Huh.
She’d grown up in a suburb, and then had lived purely in large cities. She thought now of what a farm meant. Trees,maybe a barn. A small kitchen with a gas stove, hopefully. Cute woodland creatures.
Solitude. Solitude and total anonymity.
The words buried in her soul, the exact thing she needed right now.
Plus you’d get to see where Jas grew up.
Personal information about the man would always be tantalizing, even if she was preoccupied with a crisis. “We’d be alone?”
“Yes. We can stay as long as you’d like.”
We.Thatwewas extraordinarily comforting to hear.
She wrapped her arms around herself. Was she actually considering this?
She checked in on herself. Yeah, she was. The thought of leaving the house felt right, the same way not leaving the house often felt right. If it didn’t work out, she could always come back. It could be a good exercise.
For you. Not for Jas.“It’s a long ride.”
“We’ve driven at least that long round-trip. I’ll be there with you. We can turn around if you find it unbearable.”
“I’m not talking about me, I’m concerned about you.” She could always knock herself out. What she couldn’t do was drive. The thought of having an attack behind the wheel had terrified her so much, she’d never learned how. “If we were to, perhaps, leave in the morning—”
He cut her off. “No, I’d rather leave now. No traffic.”
Damn it. She was relatively new to driving in California, but even she knew all plans revolved around traffic patterns. “You’d have to be up for most of the night.”
His brown eyes darkened. “I don’t require a lot of sleep.”
“You’ll be exhausted.”
“Where’s that robot car when you need it,” Jia quipped. “Seriously, though, I can come with, and we can switch off.”
“That’s unnecessary,” Jas said quickly. So quickly, Katrina wondered if there was something she didn’t know about Jia’s driving.
Jas crossed his arms over his chest. “Katrina, I have stayed up much longer than a few hours and the longer we stand here arguing, the later it will get.”
She inhaled the slightly smoky air. Someone on the hilltop must have their fireplace going. It felt odd to disagree with Jas like this. They were usually in agreement. “No.”
They stared at each other silently for a long moment. Jas blinked first. “What if I promise to stop and rest if I get tired?”
Then they’d have to stay in a hotel, which would make her fret, but she’d figure something out, if it meant he could sleep. “Fine. You have to keep that promise.” She gave him a hard look. “I mean it.”
“Done. Pack a bag. I’ll make the arrangements.”
“I can help you pack,” Jia volunteered. “And I’ll watch Zeus. Give her oodles of cuddles.”
Katrina would have liked to take Zeus with her, but it was better the cat stay with Jia. Zeus hadn’t spent a lot of time in cars, except for the few vet visits Gerald had taken her to, and the report Katrina had gotten from her grim housekeeper was that the animal wasn’t fond of her carrier. Sheassumed he’d been understating the situation, as was his British style. “Thank you.” She came to her feet.
Jas caught her elbow, and this time she felt it. The zing. Still muffled, but clearer than before. “Everything will be fine,” he said. His face was so familiar, his dark eyes steady. She clutched that steadiness to her, using it to ground her.
She nodded once and forced a smile. Yes. She would disregard the one-sided zing. She’d cling to that solid assurance. It was a surer bet.Everything will be fine.
Chapter Seven
THE SKY HADturned light blue, the sun kissing the far-off horizon, by the time Jas finally turned down a dirt road so familiar he could have driven it blindfolded and backward.
