Read Online When I Find You: A Trust No One Novel by Dixie Lee Brown - Free Book Online

generated by his smile.
    “How far do we . . . have to go?” She frowned when her tongue fumbled over the words. She caught his raised brow.
    “Two or three miles, I’d guess. You led me around in circles so long, I’m not exactly sure, but we should be back to the road in a couple hours.”
    “Is Grant . . . dead?” She braced for the answer she didn’t want to hear.
    “If that’s the guy who was shooting at you—hell, yeah.”
    A shudder passed through her and she swayed unsteadily. He reached for her elbow, and Darcy lifted her head to look at him, again resisting the urge to move away. Instead, she raised her hand to touch the wound where she’d hit him with the tree branch. “I’m sorry. I thought . . .”
    “Apology accepted.”
    Her hand dropped to her side and she staggered back a step. His grip on her elbow kept her from falling.
    “Maybe you’d better sit down.” He led her to the wall and helped her to the ground, then added another branch to the fire before returning to sit near her. “You weren’t kidding . . . you can’t hold your liquor. You should eat something. It’ll make you feel better.”
    The backs of her legs tingled, and her movements were slow and awkward. Most disconcerting was the way her mind flitted from one thought to the next with no ability to focus on where she was or why. Was this what it felt like to be drunk? She should probably be alarmed, but she was warm, comfortable, and safe, and if any of that was attributable to the Scotch, she wasn’t the least bit sorry.
    He dug in his backpack again and handed her a plastic bag filled with jerky. When her fingers fumbled with the opening, he took it and tore through the plastic before handing it back.
    “I’m not usually so helpless.” She frowned as she accepted the bag again.
    “I called you a lot of things while I was trying to catch up to you, but helpless wasn’t one of them.”
    Darcy’s gaze rested on him. His crooked smile matched the laughter in his voice, but then the smile disappeared and his ruggedly handsome face grew serious again.
    “I’m curious. Why would you ever get in a car with that guy if you didn’t know him? You knew someone was after you. Don’t women have an instinct about that sort of thing?”
    His ridicule hurt even though she deserved it, and her gaze dropped away from his. She could try to defend herself. Explain she’d refused his offer at first. That Grant convinced her he was something he wasn’t, but the reasons didn’t really matter.
    She raised her eyes to meet his. “It was a stupid mistake.”
    “Could have been your last. On the other hand, I stepped between you and a wild animal, and you still chose a flood-stage river over believing I wanted to help you. Can you see why I’m confused?” His dark eyes held hers.
    Darcy stifled a ridiculous urge to giggle. “I’d already made one bad decision. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. I thought I could find a way down off this mountain if I got across the river before you . . . I almost made it too.” She shifted her attention to the fire. “You must think I’m a fool.”
    “I think if you weren’t a brave and determined young lady, you’d be dead. Hopefully, you’ve decided to trust me now—even though earlier would have been better. For future reference, though, crossing the river was a bad plan.”
    Darcy shuddered. “I didn’t think I had a choice.” She shrugged. “And the jury’s still out on whether or not you can be trusted.”
    The man gave a short, sarcastic laugh, then took a swallow from the flask before holding it out to her. She hesitated a moment, accepted it from his hand, and tipped it to her lips, again experiencing the warming sensation as the liquid hit her stomach. This Scotch wasn’t half bad. After one more swallow, she handed it back to him and didn’t miss the amusement in his expression. There was kindness in his face, too, and his smile seemed genuine enough.