Her throat moved as she swallowed, and she gently withdrew her hand. “It was nice to see you again, too. Thanks for coming out here, and on such short notice.”
“Of course. I’ll be in touch soon.”
She nodded, and he forced himself to get into his truck before the temptation to stay overcame his resolve to leave.
Time. She needed time.
To get to know him, to come around to his presence in her life. And hopefully, for more than just the renovation.
Quickly turning his truck around in the driveway, he drove slowly toward the road, glancing often in the review mirror. Olivia was standing on the porch, her arms wrapped around herself. Everything about her posture screamed that she was conflicted, and it didn’t surprise him a bit.
Reluctantly turning his eyes from her to the asphalt road, he pulled out and settled in for the drive home. Leaning back, he draped one hand over the steering wheel and rubbed his stubble with the other, pulling out all the things he’d learned about her since meeting her.
She was beautiful, no doubt, but at the moment, he barely spared it a thought. He was more interested in learning who she was on the inside, what shaped her into the woman she was now.
What her story was.
She was a little bit odd and quirky at times, but he found it pretty endearing. And even if he didn’t, he had no room to talk. He was odder than most—including Olivia. And he was pretty sure it wasn’t charming on him like it was on her.
And then there were the other things. He didn’t think she meant to show it so obviously, and maybe others didn’t see it or weren’t looking as closely as he was, but sometimes she wore suspicion like a second skin.
Not always. There’d been a few times during their two meetings when she relaxed and let the real Olivia shine. But then something would spook her, and the wariness, unease, and suspicion would come back.
A few times, it was because he’d asked what he thought was an innocent question. But to her, they must seem like something different, because each time, they sparked that reaction in her.
Brow furrowed thoughtfully, he considered the questions that provoked that response. One time had been when he asked her if the old farmhouse on Route 9 was her home. Another had been when he wondered if she was already taken, and tried to get info on what she’d meant when she said we. Then, when he said he knew the previous owner, and she said she thought he was out of state.
And the last time was when he commented on the five bedrooms being used.
All were red flags to a woman—a stranger knowing where she lived, and asking how many people lived with her—if that woman was on the run or hiding from someone. Especially when he thought about how the five women had moved in six months ago, yet he’d only heard of two new women actually going into town; and only then, only to visit the grocery store.
His gut said he was on the right track with that, but he instinctively knew there was more to it.
Because if Olivia was the one on the run, wouldn’t she be the one hiding out at the house? And yet, based on the descriptions he’d heard of the two women who’d come to town, one sounded a lot like Olivia.
On the other hand, there was her friends telling her not to let her fear rule her life—which pointed right back at her being the one hiding.
But from what? And were all of them hiding? It was the only thing that made sense right now.
It was a puzzle, and he’d need a lot more information to solve it. But he would. And once he did, once Olivia opened up and let him in a little, he’d set his mind to easing her fears.
She had no reason to be afraid of him. Hell, based on the way he already felt about her, the way he was so drawn to her and already so protective of her, he already knew if she’d just let him in, he’d give her the world.
Maybe it was too soon to feel so strongly about her, but he didn’t care. The fact was, he did, and he wasn’t going to run from it.
And she and her friends couldn’t have picked a better place to live if they were running from someone. He’d protect her—he’d protect all of them—and no one could get past him.
The beast inside of him would make sure of that.
Chapter 6
Olivia
Olivia shivered as she quickly toweled off and dressed. The lake adjacent to the house was beautiful, but it wasn’t an ideal spot to bathe. With the water off though, they didn’t have any other options.
It was at least starting to warm up with summer on the horizon, but the lake was still damned cold.
Wrapping her hair in a towel, she shoved her feet in her flip flops, grabbed the bag with her toiletries and dirty clothes, and sprinted back to the house. The air felt warm, but she was still cold, especially with her wet hair.