“Is this yours?”Cassie asked.Her tone shifted from a hint of emptiness to one of surprise.
“Home, sweet home.”
He parked and headed around the front of the vehicle to open her door but got there a few seconds too late.
Cassie hopped out of the passenger side.He walked her to the door and unlocked it.
“Go ahead on in.I’ll be back shortly.”
Her eyes widened before she scanned the area behind him like she half expected a random stranger to hop out of nowhere and assault them.“You want me to go inside alone?”A forced calm in her voice gave her fear away if her reaction hadn’t already.
“Just for a few minutes while I take Best back to the barn.I don’t want to leave him loaded up like this.”
“I thought we would be back on the road in less than half an hour.”Her pulse pounded at the base of her throat.
“I’m considering putting off the trip until tomorrow,” he said.
“Why?What would make you do that?”Her words came out in a rushed jumble, but he made them out.
“That way, I can take you anywhere you need to go.”
Hands up, palms out, she backed away.“I don’t need your help.”
Well, shit.Now it was his turn to backpedal.
3
No.No.No.This was all wrong.People didn’t just stick their necks out for others without some type of ulterior motive, no matter how much Cassie trusted this man.She had no basis for her confidence in him, which scared her the most.Was she getting lazy?
Tired.You’re tired, girl.You’re a human being who has been surviving on an empty tank for weeks.
She took a step toward the truck.“No need to unload your horse.Just drop me off where you found me, and I’ll be just fine.”
Hudson clamped his mouth shut.A muscle in his jaw ticked.It looked as though it was taking much effort to bite back his words.“Whatever you want.”
The way he studied her made her want to change her mind.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be.”With that, he locked up and headed back to the truck.“For what it’s worth, I thought you could use a minute to regroup, especially since there’s a hungry and wounded mountain lion out there.”
Cassie froze.Right.There was that.Could she go back to her campsite and pretend nothing had happened with little more than a thin layer of canvas between her and countless predators?She’d been fine before the encounter.Ignorance was bliss.Now that she knew the dangers, she couldn’t stop thinking about them.Would the knowledge cause her to be more careful or stay in a near-constant state of panic?
She still had her rifle, which was currently on the floorboard of Hudson’s truck.It had come in handy when she’d needed to use it to save Hudson, not that she’d been a good shot, or would be next time.She’d brought along the weapon to use more as a threat than anything else.The thought of killing a person or animal sent a wave of panic crashing through her.
“Hang on,” she conceded, needing a minute to think this through.“I’m not sure what I want to do.”
“Take your time.”Hudson turned and leaned against the truck.“I’m not going anywhere.And, for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you now or ever.”
A guy like Hudson could crush her both physically and emotionally.Where’d that come from?The man was offering a helping hand.Had she become so jaded that she would refuse the help of a good human being?One who wanted nothing from her in return?
On second thought, was there some kind of catch?
She studied him.The man had an honest face.His eyes said he knew pain.Based on what she knew about him so far, he’d been through an abusive childhood and had still turned out to be the kind of person who helped strangers.
He wasn’t asking for anything.Could she trust her instincts and trust him?
“Okay,” she said, figuring he could have done anything he wanted to her by now if he’d wanted to.Placing her safety in the hands of a stranger, in theory, was beyond stressful.With Hudson, she felt safe.