She poked his back. “Are you being paranoid, or is there some threat I should know about?”
Sam moved out of the trees and held out his hand for her.
His frown told her he was serious as they turned and moved south, back toward the lodge.
“Your security is shit. I’m going to put in an order to have some things shipped out here. Do people even deliver here?”
“I’ve got deadbolts and window locks. The sawmill is five miles away from Phail. The lodge is a two-mile hike in from there. Exactly who do you think I need protection from?”
Sam scowled at her. “Seriously? You’re smarter than that. In fact, you’re smart enough to be contracted out by the government to create spy shit for them. Smart enough to strong-arm them into a contract that protects your work from being misused. Smart enough to know that if our government wants it, so do others. Smart enough to know that some of those people might just be interested enough to hunt you down and find out what you’re doing. Smart enough to know that your asshole ex might be working for some of them and that he can’t afford to takeNofor an answer. Smart enough to know that a couple of miles isn’t any kind of protection. Neither are a couple of locks.”
Tansy didn’t know if she’d ever heard such a long speech from Sam. He never belabored a point.
He’d sure belabored that one.
They walked in silence for a while, and Sam’s gaze never rested. She wasn’t sure if he was checking for assassins behind the foliage or if he was cataloguing the land in order to figure out the best way to protect her.
Most likely both.
And that gave her all kinds of warm fuzzies.
“I’ve been out here for months, Sam. No one has bothered me or followed me.”
“Not as far as you know. Have you checked the lodge for bugs?”
Tansy laughed. “I’m going to assume you don’t mean cockroaches and ants. No, I didn’t sweep anything. The layers of dust in the lodge were proof enough no one has been inside for a very long time. There were no tracks in the snow when I arrived. It was like crossing a portal into a time gone by.”
Some of the tension eased out of his shoulders at her words.
“Is there a post office in the town? Who are the best people to ask about strangers being in town? I want to know if people are asking questions about you.”
Tansy laughed. “I assume there’s a post office. Probably in Phail General. I’ve only used it and the grocery store so far. I can’t imagine anyone’s asking about me. And if they are, no one in town even knows my name.”
Sam growled at that one and she tried to figure out what had ticked him off.
“Are you seriously telling me you’ve been here for over three months and that not one person in town knows your name?”
She shrugged, and he heaved out a sigh and a few curses as they kept walking.
“Tansy, you can’t retreat from the world like this. It’s not healthy. Everyone needs people. Even you. You’re supposed to tell us when you need help, when you need us. If you can’t tell me, talk to Joe. Just know you can always talk to me. I’ll always be here for you.”
That made her heart race and hope, but she knew it really meant he’d be there for her until he left for his next assignment.
Sam knew he’d annoyed her with his words, but he couldn’t take them back.
She’d hidden her isolation from them.
Sam, Joe, and Nico had all been on assignments during Christmas and they hadn’t even been able to get together then.
She’s spent the holiday with her cousins in Bloo Moose, but this was March.
March.
And he hadn’t made an effort to get here earlier.
Part of it had been guilt. For lusting after his buddy’s sister. Now, that part seemed silly. Tansy was definitely not averse to kissing him.
Hopefully, a hell of a lot more.