Page 15 of High Country Escape

“I’m worried for you. And Aaron said I should watch my back. Ledger knows I saw him.”

She sagged back against the sofa cushions, weak at the realization of the truth of his words. “I’m sure it was me he was interested in,” she said. “If it even was Ledger I saw.”

He sat beside her, then, his hand resting near hers, but not touching. “Why would he come after you, after so many years?”

“I’m not sure. Except...” She knotted her hands together, trying to find words for the jumbled thoughts that had beentumbling in her head since yesterday. “He always talked of me and Alice as belonging to him. Not as if we were his children, but his possessions. He owned us and we owed him for taking care of us.”

He tensed, his fingers digging into the sofa cushion. “That’s sick.”

She nodded. “The one time he said anything to me after I escaped, he said, ‘How could you leave me when I gave you everything?’ Maybe that’s what’s driving him now. He thinks of me as his and he wants me back.”

“He can’t have you.”

The declaration was so forceful it surprised her. Dalton Ames hardly knew her. But at the same time, she was touched by his protectiveness. She brushed her fingers against the back of his hand, like a child daring herself to get too close to a hot stove. Dalton’s skin didn’t burn her, but she felt the heat of him moving through her, the thrill of the contact awakening parts of her too-long dormant. “Thank you. I don’t intend to let him have me.”

He relaxed a little and turned to look at her again. “How do you think he found you? Aaron said you changed your name, and you just arrived in Eagle Mountain.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he was following me, but I think I would have noticed. I’m really careful about things like that. And maybe it wasn’t even him. Maybe I just imagined it was him.”

“You didn’t imagine someone running you off the road,” he said. “It would be a big coincidence to have a complete stranger do that. Do you really think it wasn’t Ledger?”

She shook her head. “I knew it was him the moment our eyes met. The way he looked at me, and his smile...” She shuddered.

Dalton put his arm around her. The gesture surprised her, but it had been so natural and, well, kind. He struck her as the type who would patiently listen to lonely people talk for hours or be quick to comfort a child. She leaned against him, bracedby his solid form. This was exactly what she needed, to feel that there was something strong between her and danger. But after a moment she forced herself to pull away. She couldn’t afford to depend on Dalton. It wasn’t fair to involve him in her problems.

He looked around the room. “How are you going to protect yourself, out here alone?” he asked.

She credited having a brother who was a cop with inspiring this question. “There are heavy-duty locks on the doors and windows,” she said. She had considered installing an alarm system, but living so far from town, she wasn’t sure how useful such a system would be. “I have a brown belt in jujitsu, and I have a gun. And the sheriff has promised to have deputies patrol in the area regularly.”

“Okay, I’ll admit I’m impressed.” He grinned, and the expression was genuine. They locked eyes and she vibrated with awareness. What had May said—smolder? She felt as if she might give off sparks at any moment.

Then a sound distracted her. “Someone’s coming,” she said, and jumped up and hurried to check the window.

Chapter Five

A black Volkswagen Beetle trundled up the driveway. Roxanne frowned. “What is she doing here?” she asked.

The car stopped and Debra climbed out. She swept her long hair over her shoulder and assessed the home, a closed-mouth smile forming dimples in her cheeks.

“Are you two friends?” Dalton asked.

“No. We met at the coffee shop. But I don’t want to talk to her.” Had she come to ask about her sister again? Roxanne couldn’t help her. Worse, she didn’t want to help her.

Debra strode to the door and knocked.

“I’ll get rid of her,” Dalton said. Before Roxanne could object, he opened the door.

Debra took a step back, surprise transforming her face for a moment, making her look more vulnerable and older. But the sly expression soon returned. “What are you doing here?” she asked Dalton.

“What areyoudoing here?” he asked.

“I heard Roxanne was in an accident. I wanted to see how she’s doing. Is she in there?” She looked past him. “Hi, Roxanne. Are you okay?” And then she shoved a startled Dalton out of the way and came to stand in front of Roxanne. “I figure us newcomers to town need to stick together.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine,” Roxanne said.

“What happened? I noticed your car isn’t out front. Was it totaled? Were you hurt?”

Roxanne stepped back. “I don’t want to talk about it. How did you find out where I live?” She had welcomed Dalton’s sudden appearance, but now that Debra was here, she was questioning her choice of new home. True, Eagle Mountain was a small town, but she hadn’t realized it would be so easy for anyone at all to track her down.