“But if you can’t reach the pedals and see over the dashboard, then you’re going to agree to using a booster seat.”
“What? No way!” Was he kidding?
“Yep.”
She scowled. “Linc, I don’t need a booster seat.”
“Someone as small as you, it’s got to be safer. Wouldn’t you rather be able to see out the window properly anyway?”
“I can see out the window.” Just not the front window. “I’m not sitting in a booster seat.”
“We’ll see.”
“I’m short, not a child.”
There was a beat of silence. Her nerves started to get to her again. Linc fell silent. Guilt ate away at her. She knew he wouldn’t be happy about her keeping things from him.
“Linc, I—”
“Were you ever going to tell me? About Tiger?”
Oh God. That guilt increased. “I . . . I don’t know.” She didn’t know what to say to make everything better. They both fell silent again as he turned his truck into Sanctuary Ranch’s driveway. The big gates opened automatically and his truck started forward. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. She was going to Linc’s house. Where would she sleep? She hadn’t even asked if he had a spare bedroom. Was he expecting something more from her? Sex? She’d never had sex. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing.
Oh hell. Why had she said yes to coming home with him?
Because you didn’t want to say goodbye.
“What if I put everyone here in danger?” she whispered.
“Did you meet Clint? When you were out here?”
“Umm, yes.” Clint Jensen was a big, blunt man. Kind of scary. But it was clear to see his adoration for his now-wife.
“Well, his brother, Kent owns Jensen Security International. And their base of operations is the ranch. Most of the guys working for him live here. They’re mostly all ex-military. They’re highly trained. This ranch has the best security you can get. We take the safety of all the women very seriously. You’ll be safe here. They’re safe here. Stop worrying so much. It’s all going to be okay.”
All right. That made her feel better. And she remembered someone mentioning JSI in the spa, she just hadn’t realized what exactly it was.
“Sometimes it’s easier for me to think about what could go wrong, then I can prepare myself. If I think everything will be all right and then it all unravels, well, then it’s much harder to pick myself back up.”
“I hate that you’ve had to teach yourself to think that way. You should be filled with hope for the future, not expecting everything to go to shit. Excuse my language.”
She had to smile at that as they pulled up outside a quaint log cabin that was surrounded by tall trees. “You don’t have to worry about your language.”
“Still shouldn’t be swearing in front of you. Nana would have my hide for how I’ve been talking around you tonight. Wait there.”
She thought it was kind of cute that he worried about what he said with her around. She undid her seatbelt as he opened the door. Reaching up, he lifted her down and grabbed her backpack.
“Pretty sure I can get down on my own,” she told him. “It’s getting up that’s the issue.”
“You might hurt yourself jumping down, especially when the ground is uneven.”
“I jumped from a far higher height tonight without a problem,” she commented without thinking as she followed him up onto the porch.
“You could have hurt yourself. What if you’d broken your arm? Or your foot?”
Well, she guessed she wouldn’t be here right now since she was sure that Tiger would have found her. But she didn’t say that. She wasn’t silly.
He opened the door to the house and ushered her in.