Page 65 of Island Rescuer

“But I’m fine,” Harper protested.

“It’s only a precaution,” Lila soothed, opening the car door. “Humor me.”

Travis stuck out his hand. “Job well done,” he said, his voice low. “You succeeded. Let that sink in.”

“Right.”

When she was out of sight, a cold certainty flooded him to the bone. He loved her. And the immediate job might be done, but he wanted to protect her for the rest of their lives. Although he wasn’t ready to give up his career, he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up Harper.

Even if that meant seeing his parents locked behind bars.

Somehow, he would find a way to make it all work.

ChapterFourteen

Harper had her bags packed,had straightened up the B&B as much as possible, and still there was no sign of Knox. It was either book another week or check out. Celeste Hargrave had been nothing but generous throughout Harper’s ordeal, but she couldn’t be rude and push the limit just because her heart was breaking.

It had been two days since she’d last seen Knox. She’d filled her time with virtual strategy meetings and resetting the priorities on her project list. Anything not to think of him or wonder if he was thinking about her.

Loads of events had been impacted by the fire Landon had set. Every change and adjustment, every phone call with a disappointed guest, made her want to kick him.

It wasn’t like her. Landon was in custody and he wouldn’t be out anytime soon.

Harper couldn’t lie to herself. Her edgy mood was as much about Knox as Landon. She missed him. Missed his presence, not just in bed, but everywhere. She missed seeing him, chatting with him after a phone call. Missed his smile when he handed her a cup of coffee. Missed the scent of his skin and the warmth of his touch.

He said he’d come by and she believed him. At least she thought she did.

There was no way Knox had moved on to the next job without talking to her. No way.

He was hung up on something. Probably his parents. If he would just come talk to her, she could tell him how much she didn’t care. He wasn’t anything like them and she had no worries that he would drift away from the man he’d become, a person of good character and integrity.

Maybe she should go to him. Except she didn’t know where to find him.

She had to shake off the melancholy. She wasn’t alone here. Her friends had come through for her. Lila had taken her down to the beach for a walk, and the two of them had met up with Trina, Molly, and Nina for another trivia night at the Pelican Pub.

Although she hadn’t requested a courtesy car or gone by the resort, thanks to her assistant’s video tour she understood the scope of the damage to the resort and her suite in particular. A few photos and heirlooms were destroyed, but it could’ve been much worse.

Her phone chimed with a text from Celeste, confirming Harper was indeed leaving today.

She understood how desperately the three sisters who owned the B&B wanted to get back on schedule. She needed to get back to the resort too. It wasn’t as if Knox didn’t know how to find her when he could make the time.

Maybe a full report on a case like hers did take forty-eight hours. But after everything that had happened, she worried he’d jumped into another case leaving her to wonder about his safety. To question if there was anything left of a relationship for them to salvage.

She glanced at her phone, managing to drop it into her purse rather than call Jess. That wasn’t the way she would go about things. She and Knox needed to work this out on their own.

“He knows where to find me,” she muttered to herself. Although she thought maybe it would do him some good if he had to work to find her. Maybe she needed to be more of a mystery to him.

He couldn’t seem to resist those.

Irritated with her bleak mood, she headed downstairs. Passing the table with the collection of postcards, she considered writing a note for Knox. Something that Celeste could give him if he showed up.

That would hardly be the mysterious move, but she was done waiting around for him to notice how much he loved her. They were going to sort this out now, not waste more time they could be spending together. She was searching for a pen, when a flash of movement caught her eye.

“Knox!” She flew across the courtyard. “You’re here.” Her knees nearly buckled with relief. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

“Never better.” A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “You’re feeling all right?” He reached out, his thumb feathering over a bruise on her jaw.

Everything was fine now that he was here. “Yes, thanks to you.”

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