her in. “Tell me the truth. Why are you willing to risk your life for Dina Brown?”
She could not look away from the brilliant blue eyes, so insightful and filled with that easy confidence that came from having a stable family who showed you what unconditional love meant. Wrapped up safe in a small town. You made your choices, Shannon. She set her shoulders and pushed at his arm. “I’m going to take care of her, Jack, that’s all. If you’re certain I’m making a mistake, go back to the ranch. There’s no reason to continue this marriage farce, even if it amuses you to torture me.”
He took her wrist and pulled her a step closer. Her pulse thrummed in her ears. His mouth was so close to hers, and his voice hard and smooth at the same time. “None of this amuses me.”
She wanted to fire off a glib retort, something scathing, with snap. But she found she could not utter a word. He leaned in as if he would whisper in her ear, but he said nothing, and neither did she, frozen in the grip of their private thoughts.
For a split second, she wanted nothing more than for him to cross the distance between them, to circle her in strong arms that would stave off the fear, press her against his chest so she could hear the slow and steady beat of his heart. Her mouth went dry, and she stepped back.
“I...I need to check on Annabell.”
He released her without another word.
She fled into the room, listening to the sound of his footsteps fading away. Annabell was breathing deeply, lying on her back, with one bitty fist crammed in her mouth. Shannon felt a surge of anger at herself. How had she gone downstairs without her phone, which was, at that moment, across the room, charging next to the bed? How stupid. No, not stupid, she corrected. She hadn’t fully understood the stakes.
Now she did. Cruiser impressed that on her.
Life or death.
Fine. She was used to those stakes. In the ER, she battled against death every moment of every shift, and most of the time, she won. She’d win this time, too. She reached out to feel Annabell’s hands, to be sure the baby was warm enough, when the doorknob rattled. She froze.
Jack? But he would have knocked. As would her mother or uncle. Again the metal handle rattled. A guest? But there were no other rooms on this end of the inn, only hers and the room Oscar was sharing with Jack.
She debated going to grab her phone, but another sound blew all her plans away. It was the sound of something metal sliding into the lock. Not a key, no—more like a file.
Someone was picking the lock.
Phone or baby?
She had only a moment to decide. With a rush of adrenaline, she scooped up the sleeping baby and ran for Night’s Stay.
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