As he approached, close enough that he saw the back of the cute, tiny house that depicted a domestic and creative side of her not easily seen, he admitted she would think he was spying or stalking, neither of which was true.
He didn’t like this part of the venture either.
No curtains or blinds covered the windows. Anyone could see inside. He looked away before he could see her. What was she thinking? A sniper could take her out. But that was his Army brain working. The rest of the world just didn’t think in those terms. But Jo should start.
Cole turned to walk back to the Yukon, remaining vigilant and aware of his surroundings. He stopped and stood still while a five-point elk passed by as if not even noticing Cole or registering that he was a threat.
Through the trees, he could see his Yukon sitting far enough off the path. It melded into the forest, and a figure leaned against it. Tensing, Cole squeezed his handgun.
A raincoat hood covered the face and the arms were crossed, but Cole recognized the slant of shoulders.
I’m introuble.
10
Leaning against Cole’s Yukon, Jo kept her composure.
She figured she probably couldn’t find him in the rainforest. After all, as a quiet professional, he’d been trained to blend into a crowd of people or a dense forest. Jo only had an artist’s eye.
Not to mention, she wasn’t stupid. She didn’t want to accidentally get shot for stalking around in her own backyard. Still, she did not believe for one minute that Cole would have mistaken her for a bad guy. Just like right now, he knew exactly who was leaning against his vehicle, even though her face was hidden deep in the shadows of her raincoat hood.
Shoulders taut, he emerged from the dark woods and stalked toward her, looking every bit the hero that he was. Her heart beat erratically at the sight of him. She vacillated between fury at Cole for intruding into her life and appreciation for the former special forces hero who was here to help her. To protect her. She should be grateful. Shewasgrateful, but still ... it rankled that he took so many liberties.
A thrill rushed through her core.
I’min dangerous territory.
His frown deepened as he approached, raindrops sliding down his handsome tanned face, tracking through his stubbled cheeks. His lips flattened. And honestly, she couldn’t tell if he was happy to see her or angry that she was here.
“What are you doing?” His thick brow arched.
Yeah. Angry. But then she saw a spark behind his dark eyes. She pushed from his vehicle to stand. “Me? What areyoudoing here?”
“Someone tried to kill you. You need to take that seriously. I’m here to make sure no one is going to try to come for you at home.”
I did this to myself.Three years of hiding, and all it had taken was going out of her little corner of the world in the Olympic Peninsula. But it was time to crawl out from under the rock and learn the truth. Cole’s sudden appearance to look into her mother’s death was all she needed to keep the momentum going.
Cole shifted his gaze, searching the woods around them. The sound of a passing car drew his attention, but no one drove up the rutted path. Wary and suspicious, protective, Cole couldn’t be anything but himself. A hero. Maybe she shouldn’t be giving him a hard time. “You could have talked to me about checking the rainforest around my house first.”
“Would you have agreed?”
I don’t know.A cold gust in the face felt almost like a rebuff. Just as well. “It’s getting late. Let’s go back to my house and talk about it.”
Without waiting for his response, she trotted around the truck and climbed in on the passenger side. In the driver’s seat, he started the vehicle. The heat blasted but didn’t chase away the chill. Though it was typical Pacific Northwest cold and rainy, she relished the beautiful forest painted in thick, green moss.
With trees closing in around them, Cole couldn’t turn around on such a narrow road, so he backed all the way to the highway, then steered onto the two-lane road returning to town.
“You hiked all the way out here?” he finally asked. “How did you even find me?”
“I decided I needed a breath of fresh air,” she said. And the lush rainforest always settled her thoughts and heart.
“In this weather?”
“Yeah, well, I took a long walk in the woods because, like you, I started wondering if someone might decide to approach my house to watch me.”
“Are you carrying?”
“Always.”
