Nicholas was pale under his tan complexion. “No. And I checked the GPS on her phone, and her last recorded location was about seven miles from here.”
“You track the GPS on her phone?” Gabe asked. That was taking overprotective to an extreme.
“I’ll go looking for her,” Jackson offered, but Nicholas shook his head.
“Not in this rain. I’ll go.”
“Can either of you ride a horse in this weather?” Gabe asked skeptically. “Or were you planning on walking miles in a thunderstorm?”
Alistair cleared his throat. They all jumped, having not seen him hovering behind a column. Rhi was right, he was a little creepy. “Gentlemen, if I may intrude. There is an ATV in the garage.”
Nicholas tightened his lips. “I’ve never ridden one before but—”
Gabe nodded. There was no question about avoiding Eve now. He had to go fetch her. “I’ve ridden plenty of ATVs. I’ll go. Shoot me her last known coordinates.”
“I’ll go with you,” Jackson interjected.
Before Gabe could respond, the butler spoke. “There’s only one vehicle.”
“Don’t worry.” Gabe clasped Nicholas on the shoulder and met his gaze, hiding his worry at the boom of thunder outside. “She’s going to be fine.”
Chapter 14
She was fine.
Eve tightened her arms around herself. She had to keep repeating that to herself. She was absolutely and totally fine. In the grand scheme of things, falling off her horse and getting a few bumps and bruises wasn’t so big a deal. It could have been a lot worse.
It wasn’t like she’d had a near-death experience or anything.
So why did she feel... different?
She leaned her hip against the porch rails of the small cabin. The overhang gave her just enough coverage to keep from getting more soaked by the torrential rain pour. Her phone screen had been smashed, but the phone itself was still functional. Once the rain slowed a little, she’d make her way down the trail. Eventually, she would get reception.
She winced, imagining what Nicholas would say when she called him and requested a pickup. He would fume and yell and stomp around. That was always how he expressed his worry for her. She appreciated his worry so much she didn’t have the heart to tell him she hated how he yelled it.
She examined the dark sky, the heavy clouds that had blotted out the afternoon sun. It might be a while before the rain slowed. She might as well try to warm up. Eve flexed her frozen fingers and reached into her hair, wrestling a pin out. Then she turned and bent to the cabin’s door.
A few months ago, Jackson had been teaching Kareem how to pick a lock. It would have been unseemly for her to ask him to teach her, but she’d paid close attention and then practiced that night. Silly, but it had looked cool.
Of course, that had been on her bedroom door, for kicks, and this lock was different and—
She heard the tumblers click and she smiled. The principle was the same, it appeared. There it went. The knob turned in her hand and she opened the door, peeking only her head in first. She’d worried there might be a wizened old man inside, clutching a shotgun, but the place was as deserted as it looked from outside. It was one room, the floor bare plank. The furnishings were limited to a hot pot in one corner, a lantern, a battered couch, armchair, coffee table, and bookcase. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was dry, and that was enough.
The slight whine of an engine had her pivoting back to the clearing. An ATV came roaring through the foliage, its rider draped in a black rain coat, a big helmet covering his face. Before she could scurry inside, he took the turnoff into the small dirt clearing. She tensed. Too late to hide, he’d probably already seen her.
The bike stopped a few feet away and Eve waited, braced for anything, a shot of fear running through her as she took in the biker’s big body. She could run inside and lock the door, maybe push the couch in front of it.
The rider got off the bike and lifted his helmet. Her tension dissolved at the sight of his face.
Had Gabe ever looked so beautiful?
“There you are,” Gabe shouted. He walked closer and ducked under the overhang, which suddenly felt much smaller and more crowded than it had before.
He was soaked, his hair plastered to his face. She inhaled. “You came looking for me,” she said dumbly.
Like a knight. Or a prince.
She eyed the ATV. It wasn’t exactly a trusty steed, but she had no doubt her fantasies would feature that muddy bike instead of a stallion now.
