Page 18 of Finding Forever

“You appreciate me. You value me.” She gives a polite smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I heard you.”

A knock sounds at the door.

“Wait, give me a minute—”

She walks around me to the hall.

“I think your people are here.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kit

Men can be idiots. That goes without saying. But some days their idiocy hits harder than others.

In his fumbling way, Luke is pulling back. He appreciates me, values me. That’s what a boss says when he’s handing out an employee of the month award. And it hurts.

I get it. Intense situations lead people to do crazy things in the heat of the moment. Luke’s craziness was kissing me. Now he wants to make sure I don’t read anything into it. I guess being it for him was a temporary affliction.

I give the emotions a hard push back and straighten my spine before opening the front door with its taped window.

Beckett stands there with two men, both wearing US Marshals stars attached to their belts. A fleeting thought crosses my mind that being gorgeous must be a job requirement for the Marshals Service.

Beckett makes the introductions.

“Kit, this is Chief Deputy Seth Jameson, and his brother, Deputy Marshal Linc Jameson.”

They nod. I offer my best hostess smile. “Good morning, gentlemen. Come in. There are muffins and coffee in the kitchen if you’d like.”

Briggs chooses that moment to start complaining loudly.

Seth Jameson’s cool gray eyes sweep the room before landing on Luke, who’s come to stand beside me. “You look like hell, Elliott.”

“I feel like hell,” Luke mutters.

“How bad is it?” Linc Jameson is similar in height to his brother, but with a tough muscular frame rather than Seth’s rangy build.

“Not as bad as it could’ve been,” Luke says. “Kit stopped the bleeding. Made sure I didn’t die.” His gaze finds mine, troubled and intent.

An ambulance crew arrives, medical bags slung over their shoulders. Gideon Donovan and Officer Julissa Romano follow them in, Gideon lifting a hand in greeting.

Beckett assigns Gideon and Julissa to sweep the perimeter. “We assume Briggs was on his own, and we’ve got officers checking out neighboring cabins, but I want the grounds and outbuildings checked for evidence.”

“Shots were fired around the clearing on the north side,” Luke adds. “Casings will be buried in snow.” He sways, bracing a hand on the desk.

“We’ll keep an eye out,” Gideon says before heading back outside.

Seth directs Linc to deal with Briggs, then turns to Luke. “Once EMTs confirm you’re stable, getting you to the hospital is our priority. Everything else can wait.”

Luke nods, but when Seth’s attention shifts, he crosses the room, grabs my hand, and pulls me into the hall.

“Luke, what are you doing? The EMTs—”

“They can wait,” he growls. “You can’t.”

Scruff shadows his jaw, his hair sticks up in all directions, and frustration lines his face. In a word, he’s perfect. I force myself to face reality. He already started distancing himself.

My guess is that before he’s taken to the hospital, he wants to make sure I’m not expecting anything from him. My experience with my ex-husband makes me wary of trusting men. I know that. But my feelings for Luke have hit like a thunderbolt—hard and unexpected—and I’m emotionally reeling.