Page 25 of Mountain Rescue
“I’m still not happy that you let the cat out of the bag,” she said, shooting him a glare.
He shrugged. “Too bad, wildcat. You don’t have to like it, but you have three men sitting at this table who can and will protect you.”
“Wildcat?” Jack said. “She’s who you were referring to when you asked about wildcats around the cabin?”
“Told you I thought there was one nosing around.” He grinned at her. “This one tried to brain me with a tree branch.”
She punched his arm. “Will you give it up with that already!”
“Nope. It’s a story we’ll tell our children and grandchildren.” Silence followed his statement, and he glanced around the table to see everyone looking at him with varying degrees of interest, or in Jack’s case, a frown. “Inside joke.” Marrying her was just something he’d gotten used to teasing her about, and he’d forgotten they had an audience.
“Wait. Back up.” Nichole waved a hand toward them. “I need to hear that story.”
He told them about coming into the cabin, not knowing she was there and how he’d ended up with an arm full of wildcat.
Peyton clapped her hands. “That’s hilarious.” She grimaced. “I mean it is and it’s not. You had to be so scared when you heard him come in, Rachel.”
“Yeah. I thought it was Robert or one of his men, that they’d found me.”
“Who’s Robert?” Noah said.
Rachel sighed. “Can’t you guys just leave this alone?”
“Not a chance.” Dallas sat back. “Start from the beginning and tell them everything.”
Her gaze dropped to the table, and he understood that she was worried about putting her friends in danger, but that concern was misguided. She really didn’t have a clue how highly trained and deadly the three of them were. Add TG to the mix, and she couldn’t have a better team on her side. She lifted her gaze, her eyes flashing that fire that made him want to see just how hot she could burn.
He still wasn’t sure what to do about that. The smart thing would be to shut down his growing desire for this woman, but he was finding he didn’t particularly want to be smart where Rachel Denning was concerned.
Another sigh, longer than the last one, then she shook her head in defeat. As she told the story he’d heard twice before now, his rage at Robert Hargrove again went from simmering to boiling over. If she hadn’t gotten away that day, she would be dead. When they found him—and they would—the man was going to be one sorry bastard.
“My God,” Nichole said when Rachel finished. “How could you even think you shouldn’t tell us this right away? You need to come here and stay with me and Jack.”
Dallas shook his head. “Not a good idea. It’s common knowledge that she was here not long ago for your wedding. This is one of the first places Hargrove will look when he realizes she’s not still in LA. In fact, you need to be hyperaware of your surroundings and be very cautious, especially when you’re alone.”
Jack scowled. “She’s not going to be alone until we see Hargrove behind bars.”
“I’m so sorry,” Rachel said, her voice trembling. “I’ve put all of you in danger. I never should have come here.”
Dallas put his hand over hers. “This is the best place you could have come.”
“Why don’t you both come stay with us until this is over?” Noah slid his gaze from Rachel to Nichole. “Hargrove doesn’t know who we are or where we live.”
“I’d love that,” Peyton said. “We can have girlfriend time. Eat popcorn and make Noah watch a bunch of sappy movies.”
“Rachel stays with me.” Dallas realized that sounded possessive, but he didn’t care.
Nichole shook her head. “I need to be home. I have orders I’m committed to fill, and my studio is here.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Jack put his arm around the back of his wife’s chair. “But bottom line, your life is more important than any plate or cup.”
Nichole was a successful potter, and Dallas could appreciate that she wanted to honor her commitments, but Jack was absolutely right. “The question is, how long will it take Hargrove to come nosing around here? We can’t take any chances.” He squeezed Rachel’s hand. “No more leaving the cabin unless you’re in one of your disguises and one of us is with you.”
“I hate this so much,” she said.
“Let’s continue this discussion tomorrow.” Jack stood and picked up his and Nichole’s dishes.
“We’ll be in my studio,” Nichole said. “I want to show Rachel and Peyton the Victorian-era teacups I’m doing for one of the gift shops at the Biltmore Estate.”
