Promises (16 page)

“You okay?”

His soft voice pierced her solemn mood.
 
Glancing at him over her shoulder, she nodded.
 

“Bobbi, I wish there was something I could do to change things.”

“It’s not your fault.
 
I knew someday I’d have to leave.
 
I just thought it would be with Jason.”
 

She felt him step up behind her and thought he might take her in his arms like he did in her workshop, but instead he stood silently behind her.
 
The heat of his body permeated her shirt.
 
She could feel his breath brushing the back of her neck.
 
He was so close and yet so very far away.
 

What would happen if she turned around?
 
Would he hold her, kiss her, make love to her?

“I guess I’d better get back to fixing dinner,” he said softly and moved away.

The moment lost, she gulped in a lung full of air, unaware she’d stopped breathing, waiting and hoping for something to happen.
 
Damn her optimistic heart.
 

Rising with the sun after getting little to no sleep thinking about their unfinished kiss, Bobbi slipped into her clothes.
 
All through dinner, she’d found herself watching his lips and wondering.
 
Each kiss left her dizzy with longing.
 
Would all his kisses be like that?
 

With a sigh, she tossed her toothbrush into her open suitcase, finished packing, and then went downstairs to the living room.
 
Stepping over a sleeping Rocky, who seemed to be torn between whom he should sleep with, grated against her already raw nerves.
 

“Traitor,” she mumbled.
 

Assuming Travis still slept, she silently went down the hall for a glass of juice and whatever else she could find to eat.
 
Her live-in chef had tried to use up everything in the fridge the day before so there wouldn’t be anything left to spoil.
 
She seriously doubted as much as a cracker was left in the place.

Finding enough juice to settle her grumbling stomach, she pulled out a glass and set it on the counter.

“You’re up early,” he said, as he stepped into the kitchen.

She jumped, nearly spilling her pittance of a meal.
 
“Would you stop sneaking up on me?”

“Sorry,” he chuckled, the humor not quite reaching his eyes.
 
“You about ready to go?”

“Yes.
 
I wanted something in my stomach first.”

“We’ll stop for a bite down the road.
 
I’ll go put your bag in the Jeep.”

The tension hovered in the air after he left the room.
 
She knew he was worried about Steele’s men, but couldn’t squash the tiny bit of hope that maybe he too felt sad about leaving the cabin, their private little world.
 

“Yeah, right,” she mumbled.
 
They’d shared a few kisses, a close call with the bad guys, and a couple of meals together.
 
Not exactly the making of a perfect lovers’ holiday.
 

Well, there was the night they slept beside one another on the floor and the night she’d curled up beside him during the storm.
 
Both times his arms wrapped around her making her feel cherished.
 
Yet, two innocent nights together did not a relationship make, her common sense interjected, and her heart felt sick at the thought.

Travis lifted his face to the overcast sky barely visible through the forest canopy.
 
Only the noises of nature broke the stillness, but he liked the quiet.
 
Being a city boy, born and bred, the woods were a new experience for him.
 
A good experience.
 
One he could get used to.
 
He was going to miss the little piece of paradise.

Looking back to the cabin, thoughts of domesticity glimmered in the corner of his mind.
 
He cared about Bobbi in a way he’d never cared for anyone else.
 
More than just someone under his protection, more than just his best friend’s sister.
 
A lot more.
 
Maybe more than
—
no, he wouldn’t think about Sylvia.

The sounds of the forest drew his gaze away from the cabin as a Robert Frost poem came to mind.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep,” he muttered.
 

Only one promise.
 
One he couldn’t
—
wouldn’t break.
 
He hadn’t been there for Jase, but he’d make damn sure that Bobbi was safe.
 
He’d keep his promise to his friend, no matter the cost.

With a heavy sigh, he walked to the Jeep and tossed her bag in the back.
 
Until now, he hadn’t realized how tired he really was.
 
How much he craved to reach the end of those weary miles.

Maybe living on the edge wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be.
 
The more he thought about it, the more settling down didn’t sound so bleak after all.
 
Maybe someday, maybe with Bobbi
—
he shook his head.
 
No, not today, not with Bobbi.
 
Maybe not ever.
 
Sylvia had taught him too well.
 
Give your heart to someone, and it’s liable to get broken.

The drooling fur ball climbed into the back seat, signaling that his owner was not far behind.
 
Travis watched her walk slowly toward him.
 
Her melancholy mood hung in the air around her.
 
If only there was another way.

Letting go of his futile thoughts, he slipped behind the wheel and instantly knew he had made a mistake.
 

She stopped in front of the Jeep, her hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips.
 
“I’ll drive.”
 

Not wanting to get her temper riled so early in the morning, he quietly climbed out and went around to the passenger side.

“I have to go to the post office first.
 
Then we’ll go to Joe’s.”

Her tone told him she would brook no arguments on the subject, so he kept his mouth closed.
 
Not too simple a task, but it was the only way he would succeed in getting her to the safe house in one piece.
 

When she had quizzed him earlier about their destination, he managed to avoid a direct answer, but sooner or later he would have to tell her.
 
Keeping her in a good mood as long as possible would hopefully lessen the amount of ranting and raving she would do when the time came.

They rode in silence to the post office.
 
As Travis climbed out of the Jeep and fell into step beside her, his beautiful hand-carved gift aiding him, he scanned the area for anything suspicious, but saw nothing unusual.

“Don’t you think you should stay in the car?
 
Someone might see you,” she said.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight or my reach.
 
And that beast of yours is sucking up all the oxygen in there.”
 
He clasped his hand around her elbow.
 
“I doubt anyone will recognize me with this beard, anyway.”
 
Which itched like crazy. The first chance he got when they were safely away, it was coming off.

“Fine.
 
Suit yourself,” she grumbled.

As they crossed the sidewalk, he heard someone calling Bobbi’s assumed name.
 
Jerking his head around, he caught sight of the doctor coming toward them.
 
“What is it with that guy?
 
Doesn’t he have patients to see or something?”
 

“Hush, he’ll hear you.”

“I don’t care if
—
humph.”
 
Her sharp jab to his ribs cut off his reply.

“Hello, Jill.”
 
The affectionate look on the doctor’s face as he stopped in front of them turned Travis’ stomach along with the rapidly familiar feeling of jealousy.
 
She wasn’t his.
 
He couldn’t have her.
 
So why did he find himself constantly thinking the opposite?
 

“Hello, Ted.”

The stupid smile on the man’s face waned only slightly as he pulled his gaze from Bobbi.
 
“Glad to see you’re up and about.
 
Leg feeling better?”

“Fine, thanks.”
 
Travis clutched his cane tighter, angry with himself for being jealous, and fed-up with Bobbi’s long-legged admirer.

“Are you enjoying your vacation?”

He forced a smile to his face.
 
“I am, but it’s come to an end, I’m afraid.
 
Jill and I are headed out.”
 
He wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing her to his side.
 
“Aren’t we, honey?”

“Um, yes.
 
Yes, we are.”
 
She smiled cheerily, but there was definitely murder in her false blue eyes.

“Well, I’d better get to the clinic,” the doctor said casually.
 
“I hope you have a safe trip.”
 

“Thank you,” she said.
 
“And Ted?”

He paused as he moved past them and looked back over his shoulder.

“Tell Leanne hello for me,” Bobbi said with a grin.

The doctor’s mouth opened a fraction then closed with a warm smile.
 
“I’ll do that,” he said with a nod then continued down the walk.

The moment he was out of sight, Bobbi turned her fury on Travis.
 
“Why couldn’t you’ve stayed in the Jeep?”
 
She tried to shrug off his arm, but he only tightened his grip.

“What’s the matter?
 
Did I throw a kink into your love life?” he asked, although he couldn’t quite figure out why the good doctor wasn’t as upset about Bobbi leaving with him as he thought he would be.

“Oh, for the love of
—
”
 
She hurried into the post office, leaving him to follow.

He knew he was acting like a class A jerk, but he couldn’t help himself.
 
In seconds, he was by her side, shadowing her through the building as she posted her packages.
 
Perhaps she really was interested in the doctor, but he couldn’t do anything about that right now.
 
They had to leave town.

“You’re just mad because he gave up so easily,” he said teasingly, hoping to hide how much the thought of her with someone else ate at him.

“The only person I’m mad at is you.”
 

As she retrieved her mail from her post office box, he leaned against the wall measuring her anger.
 
“You really like him, don’t you?”
 

She slammed the little metal door closed.
 
“Who I like or don’t like is none of your business.”

He grinned broadly as they stepped back outside.
 
He did so love how her face colored up when she was riled, and he’d stake his best soufflé recipe that she wasn’t interested in good ole’ Doctor Stamens.
 

“I’m willing to wager he doesn’t make you feel the way I do when he kisses you,” he tossed out casually.
 

Spinning around, nearly knocking him over with her suitcase of a pocketbook, she thrust her finger into his chest, her lips scant inches from his.
 

“I don’t feel anything where you’re concerned except irritated.”
 

The fire in her eyes, the berrylike scent he would always associate with her, set off a chain reaction he had no way of stopping.
 

Snagging her wrist, he twisted her around and pinned her to the outside wall of the building with his body, ignoring his brain’s repeated warnings to back off.
 
Flames licked his skin where they touched, incinerating the last of his good sense.
 

“I know for a fact that your pulse races and your breath quickens when I get close to you.
 
When I touch you.
 
Just like it is now.”

She thrust out her chin, trying to look down her adorable little nose at him.
 
“You’re imagining things.”
 

“Then I’ve got one hell of an imagination.”
 
He pressed his mouth to hers and drank from her lips, savoring their rare flavor.
 
Every stroke of his tongue dueling with hers fed the flames.
 
God, would he ever tire of tasting her?
 

Slowly, torturously, he lifted his lips from hers.
 
“Tell me you prefer his kisses, bright eyes.”

Someone bumped him from behind.
 

“Sorry,” an aging mailman with a large bag said cheerfully.

Turning his head to tell the postman what he could do with his apology, Bobbi slipped from his grasp and hurried to the Jeep.
 
He muttered a curse, as he hobbled after her.
 
Once again he didn’t have his mind on his job, and more importantly, he’d broken his vow not to touch her again.
 

How would he ever get her to trust him if he kept breaking his promises?
 
The sooner he got her to the safe house the better.
 

Bobbi couldn’t bring herself to look at Travis.
 
She concentrated solely on the road, terrified he would see the longing and need reflected in her eyes.
 

Tell me you prefer his kisses, bright eyes.
 
No, not nearly as much as she liked Travis’ kisses.
 
She craved his kisses.
 
Her legs still quivered.
 
If she hadn’t been leaning against the wall, he would’ve had to pick her limp body up from the sidewalk.
 
But if Travis knew how he made her feel, he’d have absolute control over her.
 
And yet would he use that power?
 
She couldn’t take that chance.

Joe’s gas station and body shop appeared at the edge of town.
 
She pulled the Jeep up to the first pump as Travis scanned the area like she’d seen him do before.
 
He stepped out of the car and greeted Joe while she retrieved Rocky’s things, snapped on his leash, and led him inside the station.
 
He seemed happy enough to be back with Joe, but she was really going to miss the big guy.

After getting him settled, she fell to her knees and hugged him.
 
Tears filled her eyes.
 
He would be fine, and soon she’d be back to see him.
 
She and Jason.

Focusing on the day they could be reunited, she smiled.
 
“You be a good boy for Uncle Joe.”
 
She scratched him behind his ear.

“He’ll be fine, Punkin’.
 
Don’t you fret now.”

“Ready?” Travis asked softly.

She nodded and stepped away from her companion of the past five months.
 

Travis warily patted the dog on the head.
 
“See ya, Monstro.
 
It’s been loads of fun.”
 

Rocky didn’t growl or even grumble at him.
 
Perhaps they actually had come to an understanding.
  

She waved as they walked to the Jeep and moved to get into the driver’s seat, but Travis snagged her arm and herded her to the passenger side.
 

“I guess this means our destination is to remain a secret,” she said.

“Something like that.
 
The keys, please.”
 

Reluctantly, she dropped them into his hand.

As they rode north in silence, every touch, every word he had ever said ran through her mind like an old movie.
 
The most intriguing memory was his odd behavior when Ted approached them on the street.
 

Was it jealousy or was he trying to keep her safe?
 
Unwilling to let her fantasies rule her common sense, she let the thought go and tried to get some rest.
 

Dozing over the next few hours she never seemed to be able to fall completely asleep, although her body begged for rest.
 
The sheer presence of the man beside her disturbed her too much.
 
It was just as well.
 
She knew from her college days she often spoke out loud in her sleep, and the kinds of dreams she’d been having lately were not the kind she wanted to tell the world about.
 

She felt the Jeep slow down and make a turn.
 
Lifting her head, she looked out the window at the truck stop.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“Starved.
 
When you said we’d stop to eat, I thought you meant breakfast, not lunch.”
 
A glass of juice didn’t compare to the usual feast Travis laid out at the cabin.
  

“I had to be sure we weren’t being followed and were far enough away not to run into anyone from Gator Creek.”

She allowed herself a long lazy stretch beside the Jeep once they got out.
 
“How much longer before we get to wherever we’re going?”
 

“We’ll drive a few more hours then find a place to stay for the night.”

Escorting her inside, he steered her to a vacant booth in the corner.
 
“Sit on this side.
 
I want to keep my eye on the door.”
 
He slid into the seat against the back wall and plucked a menu from the condiment tray.
 

She scanned the fare then glanced up and noticed the grimace on his face.
 
“I can tell you’re brimming with enthusiasm over the selections.”
 

He scowled.
 
“Thrilled.”

She couldn’t contain the giggle bubbling out.
 
“You know, it’s funny.
 
I’d always pegged you for the greasy spoon type.”

He lifted his gaze from the menu and grinned mischievously.
 
“Always?
 
Been thinking about me over the years, bright eyes?”

She opened her mouth for a quick reply, but couldn’t think of a thing to say and snapped her jaw closed.
 
Thankfully a plump little waitress appeared, rattled off the specials of the day, then took their orders and disappeared into the kitchen.
 

Ignoring his usual attempts to rile her, or wonder why he seemed to enjoy it so much, she decided to change the subject.
 
“So, are you ready to tell me where we’re going?”
 

He looked out the window then slowly returned his gaze to hers.
 
“To a safe house.
 
You’ll have all the comforts of home.
 
Two agents will be assigned to you, and they’ll watch you every minute, day and night.”

The blood drained from her head and limbs, the hollow feeling of fear and loss engulfing her soul.
 
He was leaving her with someone else.
 
Agents.
 
Any one of whom could be working for Steele.
 
The Bureau would know where she was every minute, and so would Steele.
 

He reached across the table and took hold of her hand.
 
“You’ll be safe there.
 
I promise.”

She pulled her trembling hand from beneath his, shaking her head.
 
“No, I’ll be dead,” she said in a harsh whisper.
 

“I won’t let anything happen to you.
 
They won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I have to use the ladies’ room.”
 
She darted out of the booth and across the isle to the restroom.
 
Slamming the door closed behind her, she paced frantically.
 
“What am I going to do?”
 

She should be furious with Travis, but she really couldn’t blame him.
 
She hadn’t told him anything.
 
He had no idea Jason suspected someone at the Bureau of working for Steele.
 
He was only trying to protect her, but that didn’t stop the sharp pang of hurt.
 

Knowing they would part someday wasn’t news, but so soon?
 
She’d kind of gotten attached to the big jerk.
 
She’d probably never see him again.

Groaning, she leaned against the little sink.
 
Oh, God.
 
How bad did she have it, she wondered, refusing to give
it
a name?
 

The plump waitress stuck her head in.
 
“Honey, are you okay?”
 
She came in and closed the door behind her.
 
“Your husband is mighty worried.”

Husband?
 
The images that word conjured up sent an unexpected thrill down to her toes.
 
But it wasn’t real.
 
They were only friends, acquaintances, at best.
 
He was just doing his damned job!
 

Managing a small smile, she looked at the woman.
 
“I’m fine.
 
I’ll be out in a minute.”

The waitress grinned with a nod and stepped back out as Bobbi turned to the mirror.
 
Somewhere between the truck stop and the safe house, she’d have to ditch Travis.
 
Then she’d have to change her hair again and pick a new name.
 

She quickly glanced around the bathroom.
 
No window.
 
She’d have to wait for another opportunity.
 
One she hoped would present itself and soon.
 
With a steadying breath and a plan of action unfolding in her mind, she forced her feet to carry her back to their table.
 

“Are you okay?” Travis asked.
 

“I’m fine,
hubby
.”

The grin on his face didn’t make her feel any better.
 
If anything it made her feel worse as the thought of actually being married to Travis Reid, FBI agent, flitted across her mind.
 
All she could see was a horrible hole in his thigh seeping blood, or finding a woman in his bed.
 

Jerking her gaze away, she tried to eat the food that had arrived while she hid in the restroom.
 
Her appetite had shriveled up completely.
 
More than anything she wanted to go back to the cabin.
 
Back to where she was safe.
 
Back to the time before Travis.
 

Nibbling at her food, she turned her thoughts away from him and to her current problem, the creation of a new identity and a safe place to hide.
 
Someplace where no one could find her.

Ignoring the slight skip in the beat of his heart when Bobbi had called him hubby, Travis forced down another bite of the greasy fare.
 
It wasn’t all that bad, really, but his appetite wasn’t what it was when they arrived.
 
The look on her face when he told her where they were going had sapped it dry.
 

What had her so terrified?
 
Didn’t she trust him enough to know that he’d make sure she was safe?
 
Or had Jase told her about Sylvia.
 

The sound of her fork clinking against her plate melted the haze of memories.
 
He wouldn’t make the same mistakes again, and he’d keep his promise to Jase.
 

When she poked the same piece of lettuce with her fork for the fifth time, he decided it was time to leave.
 
He quietly paid the bill and escorted her back to the Jeep.
 
Back on the road, he covertly studied her profile as she stared out the window.
 
It wasn’t a mystery why the doctor in Gator Creek looked at her the way he did.
 
The same way he looked at her now.
 

He turned his eyes back to the road, envying the man who would one day win Bobbi’s heart.
 
Maybe it would be the gangly doctor after all.

The sun hung low in the sky and it was time to find a place to stay.
 
Spying a small motel along the highway, he pulled the Jeep into the parking lot.

“It’s not exactly the Hyatt.”
 

Her sarcasm cut through the silence, but he offered no response.
 
He parked and went inside to register, tugging her along beside him.
 
Always in sight, always within reach, always safe.
 

A squat, little man with a broad smile sat behind the desk.
 
“Evenin’, may I help you?”

Travis slipped his arm around Bobbi’s waist.
 
“My wife and I need a room for the night.”
 

Her body went rigid.
 
Apparently she’d expected separate arrangements, something that under other circumstances would have been all right with him, seeing as how he had trouble keeping his hands off her.
 
But the situation was much too dangerous.

“That’ll be thirty-nine dollars and sixty cents.
 
Cash or credit?”

“Cash.”
 
He pulled out his wallet and handed the man forty dollars.
 
While waiting for his change he signed the register.

“Thank you,” the man said, pausing to read his signature as he handed him the key.
 
“Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins.”

Bobbi bristled slightly at the use of Joe’s name.
 

Taking her by the arm, he guided her to the door.
 
“Come on, honey.
 
I’m beat.”

The closer they came to the room the more rigid her body became.
 
He had the feeling he was about to be filleted and served as shark bait.
 
As he closed their motel room door behind him, he prepared for battle in three...two...one...

“I want my own room,” she demanded.
 

Right on cue.
 
Yep, he was finally beginning to read the ever-changing Barbara McBride signals.
 
“Sorry, bright eyes.
 
No can do.
 
I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Hey, I call’em like I see’em.
 
And right now, your eyes are brighter than a Fourth of July fireworks display.
 
Even with the contacts.”
 
He moved closer, knowing he was taking a big chance getting near her, tempting himself, but at the moment she looked like she was ready to haul off and knock him clear across the room.
 
He hoped by invading her space she’d be more inclined to stay angry with him.
 
Something he counted on.

“Don’t you come any closer,” she said thrusting out her hand.
 
“I am not sleeping in the same room with you, much less the same bed.
 
So knock off the smooth talk.
 
I’m not buying it.”