Rescued by the Ranger

by Dixie Lee Brown

  Yet there she was, sleeping in the seat beside him, and in the space of three days . . . she mattered.

  Chapter Twelve

  RACHEL JERKED UPRIGHT and reached for the door latch, fear clawing at her throat. Where was she? Her vision blurred in the bright sunlight that shone through the front windshield, and she closed her eyes again with a groan.

  “Hey, you’re okay.” A soft, masculine voice startled her with its proximity, making her inhale sharply, and then the weight of his arm landed on her waist. “Time to wake up, sleepyhead. We’re here.”

  She squinted and focused on him. Garrett’s teasing smile hung right above her, close enough she could feel his breath on her cheek. He smelled of blended spices, the heady aroma filling her senses.

  “Where’s here?” She returned his smile.

  “Coeur d’Alene. You slept through some pretty country, but I’m pleased to report that you don’t snore.” Garrett winked and leaned away from her.

  The immediate loss of his warmth sent a chill skittering across her skin in spite of the sunlight that still filled the cab. “How nice of you to comment on that.”

  “I thought it was.” Garrett laughed easily. “Let’s get a hotel room for the night. Tomorrow we’ll see if we can find a vacation rental, maybe on the lake. Sound all right to you?”

  Rachel took a good look at the hotel outside the window. Several floors, each room with a private balcony overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene, and the doorman dressed in his freshly pressed uniform all smacked of money. She caught her bottom lip with her teeth and chewed.

  “Hey. Rach. Something wrong?” Garrett leaned toward her again, cupped her chin between thumb and forefinger, and gently turned her to look at him.

  She felt her cheeks flush with heat. “I have some cash . . . ” There was enough to last until she landed someplace and found a job . . . if she was careful. She’d need first and last month’s rent, and probably a used car. Why was she embarrassed? Because she didn’t have an unlimited supply? Or was it because she didn’t want to admit how far removed she was from the lifestyle in which he’d obviously been raised? “I have to make it last as long as possible. I can’t splurge on a ritzy place like this.”

  Dropping a kiss on her lips, he released her and sat back. “Believe it or not, I didn’t drive up here and park in front of this hotel thinking I’d ask you to hand over money.” He raked a hand through his hair. “It’s been a long day for both of us. I’d like to take you out for a nice dinner, and make sure we get a good night’s sleep on a decent mattress in a room with plenty of hot water. My treat. Let me do that, okay?”

  Rachel regarded him warily, concern spawning dread in her stomach. “That sounds really nice, Garrett, but look me in the eye and tell me you’re not expecting some more intimate form of payment.” As soon as the words were out, she wanted to take them back.

  He just stared, irritation knitting his brow tighter and tighter. His gaze drifted to her lips and then lower to her breasts before it rose again to her eyes. A scornful curl of his lips wounded her. “You don’t know me at all, do you? I realize we’ve just met, but I’d have thought by now you’d have some idea of the kind of man I am.”

  His eyes never left hers, forcing her to look at him. She should apologize, but the disdain in his expression shamed her and woke her damnable pride. In the last couple of days, she’d come to know that honor, truth, and family were what made Garrett Harding tick. To him, family extended to everyone that he cared about. That stupid dog. Aunt Peg. And her—damn it! So, yes, she should have known better. He didn’t have to drive cross-country with her. He could have let her go—should have. How ridiculous to suggest he’d placed himself in Jeremy’s crosshairs and traveled all this distance simply to coax her into the sack.

  Humiliation emptied her of pride, and she tried a tentative smile, but was pretty sure it came off more like a grimace. She drew a deep breath, prepared to issue the apology he deserved.

  “Not to worry, Rachel. I enjoy sex as much as the next guy, but freely given and never owed. I don’t expect anything from you. Wait here and lock the doors.” Regret invaded his expression as he pushed his door open, stepped out, and closed it quietly.

  Rachel stared after him until he disappeared inside the lobby. Well, now she’d done it. He was hurt and angry, and so damned controlled it scared her. Why didn’t he yell at her? How was she going to make this right? Clearly, an apology wasn’t going to fix things at this point.

  Avoiding confrontations had never been her style, but the thought of facing him again was equally unacceptable. She’d fully intended to jump and run at the first opportunity in order to force Garrett from the danger zone surrounding her. Why not now . . . before he came back and pierced her with those accusing gray eyes? From here, she could easily catch a ride to Spokane or Missoula and disappear to parts unknown. Garrett would be safe from Jeremy’s wrath, as would her friends back at the lodge.

  Rachel glanced at the lobby entrance, then reached between the seats for her bag, having to fend off Cowboy’s licks in the process. Laughing, she patted him between his ears and under his chin, staring into his big, brown, all-knowing eyes. Sadness welled up within her, and her laughter stilled.

  “Don’t look at me like that, you furry mutt. What do you know about sticking your foot in your mouth, anyway?”

  Cowboy whined, and his tail thumped the floor.

  “You know he thinks I’m a selfish, uncaring waste of his time right now, don’t you? He can’t even look at me without contempt. And what about Jeremy? You don’t want Garrett to get hurt, do you?”

  The dog gave a soft bark.

  Rachel smiled. “I know you’d protect him with your life. Right? I’m glad because I want him to be safe, too.” She wanted that so badly, she was willing to strike out alone, exactly as she’d done ten years ago after Chance . . . but this time she didn’t want to leave. The thought very nearly put her in a panic. Aunt Peg, Sally and Jen, Jonathan, and Dory were her family. Of course she didn’t want to go. Except, when she closed her eyes, it was a tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired man with stubble on his rugged cheeks and smiling gray eyes that called to some part of her soul as though they’d always been together.

  Nonsense. Yet she couldn’t deny the attraction, the desire that invaded her when he was near. What would he do if she disappeared again? No doubt the egotistical man would try to find her—just as he’d done last time. For sure, he’d be even angrier than he was now.

  Cowboy whined again, rising and pushing forward until his head bumped against her chest.

  She hugged his neck, burying her face in his scruff. Loneliness rolled over her in waves. “Okay, maybe you’re right. Maybe he deserves better than me just disappearing again. He is trying to help me. So, I could stick around and try to apologize for being a jerk.” Truth was, she wasn’t ready to leave Garrett. She needed to find out if the way he made her tingle with a touch of his hand was anything other than a case of nerves. Did the shiver that ran through her when he spoke in that soft baritone portend other thrills to come, or was it merely an effect of a chill in the air?

  Rachel sat up straight as soon as she heard the driver’s door unlock, and she tensed when he slid onto the seat. Garrett neither glanced her way nor spoke. Did she deserve that? A wispy tendril of anger hovered over her, but she tamped it down. Maybe she did. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt . . . for now.

  He pulled the Explorer to the backside of the hotel, parked, and held out a plastic room key, again without looking at her. “Room three thirty. Go on up. I’ll take Cowboy for a short walk. There’s a department store down the street about two blocks. I need to pick up a few things. Is there anything you need?”

  “No,” she said. “Thanks.”

  Garrett jerked the door handle, stepped out, and called the dog. Cowboy rushed by her and jumped from the seat to the ground, only too happy to be free and with his master. The door closed behind them and neither even cast a backwa
rd look as they walked away.

  Well. Rachel felt a hysterical giggle rising within her, but she cleared her throat and then bit the sides of her cheeks until it hurt too bad to laugh. She refused to give in to maniacal behavior no matter how crazy he made her. What’s more, there’d be no feeling sorry for herself. She had two choices. Either she grabbed her bag, left the key on his seat, and hitched a ride as far as she could go, or she sucked it up and figured out how to fix this. Neither option seemed particularly appealing.

  With her satchel slung over her shoulder, she went inside the hotel, found the elevator, and rode it to the third floor. Room three thirty was to the right, according to a sign on the wall outside the elevator. Rachel followed the arrows halfway down a long hallway and used her key card to open the door to their room.

  She crossed the threshold and stopped short as the door fell shut behind her. One bed. What was up with that? Didn’t he just get all bent out of shape because she asked if he expected payment of a sexual nature? Considering the chemistry between them, what did he think was going to happen if they shared a bed?

  Taking a deep breath, Rachel forced herself to calm down. At the moment, he couldn’t stand to look at her. There was no way he’d want her, and even if he did, his anger and pride would no doubt prevail. But what about her? That was no small amount of attraction she felt for Garrett. The memory of his kiss set her heart racing and he wasn’t even in the room. How would she sleep in the same bed with him? This was shaping up to be a very long night.

  The king-sized bed occupied the center of one wall, with glass doors to the right, leading to their very own balcony overlooking the lake. She dropped her bag on the foot of the bed and crossed to the doors. The view of pristine waters, surrounded by dense forest and mountains, sparkling in the late afternoon sun just beyond the balcony, was gorgeous. A leather love seat sat to the left of the bed, a table and two chairs next to that, and a gas fireplace filled the corner. The door to a bathroom opened directly across from the bed. Suddenly, a long, hot, luxurious shower was all she could think about.

  Rachel stepped into the bright and spacious bathroom, running her fingers across the tiled countertops done in deep earth tones and scrubbed to a spotless finish. A huge tub sat at the far end of the room and an equally large, see-through shower stall started her wondering what it would be like to share that space with a certain tall and well-built military man—a waste of good contemplation. Whether or not that man was seriously irritated with her would be the least of her worries. It wasn’t as if she had any experience at enticing men to get down and dirty, whether under running water or not. Besides, Garrett, naked in the shower, should be the last thing on her mind right now. A wave of her hand dismissed the whole silly idea.

  Turning the water on, she stripped off her clothes, grabbed the hotel’s sample bottles of shampoo and conditioner as well as a miniature bar of soap, and stepped into the steamy shower. She closed her eyes and braced one arm against the wall, letting the hot water pound against her bare skin, relaxing her and lessening the mysterious ache she experienced every time her thoughts turned to Garrett.

  The sense of loss that had gripped her heart as she stole from the lodge last night still echoed within her. As difficult as it had been, she’d had no doubt it was the best thing for Garrett. He refused to acknowledge the danger he’d placed himself in, but she knew. She’d seen the results of her own denial in grisly shades of red.

  So, why hadn’t she slipped away again when she had the chance? Instead, here she was in a room he’d paid for, standing naked in his shower, wondering if he’d avoid looking at her even here. A short laugh burst from her, and she turned her back on the water to soak her long, thick hair.

  Garrett was an attractive, sexy male specimen. There was absolutely no doubt about that. It’d been years since she’d responded to a man the way she had when he’d kissed her. Surely he had to know she was a lump of clay in his hands. Did she turn him on, too? It’d certainly seemed so in the heat of the moment, but now that he was angry with her, it was easy to believe her imagination had gotten away from her.

  The air in the bathroom quickly went from steamy, to humid, to clammy. The glass walls of the shower were covered on the outside with a fine sheen of moisture. She’d been so eager to get under the running water that she’d forgotten to turn on a fan. Quickly, Rachel washed and rinsed her hair, turned off the water, and selected a bath towel from the plush array provided. After the last droplet of water was gone from her skin, she stepped from the enclosure, flipped on the fan switch, and glanced around.

  Shoot! Her bag, with all of her clean clothes, was out there in the bedroom. Rachel stared at the door and listened. Had Garrett returned yet? It was eerily quiet. She glanced at her discarded clothes, grimy from sitting in the dirt with Cowboy this morning and wrinkled from sleeping in them. No way was she putting them on for the five seconds it would take her to grab her bag.

  She wrapped the towel around her, tucking the end securely, then studied herself in the fogged-up mirror to make sure everything important was covered. With a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped into the main room. At the same moment, a sound drew her attention to the entrance.

  Before she could react, the door swung open, and Garrett appeared, stopping the instant he saw her. Surprise widened his eyes as his gaze slowly traveled the length of her. Then Cowboy, entering behind him, pushed him farther into the room, and Garrett looked away, his expression shuttering over. “Nice getup.” His voice was emotionless, and he brushed past her.

  Rachel’s instant embarrassment at being caught half-naked fell away as an irrational anger possessed her. So many ways he could have reacted . . . and she got ridicule? No. She didn’t have to stay here and put up with that.

  She retucked the edge of the towel, which had loosened with her movements, padded silently across the carpet to the bed, and grabbed her bag. His back was to her as he unpacked items of clothing from a large paper sack he carried. She watched him for a few seconds while she tried to make sense of the stabbing pain in her chest. Why were her feelings so hurt? Why couldn’t she return to the emotionally safe place of hating him? She clutched her belongings against her stomach and turned toward the bathroom.

  Rachel’s steps slowed as she contemplated the unthinkable: getting dressed and repacking her bag, sneaking away again. Maybe he was right, and she had no idea what kind of man he was, but she did know that Garrett wouldn’t forsake his role as protector without a fight. Still, it just seemed wrong to leave without any explanation. That he probably wouldn’t listen or care didn’t seem like much of an excuse.

  Three feet from the bathroom door she stopped, set her bag down, and turned. Once again, she tucked the end of the towel more securely. Her heart pounded with the adrenaline rush that seized her as nervous energy made her second-guess her decision to come clean. She opened her mouth to say his name just as Cowboy sprang to his feet and gave a low woof, facing off toward the hotel door.

  The words died on her tongue as Garrett swung around, his body tensed, and the muscle flexed in his jaw. His gaze feathered over her and landed on the door, his expression dark and dangerous. Quickly, he glided toward her. The same weapon he’d used outside the Watering Hole suddenly appeared in his hand.

  Garrett put a finger to his lips. “Stay behind me,” he whispered.

  So grim and forbidding, he almost convinced her that her faceless enemy had finally come for her. Frozen in place, she forgot everything she’d ever learned about self-defense. Bleakly, Rachel nodded her compliance to his command.

  With Cowboy waiting on high alert by his side, Garrett glanced toward the door just as someone rapped out a staccato rhythm on the other side. He grasped her elbow and pushed her closer to the wall behind him. Her attention focused on the door, she stumbled slightly, but easily caught herself. However, her clumsy movements had loosened the towel again, and she reached to catch it as Garrett noticed her plight and swung back to help. In spite
of both of them grabbing for it, the damp length of fabric slid all the way to the floor.

  Mortified, Rachel held her breath. Garrett snagged the errant cover-up and pushed it toward her, his eyes shiny and dark as they met hers for a split second before the knock came again. She straightened the towel as best she could and held it lengthways in front of her as Garrett moved to the door.

  After a quick look through the peephole, he left the chain in place and pulled the knob toward him only far enough to scrutinize whoever was waiting in the hallway. Quiet conversation ensued. After a minute or so, Garrett reached for something the mystery person handed him and closed the door.

  He tucked his gun in the back of his waistband and turned slowly. Clearly, he was trying to hide the amusement that danced in his eyes, without much success. He held up two postcard-sized notices. “Twenty-five percent off dinner at the restaurant downstairs. Part of the newlywed package.”

  “Newlywed package?”

  He shrugged. “I figured if Jeremy was looking for you, he wouldn’t expect to find you in one of the newlywed suites.” His gaze kept dropping to her throat and the swell of her breasts where she clutched the towel.

  “Good plan.” Rachel rolled her eyes as she fumbled with the fabric, positioning it to cover more of her chest. Wrapping some of the excess around her bare hips, she tried to hold the ends together behind her, but the towel wasn’t quite wide enough. Finally, she gave up and started backing toward the bathroom.

  Garrett strode forward and reached for her, his large hands catching her around the waist. Fear seized her briefly, followed quickly by searing anger. Still trying to move away from his touch, her retreat stopped abruptly when her backside came in contact with the wall. She tilted her chin and looked him in the eyes. “What are you doing?”