hang around in the empty hallway getting involved in their lives.
*
Chase watched Jane through the kitchen window as she made her way across the ranch yard toward the barn. She limped, but it wasn’t as pronounced as when she’d first arrived.
When she’d come downstairs and informed him the boys were locked in the bathroom, her defenses were firmly locked in place. His attempt to lull her into opening up was met with stubborn silence.
She’d finished the stack of pancakes and bacon he put in front of her, put her plate in the dishwasher, then staring straight ahead as though giving report to her superior, had informed him she’d be in the barn. All that was missing was a smart-ass salute.
It irritated him, that bit of unemotional, military formality. He should be glad she was out of his way so he could concentrate on what to do with Bobby and Pete.
After what he’d seen of her trim waist and that flash of satin skin when she’d opened her bedroom door, he wanted more than just that brief view. Of course, he wouldn’t pursue it, so why was it so hard to get rid of the idea?
Because Jane Donovan is a hard-headed, contradicting, conflicted, fascinating lady. That’s why, he growled under his breath.
She’d been on a fishing expedition when she asked about the boys and definitely hadn’t liked his answer. Her sudden interest had him taking another look at the half-formed plan he’d been mulling over of turning the boys over to Beth.
He was about to go see what was keeping them, when the Marine slowed, then pivoted sharply. Suspicion pricking the back of his neck, Chase leaned forward to see what had caught her attention.
Swearing, he stepped out onto the porch.
Making for a trail that cut through the lower pasture, Bobby hovered over Pete, who clumsily used the crutches they’d gotten at the hospital. They must have slipped down the stairs while he was distracted with Jane, descending into the living room where they could escape without being seen.
He started after them. A movement from Jane stopped him. She’d put on her sunglasses, the ones that gave her that cocky, dangerous look, before sauntering toward the boys as if her hip didn't bother her at all.
Thumbs tucked in the front pockets of her jeans, she raised her chin to a rakish angle. His traitorous pulse spiked, keeping pace with her calculated steps. Bewitched despite his best efforts not to get caught, he stepped under the shadowed canopy of the apple tree.
Well, hell. Could he really turn Bobby and Pete over to a system that didn’t always work as well as it should? A crazy idea taking shape, he decided to wait and see how the Marine handled their bid for freedom.
Keep them from running. The refrain repeated itself over and over in Jane’s head.
Why? Her pesky heart demanded sharply.
She knew the answer. Growing up at the orphanage, she’d often been given the newcomers to look after. The Marine Corps had reinforced the nuns’ teaching with its unwritten code to serve and win battles.
A swagger she’d all but forgotten from her teenage days resurrected itself. “Where are you boys off to?”
Bobby and Pete eyed her warily, unearthing unwanted memories of how little she’d trusted anyone at their age; how little that had changed over the years.
“We...um gotta go.” Bobby, his hands balling into fists, planted himself between her and his little brother.
The June sun overhead promised a hot day. Dirt beneath her boots was hard-packed. A yellow, very pregnant cat slunk out of the barn, off on a hunt through the tall grasses of the pasture.
“It’s a long walk to town from here.” Taking off her glasses, she squatted, resting elbows on her knees as she swung the shades in slow circles. “You boys got traveling money?”
Bobby wasn’t about to give anything away, but she could see his mind moving frantically through his options.
This is what got a person into trouble. Every time. This feeling of being responsible. Of
*
Chase watched Jane through the kitchen window as she made her way across the ranch yard toward the barn. She limped, but it wasn’t as pronounced as when she’d first arrived.
When she’d come downstairs and informed him the boys were locked in the bathroom, her defenses were firmly locked in place. His attempt to lull her into opening up was met with stubborn silence.
She’d finished the stack of pancakes and bacon he put in front of her, put her plate in the dishwasher, then staring straight ahead as though giving report to her superior, had informed him she’d be in the barn. All that was missing was a smart-ass salute.
It irritated him, that bit of unemotional, military formality. He should be glad she was out of his way so he could concentrate on what to do with Bobby and Pete.
After what he’d seen of her trim waist and that flash of satin skin when she’d opened her bedroom door, he wanted more than just that brief view. Of course, he wouldn’t pursue it, so why was it so hard to get rid of the idea?
Because Jane Donovan is a hard-headed, contradicting, conflicted, fascinating lady. That’s why, he growled under his breath.
She’d been on a fishing expedition when she asked about the boys and definitely hadn’t liked his answer. Her sudden interest had him taking another look at the half-formed plan he’d been mulling over of turning the boys over to Beth.
He was about to go see what was keeping them, when the Marine slowed, then pivoted sharply. Suspicion pricking the back of his neck, Chase leaned forward to see what had caught her attention.
Swearing, he stepped out onto the porch.
Making for a trail that cut through the lower pasture, Bobby hovered over Pete, who clumsily used the crutches they’d gotten at the hospital. They must have slipped down the stairs while he was distracted with Jane, descending into the living room where they could escape without being seen.
He started after them. A movement from Jane stopped him. She’d put on her sunglasses, the ones that gave her that cocky, dangerous look, before sauntering toward the boys as if her hip didn't bother her at all.
Thumbs tucked in the front pockets of her jeans, she raised her chin to a rakish angle. His traitorous pulse spiked, keeping pace with her calculated steps. Bewitched despite his best efforts not to get caught, he stepped under the shadowed canopy of the apple tree.
Well, hell. Could he really turn Bobby and Pete over to a system that didn’t always work as well as it should? A crazy idea taking shape, he decided to wait and see how the Marine handled their bid for freedom.
Keep them from running. The refrain repeated itself over and over in Jane’s head.
Why? Her pesky heart demanded sharply.
She knew the answer. Growing up at the orphanage, she’d often been given the newcomers to look after. The Marine Corps had reinforced the nuns’ teaching with its unwritten code to serve and win battles.
A swagger she’d all but forgotten from her teenage days resurrected itself. “Where are you boys off to?”
Bobby and Pete eyed her warily, unearthing unwanted memories of how little she’d trusted anyone at their age; how little that had changed over the years.
“We...um gotta go.” Bobby, his hands balling into fists, planted himself between her and his little brother.
The June sun overhead promised a hot day. Dirt beneath her boots was hard-packed. A yellow, very pregnant cat slunk out of the barn, off on a hunt through the tall grasses of the pasture.
“It’s a long walk to town from here.” Taking off her glasses, she squatted, resting elbows on her knees as she swung the shades in slow circles. “You boys got traveling money?”
Bobby wasn’t about to give anything away, but she could see his mind moving frantically through his options.
This is what got a person into trouble. Every time. This feeling of being responsible. Of
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