by Regan Black
He wasn’t that kind of guy. He’d never wanted the hearth-and-home deal. Losing his parents was proof that life was too fragile and the world too fickle. Better to have some fun and move on before the good stuff got ripped away, leaving bloody knuckles, bruises and painful scars behind.
“Jarvis?”
She’d caught him staring like an idiot. “I’ll, um, I’ll keep watch tonight so you can rest easy.” The statement made, it felt exactly right. How else would he make sure she didn’t disappear without a trace? It was the practical thing to do, he argued with the voice in his head accusing him of being hopelessly infatuated.
“Stop it.” She shook her head. “That will only draw more attention.”
“From who? Nothing but coyotes and owls out here when the cattle are elsewhere.”
Her lush lips twisted to one side. “I don’t have much to fear from an owl, and a coyote has no reason to wander close enough to trouble me. Go home and get your own rest. I hear cowboys have to get up early.”
“Just like mothers and models,” he said. She rolled her eyes. “I live on the ranch,” he added, hooking his thumbs in his pockets. “Call me if a coyote gets out of line.”
“I promise.”
Her smile was relaxed, natural, and the sparkle was back in her eye rather than frustration and fear. Promising he’d be back in the morning, he walked out of the warming hut and climbed into his truck. But he didn’t go all the way back to the ranch. Instead, he retreated only so far as the service road and parked. Now he was effectively blocking anyone trying to take an established road toward her hiding place. It also meant he was less than a minute away if she did need him tonight.
As he adjusted the seat to get comfortable, he wondered which outcome would make him happier—an undisturbed night or one in which she called him for help. What was wrong with him? He didn’t wish trouble on her or the baby. She’d been through too much already.
His brother would chide him for not verifying her story before siding with her. His sister would accuse him of being more interested in her face than her predicament. Although his siblings knew him best, neither of them would be entirely correct about this. Oh, he was plenty attracted to Mia and he hadn’t vetted her claim with a source beyond her cell phone.
But he was running on his instincts and her reputation. That was more than enough to justify a few bucks in supplies and spending the night in his truck under the expansive sky.
Just as he was settling in, lightning slashed across the sky and a deep rumble of thunder chased it. So much for stretching out in the bed of his truck. Knowing rain was imminent, he cracked the windows and braced himself for a cramped and uncomfortable night.
Chapter 3
The sudden storm lashed at the warming hut and lightning revealed all of the gaps in the aged and weary structure. Mia rarely wallowed in regret. She’d invested years of effort and tears learning how to accept her strengths and her weaknesses equally. Right now, she wished she’d accepted Jarvis’s generosity rather than resisting him due to her innate stubbornness and the fear Regina had planted in her heart.
Silas was restless, too, and she blamed either the weather or her own edgy energy. The combination definitely wasn’t helping matters. She fed him, rocked him and changed him. She bundled him snug in a blanket and when that failed, she tried letting him rest in only his diaper.
Nothing worked. Her eyes were bleary and she was well beyond frazzled as she dealt with her son. In the parenting classes, they’d warned her there would come a time when nothing soothed the baby and she would want to pull out her hair. Like all the other parents in the room, Mia had chuckled nervously, not believing things would get bad enough to sap her patience and make her short-tempered with her child.
She believed it now.
If she’d thought consoling him had been a challenge when Jarvis found them, this was a whole new level of agony. Standing here when she had zero help nearby was a lousy time for a revelation. There was no one to trade off with, no option to walk away and take a breather, as the instructor had recommended.
“I’m trying, baby,” she murmured, pacing as far from Silas as possible. “What is it you need?” She didn’t want to let him work up another good cry. Not that she thought anyone would hear him over this storm.
Sitting on the sleeping bag, her legs crossed, she swayed gently side to side and watched his little face pinch, his body coiled for his next hearty wail. A good mother would be impressed by her son’s lung capacity. Mia, feeling like a failure in every aspect of life, burst into tears herself.
“Oh, I’m sorry, baby. What was I thinking?” She tucked Silas into the security of his car seat and paced the three strides to the door of the hut. Swiping at her cheeks, she tried to pull herself away from the brink of a self-destructive meltdown. Nothing would improve if they were both sobbing.
How was it her father had been such an amazing single parent and role model after her mother had died? His commitment, patience and love had given her a solid foundation of confidence and self-worth, despite the grief and loss they were both coping with. He’d filled in and worked around that missing piece of her heart.
And then that foundation had been ripped away, thanks to Regina. The woman had entered their lives in a whirl of affection and companionship, things her father sorely missed after years as a widower. In short order, Regina began suggesting that Mia’s resistance to a new mother figure proved she needed less attention from Norton and more independence. And Norton had fallen for it. Despite her stepmother’s antics and efforts to drive them apart, her father’s courageous example in the years prior had inspired Mia to raise her son alone.
It had been the right decision, the only logical solution, even knowing her husband wouldn’t tolerate such a tectonic shift in their marriage dynamic.
On the other side of the weathered door, she could hear the wind changing and another swath of rain battering the hut. A leak in the roof splatted on one end of the sleeping bag Jarvis had delivered. She hurried to move things around the small space, while Silas continued to cry.
Steeling herself, she opened a bottle of water and indulged in a brief fantasy about ear plugs. As if she’d ever use them to blot out her son. She reminded herself that this was a moment, not forever. Her baby was safe even if he was currently unhappy. And she was a single parent by choice.
Roderick had been quick to remind her they’d agreed not to have children in order to better focus on their respective careers and the things they wanted to accomplish in the world. Of course, she hadn’t gotten pregnant on her own; she’d been consistent and careful about preventive measures, and yet, by some miracle, she’d conceived. In her mind it was meant to be. Roderick saw it as a betrayal.
She’d been proud to leave modeling behind to be the wife and partner of a tech mogul with strong philanthropic values. They’d traveled, joined humanitarian projects around the world and she’d launched and managed his charitable foundation. They’d been happy and close and in love. Or so she’d thought. Why was she so easy to discard?
The better question was why she was rehashing all of this now. Her husband had stepped out of her life, or, more accurately, pushed her out of his with aloof efficiency. It was done. He’d run the numbers and projections of parenthood expenses, including college, against his anticipated income and basically written her a check to cover that amount. No one could fault him for shirking his responsibility. Though Silas would never know his father, she was sure it was better than growing up around a parent who would ignore him.
“Not my first hard day,” she reminded herself. “Won’t be the last.” The only good news, she thought as she adjusted her belongings again to avoid another leak, was that Jarvis had left.
She couldn’t imagine how crowded it would feel in here with him. His presence overpowered everything, including her good sense. The instant attraction had surprised her, once
the distress of being found had worn off. Her pulse had fluttered and the ripple of temptation over her skin had scared her almost as much as the instinctive urge to trust him.
Mia hadn’t trusted anyone other than herself in quite some time. She loved her father but questioned his decisions, which typically revolved around Regina’s preferences. Although she’d accepted his feedback and advice about her new career options, going into real estate felt pretty foolish while she was hiding out in a leaky warming hut.
Had Regina set her up from the start? Was the scene at the country house an elaborate scheme to permanently force her out of her father’s life?
The answer couldn’t be yes. But Regina did gain from the stunt, which made her speculation seem more plausible than paranoid. With Mia gone, Regina would now be the sole woman in Norton’s life. Mia was no longer there to defend herself from any of Regina’s lies or to protect her father from his wife’s lavish spending habits.
She shoved her hands into her hair, pulling out the tie and finger combing the long, thick waves back from her face. Clearly, the stress and lack of sleep were catching up to her. Regina was cunning, to be sure, but from day one she had avoided any action that could possibly cast her in a negative light. Why would she put her status as Mrs. Norton Graves at risk by having an affair?
Mia should have the upper hand, with the incriminating video saved on her phone as well as backed up to a secure cloud storage. But all the advantages in the world were useless while Regina had the leverage.
Half of the leverage, she thought, picking up Silas again. Her sweet boy was still crying, but she was calm enough to make another attempt to soothe him. She sat in the lone chair, which she considered a testament to good craftsmanship rather than too brittle to be useful, and rested Silas on her chest, heart to heart, hoping he’d calm down.
These parenting challenges would only become more complex as her son grew. Someday, she hoped to find someone willing to become her partner in this adventure so she wouldn’t go through every day alone.
Those days were light-years away at the moment, but they could happen. She sang softly to Silas, stroking his dark, baby-soft curls while her mind drifted between the past and the future. Lasting love was more than fairy tale or fantasy. Motherhood confirmed that for her every day. Even the strident moments of motherhood underscored that soul-deep truth.
There was someone out there for her. A man who would treasure her for more than her connections. For more than the status of dating a former model. Someone who wanted to be both partner and father.
“We’ll find the right someone,” she whispered into Silas’s hair. It was the same promise she made to him every day, in one way or another.
The roof sprang another leak and water dripped down, plinking on the floor close to the door. As much as she didn’t want to move from this rustic little pocket of safety, the storm had made Jarvis’s point. She didn’t yet have a viable plan that would protect her father while she exposed Regina’s infidelity. Until she had that plan, she needed a better place to hide.
“Momma will figure it out,” she soothed as Silas’s cries finally abated on a shuddering breath. “We’ll go home. We’ll be a family, just you and me.” She’d figure out a career, with or without her father’s support if necessary.
She just had to keep her son and father safe long enough to see that dream fulfilled.
* * *
Jarvis was up with the sun, grateful the rain had blown over. Less grateful for the stuffy cab of the truck and the kink in his neck. Other than the storm, there hadn’t been any trouble through the night, which gave him confidence that Mia would be all right out here today. From this vantage point, he had to work to separate her car from the rolling hills and scrubby grasses and he knew exactly where to look. He should go on to work, trusting her to stay put and stay hidden. Instead, he started the engine and drove back to the hut to check on her and Silas.
Before he was out of the truck, the cabin door opened just a smidgen as Mia confirmed it was him. Her caution only slammed home exactly how nervous she was about her situation. Then she stepped out into the morning sunshine, the baby in her arms, and he thought she was prettier than a sunrise.
“Good morning,” he said. He noticed the circles under her eyes and the tension pinching the corners of her mouth. He was almost afraid to ask, “How did it go last night?”
“The rain made your point about the accommodations,” she replied. “There are a few leaks in the roof here.”
“A few?” He stepped back and eyed the shed-style slope. “We really should just knock this thing down.” He knew he should’ve insisted on moving her yesterday. “We don’t keep up with the huts,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault I can be too stubborn for my own good,” she said, smothering a yawn. “Does the offer of moving still stand?”
The guilt in her voice, in her tired eyes, punched him in the heart. Just when he thought life had drummed out all the soft spots. “I can move you right now,” he said.
“Oh?” Her eyebrows flexed into a frown. “Don’t you need to get to work?”
“Not as much as you need reliable shelter. Come on. I’ll help you load up.”
“Jarvis, I can wait until...” Her voice trailed off, exhaustion clearly interfering with whatever she’d meant to say.
“Now is just fine, Mia. Let me help.” He closed the distance, guiding her gently back into the little hut to help her pack. She didn’t resist or give him any attitude and somehow that lack of fight worried him more.
Inside, he cringed. Signs of roof leaks were everywhere, her supplies clustered in the dry spots. The roof had apparently let in more rain than it kept out last night.
“What if you’re late to work?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about me. It’s not like I’d pin the blame on you,” he teased, rolling up the sleeping bag. “Did you get any rest last night?”
“A little.” She tucked the baby into his seat, rolling her eyes when he started to fuss.
“Is he okay?”
“Just grumpy. I think the storm was unsettling.”
“Makes sense,” Jarvis said, though he had no idea if it did or not. “There’s a shower at the bunkhouse I mentioned.” He’d make sure it was operational before he drove in. “And hot water.”
“Really?”
He smothered a laugh at the eagerness in her voice. “Really.”
“You’ll have to tell me who I owe for the utility expenses. When I’m gone, I can send money back.”
Not this again. He stood, the sleeping bag under his arm. “Let’s wait and sort it out once you’ve had some sleep.”
“Right.” She buckled the baby into his car seat and wrestled to zip the diaper bag closed. “I should only need a few more days. A couple of people owe me favors. It’s possible one of them will let my dad know what’s going on without hurting him too much.”
“There’s no rush this time of year, I promise.”
She started for her car, but he loaded up his truck instead. “If you can deal with being isolated until the end of the day, I’d rather you didn’t move your car.”
“Why? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that,” she said. “If something happens to the baby.”
“You’ll call me,” he said. She frowned. He was running on instinct, unable to verbalize why her leaning on him was a positive thing for both of them.
“Without a car I’ll feel trapped.”
Right now she looked too exhausted to feel much of anything else. He hated to spell it out for her. “If someone does think to look for you here and they managed to find your car, it will look abandoned.”
“How does that help me?”
He stowed her things in the truck bed while she got the car seat in place. Did she even realize she was arguing and cooperating at the same time? “Ditchin
g the car should create the impression that you’ve already moved on.”
“My car being here implies a connection,” she pointed out.
“Connection to what? No one at the ranch has seen you. The assumption will be that you found another way out of town.”
She spoke softly to the baby and then climbed into the passenger seat. As Jarvis drove across the grassy pastures to the bunkhouse, he was torn between emphasizing the remoteness of the new location as a safety feature and ignoring it to prevent undue worry if she did have a crisis. He kept his thoughts to himself and Mia seemed content with that.
The baby, too. “He got quiet fast,” Jarvis observed.
She snorted, apparently unimpressed. “He loves car rides,” she explained. “And he was up all night. They warned me it would happen.”
“It?” he queried.
“The inconsolable baby. It’s a whole thing, but like any new mom, I thought I could handle it.”
He pulled to a stop at the bunkhouse and cut the engine. “You did handle it,” he pointed out.
“Possibly at the expense of my sanity. A chunk of brain cells at the very least.” She flicked a hand toward the view through the windshield. There was nothing to mar the view from here to the mountains. “Beautiful,” she said. “I see why you like it out here. It’s peaceful. Or it would be if I wasn’t more removed from any kind of help than before.
“I’m sorry.” She rubbed her eyes. “Forgive me for being cranky. Once I get some sleep, I’ll figure out a way to handle my stepmom and stop imposing on you.”
“I’m sure you will.”
He unloaded her things while she gathered up her son. Inside, the bunkhouse was stripped to the bare essentials, but it was clean and dry. Here, in addition to basic conveniences, she had a table and chairs, plus she could choose from four bunks. He turned on the power and the water pump, made sure things were running as they should, then propped the stick against the wall by the door.