“Your father is an adult who probably needs to rest. Plus, he’d rather his daughter live through the night than crash on the way to the hospital.”
She arched a brow at him, the look both classy and arrogant. “You think I can’t drive in a thunderstorm?”
“I think you’ve probably had a dozen hours of sleep in the last week.” She was beyond beautiful to him. Something about a lush woman with curves everywhere made him salivate. But even his bear could make out the smudges under her eyes and the slight droop to her shoulders. Plus, given how much food she’d eaten, he’d lay odds that it’d been her first good meal since her father went into the hospital.
She brushed him off with a vague wave of her finger. “I’ll be fine. This meal has definitely revived me.”
Bullshit. But it wasn’t his business. If she wanted to drive exhausted to her father’s bedside, who was he to object? He’d done his duty, gotten her the digital copies, and warned her against stupidity. What more could he do? He was just standing up to say good-bye when completely different words came out of his mouth.
“At least let me help you find the journals. That way you can get on the road before it’s dark.”
She stood when he did. “No need. I’m sure I’ll find them under a blanket somewhere.” She didn’t sound like she believed it, but was willing to hope.
He meant to leave it there. He’d give her the respect of making her own decisions. But different words came out of his mouth. Again. “I have to go into town anyway,” he lied. “Your father’s cabin is on the way.”
“No, it’s not,” she countered. “It’s on the other side.”
He shrugged. “I don’t get out much. Let me keep the illusion of having a social life.”
She frowned at him, clearly trying to figure him out. He let her look. Hell, his bear loved it. Practically wanted to preen at her stare. “Are you trying to be chivalrous?”
He grabbed the keys to his truck. “Is it working?”
“Not since the Middle Ages.”
That was completely untrue. He knew many women liked a man with knightly virtues. Unfortunately, he was as far from a man in shining armor as it was possible to get. “Look,” he finally said. “I like your father. He’d kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
“I just need to find the journals. And his tablet.”
“And I need to get out of this house. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to die in my basement cave.” Truthfully, that was his plan. Then he gave her a wicked smile. “You might as well give in gracefully. I’m going to follow you anyway.”
“Very well,” she finally said, then gifted him with a sweet smile. “It’s like coffee and a good meal made you into a completely different man.”
She had no idea. Question was, how long was the man in him going to last?
CHAPTER 4
Wrong. Very wrong.
Mark stepped into the cabin—Julie’s father’s cabin—and immediately knew something was off. She’d opened the door, struggling with the rusty lock while he’d been looking at the clouds and wondering how long they had before the rain hit. Well, really, he’d been trying to distract himself from looking at her ass as she navigated the disaster that was her father’s gravel driveway and rickety front porch. She’d been talking about packing too quickly and that she’d forgotten any type of rain gear. And then right after she’d pushed open the front door, that overwhelming sense of wrong hit him.
Immediately, he pushed her aside, stepping in front of her as he scanned the dark interior.
“What—”
“Shhhh!”
Thankfully, she took his hiss to heart and immediately quieted. He extended all his senses and wished he were in his grizzly form. He could detect so much more that way, but what he gained in awareness he lost in mental acuity. So he would remain human and protect her. But, damn it, he couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
First, all the normal outdoor sounds were there. Chirping birds, rustling underbrush, even the distant bark of a dog. So nothing dangerous outside, at least as far as Mother Nature was concerned.
That meant the problem was inside. He reached behind him to flip on the light. The cabin flooded with electrical light. He heard the normal low hum of the appliances, saw the steady light on the DVR showing the time, and smelled the acrid scent of stale tea mixed with Julie’s slightly floral scent.
“You came in here earlier?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yeah. Before I went to your place. What’s the matter?”
“Shh. I’m trying to figure that out.”
