“He’s found me,” Juni’s voice cracks. “He’s found me already.”
That was my first thought. That Cal had come for her.
“I’m going to take you inside,” I rasp, gently coaxing her away from me so I can get to my feet. She’s reluctant to go but eventually does, getting to her feet, but she sticks close to me, my arm going around her to keep her against my side. My brother follows behind, glancing around, trying to see into the shadows. Inside, I see Niamh in the living room,Rosie curled up on one side and Caleb sitting, staring toward the front door as if he’s been waiting for us to come inside. There are two mugs of hot chocolate on the table, untouched.
“I’ll be right back,” I assure them but don’t stop, guiding Juni through the house and into my bedroom, right to my bed where I help her sit on the edge of the mattress, and I crouch in front of her, looking up into a vacant stare. She’s looking right through me, not blinking, limbs still shaking. Gathering her hands, I cup mine around them, urging her to feel that connection and bring her out of wherever she’s disappeared to inside her own head.
“He’s going to kill me,” she whispers.
“I won’t let him anywhere near you,” I vow.
“He found me.”
“He’s never going to hurt you again.”
Her lashes flutter.
“But he’s here,” she finally focuses on my face, “He’s already here.”
“Did you see his face?” I ask her.
“No. I thought it was you at first, but then I realized they weren’t tall enough.”
“What else?” I press.
Her brow twitches as she thinks over the last thirty minutes. “Their shape was strange.”
At the back of my mind, doubt creeps in. Was it really Calvin? Getting onto this ranch isn’t necessarily hard, just stupid. We have a lot of tourists in town right now and people do weird shit when they’re bored. Scaring lone women in the middle of the night is one of them.
“What do you mean?”
“They were in a coat,” she lets out a shaky breath, “And I thought that was odd since it’s so warm out. But it—I don’t know. It looked odd.”
I nod, processing what she is telling me. It may not have been Calvin, but it’s possible he sent someone in his place, or I could be right and someone is trying to play stupid games. If they’re still on the property, they’ll be found, but I’m not letting her out of my sight.
I need to phone the sheriff, but I need to be delicate about it. I’m hiding this woman on my property, news of a creep targeting people at night will spread like wildfire in a small town like this and one person will talk to another and then another… if this wasn’t Calvin, reporting it could just lead him right here.
Leaning back, I get a better look at her. Other than grazes on her knees, she isn’t injured, but she’s spooked and in shock.
“I’m going to clean these up,” I point to her knees, “Just wait here for me, okay?”
Her hand snatches out, circling my wrist. “Where are you going?”
“To get some warm water,” I gesture to the ensuite, “I’m still going to be right here.”
Slowly, her hand releases, and I go into the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it with hot water before I’m crouching in front of her again, moving my hand behind her knee to straighten her leg. They’re superficial wounds, nothing deep, and I clean up the blood, showing the minor cuts on her skin. She remains still for me, letting me work on both legs before I throw the pink-tinged cloth into the hamper and move to sit beside her.
“Did you see anything else tonight?”
Her chin wobbles, eyes glazing, “No.”
Fuck. I can’t stand seeing her cry; it feels like someone is twisting a knife in my chest. The need to comfort far outweighs the need to keep her away, and my arm goes back around her. She doesn’t hesitate to come to me, folding into me as her hands curl into my shirt and she buries her face into my neck.
I try to ignore how right it feels. How perfect. She fits against me like a puzzle piece slotting into place. It settles something deep in the bones of me, warms a spot that’s long been cold.
I pull the door up but don’t close it, leaving Juni sleeping in the middle of my bed. She showered while I waited in the room like she asked, too afraid to be alone and after she’d changed into a pair of myflannel pajamas and one of the ranch t-shirts, she curled on her side, hands cradled under her cheek while she told me about her night. It pisses me off that it was ruined like this.
She’d fallen asleep like that, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her so she can stay there.
