Protectors (5 page)

large vanity mirror. When she took away the ice pack, the bruise did

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35

look pretty terrible. She’d have to pick up her makeup when she got

home and try to hide it.

She peeled the bandage off of her forehead and looked at the gash.

It wouldn’t be easy to conceal, but it already seemed to be healing. If she laid low for a couple of days in hotel rooms, it might not even be noticeable when she tried to find a job.

Sighing, she stripped off her borrowed clothes and climbed into

the tub. The warm water felt wonderful on her sore muscles, but stung in the cuts. She washed gingerly, not wanting to reopen any of the

scrapes.

As she watched the soapy water and dirt swirl down the drain, she

turned her thoughts to the sweet and generous men downstairs. Why

couldn’t she find a man like that?

When she’d first met Jeremy, he seemed like such a decent guy.

Taking into account his profession, she’d trusted him more easily than she should have. He’d used his position to explain away his

aggression, and she’d fallen for it, believing that all policemen were respectable. She certainly had a different opinion about that now.

It was different with Tyler and Gage though. She didn’t respect or

trust them due to their positions. She just felt safe with them naturally.

They were the kind of men that her mother would have approved of:

friendly, intelligent, genuine… and as sexy as they came.

That one brief moment with Tyler was packed with more heat and

anticipation than Sara had experienced in the whole relationship with Jeremy, and it wasn’t even a moment.
I’m pathetic. I’m going gaga
over a gay man because was gentle with a bag of frozen peas.

Cursing herself for her own stupidity, Sara turned off the water

and used one of the fluffy towels from the rack to dry herself.

In addition to men, Tyler had excellent taste in clothes. The khaki

shorts and navy tank top were definitely things that she would have

picked for herself. Even the sandals, which were a good bit sturdier

than the flip-flops she’d so foolishly tried to run away in, were

comfortable and attractive.

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Samantha Blair

Putting the peas back on her cheek, Sara went back downstairs

where Tyler was flipping pancakes and cutting up fresh strawberries.

Her stomach growled noisily, and Tyler looked up at her.

“I’m glad you’re hungry,” he said. He had the world’s sweetest

smile. He handed her a plate stacked with warm pancakes and

strawberries.

“Where’s Gage?”

“He nearly finished up a job yesterday, but he had to go back to

pick up some of the extra materials and make sure that the client was completely satisfied. Of course, the clients always are when it comes to Gage, so he shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours.”

The affection in Tyler’s eyes was obvious as he talked about his

partner, and Sara was distracted by a whimsical thought. What would

it be like if Tyler looked at her like that?

“He took the truck and left us the Jeep,” Tyler continued. “It’s less likely to be recognized, I think, because we don’t drive it much. I

don’t anticipate any problems if you think Jeremy’s at work but just

to be on the safe side.”

The thought that she might run into her ex sobered her quickly.

She needed to keep her wits about her if she was going to get out of

here in one piece.

“You can just drop me at the end of the drive where you found me

last night,” Sara stated.

“Please tell me you’re joking. Obviously the previous man in your

life hasn’t treated you very well, but I am not a brute. I will walk you to your door like a gentleman. I’m not letting you go until I at least have verification that your car is working properly, and you are safely on your way to an out-of-state hotel.”

“You’re being very kind, but—”

“But nothing. Finish your pancakes, and we’ll go and get your

things.”

Gage was right. There were just some things that you couldn’t

argue with Tyler about.

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37

When they’d finished eating, Sara put her torn dress and one

remaining flip-flop into a plastic grocery bag and climbed up into

Tyler’s Jeep. At least he could return the additional clothes that he bought her if all went well.

The dirt road for the Big Sky ranch house was a long one, and it

took a couple of minutes to even reach the road. Sara tried to enjoy

the light conversation about books that Tyler was trying to maintain, but her head was too full of other thoughts to be much of a

conversation partner. What if Jeremy was still at the house? What if

he wasn’t? Could she really get out this time?

Tyler reached across the seat and put a reassuring hand on her

knee. “Don’t worry, honey. Everything is going to be fine.”

But it wasn’t fine. As they rounded the last curve and the end of

Sara’s driveway came into view, they could easily see Jeremy’s old

truck parked in the middle of the drive, where they had last seen it the night before.

“Get down,” Tyler said, moving his hand to her shoulder and

encouraging her to duck down out of sight. Tyler slowed as they

passed, but didn’t stop or make an effort to get up the driveway

around the truck.

“Did you see him in the truck?” Sara asked.

“No. It looked like it was just parked there, but I’m not willing to

take the risk. Does he normally drive to work?”

“Yeah. He’s either still passed out up at the house, or else the

truck won’t start and so he got a ride to work from someone on the

force. Neither would be a big surprise. Truck is an old piece of junk.”

“Well, if it stalled out last night and he couldn’t get it started, he might not be at the house, but I’d prefer to have Gage with us if we’re going to confront Jeremy. I think we should lay low until we know

that he’s gone for sure.”

Sara wasn’t thrilled about inconveniencing Tyler any longer, but

she had even less desire to see Jeremy again so soon.

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Samantha Blair

“Okay. Maybe it would be safer to come back in a couple of

hours,” she agreed.

Tyler made a U-turn a little ways up the road, and Sara ducked

down again as they passed the driveway for a second time. Waiting a

few more hours was preferable to confronting a hung-over, abusive

ex-boyfriend.

“Well, I’d say I’m sorry that this didn’t work out,” Tyler said.

“But I’m not sorry that I get to spend a little more time with you. I don’t like the idea of you running from one cold hotel room to the

next, and I do wish you’d agree to stay a few more days.”

“I’m sorry to be such a burden. As soon as I can get my car, I’ll

get out of your hair.”

“Believe me, Sara. I am very much enjoying having you in my

hair. I get very little female companionship, and I would love it if we could sit on the couch and watch chick flicks all afternoon until Gage gets home.”

Despite her fears and insecurities, Sara laughed. When he put it

like that, who was she to turn him down? Besides the thought of

curling up on the couch with Tyler sent a fire straight to her core.

“I’d like that, too,” she said softly. She just hoped that she could

continue to keep her hormones in check.

* * * *

By the time that Gage returned that evening, Tyler was convinced

that Sara was the perfect woman for them. She was caring and

thoughtful, going out of her way to do little things like offering to get their drinks while he was making the popcorn, and pausing the movie

when his phone rang. To a lot of people, it was just common courtesy, but the little things really mattered to Tyler.

The phone call that interrupted their movie had been Gage calling

to say that he was on his way home. Tyler asked him to pass by Sara’s house on the way in to see if the truck was still parked in the drive.

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39

Sara had visibly tensed on the couch when she heard that, but Tyler

was able to divert her again by starting a small popcorn war with her as soon as he hung up the phone.

Watching her behavior was quickly becoming one of his favorite

pastimes. She laughed at all the funny parts in the movie and had a

tendency to fidget and bite her bottom lip during the more sexual

romantic scenes. He was hoping that all of the fidgeting was because

he wasn’t alone in his attraction. Throughout the day there had been a couple of times where the atmosphere had become charged between

them, and he didn’t believe that it was all one-sided.

He’d deliberately inched closer to her as the movie had

progressed, and eventually he’d convinced her to put her feet up in his lap so that he could rub her ankles and shapely calves under the

blanket that she had thrown over her legs.

He tried to keep their interactions light and friendly because he

didn’t want to scare her off, but just being in close proximity to her had been enough to keep him semi-erect all day. He wouldn’t push

things any further without Gage present, but he was convinced, more

now than ever, that Sara needed to be a part of their lives. Once Gage got to know her, he was going to love her.

“Gage is back,” Tyler said, hearing the truck pull up.

Sara pulled her feet out of his lap and scooted away as if she

didn’t want to be caught sitting too close to him. To make her more

comfortable, Tyler got up and went to answer the door.

“Was the truck still there?” Tyler asked, after Gage had a few

minutes to settle in.

“Yeah,” he answered. “There wasn’t anyone around that I could

see, but the truck hasn’t moved.”

“Unfortunately, his work schedule changes. It can be hard to tell

when he’ll be home if he isn’t taking the truck. He may not have gone to work at all, or he could be down at the station and we’ve wasted a whole day thinking that he’s home,” Sara said.

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Samantha Blair

“I guess you’re stuck with us for another night,” Tyler teased.

“We better wait until we know for sure that he’s gone.”

“I agree with Tyler,” Gage added. “We can try again in the

morning if you want, but there is no rush. You can stay here for as

long as it takes.”

Not wanting to give her any more time to protest, Tyler suggested

that they make dinner together, which turned out to be a great idea.

Sara was a huge help in the kitchen and a lot of fun to be around.

Choosing to give her some one-on-one time to get to know Gage,

Tyler slipped out to the barn after dinner to tend to the animals in solitude. The fresh air did help to clear his brain, but he still found himself wishing that Sara might decide to stay.

This whole mess with her ex had to end sometime, and when it

did, Tyler had every intention of being there for her.

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Chapter 5

When Sara woke the next morning, it was only eight thirty and a

little closer to her normal schedule. She’d really enjoyed the day

before, getting to know Tyler and Gage, but it was time to get back to reality before she did something really stupid like come on to one of them. Unable to resist, she’d worn the borrowed boxers and T-shirt to bed again last night just because she found them so comforting. She

needed to get a hold of herself where these men were concerned.

She wanted to make breakfast as a way of saying thank you for

the hospitality, and then she’d ask them to take her home again. Even if Jeremy’s truck was still there, it was unlikely that he would skip work two days in a row. She’d been hiding long enough. It was time

to run.

The kitchen was empty when she made her way down to it, but

the coffee had been made, so at least one of them was up and about.

After making dinner with Tyler the night before, she knew her way

around the kitchen pretty well, so finding the ingredients for French toast was easy. They even still had a few strawberries left over to go on top.

Gage came down the stairs as she was taking the first two slices

out of the frying pan.

“French toast? You are my new favorite person in the whole

world.”

“Don’t let Tyler hear you say that,” she teased.

“Eh, Ty’s a great cook, too, so you might have some

competition.”

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Samantha Blair

Sara resisted the urge to sigh as she added another slice to the pan.

Just one more thing to like about them, the men never seemed to

speak badly of each other. They teased, but they didn’t nitpick like

some couples, and Sara really envied that. Not a day went by where

Jeremy didn’t criticize her for something.

Tyler came in from the barn a few minutes later, greeting Gage

with a lingering kiss that Sara pretended not to see. He, too, praised her breakfast skills and eagerly accepted the next couple of slices hot out of the pan.

When they were finished eating, Sara got up to wash the dishes,

and Tyler joined her with a drying rag at the sink. They playful banter between the three of them all morning was enough to make her heart

ache, and just standing this close to Ty at the sink was torture. She fought to ignore the growing chemistry between them, telling herself

that it was only in her head, and that he was just being nice.

Every time the breeze blew in from the screen door she caught his

earthy smell and wanted to bury her face in his chest and soak it up.