“Take a seat anywhere,” the woman offered. “I’ll let Abe know you’re here.”
Giving her hand a little squeeze to get her attention, Cayn pointed to a nearby booth. “Let’s sit there.” And she knew why. He could watch the front door and see out the window in case Goen’s man showed up. She turned to see Cora going through the swinging doors as she entered the kitchen. And that way is another exit out, she told herself.
“Juda.”
She looked down to find him patting the bench seat next to him. She sat without hesitation.
It felt natural and so right for their hips to be barely grazing. To feel his heat coming off him. To catch his scent that was neither distasteful nor unpleasant.
He seemed suddenly shy, folding his hands on the table in front of him. He kept his gaze in front of them, giving her the impression he was either trying to figure out what to say next, or he did know but couldn’t figure out a way to initiate it. She decided to speak first and make it easy for him.
“How long have you been searching for me?”
He tilted his head a bit and looked sideways at her. “A long time. When I returned and found you gone…and the blood all over the floor…” His voice cracked. “What did they do to you, Juda?” He lifted his face to look at the scar on her forehead.
“Goen kept asking me where you had gone. I told them I did not know, and he knew I told the truth. It made him very angry.” She bent her face closer to his. “Why did you leave me? Why did you abandon me?”
“I did not abandon you,” he quickly countered. A spark of anger flashed in his dark eyes. “We had been traveling for a long time. We were tired and hungry. We were starving. I left you asleep to go in search of food. I planned on being back before you awoke. I have done that before. You know that.”
Juda slowly shook her head. “I was still half asleep when Goen found me. I was not thinking straight. And then, after he beat me…”
He made a move toward her. She assumed it was to take her hand. But Cora appeared with two plates of flapjacks, along with strips of bacon, stopping him from going through with whatever he had intended.
“Hold on. I’ll be right back with the syrup and coffee,” she informed them with a smile and left.
Cayn closed the gap between them, taking her hand in his and folding his fingers around it. “Did he let you go in order to follow you? Or did you escape?”
“He thought his man had beaten me unconscious, but somehow I managed to remain awake. I was dazed. I had trouble with my vision. But when I heard them some distance away discussing what to do with me, I knew I had no choice, and possibly no other chance to flee. So I ran. I ran as fast as I could until I was certain I was far enough away before I jumped.”
“And you landed here,” he finished for her. “Your fear gave you enough energy to cover enough distance so he could not easily find you. Or for me,” he softly added.
If he tried to kiss her, she would let him. In fact, she wanted him to. She wanted to be held. She wanted to feel his arms around her. She wanted to snuggle against his warm body after making love—
She almost stopped breathing as an image flashed in her mind. The memory didn’t surprise her. More than that, she wanted to relive it. To prove to herself that it wasn’t her imagination.
Cora set a pottle of syrup on the table with one hand and poured coffee from the pot in her other hand. “And before you ask, Abe’s not holding you responsible for the loss of two carafes of coffee or the mess created.” She leaned forward to add, “That’s my burden to bear. And if truth be told, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Now I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. If you need anything, just give me a wave.”
Juda studied Cayn’s face as he watched the woman leave. An amused smile touched his lips. Lips she wanted to kiss but something held her back.
He looked back at her. “I can see why these people have come to mean much to you.”
“I wish there was a way…we…could stay here,” Juda confessed as she watched him take a sip of his coffee.
“As do I,” he admitted, setting his cup down before reaching for the syrup. “But you know that is not feasible. Goen will not stop until I am dead.” Cutting into his stack of flapjacks, he forked some into his mouth. “Umm. Good.”
“As is all the food here.” She took a bite. It seemed Abe had outdone himself.
They continued to eat with little conversation, but it felt natural. As if this was the way they normally dined. Not rushed, but not slowly, either. Cora returned once without their asking for a coffee refill. They were almost finished when the little bell above the door jangled again. Cayn glanced up to see if it was someone coming or going. Juda felt him nudge her with his elbow.
Sheriff Conroy sidled up to their table and slid into the booth seat across from them. “After what you’ve been through, I thought I’d come here instead of making you return to the office.” He held up a hand. “Before you ask, Goen is awake and pissed. Dr. Hillie checked him out and believes he has a slight concussion and a broken nose, but nothing serious. I told Doc I wasn’t about to let him leave to go to the clinic for x-rays. Doc agreed, considering what the guy tried to do.”
Cayn snorted. “Let me guess. He pretended to be unconscious and tried to attack him.”
Conroy chuckled. “Right on the nose. I’m guessing Goen checked to see if his arms were tied down, but he didn’t think about his feet. When Doc bent over him, the guy tried to kick him, or roll over, or something.” The man shook his head. “Didn’t work. You shoulda seen the look on his face.”
“Care for some coffee?” a familiar voice inquired. Cora laughed. “What a silly question. Of course you do.” The sheriff thanked her as she poured him a cup.
“What are you going to do with him, Sheriff?” Juda spoke up, resuming their conversation once the woman was out of earshot.
