Her gaze darted to the door.“I should go.”
“I won’t stop you.”He grabbed his shirt off the back of the couch and then shrugged it on.He tucked his wallet in his back pocket and grabbed the keys off the hook in the kitchen.His truck had been returned last night while she’d slept.“You want to go back to the campsite?”
There was enough daylight to find the exact spot, but probably not much more.He’d held up dinner as long as possible in case she woke up hungry.
Cassie shifted her weight from one foot to the other and bit down on her bottom lip.He didn’t need to be an expert at reading body language to tell that she hesitated making a decision.The fact she was concerned about his safety touched his heart on many levels, but he was a grown-ass man capable of making his own determination as to who was a threat.
The news was filled with jealous lovers or husbands, abusive men trying to control their partners.Hudson had experienced a bully and a coward firsthand in Beaumont.Anyone who hits someone smaller or weaker than themselves couldn’t be classified any other way.He should have stood up to Beaumont, but didn’t.Instead, he’d done like the others and hightailed it out of town within hours of being handed their high school diploma.Hell, he hadn’t waited around for graduation day, figuring his piece of paper could be mailed to the house just as easily.
Since Cassie still hadn’t taken a step, he saw another window to talk sense into her.
“This ranch is off the radar, and especially this cabin.”He wanted to give her logical reasons to stay instead of saying he didn’t want her to leave, especially after the kiss they’d shared.
“I have secrets, Hudson.You don’t want to get mixed up with me.”
“With all due respect, I’d like the opportunity to make that decision for myself.”He stood there.She stood rooted.Neither made a move.Again, he saw it as a good sign to keep going.“I’ve been beaten and burned when I was a kid.Physical pain, scars, those aren’t the things that last.”He paused for a beat.“You know what lasts?”
She gave a small headshake.
“The feeling of being defenseless, of being helpless.The anger that comes with not standing up for yourself.The shame.”
“You were a kid, Hudson.It’s not the same thing.”
“Abuse is still abuse, and it messes with your mind.”He’d struck a nerve when he’d said the word,shame.She’d squinted like she’d taken a physical blow.“Makes you feel small and insignificant.”
She bit that bottom lip again.
“When it happens from a young age, it’s like the elephant training story.The trainer uses a whip on you when you’re young, and you grow up afraid of the whip.It doesn’t matter that you eventually tower over the person holding the whip.The sight of it makes you shake with fear.”
A long, thoughtful pause was followed by, “You’re right.”
Those words carried the kind of weight that suggested she knew firsthand.Would she tell him more?Or close up again?
6
Cassie opened her mouth to speak.A growing force inside her wanted to tell Hudson everything about her situation.These past few weeks of becoming someone else and not being able to tell a soul the truth or even have an honest conversation were taking a toll on her mentally and physically.
The kiss she’d shared with this man imprinted her, causing her to freeze up.It had been special, raising the bar for all future kisses.Again, Hudson was the type of person who wouldn’t back down from a fight.Not backing down could cost his life.
The magnetic force pulling her toward him, making her want to open up to him, could also be the thing that ended his life.
She gave a mental shake of her head.No way could she risk his safety over her selfishness because it would be pure self-interest that would cause her to tell him everything.Dumping her problems on him wasn’t something she could do to another human being, let alone one who’d become important to her in such a short time.
So, she clamped her mouth shut.
“If the offer still stands, I’ll stay tonight,” she said, unwilling or unable to force herself to walk out the door.Besides, the sun was descending.By the time she found her campsite again, it would be dark outside.Now that she had the option to sleep in a real bed in a real home, she couldn’t force herself to curl up on the unforgiving earth if she didn’t have to.In fact, staying would give her a chance to rethink her next steps.
“The offer is open-ended,” he said.“You can stay as long as you like.No strings attached.”
“I find myself thanking you on a regular basis, Hudson.”
“It’s no big deal.”
His words shouldn’t feel like knife jabs, but they did.It was to her.Hudson had no idea just how impactful his kindness was.
Now that she was showered and rested, her body’s aches and pains rose to the surface.Everything was stiff.She had more than a few bruises on various body parts.Her feet hurt from all the walking despite wearing running shoes.Her hasty exit from the home she’d shared with Jarek in Fort Worth had caused her to leave behind a few necessities, like hiking boots.She hadn’t been able to leave them out in the open with Jarek and his people coming in and out.
“Hungry?”He turned his back on her.