“What?”
“Who else lives out here?”
“My brother and his wife are in the house that we just passed. There are ranch hands out at the bunkhouse, about a quarter mile away.”
“Lots of people,” she murmurs as I pull into my garage. Summer’s over and we’re well into fall, but all the hands are staying on full-time through the winter this year because Ryker has expanded operations, and it’s not just a summer job anymore.
Lena and I get out of my SUV, and I carry her bag inside with her following behind me. I don’t stop in the kitchen. I lead her through and up the stairs to the bedrooms, then open the door of her suite and set her bag on the bed.
“This is you,” I tell her. “Bathroom is attached, and all yours. I need to make a couple of calls, so I’ll be downstairs.”
I turn to leave, but she stops me.
“Where is everyone?”
I lift an eyebrow. “Who’severyone?”
“Your family, Gideon. Your wife and kids.”
“I’m not married. No kids.” I shake my head. “My brother and Willow are my family. Their kiddo, Aiden, is my family.”
Her brows pull together in a frown.
“You can get settled. If you need anything, just let me know. We’re getting up early tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re going to start training. Like I said before, this isn’t vacation. You’ll be working while you’re here.”
“What does thatmean, Gideon?”
“You’ll find out in the morning.”
“And if I’m not tired?”
I reach up and lean on the doorjamb. I took my suit jacket off once we landed, along with my tie, and rolled my sleeves to get more comfortable. She’s hardly taken her eyes off the tattoos on my left arm, and it occurred to me that she’d never seen me without the full suit.
She saw me in T-shirts when we ran together, but I’ve added to the tattoos over the past four years, filling in the sleeve.
Does she have ink?
Lena’s eyes trail over my chest and stomach. She can’t see skin, but she’s checking me out, and then, as if catching herself, she clears her throat.
“You can wander around the house if you want. I wouldn’t go outside at night because there are critters around. Bear, mountain lion, you name it. Go down and watch TV if you want.”
She nods once. “Thank you. What time should I set my alarm for?”
“Five.”
That has her balking. “Five?”
“That’s seven in DC.”
“Oh. Right. Okay, five it is.”
I turn to leave, but she stops me yet again.
“Gideon?”
