Page 77 of To Bring You Back
Harper was talking again. “… in a bag that size. Clothes for tomorrow, something to sleep in, hair and makeup products, styling tools. If you need to borrow anything, I’m sure I have extra.”
Adeline’s bottom lip disappeared, and her line of sight settled on her bag as if she’d discovered it contained a rattlesnake. She must’ve forgotten something.
Harper’s musical laugh fell from the balcony. “Come on up, honey. I’ll lend you whatever you need.” She pivoted and disappeared into her room.
Adeline eyed him with pain and suspicion. He couldn’t blame her. To make matters worse, Harper was right. One of his fans probably had done this to her.
Harper was apparently so confident they’d come to her that she remained in her room. They could round the corner toward the other bedrooms before she came out and discovered they’d gone.
“I’ll get you set up.” He motioned her to follow him upstairs.
Adeline steppedfrom the hardwood of the living room to the wood of the stairs. The risers, fashioned out of logs cut in half the long way, were wide enough that Gannon could’ve walked beside her with space to spare. Instead, he rested a hand on the small of her back as if Harper’s being here changed nothing.
The log steps, the exposed beams in the ceiling, and the stone fireplace matched the feel of the exterior, but as soon as they were up the stairs and around the corner, the hints that this was a cabin disappeared.
Gannon’s hand brushed over her back, drawing her attention to his concerned expression. “I’m sorry she’s here. Some man in LA attacked her, and she ran here. I didn’t know she was coming until she texted on her way from the airport. She got a flat tire. Tim and I were out, picking her up when you called.”
“Okay.” She was too tired and numb to deal with the overload of emotions. Her house. The search for Bruce. Harper. Being here with Gannon.
His frown said he knew nothing was okay.
Her phone beeped, and she paused to check the screen. Her battery was at two percent. Gannon watched her.
“I forgot a charger and cord.”
“Micro USB?”
She angled the phone so he could see the charging port.
With a nod, he continued down the hall and past a study. He opened a door on the right and clicked on a lamp, revealing his hat on the desk. Next to it, a black leather duffle and a guitar case.
The bed frame was made of driftwood, understated and naturally beautiful. The plush carpet reached over the thin base of her flip-flops to touch the edge of her toe. Over the desk hung an oil painting of a storm-tossed ship, exquisite light detail on the waves.
Gannon set down her bag and crossed to the nightstand. He lived here with no comfort spared, while she struggled to hold on to her rundown house.
Her rundown, smoldering house.
“What’s the truth about you and Harper?”
He turned from the drawer he’d opened, forehead knit. “I told you. Friends. If that.”
“But she’s here.”
“How could I send her away?” He took a black cord from the drawer.
She picked up her overnight bag. She’d been attacked too. Why did Harper get the same treatment, the same level of protection? Wasn’t Adeline’s relationship with Gannon different? Couldn’t Harper fend for herself? But those were selfish thoughts, weren’t they? Fatigue blurred all the answers.
Gannon set the cord on the desk and put his hands on her elbows, his touch firm. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. If I’d known you needed me, I would’ve been there.”
He would’ve known she needed him if he hadn’t been with Harper. She stepped backward, into the hall.
With a heavy sigh, Gannon picked up the cord and her bag again. “This is all it’ll take. The outlets have USB chargers built in.” He studied her in the dim light that spilled into the hall, then sighed again. “You want a lake view?”
“What?”
“From your room. Do you want it to overlook the lake?”
“Sure. Yes.”
