Page 39 of Mountain Rescue
She stumbled to a stop. “Oh, um, nothing, thanks.”
He pointed a butter knife coated with mustard at her. “So you’d rather hide in your room than have lunch with me?”
Was it possible for an ability to jump from one person to another? Had her talent for reading people deserted her for him? Because he was reading her like an open book, had been from the start. She searched her brain for a snarky retort, but before she could come up with one, her phone buzzed.
“It’s Detective Diaz,” she said after checking the screen. “I can answer it, right?”
Dallas nodded. “Yeah. TG’s made sure that number’s safe.” From her side of the conversation, he gathered that her laptop was missing. How long would it take Hargrove or his men to show up in Asheville? Because he was sure they would now that the man had her laptop. Bella crept into the kitchen, and he kneeled in front of her. “There you are. You sleep away the morning while we were gone?” She put her chin on his knee and peered up at him with her soulful brown eyes. “You missed me, huh?”
“Why can’t you find him?”
Bella whined at Rachel’s raised voice. “It’s all right, girl. She’s not mad at you.” Rachel was losing her patience with the detective, and he didn’t blame her. Was Hargrove really that elusive, or were the police not trying very hard to find him?
“I feel sick,” she said after disconnecting. “He has my laptop with all my contacts in it. I’m bringing Robert straight to Jack and Nichole. It was a mistake to come here.”
She turned away, but not before he saw the tears filling her eyes. “Hey, none of this is your fault.” He dropped the knife on the counter and caught up with her halfway down the hall. “Listen to me. With Hargrove having your laptop, the chance he would come here looking for answers is high, whether you were here or not. Jack wouldn’t have known to keep Nichole safe, and we wouldn’t have known to be on guard, so you actually did everyone a favor. No one blames you, and there’s no safer place to be than here. Is there anything in your laptop about this cabin?” She leaned her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.
“No, nothing.”
“Okay, that’s good. Since there’s no way for him to know about it, you’re safe here.”
“I’m more worried about everyone else. My grandmother, Nichole, you, Jack, Noah, even Peyton. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to any of you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to us. Nichole will be safe at her parents’, your grandmother’s in good hands at my family’s ranch, and as for me, Jack, and Noah, we’ve been in situations considerably more dangerous than anything Hargrove can bring our way.”
She felt good in his arms, like this was where she belonged. It wasn’t real, though. Here at the cabin, it was as if they were in their own little world, and that had to be why he wasn’t climbing the walls the way he had been at home. Also, he had a mission to concentrate on. Keeping Rachel safe.
“Nichole has to leave Jack because of me. She probably hates me.”
“She would never hate you. Why don’t you call her, then come eat some lunch?” He reluctantly dropped his arms and stepped back.
“Okay.” She smiled. “Thank you. You have a way of making me feel better.”
He tapped her nose. “I’m a man of many talents.” A few of which he’d like to show her.
Her gaze traveled over him, then she lifted her eyes back to his, and she rolled her eyes. “I just bet.”
The tears that had been in her eyes were gone, and she was smiling as she went to her room. He almost stumbled over Bella when he turned to head back to the kitchen. “You’re more attached to me than my shadow, Bella girl.”
Apparently, he had two girls who needed some TLC. Bella padded along beside him. Since she’d been cooped up all morning, he grabbed her leash and took her outside. His phone buzzed, his mother’s name appearing on the screen. It was a miracle that she’d waited two days to call him.
“Mama mine,” he said.
“Well, you sound better than when you left.”
That was true. “You got that from two words?” He made a quick bet with himself that she was calling about Rachel’s grandmother.
“You’re my son. I know all your voice emotions. Why am I hearing from Cheyenne instead of from you that we have a special guest arriving?”
Ding. Ding. Ding. “I was going to call you tonight. It all happened pretty fast.”
“Cheyenne said she’s coming here so we can protect her. What’s going on, Dallas? I thought you were going there to spend some relaxing time with your friend.”
“You know me. I get bored easily, so I’m just keeping myself entertained.”
“Dallas Manning, you don’t need to be courting trouble after your ordeal.”
“It’s nothing to worry about, Mom.” She referred to his imprisonment as his ordeal—as if his time in hell hadn’t been much more than an inconvenience—and he would go to his grave before he’d tell her the things that had been done to him. And he sure wasn’t going to tell her how serious the situation with Rachel was or she’d have the whole family on a plane to Asheville to make sure her baby boy was safe.
