She looked so depressed, Cade almost reached over and gave her a hug, but he stopped himself. “I have an idea.”
“What?” Meg looked at him.
“When I get back, I’ll fill up the tub. You can bathe.”
She squinted at him. “How are you going to do that?”
“Leave it to me.”
“Well, a bath sounds divine.” Meg smiled at him. Then her gaze traveled to his chest. “How’s your injury?”
He swiped a hand across his chest. “Much better. It’s healing.”
“I was worried about it.”
That was Meg. Sweet and caring. Cade changed the subject. “What would you say is your perfect date?” Not that he wanted to date her, but he was curious if she was a dinner and movie kind of girl, or maybe more adventurous.
Meg got a funny look on her face. “April 25th.”
Cade cocked his head to the side. “What?”
“Because it’s not too hot, and not too cold. You know, all you need is a light jacket.”
He wasn’t sure what to make of her answer. “No, I mean date like a couple goes on—”
Meg let out a laugh. “You haven’t seen that movie? Oh, man, it’s hilarious.”
Cade was completely confused now. “What movie?”
“Miss Congeniality. Sandra Bullock? Have you seriously not ever seen that movie?”
He was starting to feel stupid. “Nope.”
“Well, we’d better fix that.” She must have realized what she’d said, and the situation they were in because her face paled and she glanced around. “I mean, once we get power...or something.”
“Yeah.” He dug back into his food, feeling foolish. Why had he asked such a stupid question? They weren’t in a normal situation. He was a fugitive. He couldn’t take Meg on a date. He had to lay low. It was probably stupid for him to even go to town today, but he couldn’t just hide here forever. He had to prove his innocence. And he had to keep his hormones under control.
He stood and turned his back on her. “Good luck with that.” He walked toward the house. “I’ll be going then.”
Meg’s smile faded. “Okay.”
Cade left her sitting there. Guilt constricted his chest, but he shoved it down. He couldn’t get attached to Meg. They were nothing to each other. Just a means to an end. He had to think about his next step.
***
MEG WATCHED CADE’Sretreating back as he disappeared into the house. That was a stupid thing to say. Like she could just sit around and watch movies with a wanted man. How dumb could she be?
A blue jay fluttered down and landed on the cement by the back door. It strutted along the walkway for a minute before hopping down to the dirt. It looked a little lost, and Meg couldn’t help but identify with him. She was feeling the same way.
She needed a job, but she felt like a dirty camper. Her hair was greasy, and her clothes smelled like smoke from their fire. She hoped Cade was going to come through with his promise of a bath. How often had she taken her shower for granted? She wouldn’t anymore.
She picked up the dirty dishes and walked down to the stream. Rinsing them in the cold water wasn’t going to get them really clean, but it was better than leaving egg yolk on them to dry. As she walked up to the house, a squirrel ran past her and skittered up a tree. If she weren’t so dirty and out of money, staying in this house would be lovely. The woods were gorgeous, and there was a peaceful feeling up in the mountains. And Cade...
Well, she didn’t want to think about Cade. He was too handsome. And he could be a murderer. What was she doing with him anyway? If the cops caught him, she’d probably end up in jail for helping him escape. What she needed to do was get some money and get far away from here.
Meg spent the morning cleaning the kitchen as best as she could. It was difficult without running water. She did find a bucket in the closet, so she brought up some river water and used some rags to wipe down everything. It would have to do.
Cade didn’t come home at noon, so Meg heated up another piece of ham for lunch. Then she continued to clean the house, working in the bathroom and mopping the tile flooring. It was gross how dirty the water was when she got done. She tried not to think about the filth clinging to the rest of the house.
