Chapter 3
Henley kept taking subtle peeks at Finn as he drove her and Jasna back to their apartment.
Her appointment with the former POW had gone long, and afterward, Drake and the other Refuge owners had encouraged her to stay for dinner.
Robert, their resident chef, had outdone himself by making several different casseroles—vegetarian, taco, gluten free, low fat, and a potato, bacon, and noodle one, as well.
She’d checked on Jasna, who was sleeping hard at the time. As deeply asleep as she was, nothing short of a bomb would wake her. Henley had assured Finn that it was okay to leave her where she was while they grabbed something to eat, but he’d refused to leave her alone in the barn.
His insistence on making sure he was nearby “just in case” was…
She didn’t know what it was. Surprising, at the very least, since he’d just met her daughter today.
Heartwarming for sure. Henley had always had the responsibility of looking after Jasna by herself.
Even if it was only for today, it felt good that someone else seemed to be just as worried for her daughter.
So she’d gone back up to the lodge, loaded up two plates, and took them to the barn. There was no way she was going to leave Finn out there alone, looking after her daughter, while she sat inside and ate.
They had dinner together in the loft, where Melba and the goats couldn’t get to them and beg for food.
And it had been…nice. Finn didn’t talk a lot, but he did tell her that Jasna had loved meeting Melba.
He also broke the news that it looked like the battery in her CRV was shot and she’d need a new one.
He volunteered to take her and Jasna home, stop and get a battery, install it, then get her car back to her apartment, so she could get to work in the morning.
She usually spent the mornings at her office in town, where she worked with three other psychologists, before going to The Refuge in the afternoons.
At first, the job with the guests at the retreat had simply been for extra money.
But a couple of years in, she found she enjoyed it much more than her other job.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like helping the residents of Los Alamos, but…
she’d actually had a couple clients who’d scared her a bit and were beyond her abilities to help.
That sucked to admit, but it was true. And unlike at The Refuge, her Los Alamos practice didn’t have several burly men who could assist if a patient got out of hand.
Now Finn was doing her yet another favor before spending who knew how much time working on her car to make sure she had transportation.
She’d gotten better over the years at accepting help, but this seemed like…
more. Most people wouldn’t go this far out of their way to help her.
They might call a tow truck or an Uber, but they wouldn’t go to the lengths Finn was.
Did she dare wonder if it meant he might be loosening up around her? That maybe, just maybe, he saw her as more than simply a Refuge employee? She didn’t know, but she could hope.
“Are you sure Jasna’s okay?” he asked as they neared her apartment complex.
“Yeah. She’s always been like this. When she gets sick—which is rare—she sleeps hard at first, and then wakes up almost as good as new.
It’s kind of annoying really.” She grinned as she said that last bit.
But when Finn didn’t seem to relax even a little, she got serious.
“I’ll check in on her a few times throughout the night and take her temperature.
If it goes up, or if she keeps throwing up, I’ll bring her to the urgent care clinic in town.
But I’m fairly sure this is just that twenty-four-hour bug that’s going around her school. ”
Finn nodded, still looking concerned.
“Thank you,” Henley told him.
“For what?” he asked.
For what? Was this man for real? “Well, for looking after her today. And not wanting to leave her alone even though she would’ve been fine.
For figuring out what was wrong with my car, for driving us home, and for fixing my CRV and bringing it into town.
But most of all, for caring about Jasna.
I can’t remember a time when anyone other than me, and maybe my neighbor, truly cared. ”
“She’s a good kid,” Finn said with a shrug, ignoring all the other things she’d thanked him for.
“She is,” Henley agreed.
“What do you do in the summers with her?”
Henley frowned. “Meaning?”
“When you’re working…you said you wouldn’t leave her alone, so I’m assuming when she’s not in school, she’s not hanging out at your apartment by herself, waiting for you to get home.”
“Oh! Of course not. For the last few years, she’s either been going to a daily kind of camp for kids, or Mrs. Singleton has watched her. Now she’s too old for the day camps she’s gone to in the past. There are a few others for older kids that I’m considering.”
“What does she think of the camp idea?” Finn asked.
Henley was thrilled he was voluntarily conversing so much, and she vaguely wondered at the sudden change as she wrinkled her nose at the question. “She’s not a big fan, since she’s more of a loner. But she’s also a good kid and knows it’s worrying me, so she hasn’t complained too much.”
“Hmm.”
Henley didn’t know what that noncommittal noise meant, but she didn’t have time to ask as they were pulling into the parking area of her apartment complex.
“I really do appreciate you driving us around,” Henley said again.
Finn nodded and climbed out of the truck.
Henley wasn’t really surprised he wasn’t a big fan of being thanked, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to do it. She got out on her side and went to open the back door, but found that Finn was already there. He was reaching in for Jasna and somehow managed to pick her up without waking her.
“She really is out, isn’t she?” Finn asked with a small smile on his face.
“Yup. She’s always been like that, even as a baby. But it can take her a while to go down, especially if she’s hyped-up about something.”
His lips twitched as they walked toward the building. “Like when she gets to meet Melba for the first time?”
Henley chuckled. “Yup. Like that.”
Her apartment was on the second floor, and Henley was impressed by how easily Finn carried her daughter up the stairs. She unlocked her door and held it open. “Her room is the last one on the left down the hall,” she told him.
She followed behind him as he carried Jasna to her bedroom. He placed her carefully down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair as he straightened. Then he nodded at her and left her to put her daughter to bed.
It didn’t take long. Henley managed to get Jasna’s clothes off and get her into her nightgown. She left to find a bowl to put next to her bed, just in case…and found Finn pacing her apartment.
“Oh, I thought you’d left,” she blurted.
“I wouldn’t leave without making sure you’re good,” he told her with a frown.
Henley’s heart lurched at his consideration. “We’re good,” she assured him.
“Your daughter’s room is the master,” he said next.
Frowning, Henley said, “It is.”
“Why? Why didn’t you take the bigger bedroom for yourself?”
Henley shrugged. “I don’t need a lot of space. I’m fine in the smaller room. I’m only in there to sleep. I’d rather Jasna have more space for her toys and books.”
Finn stared at her for so long, Henley felt uncomfortable.
“What?” she asked a little harsher than she’d meant to.
“Nothing. I think it’s…nice.”
Henley managed not to wince. Nice. Ugh. That wasn’t the adjective she wanted this man to use when he thought about her.
She forced herself to smile. She was tired.
It had been a long day, and if Finn was going to stop at the store to get a battery for her car, install it, and bring her car back to town, he probably needed to get going.
“When you get here with my car, let me know and I’ll come down and get the keys,” she told him.
But Finn shook his head. “No. It’s going to be late. You need your sleep.”
“Then how will I get my key? Will you leave it in the car? Under the mat or something?”
“No way. That’s a good way for it to get stolen. Text me when you’re up in the morning, and I’ll swing by and drop it off.”
Henley frowned. “No, Finn. I can’t ask you to do that. I know barn work starts early. It’s bad enough you’ll have to come back tonight. Just let me know when you’re here later and I can come down.”
“It’s not a big deal. I have to come into town and pick up some feed and hay in the morning anyway.”
Henley couldn’t read him. She had no idea if he’d just made up that errand or not.
“Besides,” he added belatedly. “I wouldn’t mind seeing Jasna and making sure she’s okay.”
This man was such a good person. “Okay,” she said quietly.
“Okay,” he agreed. “You have my number. If anything comes up, give me a yell. And if she’s not well enough to go to school tomorrow, you can bring her to The Refuge again if you want.”
She was going to cry again. But she managed to keep the tears at bay. Barely. “Thanks.”
Finn nodded and turned for the door. For a second, Henley had a fantasy that he’d step toward her, put his finger under her chin, tip her head up and kiss her.
But this was real life. And while Finn definitely hadn’t been his usual closed-off self since coming to her rescue, it was a bit early for him to be declaring his undying love and kissing her silly.
“Lock this behind me,” he said firmly.
Henley wanted to roll her eyes and tell him of course she was going to lock her door once he left, but instead she merely nodded.
Finn paused in her doorway for a long moment, then turned and walked out.
Taking a deep breath, Henley locked the deadbolt, put the chain on, and made sure the doohickey on the knob was turned before heading toward the bathroom in the hallway. She was dead tired, but wired at the same time.