Mama bear continued to huff and snort, eyeing them warily until they’d backed out of sight into the surrounding trees. Only then did Mark finally turn around, leading Jess briskly through the trees in the direction of the road, keeping his ears tuned for any sound from behind them.
“Holy shit,” she said, looking paler than ever.
“She didn’t want to fight us. It was just a warning. You should take my survival skills class sometime,” he said, glancing at her.
“I’ll think about it.”
He took that as a no.
They reached the road a few minutes later, and she removed her hand from his arm, tucking it around her waist. “Thanks for waiting while we poked around,” she said to Gordon McDermott.
“You two see everything you needed to see?” the realtor asked.
“Yep,” she said. “And then some,” she added with a small smile in Mark’s direction.
He nodded. “We’ll be in touch with our offer.”
“So will I,” Jess said, her expression hardening.
They said their good-byes, and Gordon climbed back inside his SUV.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Mark said to Jess because she didn’t look entirely steady on her feet.
“No, thanks.” She started off in the direction of the spa, walking quickly.
He fell into step beside her anyway.
She frowned up at him. “You know, maybe some women swoon for your macho style, but I’m not one of them.”
“I noticed,” he said dryly, wishing her words didn’t burrow their way under his skin and stick there like some unwelcome parasite.
“So, bye then.” She waved a hand in his direction, picking up her pace.
He didn’t argue, just kept walking beside her.
She muttered something under her breath, glared at him, and kept walking. She wasn’t limping anymore, but he wasn’t sure if she was feeling better or just being stubborn and putting on a brave face so that he’d leave her alone.
The latter, apparently, because when the spa finally came into view, her shoulders slumped and her relief was palpable. She ran a hand through her brown hair and gave him another pointed look. “Okay, thanks for walking with me. I can take it from here.”
“Jess…let me drive you home.”
Now that she’d stopped walking, she looked like she might topple over if a strong breeze gusted against her. “I’m going inside to finish up a few things first. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Stubborn man,” she mumbled. “Well, I’m going inside to finish up. You can wait here if you really want, but knowing you’re out here is not going to make me rush.”
On the contrary, she’d probably dawdle just to spite him, but he didn’t care. She was in no shape to drive herself home. So he stood to the side of the entrance, hands in his pockets, and waited. Eight years in the Special Forces had given him plenty of experience waiting. He could stand here all afternoon if he needed to.
He didn’t much like the idea of going up against Jess to buy this property, but there didn’t seem to be any way around it. She was certainly going to do her best to snag it for herself, and there was no way the guys would want to back down, so they would too. May the best man—or woman—win.
Thirty minutes later, she came out the spa’s front doors, her purse and another larger bag slung over her right shoulder. And it was a good thing he’d waited because she looked even worse than when she’d gone in.
She stopped in her tracks and gawked at him. “Oh my God. Have you seriously been standing here this whole time?”
He nodded.
“Well, I…I figured you’d leave. I forgot how stubborn you are when you get an idea in your head, but for the record, I’m perfectly capable of driving myself home.”
