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Leah jerked awake gasping for air, panic flooding her body. She scanned her surroundings, certain that Jason Garton was hiding in the unfamiliar shadows, on the verge of leaping out and finishing what he’d started. She lifted her hand to her neck, where she could still feel the tight grip of Garton’s large fingers pressing her down, preventing her from escaping.
Gradually, her heart rate slowed as she remembered where she was—her new home on Tyler Lowe’s ranch. After a couple of days at her parents’ house while she made arrangements for her move, she’d dared to hope the nightmares about her attack were past. All it took for them to return with a vengeance was a single night alone in the bunkhouse.
Knowing from experience that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again, she threw off the thin quilt and got out of bed. With her pulse still faster than normal, she made the round of doors and windows, making sure they were all locked. Then knowing she was being paranoid, she checked all the rooms, including the closets. No Jason Garton. No threats of any kind, unless she counted the threat of possibly stubbing her toe on one of the boxes containing her belongings.
Holding her breath, she eased to the window closest to the front door and peeked out through the blinds. The night was pitch-black except for the lone security light that hung on a post between the house and the barn. Even Tyler’s house was dark. No doubt he was sound asleep as she should be. But then he probably didn’t have nightmares about being attacked in his own home, his very life at risk.
She released the blind, allowing it to fall back into place, and turned back toward the pile of boxes Conner had helped her unload earlier in the day. If she couldn’t sleep, she might as well make some progress on her unpacking before she convinced herself moving here had been a colossal mistake, solving nothing.
Tackling one box after another, she began to turn the bunkhouse into something resembling an actual home. Her clothes hanging in the closet, her dishes filling the kitchen cabinets, the patchwork quilt her grandmother had made for her draped over the back of the couch. When she reached the first of the boxes that held her jewelry-making supplies, she ran her hand across the plastic containers of colorful beads. The Swarovski crystals, pewter beads and Czech glass normally had her creativity tripping over itself with ideas. But that was before the night her life had been turned inside out, before the attack that had resulted in hundreds of her beads being catapulted in all directions as she’d tried desperately to reach something to free herself from Garton’s grip.
“No!”
She growled in frustration and pressed the heels of her hands against her temples, wishing she could banish memories of that night. Defying that core of fear that refused to leave her alone, she pulled out her supplies and filled the long dining table with boxes of beads, wire and assorted tools of her trade. She might not be ready to get back to work tonight, but she would not hide her supplies away anymore. They’d given her countless hours of enjoyment and the ability to make a living, much more than the one night they were tainted. She needed to remember that, remind herself as many times as necessary.
When she finally got everything unpacked, she noticed the windows didn’t look quite so dark anymore. A quick check through the blinds revealed the first pale light of day making its way across the ranch.
Leah considered collapsing back into bed. Maybe she’d become one of those people who slept during the day and kept night-owl hours for her work. But she’d always been someone who liked the early hours of the day when the world seemed to come alive again. Deciding to stay up and just call it an early night, she set a pot of coffee to brewing and took a quick shower. Maybe today was the day she’d really and truly reclaim her life and dive back into work.
Freshly showered and wearing clean clothes, she poured herself a cup of coffee and went out to sit in one of the old rocking chairs on her porch. She listened to the simple sounds of early morning, the birds chirping and a slight breeze stirring the tops of the trees on the opposite side of the gravel drive. She took a sip of her coffee and glanced to her right, noticing that the gravel ended a few yards beyond the bunkhouse but the drive continued on as a dirt surface until it reached a gate at the corner of the pasture. In the distance, she noticed a few head of cattle meandering out of the morning’s disappearing shadows.
Even though she hadn’t been able to sleep the night before, this slice of peacefulness was more than welcome. Maybe she just needed more time to adjust, to find her way back to some normalcy.
The sound of footsteps had her jerking her attention in the opposite direction. The source of the sound proved to be Tyler striding from the house toward the barn. He didn’t look in her direction, giving her the opportunity to observe him from a distance. Now that he wasn’t so close, he didn’t seem so huge or imposing. Truthfully, her impression of his size had more to do with her own. It didn’t take much to tower over someone who was only a couple of inches over five feet. If she could keep him this far away, maybe she’d be able to relax more and not suffer from the irrational fear that he posed a threat.
From the safety of her porch, she thought about how differently she would have viewed Tyler had they met before the attack. Well, pretty much the same in the looks department. Despite her nervousness around him, she wasn’t blind to how handsome he was with those long, powerful legs, broad shoulders, nicely muscled arms. His short blond hair was a couple of shades darker than her own. But it was those blue eyes of his that could stop a woman in her tracks. She’d always been a sucker for a beautiful pair of eyes on a man, and Tyler Lowe definitely had that.
Too bad she wasn’t sure she’d ever be comfortable around a man again. Not for the first time she wished she were taller, stronger, more able to protect herself.
Should she make an attempt to get to know Tyler? Befriend him? Would it help her past her fear or just compound it? She sighed as the parade of questions about her future picked up speed in her mind.
After leisurely enjoying her coffee, she faced the fact that she couldn’t simply sit on the porch all day. She had to be productive, take another step into her new life. When she realized she was waiting to catch another glimpse of Tyler, she forced herself inside the bunkhouse. Ready or not, she had to work. Though he seemed like a nice enough guy based on their limited interactions, she doubted Tyler would let her stay in her current accommodations for free.
She eyed the supplies on the table, hoping inspiration would strike. When her creative side stayed on hiatus, she instead started making a list of other tasks she could tackle in the meantime. Most important, she needed to arrange for internet access and go buy some groceries. What she’d brought from her apartment wouldn’t last more than a day or maybe two if she stretched it.
Wanting to keep her distance, she texted Tyler to ask if he had any issue with her getting internet access set up at the bunkhouse. She found herself staring at her phone, waiting for the answer. When none came, she set it aside and began writing out her grocery list. That was a normal activity, and hopefully it would be another step toward leaving the attack and the fear in the past.
The sound of what she assumed was Tyler’s voice drew her to the window. Maybe he was on the phone and that’s why he hadn’t texted her back yet.
But when she looked toward the house, she saw him walking toward his truck, a little blonde girl at his side. The child couldn’t be more than five or six years old.
Leah didn’t remember him saying anything about having a child, and now she wondered if Tyler was married. Was there a wife in the house whom she also hadn’t seen? That certainly made her feel bad about appreciating how good-looking Tyler was, but having another woman on the ranch might help Leah relax and grow more comfortable around her landlord.
Despite the fact he might very well be a married man, Leah couldn’t pull her gaze away from Tyler as he helped the little girl into the truck and fastened her in to her seat. Was there anything sexier than a handsome man caring for a small child?
Tyler shut the door and glanced toward the bunkhouse. Leah squeaked and stepped back from the window. Thank goodness she wasn’t still sitting on the porch staring at him. She didn’t need him or a potential wife seeing that, not if she didn’t want to be packing up to move out a day after moving in.
She waited until she heard Tyler’s truck start up and leave before she grabbed her grocery list, purse and keys and headed to her own vehicle. As she drove past the house, she glanced at the windows but saw no one. It struck her as strange that she didn’t know whether to be disappointed or grateful.
As she drove into Blue Falls a few minutes later, the tightness of her muscles relaxed. The combination of daylight, a good number of people going about their business, and the warmth she’d always felt this community generated allowed her to breathe more easily. It also made her wonder if she’d made a mistake moving out into the country alone.
Leah shook her head as she drove through the downtown area. She was “borrowing trouble,” as her mother was fond of saying. Neither Tyler nor her new home had truly given her any reason for concern. She was just allowing the dark parts of her imagination to run wild. Rather than working or settling into her new community, the top item on her to-do list was to stop imagining the worst was going to happen. She was allowing Jason Garton to continue to victimize her even though he was sitting in a jail cell more than two hundred miles away. And that made her angry more than anything else.
She parked at the grocery store and headed inside, determined to make today, her first as a full-time Blue Falls resident, a good one. In fact, she was in the mood to bake something sinfully delicious and headed straight for the baking aisle. She decided on caramel brownies and tossed the necessary ingredients in her cart then headed toward the next aisle.
“Leah!”
She jumped but then realized she recognized the female voice. India Parrish stood in between the end of the aisle Leah had just left and the meat counter along the back wall.
“Hey, India. How are you?”
“Great.” India glanced at Leah’s cart. “So it’s true? You’ve moved to Blue Falls?”
Leah nodded. “Yeah, brand-new resident as of yesterday.”
“That’s awesome, and just in time. I’m down to the last piece of your jewelry in my shop.”
“Glad to hear it’s selling.” Her bank account would be equally as happy. And speaking of, she supposed she needed to transfer that, as well.
“Like hotcakes. I tried placing another order a few days ago, but I hadn’t heard anything in response.”
“Oh, sorry about that. Been having some site issues.” As in she’d barely looked at it since the attack. “I’m actually in the process of getting reconnected here, so I’ll get your order to you as soon as I can.”
Which meant she had to work no matter if she felt inspired or not.
India waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “No worries. I’m sure you have lots to do to get settled. I heard you rented the old bunkhouse out at Tyler Lowe’s place.”
“Yeah.” Leah resisted the urge to ask India about Tyler, to get a second opinion on whether he was a good guy, safe to be around, whether he was married.
India waved at a blonde Leah didn’t know, and the other woman carried her hand basket over to where they stood.
“Gina, this is Leah Murphy. She’s the one who makes the beautiful jewelry I’ve had in the front display case at the shop. Leah, Gina Tolbert.”
Gina extended her hand for a shake. “You do lovely work. I had my eye on a lapis and pearl necklace of yours, but I waited too long and someone snapped it up. That’ll teach me to hesitate when I see something I want.”
“I’m sure you could convince Leah to make another for you,” India said with a smile that accentuated her natural beauty.
“Of course.” Maybe if she forced herself to start working again, it would actually take her mind off the things she didn’t want to think about in the first place.
“Leah has just moved here.” India met Leah’s eyes. “Gina has only been here a few months herself.”
“I’ve spent some time here over the years, though. My mom moved here when I was in my senior year of high school, when she got remarried. Though I stayed in Waco with my dad so I could finish school with my friends.”
“We’re lucky to have Gina here now, though,” India said. “She’s the new head of the tourist bureau, and she’s got so many great ideas to keep the local economy booming that she’s got all of our heads spinning.”
As the two women told Leah about the addition of photography classes by the local-wildflower tour company, the budding wedding industry, and how the rodeo crowds were growing and thus drawing bigger-name talent, Leah couldn’t help feeling their excitement.
India placed her hand atop Leah’s where it sat gripping the handle of the shopping cart. “And this will be perfect for you. We’re planning to have an arts and crafts trail soon where tourists can follow a map from one artist or craftsperson’s shop to the next. They can watch the artists at work and buy their wares. I can see you being really successful with that, as long as I still get some of your stuff for Yesterwear.”
“I can get you what information we have so far,” Gina said.
“Thank you.” In theory, Leah liked the idea a lot. But just thinking about strangers showing up at her doorstep had her stomach clenching and her skin prickling with chills. Not to mention the fact that it wasn’t truly her home to do with as she liked. She doubted Tyler wanted strangers coming and going all the time, especially when he had a child’s safety to consider.
“So what brought you to Blue Falls?” Gina asked.
Leah forced a small smile. “Just ready for a change. And I’ve always liked it here.”
“Leah is Conner Murphy’s cousin.”
If she hadn’t been looking at Gina, Leah would have missed the slight widening of her eyes. In a blink, the reaction was gone. What was that about? Hmm, perhaps she needed to ask her cousin about the pretty Miss Tolbert.
“Sorry to run, but I’ve got a meeting in twenty minutes.” Gina gave a little wave and headed off toward the front of the store.
“I should finish up, too,” Leah said. “Based on this conversation, I’ve evidently got lots of work to do.”
India gave her a quick hug. “Don’t forget what I said about the arts and crafts trail. It could really introduce your work to a lot of new people if it’s as successful as we hope it’ll be.”
“I’ll think about it.” She couldn’t promise more than that.
“When you get settled, give me a call or drop by the shop. We’ll have lunch.”
“Sounds good.” And it did, but Leah suddenly felt exhausted by the conversation. The need to retreat to her new home swamped her, but she did her best to shove those feelings away and continue her shopping.
When she’d finally finished and stowed everything in the back of her car, she sank into the driver’s seat feeling as if she’d just run a marathon. How could one event in her life change her so much? Rob her of her energy, her true personality?
She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles whitened. Damn Jason Garton. She wanted nothing more than to move beyond what had happened, but it looked like it was going to take more than a move to bring that to fruition.
Her phone buzzed, startling her. When she saw it was Tyler, a frisson of warmth zipped along her skin. She ran her hand back across the top of her head. How could she be so nervous around Tyler while also attracted? It was as if her old self and the one that had emerged after Jason Garton had invaded her life were dueling for primacy.
She tapped her phone’s screen and read the simple response to her earlier text.
No problem.
Only two simple words, and yet she imagined hearing them in that low-timbre voice. Maybe she should take her reaction as a good sign that she was on the road back to her normal self, nothing more.
But as she drove toward the ranch, she couldn’t stop hearing his voice in her head and even imagining him saying something other than the words necessary to answer her questions as his tenant. Something romantic. Something she suspected she wasn’t really ready to hear, from anyone.
Chapter Four (#ulink_3c1dad36-9a7d-502d-a984-3f8750551e9f)
Tyler slid his credit card through the reader on the gas pump then selected the appropriate grade. As he started filling the truck with gas, Greg Bozeman walked out of one of the auto service bays, wiping his hands on a blue shop towel.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Greg asked as he approached.
“Can’t complain.”
“That have anything to do with your new roomie?”
“Huh?”
“Topic of the day around town is that Leah Murphy moved in out at your place.”
Tyler sighed. “I rented the bunkhouse to her.”
“As I recall, that’s pretty close to your house.”
Tyler lifted an eyebrow. “When did you become an old gossip?”
Greg’s grin was full of mischief, not at all unusual for him. “Service stations are just as much a hotbed of gossip as the barbershop or the front corner of the Primrose in the mornings.”
Tyler snorted. Leave it to the biggest flirt in town to know almost to the moment when a new woman moved to the county. “Don’t you have a car or twelve to fix?”
“I can multitask.”
Tyler shook his head as he pulled the gas nozzle from the truck’s tank and replaced it back in the pump. “As far as I know, she’s free, if that’s what you’re after.”
“Not the road for me. She already turned me down. Can you believe that?”
Tyler braced his hand atop the gas pump. “Wait, you’ve already asked her out and she’s only lived here a day?”
“Nah, it was a few months ago, when she was here visiting Conner and his family. I pulled out my best stuff, too.”
A bark of laughter escaped Tyler. “And she turned you down. That’s got to be a first. I don’t know the woman well, but at least now I know she has taste.”
“Cold, man. Cold.”
Tyler laughed again as he rounded his truck. When he caught sight of Maddie coloring yet another page in the book she’d gotten at the café, he reined in his laughter.
“You must really like that coloring book.”
Maddie hesitated in the strokes with the red crayon she was using before finally nodding. He went back over what he’d said, wondering how her five-year-old brain had interpreted it. Because he’d sensed concern as she’d paused in her coloring.
“That’s good,” he finally said, hoping to ease whatever was on her mind. “We can get you some more soon, if you’d like.”
When he thought he caught a hint of a smile trying to tug at her lips, his heart lightened. He’d buy her a hundred coloring books if it would make her really smile and maybe let down her guard. Because even though she was only five, that’s what was happening. For some reason, there were walls erected around his niece.
As he pulled out onto the road, she closed the coloring book and watched everything they passed the way she did every time they went anywhere. She was like a tourist in a foreign country for the first time, soaking up all the unfamiliar sights. He searched for some way to engage her in conversation but came up frustratingly empty. Instead, he let his mind wander back over the events of the day until they landed on the brief conversation with Greg, specifically the fact that Greg had asked Leah out.
He tried to imagine Leah with Greg, and he couldn’t picture it. Leah seemed like a quiet person, reserved, perhaps a touch shy. Which was surprising considering her cousin was not that way. But he guessed if siblings could be like night and day, it shouldn’t be a surprise if cousins were.
As he drove back toward the ranch, he wondered about his new tenant, if the situation would work out. He’d probably already made mistakes, such as not even asking what she did for a living and where she intended to work, if perhaps she already had a job before moving to Blue Falls. But really, as long as she paid her rent, didn’t host wild parties and wasn’t doing anything illegal, he shouldn’t care. He admitted to himself he was more curious than anything.
When he pulled up beside the house a few minutes later, he saw no sign of her other than the fact her car was parked next to the bunkhouse. He supposed she was still getting settled. As he got out of his truck and Maddie released herself from her seat and headed for the house with her coloring book and crayons, he resisted the urge to go check on Leah, to see if she needed anything. He reminded himself that distance was a good thing. His number one concern was his niece, followed by his work, which meant he didn’t have a lot of free time for chatting up his new neighbor.
No matter how pretty she was.
* * *
LEAH OPENED A box of beads and ran her fingers across the familiar and colorful glass, hoping a flash of inspiration would shoot up her arm to her brain. She went from box to box, knowing she had to work no matter if she felt inspired or not, but it would certainly be easier. She needed something, anything to spur her creativity.
