Promises (13 page)

“Well, you’ve really screwed things up this time, Reid.”
 
Their lives depended on his ability to keep his mind on his job, not on how sweet she tasted.
 
How perfect she felt in his arms.
 
He couldn’t let his feelings interfere.
 
Not this time.
 

He rubbed the back of his neck.
 
His head pounded, his leg throbbed, and an odd pressure he was determined to ignore, sat on his chest.
 

Turning, he headed for a cold shower.
 
Stripping out of his clothes, he contemplated the facts, as he knew them.
 
Bobbi had to go with him.
 
Steele’s men would be back after combing the area within a five-mile radius.
 
Ballard had a nose for finding what he wanted, and he wanted Bobbi.
 

“So do I.”
 
The cold spray pounded on the back of his neck, drowning out his words, and barely cooling the heat burning inside him.
 
He needed to work fast, but how to convince her to leave?
 
She’d fight him every step of the way.
 
Something he hadn’t anticipated.
 
A few soft reassuring words after giving her the terrible news about her brother, and he figured she’d follow him anywhere.
 
Just like she had when she was a kid.

What a crock.
 
He should’ve remembered how stubborn she could be.
 
That much hadn’t changed.
 
But if he couldn’t get her to go with him willingly, he’d have to take her by force.
 
Not an option he cared to exercise.
 
Her furry companion wouldn’t idly stand by and watch him truss her up and carrying her off.
 
Not to mention, his leg wouldn’t take the rousing wrestling match that was sure to ensue.
 

He smiled at the thought then quickly shook it off.
 
That kind of thinking was what drove him to the shower in the first place, and at the moment she hated his guts.
 
A fact that turned him colder than the icy water beating against his heated skin.
 

Somehow that slip of a woman had managed to break the hard outer layer he constantly kept around his heart and eased stealthily in between the cracks.
 
Or had she been there all along since the first time he met her with her hair up in pigtails and her mouth full of metal?

He forced his attention back to their situation.
 
Thinking sappy thoughts about Bobbi wouldn’t get the job done.
 
Steele’s men had plenty of other areas to cover before they circled back around, which meant he could wait a day or two, giving his leg a chance to get stronger.
 
It would also give him time to work on Bobbi, regain her trust, and help her deal with her denial of Jase’s death.
 

“Just a little time.
 
That’s all I need.”
 
And that’s all he had.

Satisfied with his plan, he finished his shower and headed for the kitchen to fix a chilled meat salad.
 
He went about setting the table hoping Bobbi would decide to join him.
 
As he turned to get the last of the silverware, she calmly stepped inside and took a seat.

He kept quiet as they ate, running over his plans again and again, but found his eyes focused on her mouth, battling the urge to pull her into his arms for another searing kiss.
 
One that would put a pink flush in her cheeks and quicken her breath.
 
But her safety was his number one priority, not the color of her skin, not the enticing taste of her lips, not the soft sweet smell of her hair.
 
No, he wouldn’t think of those things.
 
Only of getting her to safety.

“We need to talk,” he said.
 

Her fork hung in mid-air for a moment then stabbed ruthlessly at her food.
 

He continued in the wake of her silence.
 
“I didn’t pretend anything.
 
The only lie was not confessing that I knew who you were.”
 

Not an eyelash flicker, not a hint of understanding, nothing.
 
She simply continued eating with her gaze trained on her plate.
 

“I probably shouldn’t have kissed you, but I did.
 
I’m sorry.
 
It won’t happen again.
 
I promise I won’t touch you.”
 
A sense of despair settled over him.
 
Not kissing her, not holding her, would be the hardest thing he ever had to do, but he had no choice.

With a soft sigh, she laid her fork aside and lifted her head.
 
She probed deeply with her eyes, looking into his very soul for the truth.
 
“Did you come looking for me to tell me about Jason?”

Good, now they could move ahead.
 
“Yes.
 
You’ve got to see that if I came this close to finding you, it’s only a matter of time before they will.”

“They were the ones who shot you, weren’t they?”

He nodded.
 
“I was looking for information regarding your disappearance.
 
I thought you were dead.”
 
To think he might never have found her, held her, kissed her.
 

Gritting his teeth, he took a steadying breath.
 
“They caught up with me in Gator Creek.
 
Apparently they think the Bureau has you under protective custody and thought I’d lead them to you.
 
They seem to want you pretty bad.
 
You want to tell me why?”

“No.”
 
She returned her gaze to her plate and resumed eating.
 

Taking another bite of his salad, he’d known getting to the bottom of things would be difficult, and Bobbi had proven she could be as stubborn as a world-class mule, but he hadn’t expected her to blatantly refuse to trust him.
 
Then again, he only had himself to blame.
 
What did he expect?
 
His track record on trust looked pretty sad at the moment.

He chose another tactic.
 
“I’m guessing Jase told you something or gave you something very important to them.
 
What I don’t understand is why he put you in danger.
 
It’s not like
—
it wasn’t like Jase to screw up.”
 
He sighed at the reminded loss.

Her head jerked up and her eyes filled with a familiar fire.
 
“He’s not dead, and he didn’t screw up.”

“Bobbi, you have to face the facts.”

“The facts are he’s missing, and you’re not looking for him.
 
You didn’t find me.
 
It was a coincidence you came across this cabin.”

He didn’t believe in coincidences and suspected she didn’t either, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember how he got there.
 
When his thoughts weren’t dwelling on the mess they were in or how badly he wanted her back in his arms, he racked his brain trying to remember how he’d ended up on her living room floor.
 
Unanswered questions were his least favorite thing.
 
Many of which only she could answer.
 

He didn’t want to push, but he had no choice.
 
“What do you have?
 
What do you know?
 
Tell me, Bobbi.”

“No.
 
I promised Jason I wouldn’t say anything, and I intend to keep that promise.”

“Well, I promised him I’d take care of you whether you like it or not, and that means getting you out of here and to someplace safe.”
 
He noted the set of her jaw as she prepared to do battle.
 
God, he admired her strength.
 
He had never met a woman so determined.

“I’ll drive you into Gator Creek tonight, but that’s as far as I go,” she said.

Oh, no.
 
She couldn’t get rid of him that easily.
 
He planned on sticking by her every minute until he could hand her off to someone else.
 
“I can’t leave tonight.
 
Steele’s men are probably still in town.
 
I’ll have to stay here for a few more days.”

“Fine.”
 
Mumbling something about going back out to work, she rose, placed her plate on the counter, and left.

A few days passed with barely a word spoken between them.
 
Bobbi missed their talks and the teasing, but it was for the best.
 
Soon, he’d be gone, and she could forget all about him.
 
Although, she’d have to reacquaint herself with the kitchen.
 

While she worked on her carving, he did all the cooking.
 
He really was a fabulous cook, she thought as she tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable in the guest bed.
 
He claimed she’d be safer on the second floor, so they hadn’t switched rooms.

“Safe,” she mumbled.
 

She would never be safe with him in the house.
 
He was dangerous to her in every way imaginable.
 
Especially after his supposed confession.
 
Had he really wanted to kiss her?
 
If she believed him, it would only serve to make matters worse.
 
Yet she couldn’t help hoping he told the truth.
 

But believe him or not, it really didn’t matter.
 
She still craved his kisses and the gentle touch of his hands sliding across her skin.
 
She craved it so much she hurt.

She punched the pillows and grumbled under breath.
 
Why did the bed feel so uncomfortable?
 
She flopped her head down on the pillow and groaned.
 

Because of him, naturally.
 
His firm, strong body wasn’t pressed against her back, keeping her safe and warm.
 
His arms weren’t wrapped around her holding her close and rubbing the tender surface of her stomach.
 
As every night before, lying in the big empty bed, the loneliness wrapped around her like a shroud.
 

“Oh, stop wishing for things that can’t be.”
 
She gave the pillow another hard smack.
 

Taking several deep breaths, she worked on calming herself by concentrating on the many projects in her shop.
 
An old gnome for a pipe, a new fairy she’d thought up for a child’s light switch plate.
 
Her mental tally of awaiting tasks halted at the feel of her thumb stroking her bottom lip renewing the memory of his kiss, the heat of his lips against hers, the feel of his tongue gliding into her mouth.
 

She sighed.
 
If only he were someone else.
 
Anyone but Travis Reid, FBI agent.
 

If only she were someone else.
 
Someone other than Barbara McBride, his best friend’s sister.
 
Travis shifted to his side, grimacing at the ache in his leg.
 
He sucked in a deep breath then instantly regretted it.
 
Although the sheets were fresh, the bedspread, the room, the very air around him smelled of her.
 

The pain eased and a new one began.
 
The kind of pain only a woman, only Bobbi, could alleviate.
 
Grumbling, he shifted again.
 
How was he going to get her out of his mind?
 
Out of his every waking thought?
 
Out of his dreams!

Trying once again to focus on his work, he let his eyes close and the cool evening air wash over his heated body.
 
He had to get her into safe hands.
 
Then he could go after Steele.
 
He owed it to Jase.
 

As the sun crested the horizon, he eased into the kitchen to make a phone call.
 
Something he should have done the minute he’d identified his beautiful caretaker, but he’d let his feelings for her cloud his judgment, not to mention a major headache.
 
He probably couldn’t have even made it to the telephone.
 
Nor could he have made the call without power.
 
Both pathetic cop-outs.
 
His leg had improved and the power restored.
 
He’d even had his little chat with the sheriff the day before about the so-called hunters mistaking him for a deer, meaning all of his excuses were used up.
 

A steady dial tone greeted him as he lifted the receiver and started punching in numbers, not giving the slightest bit of concern to the hour.
 
FBI agents were on call twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year.
 

As the phone rang, his wandering mind plucked an image from his restless sleep.
 
An image of Bobbi curled up beside him.
 
He’d tossed and turned for most of the night, as he had every night, and wondered if she had too.
 
There was no denying the fact she felt the same attraction.
 
He’d seen it in her eyes and felt it in her kiss, which made keeping away from her that much harder and all the more reason to make the call.

“Baker,” a gruff voice said through the phone.

“This is Reid, sir.
 
I’m sorry to wake you, but I have a situation.”
 

He explained as quickly and efficiently as possible what had occurred.
 
He also made it clear Bobbi would not appreciate the Bureau’s protection.
 
After a dressing down regarding his unofficial investigation into Jase’s death, his boss finally capitulated, and told him he would make the arrangements for Bobbi to stay at a safe house.