Chapter 1 #2
It was a sweet sentiment…and a very recent development.
Henley had kind of kept her daughter a secret from everyone at The Refuge since her employment.
Not intentionally, or because she didn’t trust them.
Beyond idle chitchat or talk about work, her conversations with the owners usually weren’t personal, so Jasna simply hadn’t come up.
But the night of Alaska’s attempted abduction, Henley had been stuck at The Refuge late into the evening, and when it was suggested that she just spend the night, she’d explained her need to get home to her daughter.
Now that everyone had found out about Jasna, they frequently asked about her, and Alaska always scheduled Henley’s sessions so they were over before dinnertime, so she could get home to her daughter.
“Thanks, I will.” Henley waved at Alaska before hurrying for the front door of the lodge.
As she walked to her car, she went to her contact list and clicked on Mrs. Singleton’s name.
Her neighbor had been a godsend over the years.
Babysitting at a moment’s notice and generally being there for both Jasna and Henley when they needed her.
She was in her sixties, and her children were all grown and had moved away from Los Alamos.
Her husband, Gerald, had passed about a decade before, and she seemed to love having Jasna to fuss over.
But when the phone rang and rang in her ear, Henley frowned. She left a message—and wasn’t sure what to do next. Mrs. Singleton was always available.
Taking a deep breath, she prayed Mrs. Singleton called back before she picked up Jasna. She had no other babysitting options. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to postpone a session with a Refuge client, but she hated to do it all the same.
Henley passed the entrance to the barn as she walked toward the small parking space for employees.
There was a separate parking area for guests, and the guys who owned The Refuge parked near their cabins.
So at the moment, her and Jess, one of the housekeepers, were the only ones with vehicles in the lot.
She stopped at her Honda CRV. It wasn’t new, but it did well on the mountain roads, especially in the winter.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, she quickly put her key in the ignition and turned it.
To her surprise, nothing happened. Not even a click.
She blinked and tried to start the car again, with the same result.
Then again.
She hit the steering wheel and let out a frustrated shout—mortified when she felt the telltale sting of tears.
Her dead car was apparently the last straw today. Her frequent stress, loneliness, Jasna being sick, her inability to get a hold of Mrs. Singleton, worrying about missing a session—it all decided to hit her at once.
Henley gripped the steering wheel and lowered her forehead to rest on her hands as she tried to keep tears of frustration at bay…without luck.
Her pity party lasted only about a minute before a knock on her window startled her so badly, her hands flew to her chest as she lurched sideways, away from the sound.
Looking out the window, she saw it was Finn. And he wasn’t happy. He took a large step away from her door and held up his hands, doing his best to prove he wasn’t there to hurt her.
Taking a deep breath and trying to compose herself, Henley opened the door and got out of her vehicle.
“What’s wrong?” Finn immediately asked.
Henley sighed.
“Are you hurt? Is it your daughter? Why are you just sitting in your car? It’s too warm out here for you to be in there with the windows up. And you’ve been crying. Talk to me, Henley.”
She wiped her cheeks with her hands and almost laughed. This was the most she’d gotten out of the man at one time…well…ever.
With another sigh, she looked up at him. The man was so tall. She’d always been a little afraid of tall men, because when her mom was killed, the guys who’d done it seemed huge to her tiny ten-year-old self. Though she’d never, not once, been afraid of Finn.
She knew he was two years younger than her thirty-six, but despite whatever hell he’d been through, he looked even younger.
He had thick dark hair that was usually mussed, as if he ran his hands through it constantly.
Today was no exception. His beard and mustache were closely trimmed to his face, and his chiseled cheekbones made him look outdoorsy and rugged.
He had on his usual faded and well-worn denim shirt over a khaki T-shirt and jeans.
His boots were dusty and dirty, and his brown eyes were, at the moment, focused intently on her.
She’d caught him staring at her more than once in the past, but as soon as she made eye contact, he always looked away. Not today. In fact, he was staring at her so closely, it was almost disconcerting. She wondered what he saw in her features at the moment.
Stress and exhaustion, she assumed.
She forced herself to smile, even though it was an effort.
“I’m fine. And it’s not that warm out here.
I think you’re just hot-blooded,” she joked.
But when Finn didn’t even crack a smile or relax a fraction, she shook her head.
“Jasna’s sick. I doubt it’s anything too serious, as the school nurse said it seems to be going around right now.
I need to go pick her up and my car won’t start.
And I can’t get a hold of my neighbor, who usually looks after her when I need a sitter.
Without someone to stay with Jasna, I’ll have to cancel my session this afternoon with Christina, and I really don’t want to do that to her. ”
Henley was aware she was speaking too fast and the tone of her voice was rising just slightly, right along with her stress, but because she was on the verge of tears again, she didn’t even care.
To her utter shock, Finn reached behind her into her car and grabbed her purse. Then he shut the door and put his hand at her elbow, steering her away from her CRV toward the barn.
“Finn?” she asked uncertainly. This was the first time he’d touched her since that night in the barn, when he’d held onto her so tightly, almost desperately, while dealing with whatever demons were swimming in his head.
He didn’t answer, just walked around the barn to where his F-250 pickup truck was parked.
It was a beast of a machine, an older model, had dents all over and the bed was full of dirt, hay, and who knew what else.
It was a working truck, and for some reason that appealed to Henley.
He didn’t care if it got banged up, as long as it was reliable and did its job.
And as he was constantly hauling things for the animals at The Refuge, it got a lot of use.
“Finn?” she asked again when he walked to the passenger side and held open the door. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you to town to get Jasna,” he said simply.
Henley frowned. “But—”
He didn’t let her continue. “We can swing by your place, and if your neighbor isn’t there, we’ll bring her back here. I’ll take a look at your car and see if it’s something simple that I can fix while you’re in your session with Christina.”
Henley could only stare at him with her mouth open. “What?” she asked, utterly flabbergasted.
Finn ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. “Your daughter’s sick, your car won’t start, and you need to get to her. So I’m making that happen.”
Henley swallowed hard, tears threatening once again. She’d been on her own a very long time. She wasn’t used to people doing things for her, outside of Mrs. Singleton’s willingness to babysit. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Climb up,” Finn said in response.
She was grateful for his hand on her elbow as she hopped—literally hopped—into the huge truck.
The height was no big deal for Finn because he was over six feet, but at her five-four, it wasn’t quite as easy.
She clicked her seat belt on as Finn walked around to the driver’s side.
He started the truck without a word and pulled away from the barn, heading for the main road that led to town.
He didn’t say anything else, but Henley was used to silence, so it didn’t bother her. She dialed Mrs. Singleton again, but when it went to voice mail, she hung up without leaving another message.
“When you get to town, turn on Diamond Drive,” she said quietly after a while.
Finn nodded.
He pulled into the parking lot of Mountain Elementary School a short time later, and Henley glanced at him. “I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” he said in his rumbly voice.
“I…I appreciate this.”
Finn merely nodded.
She stared at him for a beat, wanting to ask so many questions.
But instead, she gave him a small smile and reached for the door handle.
She jumped out of the truck and walked toward the front door of the school.
It was hard to believe her baby would be in middle school next year.
Jasna had always been a quiet, introspective child, and Henley wasn’t ready for the possibility of teenage angst. But if it was going to happen, it would do so whether she was ready or not.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and headed for the main office.
Something occurred to her as she traversed the halls.
Finn had said they’d bring Jasna back to The Refuge if she couldn’t find Mrs. Singleton.
She’d never brought her daughter to work before.
Not for any particular reason; there just hadn’t been a need or an opportunity.
She wasn’t sure about bringing her there now.
Where would she hang out while Henley was with her patient?
She was sick; the last thing Henley wanted was for her daughter to spread her germs to the guests, or any of the guys or Alaska.
And Jasna herself might not want to go either.
If she felt like crap, she’d probably want to go straight home, to her own bed.
It was probably best if she just had Finn take them both to her apartment, and he could head back to The Refuge on his own. Of course, that would leave her without a car, but Henley would figure that out later. Her car wasn’t working at the moment anyway.
One thing at a time. And first up was getting to her sick daughter.