they made their way up to the first floor.
Jammed in front of the bathroom door was a huge tree stump that Cal recognized from the yard. It had to weigh two hundred pounds. "How the hell—never mind," he said, as Jimmy squatted and lifted the thing, grunting with the effort.
"I'll just take this back outside," he said through gritted teeth.
The door burst open and Roan ran smack into him. Cal responded reflexively, his arms wrapping around her wiry body.
"Roan—"
"I've got to get out of here, Cal, let me go, please!"
She managed to break free of him and fled down the hall. But there was something wrong—she was limping, and as her foot came down she yelped with pain.
"What's wrong?" he demanded, catching up with her easily. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head impatiently and tried to keep going, holding onto the wall for balance and hopping. There was no way she was getting away at that pace. "I twisted my ankle when your friend snuck up on me."
She sounded furious, as though she was the one who had been wronged, but Cal had to put that aside for the moment. He pulled her to him and picked her up, hitching her body over his shoulder.
"Hey!" she protested, twisting in his arms.
"The cops are going to be here in a few minutes, and unless you want to leave here in the back of the cruiser you need to shut up and—ow!"
She'd elbowed him in the jaw, but at his exclamation she went limp. She wasn't very heavy, but getting down the cellar stairs carrying her was difficult, and it was a good thing she'd stopped fighting him or they'd both have ended up in a heap at the bottom, with more than a twisted ankle to worry about.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Cal didn't respond, focusing all his effort on not dropping her as he dashed across the cellar and up the steps. It was easier going up, and he was out in the cold air in seconds. Dawn now tinged the sky a faint pink on the horizon. Jimmy had returned the stump to its spot near the rail fence, and was coming toward them, wiping his hands on his pants.
And Cal spotted headlights bouncing down the rutted lane that led to the ranch.
His gaze met Jimmy's. "Thanks, man," he said. "Gotta go."
Jimmy nodded curtly, staring at Roan. Then he sat down on the stump to wait for the police.
Cal didn't look back. He ran straight for the tree line, Roan limp as a sack of flour over his shoulder.
CHAPTER NINE
" How far are you taking me?" Roan asked in a small voice.
Cal hadn't said anything for the last ten minutes. He'd jogged until they were under the cover of the woods, then slowed to a walk. He had to be exhausted, his breath coming hard, his body hot from the exertion, his muscles moving beneath her in the most distracting way—but he hadn't complained once.
"As far as I have to to make you someone else's problem," he grunted.
He didn't sound very happy. Roan couldn't blame him. She'd promised, after all...but this wasn't supposed to have happened. He wasn't supposed to ever find out. If she'd had time to find her grandfather's hiding place, she would have covered her tracks. In the backpack she'd left behind was a new padlock that she would have put on the cellar doors, and with luck no one would ever notice that it had been replaced.
And then what? A little voice demanded. Were you going to keep seeing him, even after you deceived him?
Were you going to kiss him again?
Roan felt dizzy, partly from the blood rushing to her head, and partly from the fact that she was slung over Calvin Dixon's shoulder, pressed against his hard-muscled back. She could easily reach out and trace a path from his back down over his ass to his thighs, and—
Where had that come from? Roan shifted in Cal's arms, trying to create some distance between them, and he stumbled and almost dropped her.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I think I can walk now."
He set her down, more carefully than she probably deserved, and rubbed his back, pain crossing over his face.
Roan gingerly tested her foot.
Jammed in front of the bathroom door was a huge tree stump that Cal recognized from the yard. It had to weigh two hundred pounds. "How the hell—never mind," he said, as Jimmy squatted and lifted the thing, grunting with the effort.
"I'll just take this back outside," he said through gritted teeth.
The door burst open and Roan ran smack into him. Cal responded reflexively, his arms wrapping around her wiry body.
"Roan—"
"I've got to get out of here, Cal, let me go, please!"
She managed to break free of him and fled down the hall. But there was something wrong—she was limping, and as her foot came down she yelped with pain.
"What's wrong?" he demanded, catching up with her easily. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head impatiently and tried to keep going, holding onto the wall for balance and hopping. There was no way she was getting away at that pace. "I twisted my ankle when your friend snuck up on me."
She sounded furious, as though she was the one who had been wronged, but Cal had to put that aside for the moment. He pulled her to him and picked her up, hitching her body over his shoulder.
"Hey!" she protested, twisting in his arms.
"The cops are going to be here in a few minutes, and unless you want to leave here in the back of the cruiser you need to shut up and—ow!"
She'd elbowed him in the jaw, but at his exclamation she went limp. She wasn't very heavy, but getting down the cellar stairs carrying her was difficult, and it was a good thing she'd stopped fighting him or they'd both have ended up in a heap at the bottom, with more than a twisted ankle to worry about.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Cal didn't respond, focusing all his effort on not dropping her as he dashed across the cellar and up the steps. It was easier going up, and he was out in the cold air in seconds. Dawn now tinged the sky a faint pink on the horizon. Jimmy had returned the stump to its spot near the rail fence, and was coming toward them, wiping his hands on his pants.
And Cal spotted headlights bouncing down the rutted lane that led to the ranch.
His gaze met Jimmy's. "Thanks, man," he said. "Gotta go."
Jimmy nodded curtly, staring at Roan. Then he sat down on the stump to wait for the police.
Cal didn't look back. He ran straight for the tree line, Roan limp as a sack of flour over his shoulder.
CHAPTER NINE
" How far are you taking me?" Roan asked in a small voice.
Cal hadn't said anything for the last ten minutes. He'd jogged until they were under the cover of the woods, then slowed to a walk. He had to be exhausted, his breath coming hard, his body hot from the exertion, his muscles moving beneath her in the most distracting way—but he hadn't complained once.
"As far as I have to to make you someone else's problem," he grunted.
He didn't sound very happy. Roan couldn't blame him. She'd promised, after all...but this wasn't supposed to have happened. He wasn't supposed to ever find out. If she'd had time to find her grandfather's hiding place, she would have covered her tracks. In the backpack she'd left behind was a new padlock that she would have put on the cellar doors, and with luck no one would ever notice that it had been replaced.
And then what? A little voice demanded. Were you going to keep seeing him, even after you deceived him?
Were you going to kiss him again?
Roan felt dizzy, partly from the blood rushing to her head, and partly from the fact that she was slung over Calvin Dixon's shoulder, pressed against his hard-muscled back. She could easily reach out and trace a path from his back down over his ass to his thighs, and—
Where had that come from? Roan shifted in Cal's arms, trying to create some distance between them, and he stumbled and almost dropped her.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I think I can walk now."
He set her down, more carefully than she probably deserved, and rubbed his back, pain crossing over his face.
Roan gingerly tested her foot.
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