Chapter Fourteen
A stab of possessiveness hit Luke hard in the abs as he watched her interacting with MacGyver so free and easy, like she hadn’t just met him today. And that asshole was eating it up. As quickly as the suspicion clenched his jaw, Luke shook it off. They had more important things to worry about than petty jealousy.
Travis walked toward him, and Luke shook his hand. Coop and, eventually, MacGyver joined them and huddled around the doorway. “We all good?” Travis’s gaze swept over him, probably to determine if he’d gotten his ass kicked tonight.
“Everything’s cool. I’ll fill you all in later—after I talk to Sally.” Luke glanced toward her, where she leaned against the sink, a coffee mug clutched tightly in both hands. She blinked and looked away.
The men started to file out. Coop clapped him on the back as he came alongside. “You got us up at o-dark-thirty…for nothin’, man. It was all over before we got here. Youoweus a skirmish, Bro. Don’t forget.”
Luke grinned. “You’re supposed to be on vacation, Coop, but I’ll see what I can do.”
MacGyver stopped directly in front of him, his height giving him two or three inches of lean-over on Luke. His expression was stone-cold serious, though the bond between them shone in his eyes. “She’s hurtin’, Luke. Take it easy on her, huh?”
Luke nodded minimally, and MacGyver followed the other men outside, pulling the door closed behind him. Luke hung his head for a moment. His friend had spent all of ten minutes with Sally and picked up on the pain that he’d been blind to. Should have known better than to suspect the big man of making a play for his woman. MacGyver was one of the most honorable men he’d ever met.
Suddenly, the cabin was bathed in silence thick enough to butter bread. Luke turned toward Sally and caught her watching him again. Abruptly, she pivoted toward the sink, and her coffee cup landed a little too hard on the countertop. Damn! He’d give anything to know what she was thinking, but the only way to determine that was to have the conversation he was justifiably dreading.
He covered the distance between them and leaned against the counter a few feet from her. The smell of freshly brewed coffee grabbed his attention, and he claimed the last remaining cup, reached for the carafe and poured it full. A large swallow of the hot liquid braced him somewhat.
“Is he gone?” Sally spoke without looking at Luke.
“Yep.”
“Is Jen all right?”
“She’ll never even know the marshal was here.” He should have known she’d be worried about her daughter. Luke set down his cup, his gaze directed out the small window over the sink, same as hers. “Areyouokay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice distant, her words clipped.
She was angry with him. What had he done besides try to protect her? He’d been surprised and furious from the instant she’d appeared in the room, in essence turning herself over to the marshal who wanted to whisk her away from him. Then finding out Brennan was her father had tipped him over the edge. After cooling off, Luke had realized it was only the fear of losing her that had jump-started his temper. But there were things they had to discuss. The conversation he needed to have with her was going to make her angrier. He knew that. It might even make her decide she didn’t want him around. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Still, he had to know he could trust her completely.
Luke took a deep breath and plunged in. “You were supposed to stay in the bathroom. We talked about why that was important. Remember? What the hell happened, Sally?” He strove to keep his voice from sounding harsh but was only partially successful.
She tensed and remained silent.
Luke sighed. “I thought you trusted me. If you don’t, tell me now and I’ll find someone else to protect you.”
Sally flinched and crossed her arms over her stomach. She opened her mouth and closed it twice before any words came out. “I know I screwed up, but don’t treat me like a child, Luke. I’ve been living this life a lot longer than you have. I didn’t come out of that room because I didn’t trust you or because what you said wasn’t important. It doesn’t even matter why. I just…hadto.” Her voice cracked, and she paused, pulling herself up even straighter.
Luke’s heart constricted and his simmering anger fizzled and dissipated. All he wanted to do was fold her in his arms, the revelation that Brennan was her father temporarily pushed aside. When he took a half step toward her, she stopped him with a raised hand and a terse shake of her head.
“When I heard Greg talking about me as though I was an empty-headed bimbo who needed a man to make her decisions, I lost it. It was foolish. Greg might have hurt you…or worse…and it would have been my fault. I don’t blame you for being furious. And I’d totally understand if you wanted me to leave.”
Luke closed his eyes for a minute, relief washing through him like floodwaters in a dry creek bed. If she was leaving that decision up to him, damn sure she was staying right here. He tried to hide the grin he couldn’t seem to wipe away. “I’m proud of you.”
Sally glanced at him, clearly surprised, then looked away again.
“You used what you had—the beginnings of a panic attack—to cause a diversion that put us back in control of the situation without anyone getting seriously hurt. I had to go through Navy SEAL training to learn to think on my feet like that.”
Luke stepped toward her, close enough he could brush back the hair that had fallen into her eyes. She was trembling, and her arms crossed in front of her seemed to be the only thing holding her up, but she didn’t scoot out of his reach.
“I get it. No small rooms for you. I had a feeling it was a bad idea from the start. I was a little disappointed—okay, maybe irritated—when my plan fell apart, but I’m nothing if not adaptable. I can adjust if need be. We’ll work out a better plan next time.”
She huffed as she turned away from him. “First, the word you’re looking for issullen. Next time? I don’t think so.”
“Wait.” Luke stepped in front of her and forced her chin up with one finger. “What’s that mean?”
“It means you and everyone else will be safer if Jen and I leave.” Sally’s eyes filled with tears, and still he wouldn’t let her look away.