car stopped her. That and Detective Wilder’s unwavering praise of Callum’s good character.
He took the room keys, then guided Hazel with his hand on her lower back, something that was becoming a habit for him. Strangely, Hazel didn’t mind. She wasn’t accustomed to a man doting on her the way Callum did. She had always taken care of herself. He might be doing all of that as her bodyguard, but she still liked it. She felt pampered.
They rode the elevator to the top floor with the bellboy and their luggage. Her luggage. Hazel looked at the cart the bellboy had gotten and saw two additional bags. She looked up at Callum in question, Evie’s warm breaths touching her neck.
“I arranged for my things to be brought here.”
Who had he called? And when? He must have done so while he waited for her to pack. No doubt his family had all kinds of people who did such things for them. Hazel had a funny feeling about that. Ed had hidden his wealth from her, so he had never taken her to places like this, but his lies had hurt. She wouldn’t fall so easily for anyone again. Not that she was falling for Callum. He was extremely handsome, that’s all. What woman could be immune to that? It was like staring at a beautiful painting, unable to look away until she’d had her fill of the pleasure.
In the posh hallway, Callum stopped at a room door and unlocked it. Then he held the door for Hazel and the bellboy.
“Go ahead and put my bags in the room with one king,” Callum said to the bellboy.
“Yes, sir.” The bellboy walked down the hall and Hazel followed.
Going into the other bedroom, Hazel drew the covers back on the far queen bed and gently laid Evie on the sheets. She touched her daughter’s sleeping face as the bellboy brought in her bags.
“Thanks,” she said.
“You’re welcome. Enjoy your stay at the Dales Inn.” The young man left and Hazel shut the door before undressing Evie.
It was a bit of a challenge to get her daughter into pj’s but she finally succeeded without waking her. The poor kid was exhausted.
Hazel unpacked both of their bags, hanging some clothes and putting some in drawers. She put Evie’s toys on one of the chairs in front of the draperies and then spread Evie’s favorite soft blanket over her. Leaning down, she kissed her daughter’s forehead.
Going out to the main room, she saw Callum on his phone, standing between a four-seater dining table and a sectional that faced a gas fireplace with a TV over it. He talked to someone as he faced the corner windows, Mustang Valley town lights sparkling outside.
There were some things on the table, a computer and other equipment. As she neared, she saw three GPS tracking devices, several USB drives. Some devices looked high tech, others had tiny screens, and she saw bulletproof vests, one small enough to fit Evie. Now she knew why he had two bags.
“All right. Keep me informed,” he said and then disconnected.
Hazel went to the four bar stools at a marble-topped kitchen island with a sink in the middle. Three pretty orange-gold pendants hung from the ceiling. A four-burner gas stove with a microwave above was on the other side, and there were cabinets on both sides. It even had a pantry.
She put her hands on the back of one of the chairs. “This is very nice. I’m more of a two-or three-star hotel kind of girl.” Not a fiver.
He chuckled. “We need the space and you need a kitchen. Think of it as a home away from home.”
Hazel had told him she was a chef on the way to the Dales Inn but not much else. Leaving the chair, she went around the island and began going through the cabinets. The kitchen was fully stocked with all the equipment she would need. “The only things missing are food and spices.”
“Make a list and I’ll have that delivered in the morning.”
With the snap of a finger he’d do that? “Then I’ll pay you.”
“No, you won’t. I want you to relax and have as much semblance of your normal routine as possible. Don’t worry about anything other than doing your job and taking care of Evie. I’ll do the rest.”
Finished checking out the kitchen, seeing it had pretty much everything, she walked to the impressive windows. Mustang Valley looked bigger than she had always thought of it from here.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
She heard him walk up behind her and stop beside her. “I was there when the man tried to run you over.”
He had already indicated as much, but she wanted to know why he was here with her. Why had he offered his services, free of charge?
“Why this?” She turned as she swept her arm out into the room, facing him. “Why is it so important for you to help us?”
She met his incredibly blue eyes while he considered his reply.
“I don’t know,” he finally said. “When I first saw you, I had no intention of going out to meet you, but then I saw that car with the driver and instincts kicked in. This is what I do, Hazel.”
That sounded truthful enough. Why, then, did she have this feeling that it was more personal than that?
“Kerry called. She lost the white car,” Callum said, pulling her thoughts elsewhere. “She said the driver must know the town well. Otherwise he might not have gotten away as easily as he did.”
Hazel bit her lower lip in consternation. The killer had gotten away. Where was he now? Lurking outside? Did he already know they were here? Picturing Evie’s sweet sleeping face, she released her lip with a long sigh. If the killer knew the town well, he’d know the Dales Inn was the only hotel in Mustang Valley.
Feeling as though someone could see them through the windows, she went to stand by the dining table.
Callum went to the other side. “I sleep light, so don’t worry. And if you have any lingering doubt as to why I’m doing this, now you shouldn’t. I couldn’t leave a dog in danger like this.”
She believed that his work was second nature to him, but she still thought there was more to him than that, more that drew him to her and Evie, maybe even something he hadn’t acknowledged himself. Yet.
Looking down at all the items on the table, she pointed to the vests. “I take it we’re going to be wearing those?”
“Whenever we leave the inn. They’re knife-and bulletproof and made with poly-cotton netting that breathes to keep you cool or warm, depending on the weather. You can wear them underneath your clothes. They’re comfortable.”
Very high tech. And she would feel so much better knowing Evie would be protected as best as she could.
“What will you do with the USB drives?” she asked.
“Some are listening devices, others are cameras. One is for deleted file recovery.” He gestured to the USB devices. “We’ll put a GPS in your car, purse and Evie’s backpack. They all have extended battery life.”
Hazel couldn’t bear to think she or Evie might be abducted, but Callum would know where they were
