Page 7 of The Prey (The Hillers of Barratt County #6)

The shapeless business suit was back, he saw first thing Monday morning. Hudson fought the rush of irritation seeing the plain brown brought. The beautiful, open, loving woman he had not been able to stop thinking about for days had disappeared again. Hiding.

This woman was in her place. He was in a foul mood all damned morning because of it.

And distracted. By her.

After about two hours he decided he found this Giavonna just as fascinating, in a puzzle kind of way.

She was most comfortable with Shayna, the slightly older woman who had hired on a year or so after Gia had. Gia worked with Mike when needed, but she kept a physical distance between them that she didn’t between herself and Shayna. They had two clerks, and three paralegals. Three were male.

She kept the men at a distance, too.

It was almost like she felt insecure interacting with the men. He’d seen Hala do that before, after what had happened to her with her ex-boyfriend. Nervous.

But with Gia, it was more than that…

It took him another hour to figure it out.

Gia was afraid. Of something. Something at the office specifically.

And it had to do with men.

He must have sat there in shock for fifteen minutes when that realization hit.

What in the hell had happened to her to make her that afraid?

Hudson kept himself fully informed on everything that happened in the county attorney’s office.

It was his damned job, after all. Nothing that he could recall had happened there to make her so afraid.

There had been one defendant two years ago who had threatened her and Shayna physically.

Hudson had switched them for Mike at their request. But that guy was still in prison.

Hudson had confirmed it that morning, just to make sure.

He was more consumed with thoughts of her than his upcoming meeting with the public defender’s office. The woman…kept distracting him. In multiple ways.

Half the day was gone before he got himself back on track.

His lunch date arrived and was waiting for him in the bullpen area. Hudson swore and stood—he liked to keep the office on as much of a schedule as he could. It didn’t always happen. Today, that was most certainly his doing. And his date was on a limited schedule of her own.

Hala was sitting on the middle of Gia’s desk, chattering away.

Gia was smiling.

He loved it when she smiled.

The woman had the most gorgeous smile of any woman he had ever seen. Movement behind Gia’s knees caught his attention. Brown curls, familiar ones. His own son was right there. Under Gia’s desk. Looking out and grinning wickedly like he’d managed a miraculous task.

Ryan was probably up to something. His kid usually was. He’d gotten a mischievous soul from his Aunt Hala, after all.

Hudson had arranged a playdate for Ryan with the boy down the road, since there was a half day for students district-wide, including the optional preschool Ryan attended, but Hala had said she’d probably have to go back for staff meetings this afternoon.

Apparently his plans for Ryan had fallen through.

Which meant—he probably needed to find a babysitter, fast. Or Ryan would be hanging out at the prosecutor’s office for the next…

five hours. That was far too long for his son to be there.

He stepped out of his office. Ryan came stomping over.

Hudson was seriously going to be glad when his cast and that damned boot were gone.

He scooped his son up and hugged him, mindful of the plaster on his own arm.

He’d clunked Ryan in the head with it once before—right after his son had kicked him with that damned boot.

They’d both laughed, but that boot hurt.

“Daddy! Aunt Hala and the other teachers gots to go home early, too! And Jimmy’s daddy hurt his hand at work and Jimmy’s mommy had to take him to the hospital and so I couldn’t go there no more today.

So I’m with Aunt Hala today instead, okay?

She wants us to take you to lunch today, okay?

But can Miss Gia come, too? I missed her lots after we went home. ”

His daddy had missed Gia, too. He looked at her, into those eyes that could destroy a man. “If she wants. I’d like that.”

She shot him a wary look. Mistrusting. “I think Aunt Hala wanted it to be Hanans only, pal.”

Ryan squirmed. Hudson put him down.

She was going to retreat, he just knew it. Well, Hudson wasn’t going to let that happen. “Nonsense, let us buy you lunch. For taking such good care of us last week.”

“Come on, Gia. Save me from these guys,” Hala added.

Ryan started doing the kid begging. Gia was a sucker for it, Hudson had seen that before. Then she had his son in her arms, just hugging him close.

Yes, he found work-Gia just as fascinating as home-Gia. He found her fascinating when she was arguing with him, when she was holding his son, when she was just right there, breathing next to him.

Why hadn’t he figured this out before ?

Three years wasted. Arguing. He’d been an idiot. A clueless idiot.

She’d been right there across the office from him this whole time. Just right there. And he’d been too stupid to see her, the real her.

He was such an idiot.

“Okay…”

But she still shot Hudson a look like she didn’t trust him at all. What was he going to have to do to fix what had happened between them?

He drove. Hala climbed into the backseat with Ryan, telling Ryan that since Gia was their guest, she should ride in the front seat with Hudson. That was the polite thing to do.

But he suspected Gia would have preferred to be in the backseat, with Ryan as a buffer between them.

A thrill of anticipation at the hunt went right through him as he strategized on the short drive to the diner. He was going to have to get her alone, for one thing. Somehow.

That was going to take some ingenuity.

He wanted to take her to the Barratt Resort first, he decided. There was an orchestra at the Barratt on the weekends. Dancing. Waltzing, that kind of thing.

He would love to hold her close like that.

He was practically whistling when he pulled in to the diner.

If it was a real date, he’d go around the front of the truck and help her out. He didn’t dare now. She’d be on to him far too fast, if he did.

As it was, she was sending him little looks. Like she knew he was planning something. He was. He most definitely was.

Ryan wanted her attention at the diner, and she seemed more than happy to give it to Hudson’s son, and his sister.

He loved watching her with Ryan. She was so open with him, in a way that was beautiful.

She and Hala were very good friends. Not just friends because of Greer, either.

That was something he hadn’t been aware of until the night of Hala’s date with Sandoval while Hudson had been recovering at the ranch.

Jessica, one of the waitresses who had always seemed a bit grasping where wealthy men were concerned, smiled at him as she brought him another soda. She always had tried to get his attention. She had to be around Gia’s age or so, he thought.

She practically ignored Hala, and gave cursory attention to Ryan. She was almost snide with Gia.

Hala leaned forward after she was gone. “I see she still hates your guts.”

Gia looked at Ryan, who was busy coloring his children’s menu and not paying attention. “Pining for Grady, maybe?”

“Poor thing. I mean Grady, and since your brother irritates the bananas out of me, that is saying a lot. That woman is a barracuda.”

“More of a piranha. Definitely. I believe she thinks I was solely responsible for what happened, but it was Genny’s idea, really.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m missing something?” He wanted Gia to look at him. He was pitiful here. “What did Genny do?”

“Called Jessica’s husband at the time , and told him Grady was threatening a restraining order if Jessica tried to grope him like that ever again.

Which really wasn’t that far from the truth, actually.

That girl would not stop pawing my poor, innocent big brother like that. We may have gone a bit overboard.”

“That was absolutely hilarious,” Hala said, giving the diabolical grin Ryan had also inherited. “I was in town with Greer. We figured out what to say and do to save the lunkhead. He can be totally clueless where women are concerned.”

“He always is, poor guy. We shouldn’t tease him like we do, but.

.. But he’s very sweet and kind, and a little shy, actually.

When he finally does marry a woman, he’ll adore her, and pamper her ridiculously, and completely drive her crazy.

But…she’ll always feel safe with him. He’d cut off his own arm before he hurt someone he loves—especially women. He’s been that way since…Greer.”

Hala got quiet for a moment, then she finally said something about that. “I’m sure he will.”

Talk turned to Chantal and Genny and whether they were going to have a double wedding or not.

And then they were talking about their friends Aubrey and Ayla.

And speculating about just what was going on with Gunn and the little blonde.

No one knew what was going on there at all—Hudson definitely didn’t, though he thought Gunn had a thing for her.

Ryan ended up on Gia’s lap, while Hala stepped up to the counter to speak with a former classmate and take care of the bill with the card Hudson gave her.

Somehow, Ryan got Gia’s hair undone, and was running sticky fingers through it, while he snuggled closer.

“I’m sleepy. I like it when you hold me. You smell pretty.”

“He’s still not sleeping well because of the cast,” Hudson said. “I can take him.”

“I don’t mind.” She settled Ryan expertly in her lap and rocked gently. Ryan’s hand tangled in the lapel of that stupid brown jacket of hers.

“He’s getting pancake syrup all over your jacket.” He liked seeing the two of them like that, with his sister, too. The people who mattered most to him, right there in front of him. Nothing could replace that feeling.

“It’ll wash.” Her arms tightened on Ryan in a way that melted Hudson straight through. “They are only this little for a short while.”

“I know.” He definitely wanted more kids. With a woman he trusted to love them as much as he would. In that moment, Hudson knew exactly what he wanted going forward.

Hudson wasn’t used to hesitating when he knew something was right. Call it gut or intuition, but it hadn’t ever served him wrong.

Lunch ended quicker than he wanted. He had a meeting in thirty minutes and needed to prep for it. Hala was going to take Ryan back to Hudson’s place and stay for dinner. Gia stood, Ryan almost asleep in her arms. Hudson put his hand on her back, to steady her.

His hand lingered. Hell, he just couldn’t help himself.

He wanted to touch her. He pulled her closer when a crowd of retirees came by, chattering.

He smiled when one older man turned to him and told him he had a beautiful family, so quietly Gia didn’t hear, while she was speaking with a woman she knew at the next table.

Hudson thanked the man softly. Then looked at her, when she turned back toward him, a question in her eyes.

He wanted the right to kiss the hell out of her right there for the entire town to see. He wanted to shout that Giavonna Hiller was going to be his, no matter what.

What in the hell had the woman done to him? Sexual attraction—yes, he’d rather not missed that. But this? This felt so much more than that.