She had to be prepared. How many photos had she taken with fans over the past few days? How many of them had already posted those pictures to social media? In how many of those posted photos were her bruises faintly visible beneath her makeup? ‘At least if we had someone posted outside your cabin, we could guarantee your safety and privacy.’
‘I’m safe.’
‘Your vindication only worries me more,’ he countered quietly. Because it didn’t make sense. How could she be so certain that people wouldn’t figure out where she was? Or that her attacker wouldn’t come for her if news of her whereabouts spread?
She wrapped her arms around her stomach, lowered her eyes to the ground. ‘You haven’t asked …’
‘I want to.’ He let that sink in for a moment. ‘But I figured you’ll tell me if and when you’re ready to. Otherwise, it’s none of my business.’
She didn’t go into the attack. ‘I still see him in my sleep,’ she whispered, giving him that much. ‘Which is why I’ve been staying in the bathroom. It … I guess, it helps me feel safe enough to fall asleep eventually. But I can tell you with certainty that I don’t need security.’
‘How can you possibly know that?’
‘He wouldn’t risk hurting me again.’
The confidence with which she said it only confused him. ‘If you don’t want security, we could move you up to the resort.’
She shook her head. ‘Too many people. The crowding—’ she brought both hands to her neck ‘—it makes me feel like I can’t breathe, like I’m being suffocated by my own anxiety. Always watching. Waiting for someone to come up to me or touch me or hug me without warning.’
Mav understood. But he was about out of options. There was only one other solution he could think of, and he knew he should have run it by his sister before he offered. And yet, the words came out of his mouth anyway. ‘The only other option I have is that you come stay in the ranch house.’
She frowned. ‘The ranch house?’
‘It’s about a mile up that way.’ He pointed towards where the house sat, nestled in a little valley and completely obscured by trees. ‘We have two spare rooms. And Shadow would bark like crazy if any stranger came within a hundred feet of it.’
‘Your house?’ Her eyes rounded in surprise. ‘No. I couldn’t do that.’
‘At some point you’re going to have to realize that I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it.’ And because she only stared at him, he kept going. ‘It’s private. Secluded. Nobody who found out you were staying here would think to look there. You could still participate in all the ranch activities but save money on the cabin. You could stop sleeping in the bathtub and in an actual bed again. And Poppy’s only five, so she doesn’t really understand the celebrity thing.’ He tipped his head. ‘But I should warn you too, with my kid in the house, you’d never have a moment’s peace. Only exhaustion – but the good kind.’
And because it would be a weight off his shoulders, he took a low shot. ‘It would also put my mind at ease because then I could stop worrying, too.’
Though she knew it wasn’t what he had intended, Nina was mortified.
She’d known when she’d gone back to her cabin and seen the bed neatly made and the room tidied that she’d made a giant mistake in forgetting to hang the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign, but beneath the humiliation she had convinced herself that nobody at a five-star resort would pry. Only, Hunt Ranch wasn’t just a luxury getaway. She knew that now more than ever. It was a family-run enterprise, a place founded on over one hundred years of roots and cowboy ideals.
‘I’m not some poor, helpless damsel in need of rescuing.’
Infuriatingly, he only nodded, said, ‘No, ma’am.’ And then, damn him, he made her smile by adding, ‘Those tubs are pretty comfy too. They cost an arm and a leg, so I’m glad they’re earning their keep.’
Nina considered the offer.
She hated how appealing it sounded. Because the truth was, as safe as she was,knowingit andfeelingit were two separate issues, and she knew beyond a doubt that sleeping in the same house as Maverick Hunt would make herfeelsafe. Wasn’t he the entire reason she made her way to the barn each morning and spent way too much time there?
The horses – particularly Barbie – were a part of it, sure. Nina genuinely enjoyed spending her time with them, but as a guest, she shouldn’t have been grooming, feeding, and caring for them until her damaged ribs spread fire through her side. She knew that. But the moment Maverick had left that first day, she’d realized that he was what had made her feel safe. And, since then, she’d stayed at the barn far longer than was normal so that she could rest her own vigilance, even for a little while. Because knowing that her attacker wouldn’t hurt her again didn’t mean that her body or mind would ever forget the damage he’d already done.
‘Why do I feel that this isn’t a normal offer?’
‘It’s not. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a genuine one.’
She tried to remind herself that he couldn’t protect her. Maybe he could stop anyone else from physically hurting her, but her career was almost certainly over, and she had no idea what she was going to do. And, still, every time Maverick was kind or gentle with her, Nina felt herself relaxing, opening up to him in a way that terrified her.
And she couldn’t afford to grow lax. She couldn’t ever grow comfortable enough to share the truth because, while it might make her feel better in the moment, once unleashed, the truth would destroy her. Of that she was certain.
Wasn’t that why she’d run?
Maverick Hunt was so clearly an idealist, and if he found out what had happened, he wouldn’t understand why she’d done what she’d done. How could he? He didn’t know what it was to have to fight tooth and nail for every rung of the ladder you climbed. He didn’t know what it was like to get to the top of that ladder and then have somebody else kick it out from underneath you.
‘You can’t help me,’ she said quietly, wanting to warn him away from her.
