“Nothing.” She scrambled back as he lifted his leg to kick her.
He paused, his face going slack. “Shit, Gemma. I’m so sorry.” He moved toward her, wincing when she backed away. “I just love you so much, and you know how my mother treated us. The move has been stressful, being responsible for us both.” He gingerly reached out to touch her aching cheekbone. “I’m so sorry. It’ll never happen again. I love you.” Tears filled his eyes. “Please forgive me.”
She snuggled into his chest, her mind fuzzing. It was an accident. She loved him. Nobody had ever loved him, and she could prove to him that he was worthy. That they were safe. This was nothing. Just their first fight, and he’d never do it again. Nobody had ever loved her before either. She could be strong enoughfor them both.
The sound of an engine rippled through the air, and she slowly opened her eyes. A Jeep Cherokee emerged from the garage across the way, backing up and taking off down the street. The electric garage door closed.
She moved off the bench and stretched her neck, grateful that light was coming in through the window. Gulping, she checked on Trudy and tried the lights again. No electricity. Taking a deep breath, she fetched her cell phone from the bedside table and searched for the electrical company.
“Vonn’s Electricity, this is Sally,” awoman answered.
“Um, hi. This is Serena Johnson and my electricity is out,” Gemma said, giving the address. “It looks like other homes in the neighborhood have regained power, but myhouse hasn’t.”
The sound of typing came over the line. “You should have power,” Sally said. “It was a pretty bad storm, and your breaker might’ve kicked off your power. Have you checked the box?”
“No,” Gemma said, glancing at thesleeping child.
“Do you know how to find it?” Sally asked, her voice businesslikeand still kind.
Gemma cleared her throat. “Yes, thank you. I’ll call back if I can’t fix it.” She ended the call and bit her lip. What should she do? She didn’t want to leave Trudy alone in the bedroom, but if she carried the little girl downstairs holding the gun in her hand, she’d frighten her child. That was crazy. Chances were the breaker switches had been flipped because of the storm.
She padded barefoot to unlock the bedroom door and gingerly open it, swinging out the gun the way she’d seen on television. The living room and kitchen were empty, lit by the now sunny morning outside. She gently shut the door behind her and tiptoed to Trudy’s room, swinging inside and clearing it before taking on the powder room, near the kitchen.
The house was empty.
She was starting to feel silly, but at least Trudy was safe. The gun felt cold in her hand, so she tightened her grip, crossing to the basement door by the fridge. If there was danger, it was down there, away from her daughter.
That was allthat mattered.
She opened the door and swung the flashlight down with one hand, keeping the other strong on the gun. Nausea rippled through her stomach, but she didn’t have anybody to call for help. She fleetingly thought of Jethro and how he’d fixed her tires, but what would she say? That she was afraid to go down into the basement to see if the breaker had blown?
He’d want to know why.
Gathering her courage, she tiptoed down the rough wooden steps to the bottom, turning to point both the gun and the flashlight into the small room that held storage on shelves on one side and a washer and dryer on the other.
Relief swamped her so quickly she became dizzy. Lowering the gun, she hustled to the big metal box set into the wall by the shelves, quickly snapping the buttons back where they should be. The heat instantly engaged. She shut the fuse box door and shook her head, feeling like a moron.
She was totally losing it. As she backed away, something chilled her toes. Looking down, she noticed a small puddle of water. Then she glanced up at the one window in the room, which she kept shut and locked. Rising on her toes, she double-checked the lock, which was in place. Frowning, she looked down at the small puddle.
It didn’t make sense, but perhaps the washer had leaked and she hadn’t noticed? So long as the window was locked, she was fine.
She looked up and out at the bright daylight. Crap. She and Trudy had to hurry.
Chapter Nine
Jethro found Gemma Falls sitting at a window table by herself in the cafeteria at lunchtime. She was staring out at the snow with her food untouched on the plate in front of her. He wound through students and their tables to reach her. “You okay?” Without waiting for an invitation, he dropped into the seat across from her and slid his trayonto the table.
She jumped and then swiveled to face him, her eyes wide. “Um, yes. I was lost in thought.”
The woman was too pale, and a thin blue vein glowed beneath her jaw; there were dark circles beneath her eyes. She’d apparently tried to brighten her skin with makeup, but the darkness was still present. “Another storm is coming in.” She looked down at heruneaten salad.
Jethro took a drink of his tea, watching her carefully. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were bloodshot. “Is the extra class too demanding? I can take it back, if you’d like. It’s only your first semester—I shouldn’t have overburdened you.” He fought the urge to pick her up and cuddle her right against his chest. If anybody needed a snuggle, it was Dr. Gemma Falls. Of course she’d probably pop him right on the nose, and he’d deserve it. Even so, everything inside him wanted to shield her from whatever was causing the fine trembling in her shoulders. “Gemma?”
“No. I’m fine.” Her smile barely moved her lips as she reached for a cup of what looked like hot chocolate. “Just lonely because the day care had an early lunch of pizza, so I couldn’t eat with Trudy. Now it’s nap time.” She took a sip and sighed. “Why can’t wehave nap time?”
He grinned. “Go sit in one of Dr. Potter’s history classes. I promise you’ll fallright asleep.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Her smile looked natural now. Worn down, she appeared vulnerable and much more approachable than usual. For the first time, the weariness on her face actually softened the hard cut of herice-blond hair.
