Holiday Hideout. Lynette Eason

That is, if she hadn’t been hallucinating. And if she hadn’t been hallucinating, then all of her evasive tactics had failed.

      Cal settled himself in the chair in the corner and she felt his astute gaze on her. It made her want to squirm. He asked, “Do you remember what you said to me right before you passed out?”

      Her mind raced. What had she said? “No, sorry, I don’t remember.”

      He steepled his fingers under his chin. “You said, ‘Don’t let him get me.’”

      Abby flinched. “Are you sure I said that?”

      “I’m sure.”

      Abby bit her lip and looked away. How should she respond? How could she explain without lying and yet protect herself at the same time.

      “Are you in trouble, Abby?”

      “Not with the law,” she blurted.

      Compassion flickered in his eyes and he exchanged a look with Fiona. She wondered what it meant. Then he asked, “Are you involved in a domestic violence situation?”

      Abby blinked. Domestic violence? “Yes, he’s—” She broke off and took a deep breath. “Yes, I suppose you could say that, which is why I probably need to leave. I sure don’t want to repay all of your kindness by bringing trouble to your doorstep.”

      Cal’s jaw tightened. “Trust me, if trouble shows up on this doorstep, I’ll be ready for it.”

      Abby couldn’t read the exact emotion in his eyes, but Fiona blinked fast like she was holding back tears. Wondering at the sudden tension in the room, Abby waited to see if one of them would enlighten her.

      Neither did.

      Well, she supposed that was only fair. She wasn’t sharing all of her secrets, either.

      “When you’re a bit better, we’ll take you into town to get checked out again by Dylan—or he can come by here,” Fiona offered softly.

      “Dylan?” That was the second time his name had mentioned. The doctor? She had a vague recollection of an unfamiliar doctor’s office and a man asking her questions. But all she’d wanted to do was go back to sleep.

      “Dr. Dylan Seabrook,” Cal confirmed. “He’s got a small practice at the base of the mountain. He’s the one who got you on the antibiotics and flu meds.”

      “I don’t really remember much about that.” She thought about the money she’d tucked away in her little hidden pocket. “I suppose I need to pay him something.”

      Cal offered a soft smile. “No worries. We’ll make all that right later when you’re feeling better.”

      Abby lifted a brow. What doctor didn’t want payment as soon as possible?

      As though reading her mind, Cal laughed. “Welcome to Rose Mountain.”

      And what a welcome. Abby couldn’t stop the shiver that shook her. While she felt safe for the moment, she couldn’t help but wonder how long that feeling would last.

      Her glance landed on the window where the darkness pressed against the pane as though trying to get in. She wondered if Reese was watching this very minute. If somehow he’d managed to follow her out to this ranch.

      The thought made her sick. His words rang in her ears. “This is your fault. You’ll pay for this. I’m going to make sure you suffer every day for the rest of your life.”

      It looked like he was well on his way to keeping his promise.

      THREE

      Saturday morning, Cal jammed the pitchfork into the pile of hay and tossed it into the nearest stall. In spite of the cold, sweat dripped from his forehead and he lifted an arm to swipe the liquid onto his sleeve.

      Dropping the pitchfork to the floor of the barn, Cal slammed a fist into his palm, then turned to the punching bag hanging off to the side. He often worked out in the barn, letting off steam and trying to forget things that had a way of haunting him occasionally.

      Like domestic violence victims.

      Just the thought of someone trying to hurt Abby made his blood boil. He pounded the bag until the sweat started to drip into his eyes. Peeling off the heavy sheepskin coat, he draped it over the nearest stall and went back to pummeling until his hands throbbed.

      “Boy, you better slow down or you’re going to pull something.”

      Cal whirled to find Jesse Walker, the ranch’s resident horse expert, standing in the door, hands holding the reins to Teddy Bear.

      Panting, Cal wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. “Hey, Jesse, sorry. I just needed a good workout this morning.”

      “No problem.” He paused and looked behind him. “You got company coming. I’m going to go give Teddy Bear here his own workout.”

      Cal nodded and Jesse left.

      Something nudged his shoulder and he turned to find Snickers begging for a treat. Cal felt his blood pressure ease off at the horse’s affection. Reaching up, he rubbed the stallion’s silky nose. “I couldn’t help Brianne, Snickers, but I can help this woman.”

      The horse nosed his hand and tried to nibble. Cal reached into his pocket for the apple he always brought with him. Snickers made short work of it.

      “Hi.”

      Cal turned to see Abby standing in the door of the barn.

      The company Jesse had mentioned.

      She had her red curls pulled up in a ponytail. Dressed in a pair of black jeans, a black turtleneck and a cream-colored wool sweater under a heavy black coat she’d left unbuttoned, he thought she looked a hundred-percent better than she did yesterday. “Hey, what are you doing up?”

      She shrugged. “I’ve been lying in that bed so long, I needed to get up. Fiona said you were in the barn.” She smiled as she took in the horses lining the stalls. “Wow, you have a nice operation here.”

      “Thanks. It’s a family thing. We board horses. We also breed and sell them.”

      Cal watched Abby wander over to Snickers and rub the horse’s left ear. Snickers threw his head up, then brought it back down like he approved. Cal let his eyes take in the sight of Abby again, thinking the horse had good taste.

      Planting his fists on his hips, he watched her run her hands over Snickers, admiring the strength of the animal. “You’re comfortable with horses.”

      She looked at him over her shoulder and nodded. “I grew up riding. Our neighbors had horses and they let me and my sister come over and ride anytime we wanted.”

      Cal wondered at the flicker of grief he’d seen flash in her eyes. Then it was gone, and he decided he’d imagined it.

      “Well, there are plenty of places to ride out here.” He pointed to his left. “In that direction, there’re trees that back up to the main road. The river on this property runs right under it.” He pointed right. “That way is land for about as far as you can see, but at the end of it, you can see the highway.” Pride filled him as he let his gaze wander the land he called home. He loved it and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. “The three houses make a triangle. The main house, where mom lives, sits up on the hill overlooking the rest of the land. You can see the other two houses from it. My house is that way and you know where Fiona’s is. We all live within a mile of each other. When you feel up to it, I’ll take you for a ride over the land, show you the rest of the layout and tell you all about it.”

      Life filled her green eyes for the first time since he’d met her. “That would be lovely.”

      “We’ll plan on it, then.”

      She smiled and he felt his heart thud an extra beat in anticipation of spending time with her. She nodded to the wall. “You collect