Page 57 of A Rancher's Bride
Kelli nodded quickly. “Stay here. Hide in a stall if you want. I’ll come back and say my name when we’re ready. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
She rushed back to the dance floor, looking around frantically for Luke. He and their friends were standing to one side, and she slipped up to him, heart pounding.
Luke slid an arm around her, his smile fading. “What’s wrong?”
“I need your help.”
* * *
An hourlater they were on their way home, and Luke was wrestling with the strangest emotions.
Jack and Diane had helped get the woman out of the bar without her date spotting her, then Kelli had sat in the middle seat of Luke’s truck, her arm around Gina, as he drove the three of them to Gina’s place in Canmore.
They’d both insisted on making sure Gina’s roommates were home before leaving. There’d been a flurry of hugs from all the grateful women after they’d escorted Gina up the front steps of her townhouse.
Minutes after getting back in the truck, Kelli sent a quick text off to Diane to let her know everything had gone well, then read the reply out loud.
“She says ‘Thank God. Drive safe, and we’ll see you in the morning. We’re calling it a night.’” Kelli curled against Luke’s side, fingers wrapped around his biceps as she leaned her head against him. “Not the ending to the evening I expected.”
Maybe that was why such a struggle was going on inside his head. Luke was proud of Kelli for having helped someone and kind of choked up that this time she’d been honest enough to come and get him.
But a big part of him was scared shitless that stepping into dangerous situations was so high on her radar. She was like a magnet for trouble that could get her seriously hurt someday.
He caught her fingers in his and lifted them to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “You did a good thing.”
“If the jerk who hit her doesn’t come back. If she’s strong enough to tell him to leave her alone.” Kelli took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They sat in the darkness, the headlights shining on the road as it twisted back into Kananaskis Country.
This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have while he needed to concentrate on the road. So he pressed a quick kiss to her temple and laid his arm around her shoulders, holding her against him as they sat in silence.
Comfortable, and yet not. They didn’t need noise to fill the space, not with the years they’d spent working together. But there were so many questions Luke wanted to ask. Things he wanted to understand better than he ever had before.
He kept her tucked against his side as they made their way back up to the penthouse suite. Jack had left the fire place going, and warmth hovered on the air.
Luke stroked a finger down her cheek. “Want a drink?”
She reached for him, tugging him toward the floor. “I need to relax.”
He helped her settle on the soft carpet in front of the flames but evaded her hands. “I can help with that. Back in a second.”
By the time he returned from the bathroom she was staring into the fire, a sad look in her eyes.
He slid across from her, pulling off her socks and watching as her brows rose toward her hairline.
“What are you doing?”
He lifted the bottle of body lotion he’d taken from the bathroom counter. “Foot rub?”
“Oh, God. Yes, please.” She reached over her head and grabbed a pillow off the couch. She jammed it behind her back so she could slouch more comfortably.
Her eyes closed as he pressed his thumb along her arch. Over and over in smooth glides, he massaged her heels and toes, and they sat in silence except for the fake crackle of the fireplace.
What to ask? Because this was going to be an uncomfortable conversation no matter what.
She broke the silence. “I’m glad you were there to help me. I mean, to help Gina.”
“Me too, but it worries me,” he admitted softly. “I know there are a lot of bad situations out there, Kelli, and I’m glad we could help Gina. But if I hadn’t been around, you still would’ve helped her. Yes?”
She twisted to meet his eyes. “Yes.”
