food because he was hungry. But he hadn’t shown much interest in snacking.
She was left to conclude that he was following her movements intently because he was afraid she might leave him. Because he had been abandoned and abused before.
Darcy wasn’t much for crying, but the idea of it brought a lump to her throat.
Well, she wasn’t going to let anything else happen to him. And they were certainly in a safe place, at least for now.
She hoped that feeling safe would help him relax enough that he could communicate again.
Soft light filled the A-frame cabin, making the pine floors glow. It smelled like wood fires, which reminded her of home though she’d never been here before. This place was Derek’s, from a time when his success was new and he’d bought vacation homes all over the country. When he realized he was more the indoors-y type he’d handed the keys to the cabin over to a management company who took care of maintenance and had someone in to clean regularly.
Darcy had borrowed the keys, wanting an out of the way place to hole up for her 300th moon. Little had she known how much she would need a hideaway.
Fretting a bit about Draven, Darcy reminded herself they were far enough out that her cell phone was barely working. No way would he figure out they were here.
The creak of the bedroom door told her that Finn was awake.
He wandered in, still pulling a T-shirt over his head and inadvertently showing off tawny skin over rippling muscles. He’d tried to restrain his long hair by tying it back in a messy ponytail.
He looked like he was recovering from a night that was a lot more fun than it actually had been.
“Hey, sleepyhead, we were starting to think you didn’t like our company,” Darcy joked, trying to stop noticing his gorgeous body. The poor guy didn’t feel well - she should not be ogling him.
He grinned, but it quickly turned into a wince.
She hid her smile as he took a seat at the counter next to Luke, who was examining him unabashedly.
“Hey, buddy,” Finn said, clapping the kid on the shoulder. Darcy waited for the kid to shrink away and was happy to see him lean imperceptibly closer to the magician instead.
“Here you go,” she said to Finn, offering him the glass of OJ and bottle of Advil she’d readied for him.
“Thanks,” he croaked, downing a few pills and chugging the juice.
Darcy watched Luke watching Finn. The big guy took down a quart of juice in about three seconds.
He put the glass back on the counter and looked around, seeming to have perked up already just from the sugar rush.
“Nice place,” he observed, as if he had only just noticed he wasn’t in his own kitchen. “Where are we exactly?”
“We’re in the Poconos,” she told him. “My brother bought this house years ago. It was supposed to be a getaway for when he came to visit. Turns out he’s not really a fan of the great outdoors. So it doesn’t get used much.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise.
“You mean we’re actually in the middle of the woods somewhere?” he asked.
“Somewhere, yeah,” she agreed.
Finn’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look like he was in love with the idea. But it wasn’t like either of them had to get back to work or anything. Panchenko would fire them both for sure.
No point crying over spilt milk.
She turned her attention back to the sandwiches, laying the tomato slices on top of the tuna salad she’d made.
The cupboards were certainly well stocked. There were the usual canned goods and emergency provisions, plus, since she’d been planning to spend all month up here, the management company had stocked the place with fresh groceries.
Of course, the plan had changed. She just wasn’t sure to what.
“What do we do now?” Finn asked, as if reading her thoughts.
“Well, we’ll lay low for a couple days at least. Try to get things sorted,” she said noncommittally, not wanting the child to see her uncertainty.
Luke’s eyes were bigger than ever. She
She was left to conclude that he was following her movements intently because he was afraid she might leave him. Because he had been abandoned and abused before.
Darcy wasn’t much for crying, but the idea of it brought a lump to her throat.
Well, she wasn’t going to let anything else happen to him. And they were certainly in a safe place, at least for now.
She hoped that feeling safe would help him relax enough that he could communicate again.
Soft light filled the A-frame cabin, making the pine floors glow. It smelled like wood fires, which reminded her of home though she’d never been here before. This place was Derek’s, from a time when his success was new and he’d bought vacation homes all over the country. When he realized he was more the indoors-y type he’d handed the keys to the cabin over to a management company who took care of maintenance and had someone in to clean regularly.
Darcy had borrowed the keys, wanting an out of the way place to hole up for her 300th moon. Little had she known how much she would need a hideaway.
Fretting a bit about Draven, Darcy reminded herself they were far enough out that her cell phone was barely working. No way would he figure out they were here.
The creak of the bedroom door told her that Finn was awake.
He wandered in, still pulling a T-shirt over his head and inadvertently showing off tawny skin over rippling muscles. He’d tried to restrain his long hair by tying it back in a messy ponytail.
He looked like he was recovering from a night that was a lot more fun than it actually had been.
“Hey, sleepyhead, we were starting to think you didn’t like our company,” Darcy joked, trying to stop noticing his gorgeous body. The poor guy didn’t feel well - she should not be ogling him.
He grinned, but it quickly turned into a wince.
She hid her smile as he took a seat at the counter next to Luke, who was examining him unabashedly.
“Hey, buddy,” Finn said, clapping the kid on the shoulder. Darcy waited for the kid to shrink away and was happy to see him lean imperceptibly closer to the magician instead.
“Here you go,” she said to Finn, offering him the glass of OJ and bottle of Advil she’d readied for him.
“Thanks,” he croaked, downing a few pills and chugging the juice.
Darcy watched Luke watching Finn. The big guy took down a quart of juice in about three seconds.
He put the glass back on the counter and looked around, seeming to have perked up already just from the sugar rush.
“Nice place,” he observed, as if he had only just noticed he wasn’t in his own kitchen. “Where are we exactly?”
“We’re in the Poconos,” she told him. “My brother bought this house years ago. It was supposed to be a getaway for when he came to visit. Turns out he’s not really a fan of the great outdoors. So it doesn’t get used much.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise.
“You mean we’re actually in the middle of the woods somewhere?” he asked.
“Somewhere, yeah,” she agreed.
Finn’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look like he was in love with the idea. But it wasn’t like either of them had to get back to work or anything. Panchenko would fire them both for sure.
No point crying over spilt milk.
She turned her attention back to the sandwiches, laying the tomato slices on top of the tuna salad she’d made.
The cupboards were certainly well stocked. There were the usual canned goods and emergency provisions, plus, since she’d been planning to spend all month up here, the management company had stocked the place with fresh groceries.
Of course, the plan had changed. She just wasn’t sure to what.
“What do we do now?” Finn asked, as if reading her thoughts.
“Well, we’ll lay low for a couple days at least. Try to get things sorted,” she said noncommittally, not wanting the child to see her uncertainty.
Luke’s eyes were bigger than ever. She
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