Holiday Hideout by Lynette Eason Page B

thinks.” He gestured to the door. “Do you really want to be out in that? On your own? With someone after you?”
    Abby gulped. “Not really.”
    “Stay with us, Abby. Let me help you.”
    She studied him in wonder. “Why do you care?” she whispered.
    Cal smiled a slow, gentle pull of his lips. “Because it’s been a really long time since I’ve met a woman who makes me feel…what you make me feel…when you walk into the room—or give me a genuine smile.” He shrugged and she saw his cheeks take on a reddish tinge. “I’m not ready to see you leave yet. I want to get to know you better.”
    Abby gulped. Did he really just say that? Should she tell him the feeling was mutual? With a sinking feeling, she decided that once he knew her better, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her. Not after he learned who her brother-in-law was. Not after Reese got through telling Cal how she’d failed them all. Not after he learned she was her sister’s doctor.
    And what about the person following her? Looking around she still didn’t see anyone even though the feeling of being watched never left her. Could she risk Cal’s family?
    “I can’t, Cal. So far, this person has come after only me. What if he decides to change that? What if he doesn’t care who he hurts?” She gulped. “If something happened to you or Fiona or…I couldn’t live with myself.”
    And if her attacker was Reese—or someone he hired—he would know a lot of ways to hurt people.
    “Let me worry about that. I’m a cop. I can handle this, believe it or not. And I don’t have to do it alone. I have friends and experienced backup to help.”
    Abby studied him, noting his rugged, good-looking features, his strong jaw and determined eyes. She had no doubt that he would do his best to protect her. And that scared her. Even strong, capable men got killed. And she didn’t know exactly who was after her. If it was Reese, hardheaded, stubborn, unforgiving Reese… “I don’t mean to imply that you can’t. It’s just…”
    His eyes never wavered from hers. He wasn’t going to force her, but he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
    She sighed. Looked outside one more time—and caved. “All right.”
    He pulled her into a hug. “Now I’m going to get the car and have a heart-to-heart with Joseph. You stay by the door and wait for me to pull up.” Already there was at least an inch of snow on the ground and the temperature was dropping. She looked at the board. And buses were being canceled.
    Going home with Cal suddenly seemed like the best thing to do right now.
    She’d just have to stay out of Joseph’s way.

EIGHT
    C al couldn’t help the huge burst of relief that ruptured through him when he was finally able to talk Abby into going back to the ranch with him. He couldn’t explain it, either, except that he’d been honest with her. She made him feel things he hadn’t felt in a long time.
    Those feelings unnerved him but excited him all at the same time. He had to admit watching Joseph and Fiona and his friends, Eli and Holly, and Dylan and Paige succumb to love, marriage and family had him yearning for the same.
    Joseph waited in his truck, his jaw tight, eyes on Cal. Cal blinked as the snow hit him in the face and tugged the collar of his coat tighter.
    Joseph rolled down the window as Cal approached. “She leaving?”
    “Nope. She’s coming home with me.”
    Anger flashed in his brother-in-law’s eyes. “You saw that letter, Cal. How can you justify bringing her back to the house?”
    “If you’d rather her not stay with you and Fiona, she can stay with Mom. That letter is a lie. It has to be.”
    Joseph’s fingers tapped the wheel as he thought. Cal waited, wishing the man would hurry up. He was freezing and he wanted to get back to the office. His shift wasn’t over for a couple of hours. Abby could hang out in the local café and wait on him. He didn’t think it would be a good idea to ask Joseph to take her