Page 70 of Love on the Run

“Good night.”

Despite the turmoil of the day, her mind and heart were more at ease than ever, and she pushed away any worries about tomorrow as she fell asleep.

Chapter 20

Beau

Beau stood from a seat at the small hotel table and stretched his arms above his head. He’d been switching between reading the Bible and watching videos on his phone all morning, and the lack of movement brought on an ache in his back.

Anna sat on the bed, resting back against the headboard with her laptop open. She held her phone to her ear as she had most of the day. After deciding to stay in this morning, she’d thrown herself into work.

Well, aside from the hour-long nap she took after breakfast. The doctor at the hospital said she might feel tired.

Beau had not watched her the whole time while she slept. That would have been weird.

She let out a long sigh and reached up to touch the bruise on her head. She’d been twisting tighterand tighter with every phone call, and the happy woman he’d been spending his days with was almost completely gone.

Beau stepped to the bed and sat at the end. She glanced at him with that fake smile she’d promised not to use and held up a finger.

“Send me his number, and I’ll take care of it. Thanks, Angie.”

Anna ended the call and stretched her neck from side to side. “Sorry I’ve been on the phone a lot.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. You want to get out of here for a little bit?”

She tossed her laptop onto the bed beside her. “Yes, I’m hungry.”

“What if I took you into town? Did you see anything you wanted to try when we were at the tree lighting ceremony?”

And he was officially a puppy, following her around begging for her attention.

She bit at her bottom lip, making a show of thinking, and the expression wasn’t doing anything for Beau’s unhealthy attraction to her.

“I saw a sign outside a really cute house. I want to say it's called Evelyn’s or something.”

“You remember where it was?”

“Yeah. Just before we drove into town on the right.”

Beau stood and offered her a hand. “I’ll change, then you can have the bathroom.”

She took his hand and stood, stepping close enough that the smell of her shampoo caught his attention. It was a scent that was embedded in his memory after showering together.

Nope. Don’t think about the shower.

She squeezed his hand before letting it fall. “Any chance you could help me put my hair up in a ponytail?” Anna asked, holding up her injured hand.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t we stop at the front desk and see if Joanna can help.”

A smile bloomed over Anna’s lips. “Perfect. Why didn’t I think of that?”

Thirty minutes later, they were getting in the car and heading down the mountain. Fluffy snow covered the sides of the roads, and a white fog settled over the peaks. Anna sat forward in her seat taking photos after every switchback.

“There it is,” she said, pointing to a two-story fancy house with a sign out front that promised delicious food with a view. Trees hid some of the dark-blue exterior with tall windows framed in bright white.

After parking along the sidewalk, Beau jogged around the car to help Anna. He rested a hand on her back as they walked up the steps to the entrance. “Any dizziness?”

She smiled at him then—the real one. “Nope. I feel good.”

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