Whatever she’s running from that brought her out here, isn’t done chasing her.
“Town’s probably not what you want tonight,” I say before Boone can make the offer sound like an ultimatum. “It’s getting late and cold fast, and half the places close early this time of year.”
I catch her gaze and hold it, trying to be steady and calm. “Come stay with us for now. Until you can get it sorted out. At least for tonight. We’ve got plenty of room and Boone’s cooking. You won’t get food like that at the motel. Guaranteed.”
Her mouth opens, ready to protest, but Dillon beats her to it.
“We’ve got hot showers, and Boone even lets us use the nice towels sometimes. It’s practically luxury out here in the sticks.”
A soft, barely there snort escapes her, with the faintest roll of her eyes. The tension in her shoulders loosens just a fraction, though. Dillon grins like he’s won a round.
“Fine. I’m Roxie, by the way,” she says, glancing at me again, as if she’s still trying to decide whether I’m the kind of man she can trust. “It’s just for the night.”
“That’s all we’re offering,” I say quietly. “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
We help her with the duffel bag lying by the door, Dillon grabbing it before she can argue and carrying it to the truck. Boone and I also help her straighten up a bit, sweeping out the worst of the soot, wiping down the countertops, and rinsing off the meager provisions she’d arranged around the kitchen. Then we load up her stuff and pile into the truck.
By the time we reach the house, the porch lights and the automated lights inside have already come on, and the place glows like a modern beacon against the jagged, mountain landscape. She stops short after climbing out of the truck, her gaze glued to the sprawling glass-and-steel structure we call home.
“This isnotwhat I expected,” she murmurs, taking in the broad frame, the big wraparound porch, and the stone cladding in places to blend the corners into the mountainside.
“Not bad for three bachelors, huh?” Dillon asks, winking as he holds the door for her.
She doesn’t comment, simply nodding as she finally ascends the stairs to the front door and sweeps past him. I follow her in, supremely aware of how she suddenly seems even smaller once she’s inside.
Her oversized hoodie swallows her up, soot still streaking her cheek, and her rich brown hair gleams oddly now that she’s standing directly under a light, like it’d been dyed recently, but I don’t ask.
Boone pauses across the room, glancing at her from the hallway that leads to the kitchen. “You can take the guestroom upstairs. Second floor. There’s a bathroom down the hall with clean towels in the closet.”
She hesitates, biting her lip before she draws a deep breath and nods. “Thanks. I, um… I appreciate it.”
“Do you want me to show you where to go?” I offer.
She glances at me, those intensely green eyes holding mine for a few beats longer than necessary before her gaze drifts around the spacious living area to the stairs. As if she realizes it would be easier if I show her than trying to navigate this place herself, she finally nods.
“Thank you,” she says, watching Dillon hand me the duffel.
I motion for her to go ahead of me up the stairs, hiking the bag up on my shoulder and then following after. “The guestroom is the second door to the left.”
She stops at the second door and waits for me to catch up.
“Thermostat is right next to the light switch, and there are extra blankets in the closet. I’ll leave you to settle in, but dinner will be ready within the next thirty minutes or so.”
Her gaze drifts from mine to the view beyond the glass wall, now a blanket of stars flickering to life in an endless sky. “Wow. It really is remote out here, huh?”
I follow her gaze, then reach into the room to flick the light on. “It is. You’re safe here with us, Roxie. I promise you that.”
The words are out before I even realize I’m about to say them. She looks up at me, those big, round eyes searching my face like she’s trying to read something in it. “You don’t even know me.”
“No, but I know trouble when I see it, and I suspect you’ve had enough of it to last a while.”
Her breath catches, and for a moment neither of us move. We just stand there, staring at each other, me wondering how a tiny thing like her could’ve gotten into the kind of trouble that’s chased her all the way out here, and her probably wondering if she can trust the word of a guy she’s just met who towers over her and is built like the Marine he isn’t anymore.
“Right,” she finally says. “I’ll be locking my door and sleeping with one eye open.”
“You can close both eyes here. I’ll see you downstairs when you’re ready.”
She nods and slips past me into the guestroom. My hand brushes her arm as she passes, the touch light, barely there, but its enough to set something off under my skin, leaving it warm and wanting more.
