Sudden Setup. Barb Han

were all over the map. How hard had she hit her head?

      “I’ll be the judge of that,” she said, seeing how far she could push her luck.

      The layer of blankets dipped where he sat.

      Her heart pounded in her chest and it felt like there was glue in her mouth for how dry her tongue was. Her entire body was strung tight.

      “Let me see that gash on your forehead,” he said in his deep baritone. It had an amaretto-over-vanilla-ice-cream feeling and had that same warming effect on her insides. This close, she could see that he had deep-set, serious eyes that were the lightest, most pure shade of blue that she’d ever seen. A square jaw was covered by that dark beard. He had thick, curly hair the shade of a dark cup of coffee.

      “What happened to me?” She inched toward him, not ready to give much more.

      “I’m a man of my word. I already told you that I wouldn’t hurt you and I won’t. So move a little faster, will you.” He sounded frustrated and impatient.

      “Well, excuse me if I don’t jump into the arms of a complete stranger when he beckons,” she snapped back. Talking made her skull hurt. Could her brain be in actual pain? Speaking of which, now that blood was returning to her limbs, her entire body was screaming at her.

      A smirk lifted the corner of the stranger’s mouth. He quickly reeled it in.

      “I have two pain relievers in my hand if you’ll sit up and take them,” he said, holding out his flat palm.

      Okay, so he wasn’t lying about the twin tablets. But who knew if they were OTC or not.

      “What are those?” she asked.

      “Ibuprofen,” he stated. His tone was about as flat as stale beer.

      She stared at them like they were bombs about to detonate.

      “There’s a bottle of water on the floor,” he said, leaning toward her.

      She let out a yelp that caused his entire face to frown.

      “I’ve already said that I won’t hurt you. I brought pain relievers and a wet napkin to clean some of the dried blood from your forehead so I can get a look at your injury. I didn’t do it before because I didn’t want you to wake with a stranger standing over you.” He shot her a look of aggravation.

      That actually made a lot of sense and was considerate when she really thought about it. She wasn’t exactly ready to relax because he could still be a weirdo, and she was too weak to put up much of a fight. Besides, what was with the secrets? Sharing his name would go a long way toward winning her trust. Instead, he acted like a criminal. If he wasn’t one, he needed to come clean.

      “I’d apologize personally if I knew your name,” she said, matching his level of irritation. He wasn’t the only one who could be frustrated.

      “What were you doing out here all alone?” the stranger asked.

      “I don’t know,” she responded. If he wouldn’t give out any information, neither would she.

      He shot her a look that cut right through her.

      “I was hiking. I must’ve lost my footing and hit my head,” Ella said, pressing her fingertips to her temples. “It’s all still a little fuzzy.”

      Brooding pale blue eyes examined her and she saw the dark circles cradling them. Whoever this guy was, he had a lot on his mind. There was something else there, too, but she didn’t want to analyze it because it made awareness electrify her nerve endings. It also made her aware that if she’d been asleep for two days she must look like a train wreck and have breath that could wilt a flower.

      Blue Eyes dabbed the wet cloth on her forehead above her right temple. She winced.

      He muttered a curse and pulled his hand back. “That hurt. I’m sorry.”

      “It’s okay.” Why was she reassuring him? Reason took over, reminding her that he seemed intent on helping her. She was in a vulnerable state and while she couldn’t exactly trust him, she also had no reason to think he had plans to hurt her.

      He gave her an apologetic look.

      “Best as I can remember, I was hiking pretty far out on the trail. Most of how I ended up here is fuzzy. Am I allowed to ask what you were doing out there?” Ella flinched again when the cold, wet cloth touched her skin.

      “No more questions,” Blue Eyes said. He made a move to stand.

      Ella caught his elbow.

      “Please don’t leave. My father was killed and that’s the last thing I remember. I have no idea what happened or how I got here. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I’ve just been told that I’ve been out of it for two days. I have a gash on my head that I don’t even know how it got there, and I’m so thirsty I could suck a cactus dry, and despite that, I really need to go to the bathroom,” Ella said, letting all the words gush out at once like a geyser whose time to erupt had come.

      “Can you manage on your own?” He motioned toward the door and there was a storm brewing behind those blue eyes at the mention of her father.

      “I believe so,” she said.

      “Toothbrush and toothpaste are on the sink. Bathroom’s outside.” He turned and walked out.

       Chapter Two

      Holden needed air. He lifted his face to the sun. The Texas heat beat down on his exposed skin, warming him. Maverick Mike was dead?

      For a split second Holden feared that he could be the reason, that the men who were after him had somehow connected him to his father’s friend. But that was impossible.

      This was a wake-up call. Helping Ella had been a knee-jerk reaction and Holden could feel himself sliding down a slippery slope with nothing solid to grab hold of. He owed her father for offering him a place to stay when Holden was at a low point, and that was the reason he’d told himself that he stepped in with Ella. Speaking of her father, the news still hadn’t quite absorbed. Holden rubbed his chin through the overgrown scruff. How could Butler be gone?

      The door opened and Ella froze as soon as she saw him standing there.

      “I’ll give you privacy,” he mumbled. Someone needed to toss him a lifeline because the woman stirred feelings he hadn’t allowed in longer than he could remember—feelings he never wanted to experience again. Then there was the obvious fact that he couldn’t afford those feelings. They’d have him wanting to stick around and protect Ella Butler while they figured out who wanted to kill her. Holden reminded himself that he’d done his part. He’d kept her alive.

      “Why did you help me? You could’ve walked away. Left me there. No one would’ve known any different.” She positioned her hands on either side of the doorjamb.

      “No, I couldn’t have.” He made a move toward the door to indicate that he was done talking. She didn’t flinch.

      “Sure you could. It would’ve been easy. My body would’ve been found eventually and no one would be the wiser that there was someone who could’ve saved my life.” She stared at him for a long moment without saying another word. “Something tells me you know how to cover your tracks, so there must’ve been some reason.”

      “You’re welcome for saving your life,” he said, debating whether or not he should tell her everything. She needed to know that her fall had been no accident, but he’d keep the part about his connection to her father to himself. “Now that you’re up and around, I’ll drop you off in town tonight.”

      “And then what? You’ll disappear?” Her gaze zeroed in.

      She shouldn’t care what happened to him because she needed to be concerned about herself.

      “Don’t worry