Promises (15 page)

“Bobbi, I’m sorry.
 
I shouldn’t have said what I did, but you’ve got to understand how much danger you’re in.”

She lifted her head and stared at the wall in front of her.
 
“I know.
 
I hate to admit it, but you’re right.
 
I realized on my way back this morning we’d be safer if we stuck together.
 
That’s what Jason would want me to do.”
 
Her voice broke at the mention of her brother’s name.
 
She dropped her tools and buried her face in her hands.

He hurried up behind her, pulled her from the stool, and into his arms.
 

“I’m fine.
 
I just got some sawdust in my eyes.
 
That’s all.”
 
Pressing her face into his shoulder, silent tears dampened his shirt.

Clamping his eyes closed, he squeezed her tighter, wishing with all his heart he could change things.
 
“It’ll be all right, bright eyes.
 
I promise.”

He felt her tension ease as her body molded to his.
 
He wanted so badly to lift her face and kiss her until she forgot all about Steele and the rest of the world, but he couldn’t.
 
Their safety depended on his ability to keep things between them as uncomplicated as possible.
 
He would have to be satisfied with just holding her.
 

She pushed lightly against his chest, pulling from his embrace.
 
“I’m all right now.”

Slipping his finger beneath her chin, he tilted up her tear stained face.
 
Her eyes glistened and the moment her dainty tongue darted out to moisten her trembling lips, he knew he was a goner.
 

Slowly, he lowered his head toward hers.
 
Just one kiss.
 
One last kiss.
 
That was all he could have.

“Am I interrupting something?” a gravelly voice said from the doorway.

Spinning around, he thrust Bobbi behind him.
 
He didn’t recognize the old man as one of Steele’s cronies, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
 

Why was it every time they got close, either a walking rug or some unwanted visitor interrupted them?
 
This time he didn’t even get a kiss.
 
Someone was trying to tell him something.
 
The same thing he’d been telling himself over and over, that they weren’t meant to have anything more than a passing friendship.

Bobbi sighed and stepped out from behind him.
 
“It’s okay.”
 
She crossed the room and gave the stranger a hug.
 
Even the beast welcomed him, wagging his tail vigorously.
 

“No, you didn’t interrupt anything.
 
It’s good to see you,” she said.

Being caught unaware by the old man only served to prove his feelings for Bobbi interfered with his abilities to keep her safe.
 
Obviously the man was no immediate threat, but he could have been.
 
They could both be dead.
 
He had to get control before things got out of hand.
 
If they weren’t already.

“Hey there, Punkin’.”
 
The man wrapped his arms around her and patted her back while giving Travis a thorough once over.

“What brings you out?” she asked.

They separated and the old man reached down to scratch behind Monstro’s ear.
 
“I saw you in town earlier.
 
You didn’t have Rocky with you, and I was a little concerned.”

“Oh, I decided to leave him here with Travis for a while.”
 

Clenching his jaw, Travis shot her a glare.
 
She’d completely blown his cover.

“Oh, relax.”
 
Rolling her eyes, she turned back to her visitor.
 
“Uncle Joe, this is Travis Reid.
 
You remember him?”

“Sure.
 
Jason’s partner.
 
‘Course I do.
 
He talked a lot about you, young fella.”
 
The old man extended his hand.
 

He felt like he’d just been sucker-punched.
 
What kind of sorry agent was he anyway?
 
Disgusted with himself, he reached out and shook his hand.
 

Joe Hoskins was the reason he’d come to Gator Creek in the first place.
 
He’d resorted to using stories of Jase and Bobbi’s childhood in his last feeble attempts to find some clue to her whereabouts, still harboring a glimmer of hope she’d voluntarily disappeared.
 

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” he said.
 

Jase talked often and fondly about the many fishing trips he’d taken with his grandfather and Joe Hoskins.
 
He affectionately called the man Uncle Joe.
 
Travis should have known Bobbi would run to the only family, real or not, that she had left now that Jase was gone.

Rocky whined as he stared pleadingly at the old man.

“I’ve missed you too, boy.”
 
He reached down and scratched behind Rocky’s ear some more.

“Joe was the one who raised Rocky,” Bobbi explained.

Wasn’t that convenient?
 
“I don’t suppose you’d consider taking care of the big guy here for a few days?” he asked.

Bobbi’s brow crinkled and her eyes narrowed.
 
“Why?”
 

He took a steady breath before answering.
 
Although she’d decided to stick with him, that didn’t necessarily mean she’d be willing to do whatever he told her to do.
 

“We can’t take him with us, Bobbi.
 
He’d slow us down.”

“But
—
”

“’Bout time someone took to lookin’ after this girl,” Joe interrupted.
 
“Now don’t go gettin’ your drawers in an uproar,” he said to Bobbi.
 
“Like it or no, this here fella’s right.
 
I’d feel better knowin’ he was watchin’ after you.”
 
Joe turned back to Travis.
 
“When do you need me to take him?”

“Would tomorrow be too soon?”

“Nope.
 
That’d be fine.”

“I could also use one other favor, if you don’t mind.
 
I left my car parked in a lot near the courthouse.”

“Fancy BMW?”
 

Travis nodded warily, not sure he wanted to hear what he was about to say.
 
He loved that car.

“Not there no more.
 
Towed her in.
 
Sheriff thought it was stolen for a joy ride then left there.
 
Got her parked out behind my shop.
 
Turned out she wasn’t reported stolen, so the Sheriff asked me to keep her locked up in my lot ‘till he could locate the owner.”

“Did it look like it had been tampered with?”

“Nope.
 
Not a scratch on her.”

Travis let out a soft sigh of relief.
 
Maybe their luck was changing.
 
He kept an emergency bag with a spare gun and a change of clothes in the trunk.
 

“I’ll need to get a few things out of it, but I’m afraid I’ll have to leave it behind for now.
 
Is that a problem?”
 
He couldn’t risk Steele’s men seeing it.
 
They’d have to use Bobbi’s Jeep.

“Nope.
 
Drop Rocky by my place on your way out of town tomorrow, and you can get your stuff.
 
I’ll be there all day.
 
You know I’d take this old boy with me now if I thought he’d go, but I’m thinkin’ he won’t go with me unless Miss Priss here tells him to.
 
And she don’t look like she’s of a mind to do that yet.”
 

Joe cast a sly glance to Bobbi then back to Travis.
 
“I’ll just leave you to change her mind,” he said with a smile, exposing a set of crooked teeth.
 

No doubt he was grinning because of that almost kiss.
 

Ignoring Bobbi’s soft growl and her rapidly tapping foot, he said, “Thanks.
 
I appreciate it.”
 

“Anything for a friend of Jason’s.”
 
Joe patted the dog then turned and started out the door.

“Uncle Joe?” Bobbi whined.

“I’ll be seein’ you tomorrow.”
 
He waved and closed the door behind him.

So that was how it was done.
 
Just don’t take any of her guff
.
 
Travis wondered if it would work for him.
 

He looked at the furious expression on Bobbi’s face.
 

Nope.
 
No such luck.
 
Well, since he was about to be royally raked over the coals, he might as well enjoy it.
 
“Punkin’?”

She growled again, crossing her arms firmly beneath her breasts.
 
“Don’t even think about calling me that, or that you can start telling me what to do.
 
I said I’d go with you, but that’s all.”
 
She marched back to her workbench and snatched up a sharp tool.
 

Perhaps now would be a good time for more of that distance he kept telling himself he needed.
 
“I’ll go and see if I can find something good for lunch.”
 

He felt sort of foolish since they’d just had breakfast, but what else could he do?
 
With her hot temper and a weapon in her hand, anything was possible.

“Wait a minute.”
 
Her overly calm voice told him to be ready for anything.

Turning to the side, he readied himself to fling open the door and get out of her line of fire.
 

Okay, so he was exaggerating.
 
His real fear lay in that she was so cute all riled up that he found himself hard pressed not to grab her and finish that kiss.
 
And if he did that in her current mood, she would likely carve him into a fancy paperweight.

She approached him with a long stick in her hand.
 

Maybe beating him half to death was more like it.

Thrusting her hands out, she said, “I made this for you.”

A beautiful cane with the most intricately carved dragon on the handle he’d ever seen lay cradled across her palms.
 
Words failed him as he gently took the gift.

“You need something for support until your leg heals.”
 
Shoving her hands into her back pockets, she nervously fidgeted from foot to foot.
 

Not like her at all.
 
At least, not like the Bobbi he’d been with the past few days.
 
Boy, did she have mood swings.
 
It was downright scary, but then who wouldn’t get a little crazy when someone like Steele was looking for you.

He turned his attention to the cane, brushing his fingers across the beautifully crafted wood.
 
He’d probably never see her again when this was over, and there was no Jase to use as an excuse for a friendly visit.
 
The cane was all he’d have to remember her by.

Clearing the lump of regret from his throat, he said, “It’s beautiful.
 
Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.
 
Well, I guess I should get things squared away in here if we’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”
 
It was killing him to watch her go back to her workbench and wrap the unfinished pieces for packing.
 
This was where she should be, not in some safe house hiding from Steele and his men, but there wasn’t any way around it.
 

He put the cane to use, and made his way back to the cabin.

Bobbi finished closing up her workshop and packaged up a few orders.
 
With a final glance back over her shoulder at the little room that had been her only joy besides Rocky in the last five months, she pulled the door closed and locked it.
 

Maybe she would come back when it was over.
 
Maybe she and Jason could come and spend some time with Joe like they used to do when they were kids.
 
And maybe Travis
—
no, he’d be long gone by then.
 
Off to save the world.
 
A regular James Bond.

She grinned at the thought.
 
He did make a rather nice 007.
 
A prince, a knight, a hero, and a spy.
 
So many labels for one man.
 
She wondered if husband and father would ever apply to her handsome, self-appointed protector.
 

Not likely, and he wasn’t
her
anything, either.
 
She had to remember that.
 

With a heavy sigh, she walked down the path back to the cabin, her arms laden with boxes, her heart laden with worry and regret.
 
The kitchen light flicked on as she climbed the stairs.
 
Travis was probably starting dinner.

“Hungry?” he asked, as she stepped inside the kitchen.

“So, so.”
 

“Hmm, we’ll have to do something about that.”
 
He smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

She smiled back although her heart wasn’t really in it and walked down the hallway to the living room.
 
After settling her packages on the small coffee table, she went to the hall closet for a box she could use to carry everything down to the post office.
 
She’d need to pack Rocky’s favorite rope toy and dishes too.

As she arranged the things to be mailed in the box, a pang of homesickness washed over her.
 
She hadn’t realized how attached she’d become to the little cabin.
 
She was really going to miss it.
 
Not the worry or the hiding or the constant lying, but the serenity it often gave her, and the joy she found in carving.
 
Even the last few days with Travis.