Page 36 of Shielding his Legacy
“It does, if you can believe that. It’s set back on the hill. You can see mountains, the lake, everything.”
“Who owns this place?”
“The wife of one of the guys from HERO Force in Atlanta. We use it when we need to stash someone in a hurry.” He flashed her a quick grin. “We need wood. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, turning back to the view as he went in search of fuel for the fire that would keep them warm. For the first time since this nightmare began, she finally felt safe—and she knew it was as much because of her strengthening relationship with Gavin as it was because of his protection. She wondered if they would make love tonight, anticipation racing along her skin in a flash of excitement.
Letting her eyes close, she took a fortifying breath.
Whatever will be, will be.
Her mouth curved as Abby stirred behind her with a plaintive whimper. A burst of pure joy, fierce and all-encompassing, filled Eva. Turning, she crossed to the infant,unbuckled her, and lifted the baby’s little body into her arms with a contented sigh.
It struck her she was happier than she’d been in a year, yet more in danger than she could even allow herself to examine. Gavin had real feelings for her, but she never would have known if she hadn’t been in mortal danger. Were they better off as they had been, on their own, but safe? Or better now with Gavin by their side and a predatory wolf at the door?
The mental image of the big bad wolf on the doorstep of the tiny cabin made goosebumps rise on her arms. She took a step backward, her gaze fixed on the closed door, when the crack of an axe splitting firewood nearly made her jump out of her skin.
She squeezed her eyes shut, heart racing, as Abby burrowed hungrily into the side of her neck.
Keep it together, Eva.
Gavin is here. He’ll protect you.
The uneven floorboards creaked as she crossed the darkened room toward the bed to feed the baby, telling herself she and Abby would be safe here.
Of course they’d be safe.
But she could feel a threat getting closer, a pulsating danger lurking, even more insidious than the dark, shadowy forest that surrounded them.
19
Gavin strode outside, the icy air biting his cheeks and his breath clouding in front of his face. The crunch of his boots on the packed snow filled the stillness as he opened the truck’s tailgate. Only one thing was more important than building a fire and getting that cabin warm—protecting its occupants. Reaching into the bed of the truck, he grabbed his weapons case, his muscles straining against its weight.
The wind kicked up, carrying the faint scent of damp, frosty forest. He paused, scanning the tree line, the instinct to protect bristling under his skin like an itch. Nothing moved in his field of vision, but he was unsettled after the ambush at his house, and didn’t trust the calm.
He carried the case inside.
The bathroom door was closing behind Eva just as he entered, and he was grateful for the privacy as he dropped the weapons case and opened it, revealing a small arsenal. Picking up a nine-millimeter handgun and holster, he fixed the latter at his waist and settled the weapon at his hip before heading back out for firewood. Thewhop-whop-whopof a helicopter’s blades could be heard in the distance, and a wave a relief came at the thought of their newly fortified defenses.
Several cords of wood were stacked beneath a metal-roofed rack. A short-handled sledgehammer hung from a makeshift holder on the wooden roof overhang, and he took it down, setting a log in a wrought iron log splitter form and pounding it so that it splintered into several pieces of useful kindling. He repeated this until he had enough to start a roaring fire, then loaded up his arms.
There was something primal and satisfying about gathering split logs to warm his new family. He frowned. He both loved that word and feared it, wanted to hold it close to him and protect it from scrutiny.
That’s exactly what they were—his family, Eva and Abby—and the permanence that came with such a label both shored him up and made him uneasy. He’d never been one to shirk responsibility, but he’d certainly avoided entanglements.
He’d be lying if he said that hadn’t been deliberate, but he found himself unable to remember his rationale for feeling that way.
Carefully, he opened the cabin door without losing his grip on the logs and walked back inside. He stomped his snow-covered boots on the mat. Eva was now on the bed, likely feeding the baby, her head propped up on one arm and a quilt tucked around them. “Hey,” he said.
She gave him a warm smile, gutting him on the spot. “Hey, yourself.”
He felt the urge to go to her, to roll her onto her back beneath that quilt and kiss those sweet, soft lips with his own. He cleared his throat, forcing the mental image from his mind before his eager body mistook his fantasy for agreen light. Crossing to the hearth, he put the wood down, unhooked the glass and metal door to the firebox, and stacked the logs inside.
“Why does that fireplace have a door?” she asked. “I’ve seen them before, but I don’t get it. You can’t see the fire very much.”
“It’s a woodburning stove. It has a fan built in over a heavy metal box, and it’s designed to throw off a lot of heat, whereas a fireplace lets a lot more of it escape up the chimney. An open fireplace might be prettier, but you can leave this one burning twenty-four hours a day and actually get a warm night’s sleep.” He stood, turning to face her. “Trust me, you’ll be glad we have this tonight.”
His mention of the night ahead mixed with the soft, contented look she was giving him, and his abdomen clenched with his need for this woman. For the moment, they were safe in a secluded cabin tucked away from the world. She wanted him, he wanted her. Only HERO Force’s arrival stood to delay their coming together, and he was grateful for that interlude to collect his thoughts.
