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“Because you want to protect me?” she questioned suspiciously.

“Yep.” I wasn’t going to lie to her. I liked having a dog, but my motivation to get one revolved around Reese’s safety right now.

“Don’t do it,” she warned. “I’ll use the security system. I’m not letting you get a dog just to protect me. I’m here willingly. I didn’t fight you about coming here because I always feel safer when I’m with you. But I’m putting my foot down on this one.”

“We’ll see,” I said noncommittally. Ihadgotten what I wanted now that she’d agreed to come stay with me. I didn’t want to push my luck, but I wanted to keep my future protection possibilities open.

“I keep hoping all of this will be over soon,” Reese murmured. “I’ve been terrified since the day Burke burst into our medical office. It’s been like a nightmare that never ends.”

“Are you still scared?” I asked her.

She took a deep breath. “I hate to admit it, but almost all the time. I’m always hyper aware of my surroundings and looking over my shoulder. Rationally, I know that Crystal Fork is a safe place and that I’m well-hidden here under a new identity, but I’m never quite comfortable. I’m probably the most relaxed when I’m here with you.”

That was probably incredibly normal when you knew there was someone out there who wanted you dead. No matter how well she’d been hidden.

“I’m always a little edgy,” she continued. “I hate the sound of gunshots or anything that sounds like one, and I still have nightmares occasionally about the shooting. I probably still have a little PTSD that I’ve never been able to deal with because I can’t talk to anyone.”

No wonder she hadn’t wanted to learn how to use a gun.

It was a helpless feeling for me to know that Reese needed some help coping with her past trauma but couldn’t get the help she needed.

“Until you can get some trauma counseling, talk to me,” I insisted. “I can’t give you much advice, but I can listen. You have someone other than Ralph to talk to now.”

“I adore him,” she shared. “He’s done so much for me, but he is a no-nonsense kind of guy. He’s not exactly someone I’d talk to about my trauma.”

“You can tell me anything,” I said, and I meant it.

If Reese needed me, I was going to be there for her.

“I guess I’m going to have to earn your trust back before we can truly be friends again,” Reese mused.

“You don’t owe me anything,” I growled. “You did what you had to do for your safety. You never intentionally lied to me, Reese. I trust you, but I want to get to know you more now that everything is out in the open. I admire what you did for Gloria today. I didn’t see it, but I could hear you from outside the booth. I didn’t let Ralph chase me away. You were pretty calm when you decided their lives were more important than your safety. Doing a high-risk delivery in the middle of a park is pretty ballsy, but it never seemed to faze you. I don’t know that part of you. We don’t have to start over. I just want to get to know the parts of you that I don’t know yet.”

“I want that, too,” she said with a small yawn.

I got up with her still in my arms. “You’re tired. It’s getting late. Let’s get you to bed. It’s been a long day for you.”

Reese was probably exhausted emotionally and physically after what happened at the park and all of the talk about her past today.

From now on, I considered it my privilege to take care of Reese Monroe, and I was going to take that job very seriously.

“My bag,” she said sleepily.

I scooped up the small suitcase I’d brought in and put it on her lap.

“You’re not seriously going to carry me and this suitcase up all of those stairs,” she said, alarmed.

I grinned at her. “Now that you said that I’m tempted to do it, but I do have an elevator that goes up.”

“Use it, please,” she said. “I don’t want you to end up with a hernia.”

For all her talk of extra pounds, Reese was a small woman, and she hadn’t brought much with her. I could easily carry her up the steps, but I got into the elevator to make her happy.

“I’ve never seen the upstairs area of your home,” she commented.

I found that interesting since she’d had every opportunity to look around while I was out of town.

“I’m putting you in the bedroom right next to mine,” I informed her. “If you ever need me, I’m out the door and to the right.”