Page 21 of Valor

A relationship built on lies? What was wrong with her? She seriously needed to get a grip.

She pulled herself together by the time Owen returned. The cabin featured a small kitchenette, so he filled Bear’s water dish and set it down for him. Owen turned, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back against the counter.

“I’d like you to give me some time before you call your brother.” Owen held her gaze for a long moment. “Not long, just an hour or so.”

“If you leave now, the cabin owner will think we had a fight.” She wanted to kick herself for attempting to prolong the inevitable. “But that could work to our advantage. If she asks, I’ll let her know we argued, and you needed a break.”

“Yeah. I’m sure she’ll understand something like that.” He didn’t move for so long she wondered if he’d changed his mind. Then he pushed away from the counter. “Give me a minute to use the bathroom before I hit the road. I’ll take one of the water bottles, too, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” She walked over to the bed that was covered by a large quilt featuring a bear. Pulling out her phone, she turned it on and set it on the bedside table. The device dinged with several incoming texts and calls. With a wince, she wasn’t surprised that most of them were from Doug.

She wasn’t looking forward to talking to him. Ignoring the little red circles on the screen, she glanced back as Owen emerged from the bathroom. He snagged a water bottle, along with a granola bar, then bent down to pet Bear.

“Be a good boy,” he said in a low voice.

She had to blink the tears away when he stood and headed for the door. “Owen?”

He paused, glancing back at her.

“Be careful. And if you change your mind, uh, here. Take my phone number.” There was a pad of paper on the desk. She scribbled her number and handed it to him.

He reluctantly accepted the paper. “Be safe, Emily. But don’t expect me to change my mind.” With that, he turned and walked out.

She dropped down onto the edge of the bed. Bear tried to climb up her legs, so she brought him up into her lap. Her heart ached when she heard the truck engine start. Every cell in her body wanted to run after him, but she didn’t.

Letting Owen go was for the best.

But it was also the hardest thing she’d ever done.

CHAPTERSIX

Owen tookthe dirt road back to the front of the Elk Horn Lodge, then onto the main highway. It was incredibly difficult not to glance at cabin 9 using the rearview mirror. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Emily. The truth was that he didn’t trust himself.

He had no doubt Emily would give him the hour he’d requested.

She cared about him far more than she should.

He couldn’t understand why he was struggling with the idea of leaving her behind. She deserved a normal life, a man who could love her and give her the family she deserved.

Yet he kept thinking about how on earth the bad guys had found them at the Greybull motel. Had their timely arrival been a simple process of elimination? Greybull wasn’t that big and only had three motels. Or had they somehow figured out that he’d stolen the truck? Maybe the owner had reported it stolen quicker than they’d anticipated.

He told himself there was no reason to worry. Emily was safe in the cabin, especially as it was tucked so far back on the property. They’d paid cash to keep her off-grid. Plus, he’d taken the truck to move on. If the bad guys could somehow track the vehicle, they’d continue to follow him.

After going barely two miles, he realized he couldn’t do it. Remembering how he’d left Emily at her house but had stayed close to watch the place in case someone showed, he decided he needed to do the same thing now. After all, a bad guy had broken into Emily’s home and tried to kill her.

What if that happened again?

It wasn’t as if he had a firm destination in mind. No reason he couldn’t stay back long enough to make sure Emily was picked up by her brother, Doug. Decision made, he abruptly pulled over to the side of the road and executed a three-point turn. As he drove, he scanned the side of the road and found a place to pull off that would hide the stolen truck. He took a few minutes to make sure the truck’s location was well hidden, getting rid of the tire tracks and putting several branches around the vehicle to keep anyone from seeing it. Then he pushed through the woods back toward cabin 9.

Walking through the woods in the dark wasn’t easy. He tripped often and had to slow his pace to avoid falling flat on his face. But he figured it was better to be hidden from view than to walk along the highway where a passing car could see him.

The two-mile walk back to cabin 9 took so long he considered giving up and heading back to the truck. Sheer stubbornness pushed him onward. Yet as he trekked through the woods, he asked himself if he was really doing this because he was concerned about Emily’s safety or because he wanted to see her one last time?

With a grimace, he secretly admitted both options were pushing him forward. Pathetic as it was, he just couldn’t move on until he knew for sure she was safe. The minute he caught sight of Emily with her brother, Doug, he’d disappear for good.

Owen walked for what seemed like forever before he caught sight of a light in the distance. Not headlights from a car, the glow was stationary, not moving with the hills and curves of the highway. He couldn’t tell if the light was from the lodge itself or one of the cabins.

At least he was getting closer. He kept his gaze focused on the light and slowed his pace so he wouldn’t accidentally stumble out into a clearing.

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