“I’ll lock up for you,” Kayden said quickly. “Go.”
Cody grabbed his keys and strode straight to the door. The drive to Harper’s cabin was a blur; she was all he could think about.
Was she scared? Was shehurt? Had the fire been set while she was sleeping?
A fire truck and firefighters crowded the open space outside her cabin. Once out of the car, it took him a moment to find her, and when he did, she was all he saw.
Her eyes were wide and her face pale. She stood beside Ali, who had an arm around her shoulders.
Harper frowned at him. “Cody?”
Without a word, he pulled her into his arms. He wasn’t sure if he expected her to pull away or go rigid. She did neither of those things. She leaned into him, like she needed his touch as much as he needed to touch her.
When he pulled back, he cupped her cheeks and studied her face. “Are you okay?”
Eastern came to stand beside him.
She nodded quickly. “I woke when I heard something outside. When I looked out the window, I saw the flames. I called the fire department, then Ali. I never saw anyone.”
“You’re safe. That’s the important part.”
Ali sighed. “I can’t believe there’ve been two fires here in the same day.” She looked at Harper. “I’m so sorry about your car, Harper.”
Worry flitted across Harper’s face, but she blinked like she was trying to keep the emotion at bay. “It’s not your fault.”
The next half hour was a mix of firefighters finishing their jobs and Eastern’s team searching the area for any evidence of the culprit. When they were finally done, no words were shared as Cody followed Harper back into her cabin. It wasn’t until the door was closed that she finally turned, arms wrapped tight around her waist.
“You don’t have to stay,” she said quietly.
“Well, I’d prefer you come stay withme. But if not, I’d like to sleep on your couch. It would be more for me than you. I won’t sleep unless I know you’re safe.”
She opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. He wasn’t sure if it was the shock or that she really didn’t have words.
He stepped closer. “You don’t have to be brave anymore. You’re safe to fall apart with me.”
“My car was all I had.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “I know that sounds stupid and shallow, but I left everything behind. My apartment, most of my clothes, all my stuff.”
He gripped her hips. “Hey. The car wasn’t all you had. You haveme. You have this town and the community that comes with it.”
She shook her head. “What if I need to run again? Now I have no way to do that!”
It was the first time she’d admitted that coming here was the result of her running. And the idea of her running again, but away from him this time, hurt so much it was an effort to keep the pain off his face. “We don’t need to think about that right now. One day at a time. For now, you need sleep. I’ll sleep on your couch and tomorrow we’ll figure out how to move forward. Okay?”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I do. I need to be close to you. Please let me have that.”
The second of silence was heavy and beat into his chest. Then, finally, she nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
Thank fuck. He pulled her against him, all too aware of just how natural it felt to hold her. Like breathing. Also aware of the fact he didn’t want to let her go.
CHAPTER 12
Cody pushed a bottle of beer across the bar before taking the cash and putting it in the register. Every muscle in his body was tense, and his gaze continued to return to Harper. She moved around the room, lifting dirty glasses from tables. After waking up this morning, he’d made them breakfast in her cabin and tried again to convince her to move in with him. But no matter how hard he pushed, Harper just pushed back.
“Clench the bar any harder and you’ll break the damn thing.”
Cody dragged his gaze from Harper to Barry beside him.
