Cowboy's Vow To Protect. Carla Cassidy

about that later. I’ll see you in about an hour or so.” And with that he went out the door.

      She immediately got up and locked the door behind him. She then went to the room where he intended for her to stay. The room was just large enough to hold a queen-size bed and a dresser.

      The bed was covered with a white-and-yellow spread, a pleasing complement to the gleaming wooden walls. She stared at her suitcase at the foot of the bed and decided she’d unpack a few things later.

      She peeked into his bedroom, where the bed was king-size and covered with an attractive black-and-gray spread. There was also a dresser in this room, but there was nothing on top of it to indicate anyone lived here.

      Finally, with her exhaustion tugging heavily on her, she went back into the bedroom where her suitcase sat at the foot of the bed. She tugged it up to the bed and opened it. She wasn’t going to completely unpack, but she grabbed clean clothes and then went into the bathroom.

      After spending the night in the hay in the hot barn, she desperately needed a shower. She felt dirty and itchy and intended to take advantage of the fact that Flint was gone to take the opportunity of the much-needed shower.

      She found a stack of neatly folded towels beneath the sink and a bar of minty fresh-smelling soap already in the shower. There was also a bottle of shampoo on the floor inside the stall.

      She took a glorious shower and shampooed her long hair three times. Then, once clad in a clean summer dress, she beelined for the sofa.

      Pulling the blue afghan around her, she marveled that she was in this cabin where for the moment she felt comfortable and safe.

      For the moment...

      She couldn’t know what might happen when Flint returned. Would he expect payment for his kindness? And would he want a different kind of payment other than money? Would he take what he thought she owed him by force?

      No...that couldn’t happen. She couldn’t let that happen. She got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen area. It took her three tries to find the drawer that held a variety of sharp knives. She grabbed the biggest, the meanest-looking one in the drawer and then returned to the sofa.

      As she got comfortable once again she squeezed her eyes closed against the heart and soul weariness that had battered her for the past couple of months. She’d never believed there would come a time when she would be so much at the mercy of someone else.

      In another lifetime she would have chosen to be with a cowboy like Flint. She’d always assumed that one day she’d marry a cowboy and live happily-ever-after on a ranch. He’d ride the range during the days while she stayed at home and raised babies. She moved her hand to rest on her lower belly.

      Those dreams...all her dreams for herself and for her future had been shattered on a night a little over three months ago. Now the thing that frightened her most was she couldn’t see a future for herself. She didn’t know where she was going to go or how she was going to survive.

      She touched the hilt of the knife, its presence next to her reassuring as she drifted off to sleep.

       Chapter 2

      Before Flint got out of his car at the grocery store, he made the call to Larry Wright’s car dealership and garage to get Maddy’s car towed in. Then as he went up and down the grocery store aisles he filled his basket with the kinds of foods he thought a woman would like to eat.

      He remembered when he’d taken Jenny Oldham out to dinner she’d ordered a big salad. So he picked up a head of lettuce, a handful of tomatoes and several other fresh vegetables and then added a bottle of ranch dressing to his cart.

      He then remembered when he’d taken Laurie Brubaker to the café she’d ordered chicken breast, so he put several packages of that in his cart.

      Because he hadn’t dated that much it didn’t take him long to run out of knowing what else a woman might eat. He picked up staples like milk, bread and eggs and then he just started to pick up random items that he liked and he hoped Maddy liked, as well.

      It was a little over an hour later when he headed back to the cabin. As he drove, his thoughts filled with Maddy. He tried to think of all the things he might have heard about her, but there was really nothing to explain her hiding out in the Holiday Ranch barn.

      If what she’d told him was the truth, that she had just decided to leave town, then why hadn’t she just walked to Cassie’s house when her car had broken down? She could have requested a call to the garage and then asked for a ride back to her trailer. Why hide out in a hot, uncomfortable barn?

      He didn’t get it. But then he didn’t get women in general. He found them mysterious alien beings. They were complex and filled with emotions he didn’t always understand. He felt awkward in their presence and a couple of years ago he had just given up on dating.

      Besides, he’d always envisioned his future alone, especially now. Eventually, when he moved into the cabin and settled in, he might get a dog to keep him company. He was a simple man and all he had to do was figure out what his next job would be.

      Cassie paid a fair wage and before her, her aunt Cass had always seen that the men were not only paid well, but also understood the importance of savings and investment.

      He’d used up most of his savings on the land and the cabin. He couldn’t exactly move to the cabin and retire. Although he’d have no mortgage payment, there would still be utilities and groceries to take care of.

      He frowned and gripped the steering wheel more tightly. If not a cowboy, then what would he be? He shoved the troubling question aside as he pulled up in front of the cabin.

      Grabbing several of the grocery bags, he then headed for the front door. Finding it locked, he pulled his keys out and unlocked it.

      As he walked in he got a quick vision of Maddy asleep on the sofa. Her eyelids fluttered and suddenly she sprang up, her eyes wild with terror as she faced him with a butcher knife in her hand.

      She stared at him but he got the impression she wasn’t really seeing him. She appeared to still be half-asleep. Her entire body trembled as she raised the knife higher and stepped back from him.

      His heart banged against his ribs. “Maddy,” he said softly. He didn’t move a muscle. She looked like a wild animal and he knew the best way to handle her was to be gentle with her. “It’s okay, Maddy. You’re safe here.” He kept his voice low and smooth. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Nobody is going to hurt you here.”

      Her eyes slowly cleared and she lowered the knife. She appeared to crumble as she fell back to the sofa and began to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said between tears. “I had a bad dream and then I heard the door open and I... I thought you were a monster.”

      “There are no monsters here,” he replied. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

      She released a small laugh. “You just walked into your own cabin. I was the crazy lady with the knife. I was way scarier than you were.”

      He was grateful that her tears had stopped. She got up off the sofa and sat at the table. He set the grocery bags on the counter and then turned to her. “There’s a couple more bags in the truck. I’ll be right back.”

      Whew. He stepped outside and drew several deep breaths. His heart had definitely accelerated when she’d faced him with that knife. What in the hell had happened to her to warrant her taking a nap with a weapon? And then raise it to him as if she was terrified for her personal safety.

      He’d known if necessary he would have been able to take the knife away from her. He was just grateful it hadn’t gotten to that point. He grabbed the last two grocery bags out of the back of his truck and then returned to the cabin.

      “I apologize again,” she said. “Nothing like greeting a man in his own