Page 26 of Rawhide and Ransom

He yanked open the door to the driver’s side of the truck and all but tossed Annalee inside.

She gave a bounce on the seat cushion, chuckling merrily. “Quit sounding like such an ogre! If you want Miley to be happy here, she’s going to need to make some new friends.”

“He’s three years older than her,” he growled as he climbed behind the wheel. “If he tries anything, I’ll break every bone in his body.”

“Hawk!” Without thinking, she reached over to place her hand on his forearm. He was well within reaching distance, since she hadn’t yet shimmied to the other side of the truck cab. “She’s not made of glass. You of all people should know just how capable she is of taking care of herself.”

He glowered over the steering wheel as he started the motor and skidded a little as he left the parking lot. “She’s not unbreakable,” he ground out. “The stitches in her arm are proof enough of that.”

“I know.” She squeezed his arm before letting it go. “Believe me, I know. I shudder every time I think about her hitchhiking her way anywhere else in the state but here. To the rez. To you,” she finished softly as she hurriedly buckled the nearest seatbelt. He’d taken off so quickly that there’d been no time for her to move to the other side of the cab, not that she minded. He was a big, tough guy. She felt safer sitting this close to him.

“Me, too.” He gripped the steering wheel. “She may not be my kid, but she’s already wormed her way into my heart. I hope that’s not gonna be a problem for you and me.”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Of course not! Why would it?”

“I don’t know.” He was silent for a moment. “Yeah, I do. I can see myself getting attached to you guys, and that’s not something I normally do.”

It was suddenly harder for her to breathe. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

“It’ll only be bad if you leave.”

Not when. If. She stared at him, wondering if he’d meant to suggest thatnoteventually leaving was an option for them. “We can’t commandeer your cabin forever, Hawk.”

“Why not?”

She didn’t know what to say to that, and he lapsed into a moody silence afterward. As the truck rumbled over the miles between Heart Lake and Clarendon, she tipped her head back against the seat cushion and closed her eyes.

Her mind and body were still in recovery mode from her accident. Though every cell in her was aware of Hawk Chesney seated beside her, it didn’t keep her from drifting to sleep.

She didn’t awaken until he pulled into the hospital parking lot over an hour later. It took an extra moment or two for her to realize her head was resting against his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped, sitting up.

“What’s there to be sorry for?” The questioning look he gave her turned her insides melty.

“Snoring, drooling, talking in my sleep,” she quipped. “Please assure me I didn’t give away any state secrets.”

“I’m not telling,” he teased back, pretending to wipe off his shoulder.

She swatted at his hand. “It’s dry. Quit being a drama king!”

He caught her hand and lowered it between them. “In my defense, I’m still adjusting to having two new queens in my life. Hope you’re willing to cut me a little slack?”

She couldn’t have been more charmed by his compliment or his humble attitude. “I think you’ve handled everything perfectly so far. No slack necessary, Mr. Chesney.”

The hard lines and planes of his face relaxed. “Do you really mean that?”

“With all of my heart,” she promised. “You’re a God-send, Hawk. You and Running Bear both. I couldn’t be more grateful that the Lord saw fit to allow my daughter and me to cross paths with you.”

His fingers tightened over hers. “That makes two of us.”

A tendril of worry wound its way through her as she studied their joined hands. “Hawk,” she sighed. “I’m not ready for?—”

“I know.” He lifted her hand to gently brush his mouth over it before letting it go. “Believe me, I know.”

And just like that, they became something more than two ships sailing past each other in the night. Or nightmare, in her and Miley’s case. Annalee was still nowhere near ready to put a label on what she and Hawk were or might become to each other, so she was enormously grateful when he didn’t press her to do so.

Instead, he changed the subject.

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