in his gut eased. Then in spite of himself, he laughed. He’d been jealous over a cat.
“Don’t just stand there laughing,” she said. “Grab him.”
Charlie appeared to be enjoying himself, exploring the great outdoors. When Jax set off in pursuit, the cat picked up speed.
“Here kitty, kitty.”
“His name is Charlie.”
Of course it was. He felt like such an idiot for getting bent out of shape over a cat. Not that he had any right to be jealous of anyone. On second thought, it would have been better if Charlie had turned out to be her boyfriend. He could put her safety in another man’s hands and walk away. At least he wanted to believe he could have turned his back and forgotten her.
The cat stopped to investigate a potted plant and Jax made his move, wrapping his hands around the cat’s rib cage.
“Be careful,” Cleo called out. “Support his back feet.”
Jax adjusted his hold and the cat seemed to relax. That was good because he didn’t know one thing about felines. His family didn’t have cats or dogs. Not even goldfish. His father thought that they were a waste of money. That was what he’d loved about the Sinclair’s ranch. They had lots of animals, from cats to steers. He’d always dreamed of living on a spread like theirs. So when the senior Sinclair took him under his wing and showed him how to work on a ranch, he was thrilled. He’d done something he enjoyed while making some pocket money.
“What are you smiling about?” Cleo eyed him. “Did Charlie find your ticklish spot?”
“Not hardly.” He wasn’t ticklish.
Cleo sighed. “Well, bring him inside and be gentle. He just had surgery.”
Jax stared down at the furball. It didn’t look as if anything was wrong with him. But Jax would take Cleo’s word for it and as carefully as possible placed the cat on the couch.
“Enough about the cat. What I want to know is why you took off. Don’t you realize that the thug who hurt you is still out there?”
“I was careful.”
“I talked to the police on my way here.” He waited to see if the reminder of their situation would gain her attention.
She didn’t raise her head to look at him. Instead she fussed over the cat. “What did they say? Has he been arrested?”
“No. And he was spotted in this area last night, but he eluded the police in the darkness.”
She glanced up. The light in her eyes dimmed. “Oh. I didn’t think—”
“Exactly. Now let’s get you out of here.”
He strode over and reached for the door.
“Wait. I’m not ready. I want to grab a few things. And you’ll need to load the litter box in the car while I put Charlie in his carrier.”
“I don’t think so. I’m not hauling some howling cat around in the car.”
Cleo frowned at him. “Charlie doesn’t howl. He’s not a dog.”
“Howl. Meow. It’s all the same.” He wasn’t a cat person.
“And don’t forget to scoop the litter before loading it.”
“No way. I’m not hauling around a litter box and a cat.”
* * *
A few minutes later, Cleo settled on the passenger seat of the SUV. “Did you remember to grab extra kitty litter?”
“Yes.” Jax’s grumpy tone made her smile. “I don’t know how something so small can require so much stuff.”
He’d grow to like Charlie. She was sure of it because beneath all of that gruff, Jax had a big heart, even if he refused to acknowledge it.
“It’s okay, Charlie. He’s not normally this grouchy. He just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
“I did not,” Jax grumbled from the hatch as he stowed away her crutches.
In no time at all, they were on the road. She noticed how Jax kept checking the mirrors. She supposed she hadn’t made the wisest choice this morning. Her gaze moved back to Charlie—but he needed her.
She glanced at Jax as he focused on traffic. “How long are you planning to keep us hidden away?”
Jax’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “As long as it takes to make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m not your responsibility. I moved to Las Vegas to get away from my family and their overbearing expectations and overprotectiveness. Now you’re trying to do the same thing.”
“Well, if you don’t like staying with me, I can get you an airline ticket. I’m sure your mother would enjoy the visit—”
“No!”
Jax glanced her way. She pressed her lips together, feeling stupid for reacting so strongly. If she wasn’t careful Jax would start asking questions—questions she didn’t want to answer. Once he knew what she’d done—the irreparable damage she was responsible for—it’d only confirm his decision that she was not worthy of his attention. She couldn’t bear to have him look at her the way her mother had done.
“I can’t go back there. Hope Springs is in my past.”
“And does that include your family?”
She shrugged. A mix of feelings churned in her stomach, making her nauseous.
“What’s going on, Cleo? Your family used to mean everything to you. Now you’ll do anything to send them money, but you balk at the mention of visiting them.”
His voice was soft and soothing, inviting her confidence. Still, she worried about what he’d think of her once he knew.
“Cleo, I’m concerned about you. Something serious is going on. And if you won’t give me the answers then I’ll have to go to Kurt for the truth—”
“No!” Her fingers twisted together. “Don’t do that. I—I’ll tell you.”
He had her between a rock and a hard place and she hated it. Dredging up these painful memories would be torture. And for the first time to speak them out loud would just make what happened so fresh in her mind.
While living in Las Vegas, she’d been able to pretend that things were okay. To colleagues, she’d act as though she had a loving family missing her back in Wyoming. She was able to bluff her way through most days, but not today.
Maybe it would do her some good. Getting it off her chest might help. For so long now she’d been choking down the anger and hurt. She drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves.
“Things haven’t been the same since my father died.”
Jax
