “You didn’t have to take Best on the road trip, or did someone else have to pick up the slack for you?”
“The trip got postponed to tomorrow,” he said, joining her at the kitchen table. He had on low-slung jeans and no shirt. She couldn’t argue against the view except for how much it made her pulse climb and her cheeks flush.
What could she say? The man was hot. The fact that he was grounded was a surprise.
People who were this gorgeous usually knew it and acted accordingly, which made them so much less attractive.
Hudson, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice or care.
He must not spend much time in front of a mirror.
“What?” he asked, cutting into her thoughts.
The question made her blush that much more. She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“You were thinking about something that put a smile on your face,” he said. “I’d be interested to know what caused it.”
“Why?” There was no way she was going to answer his question and embarrass herself.
What would that sound like coming out of her mouth anyway?
I was just thinking about how insanely hot you are.
Cassie could feel more heat creeping up her neck toward her cheeks. Hell no, she wasn’t admitting to that.
“I haven’t seen you smile much.” He shrugged. “I like the way your face lights up.”
Well, damn if that didn’t make it even more difficult to hide her growing attraction. The man was as beautiful as he was interesting.
Panic struck at the thought she needed to come up with some kind of answer.
She picked up the cup in front of her and took a glorious sip.
“I was just thinking about how amazing this coffee is and how much I appreciate being able to sleep on a soft bed last night. I probably need another shower since I’ve been asleep for two days. ”
He offered a small smile that caused butterflies to release in her stomach. “Your clothes are washed and dried.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t want to think about him handling her bra and panties.
Shoving that thought deep into the back of her mind, she took another sip.
Thank God for coffee. Her brain was starting to work again, and her stomach had stopped gurgling and growling.
It was settled for the time being, and a piece of her wished she could cocoon at Hudson’s place for the rest of her life.
But that wouldn’t solve anything. She couldn’t hide in the shadows forever. Could she? The fake ID had kept her identity secret so far. Could she step into this new life, this new person, and leave the past behind?
This little trip to Fantasy Island had more potholes than even roads.
For one, Hudson had a life that didn’t include her.
The man was being nice by helping her. She figured it was coded into his DNA to give a hand up to someone in need.
From the time she’d spent with him so far, he was honorable and believed in keeping his word.
Rare qualities in a person these days, if you asked her.
“I’ve taken up too much of your time already,” she said. “Now that my clothes are clean, I should get dressed and get out of your hair.”
“You haven’t had my specialty yet.” He motioned toward the stir-fry. “Stay the night.”
She blinked. His request caught her off guard. She’d assumed he would be excited at the prospect of being rid of her. Again, she chalked it up to chivalry, and not that he could reciprocate the attraction that was unlike anything she’d experienced. Or ever would.
Where the hell had that come from?
Cassie had been doing a good job of taking care of herself. She should at this point. She’d been doing it for longer than she could remember.
Being around Hudson made her want to lean into his strength, take her hand off the wheel for a while, and let someone else drive.
You’re tired, Cass. Maybe not physically now but mentally. That’s the only reason you’re looking to someone else for shelter, answers.
Was it true?
She sighed. “You should get back to your life, and I’m the one holding you up.”
“The break from family business has been nice,” Hudson said, doing his level best to reassure Cassie.
He didn’t want to pressure her, but he wanted her to know that she wasn’t an inconvenience.
“That’s the benefit of having a bunch of siblings to run the ranch, though we’re still trying to figure out how Beau fits into the picture. ”
“Beau?”
“Our half-brother,” he said.
“The one your siblings have been lukewarm to?”
“The one.” Hudson was still trying to figure Beau out despite the fact that he’d recently proven himself.
His half-sibling had gotten himself involved in a bad business deal that had brought a helluva lot of stress to the family.
Beau was trying. Hudson had to give the guy credit.
The man was doing his best to fit in, which couldn’t be easy given the suspicious nature of Sturgess folks.
They couldn’t help it. Beaumont had left his mark.
“And you gave the benefit of the doubt to,” she said.
“Right.”
“And what do you think about him now?”
“That I owe him a favor, considering he volunteered to make the drive tomorrow for me,” he said.
“So, you don’t have to?”
“Now that you’re awake, I’ll go,” he said. “I didn’t want to commit to anything while you were still out. If you’d slept much longer, I was going to call in a doctor.”
“I’m good,” she said quickly, tensing up. Why did the mention of a doctor cause her stress?
“I’m guessing the rule stands that I’m not allowed to ask you any questions.” It was worth a shot to check.
“That’s correct,” she said before making eye contact. “Believe me when I say that you don’t want to hear my sad story.”
He was building a narrative in his head that was probably worse. “You couldn’t be the product of a sad story.” He studied her, ignoring the way his heart pounded against the inside of his ribcage. “I’m guessing you were dealt a bad hand in life, possibly from the start.”
She nodded. “A victim of the foster care system.”
“Victim?” he asked. “You don’t strike me as someone cast in that role.”
“Bad word choice, I guess. I don’t see myself as a victim, but I did grow up in unfortunate circumstances.”
“Which you used to make yourself stronger.”
“Excuses don’t get you anywhere,” she said with a defiant spark in her eye. “When I turned eighteen and timed out of the system, I decided that the rest of how my life turned out was on me. I got to make the calls from then on.”
“And?”
“I made good choices and bad ones.” She issued a sharp sigh. “The bad ones haunt me.”
“Isn’t it strange how the brain likes to go over and over mistakes but glosses right over the things we get right?”
Her smile lit fires inside him. Was she a kindred spirit?
“That’s true, actually.”
“We would be a lot better off if the reverse were true.” His mistakes haunted him, too. The two of them weren’t so different.
Cassie sat back in her chair. Her shoulders relaxed for the first time since he’d met her. “I’ll stay tonight, and then if it’s not too much trouble, you can drop me close to my campsite tomorrow. Besides, I can’t leave without tasting your specialty.” She inhaled. “It smells amazing, by the way.”
He knew better than to push for more. A cracked door didn’t always open. The surest way to close it was to force a toe in. “Whatever you want to do is cool with me.”
“Okay.” She polished off her coffee and then held up the cup. “Any chance I can trouble you for another cup. I don’t think I’ve ever had coffee that tasted this good.”
“Sure.” He started to get up, but she stopped him by raising her hand.
“Don’t get up,” she said. “You’ve already done enough for me. Point me to the supplies, and I’ll figure it out on my own. Can’t have you waiting on me hand and foot.”
Hudson didn’t mind. It was the first time he’d felt useful to someone else in longer than he cared to remember.
Could it last?