Page 23 of Mountain Rescue
“Tech Geek.” He needed to tell her that Jack knew she was here, even if it made her angry that he’d let it slip. “I have to head over to Jack’s shortly. Why don’t you come with me?” The plan was for him, Jack, and Noah to talk about how to keep her safe, but it was her life, and he wasn’t comfortable making decisions for her without including her. He sure wouldn’t appreciate being excluded from discussions that concerned him.
“No. I’ve already told you I don’t want him get involved.”
“Sorry, but he already is.”
Chapter Seven
“You told him?” Rachel was furious. He’d promised he wouldn’t. Had he actually promised, though, or had he just let her think he had? She couldn’t remember his exact words, but he knew how she felt about Jack and Nichole knowing she was here.
“Not on purpose.”
“What does that mean? The words just came out of your mouth on their own?”
“No, I was telling Bella about you, and—”
“You talked about me to another woman? What the hell, Dallas?” And who was Bella? She thought he was spending the day with Jack. The streak of jealousy just added to her anger. She went inside, slamming the door behind her. He followed her in.
“Bella’s a dog.”
Oh.Now she felt stupid, but she was still not happy with him. She faced him and crossed her arms over her chest. “You said you wouldn’t tell Jack.”
“And I didn’t. Jack wasn’t supposed to be there. Bella’s an abused dog, afraid of everything. I was sitting in her kennel, talking to her, trying to get her used to me.” He shrugged. “I just started telling her how you tried to brain me with a tree branch, and I didn’t know Jack had walked up behind me.”
Well, drat. How was she supposed to stay mad at him? “Is he angry I didn’t tell him I’m here?”
“He’s angry with me for not telling him, but he’s worried about you. There’s no way you can keep him out of this now that he knows. Noah and Peyton will be there tonight, and the conversation will be how to keep you safe. You can stay here and let us plan your life until Hargrove’s caught, or you can come and be a part of our discussion.”
“Well, when you put it that way.” She wanted to stomp her feet and throw a tantrum, but it wouldn’t change anything. “I’ll go get dressed.”
As soon as Rachel stepped inside Jack and Nichole’s house, she was attacked.
“I’m so mad at you!” Nichole shrieked as she tackled Rachel. “How could you be in Asheville and not tell me?”
“I didn’t want—”
“No, no excuses.” She stepped back. “When Dallas called and said he was bringing you with him, I said to Jack, ‘What’s he talking about? Rachel isn’t here.’ If you were, I’d know about it.” She put her hands on her hips. “But wrooong! Did I tell you I’m mad at you?”
Rachel glanced at Dallas, and he raised his brows as if saying, “I told you so.” She was tempted to stick out her tongue at him.
“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Nichole grabbed her hand. “This calls for booze.”
She was dragged straight out to the back deck where a bucket of beer on ice was on the table, along with a pitcher of margaritas, and a bottle of wine. She went straight for a margarita, in an already salt-rimmed glass.
Nichole poured herself a glass of wine, then plopped down in a chair. “Start talking. Tell me why you thought it was okay to sneak into town and not tell me.”
“How much do you know?” Rachel scooted onto a chair across from her best friend.
“Nothing! I know nothing. Dallas called, said he was on the way, said you were with him, and I thought he was delusional. He didn’t know you. How could you be with him?”
“About that.” Before she could explain, Dallas and Jack walked out. Jack went straight to the empty chair next to Nichole, and Dallas slid onto the one next to her. She wished he was on the opposite side of the deck so his scent wasn’t all up in her nose. Swear to God, he smelled better than any billion-dollar-earning actor she’d ever been around. He smelled like a man she would never get tired of sniffing.
It had to be a cowboy thing, that scent that made her think of wide-open plains and the men who wore spurs on their boots as they raced their horses across fields while doing...well, whatever real cowboys did.
In reality, those men probably didn’t smell so good, but she spent most of her life in pretend worlds, and she was fully capable of ignoring reality when she wanted.
Nichole nudged Jack. “Tell her there’s nothing she can say that makes it all right for her to sneak into town without telling us.”
“She’s right, you know,” he said.
