To Love & Protect Her

“We have plenty of trees,” he muttered. “We just don’t put them where they don’t need to be.” When he glanced over at her and saw her smiling, he smiled reluctantly. “We don’t have a lot of trees on the Crown Peak Ranch. It’s mostly pasture and red dirt. And don’t mind me. I’m just worrying out loud.”

“I think the trees along the road are beautiful.”

He scowled again. “Yeah, they’re magnificent.”

She turned to look out the window again, her smile fading. Griff took his job very seriously. And she was grateful that he did. She needed to keep that in mind.

“Is your family’s Crown Peak Ranch in Australia a lot different than the Double Crown Ranch?” she asked.

“Actually, it’s quite similar to the Double Crown,” he answered. “Which isn’t too surprising, I guess, considering that my father Teddy and Ryan are half brothers.”

“Ryan was so excited when he found Teddy.” Willa smiled, remembering her godfather’s delight. “And he was thrilled that you and Matilda and Reed and Brody could spend this time with him.”

“My father was happy about it, too,” Griff said. “He’d always wondered about his family.”

As they talked, the truck emerged from the last of the trees to a small clearing surrounded by more trees. The mountain rose sharply behind the cabin, but the trees and the rock behind them gave the small clearing a cozy, secluded feel.

The cabin itself was made of weathered logs that blended into the rustic setting. There was a porch that ran the length of the front of the cabin, and a pile of firewood was stacked along one side.

“Let’s leave the car here for now, and take a look around,” Griff said.

Willa stepped out of the car, and realized that there was a chill to the air. “I had forgotten we’d be in the mountains,” she said, pulling Griff’s jacket more tightly around herself. Then she looked over at him and realized that he was in his shirtsleeves. He didn’t seem to react. He stood measuring the cabin with his eyes, examining the area around it.

Willa reached into the truck and grabbed her wool coat. It was still a little damp from the night before, but she took off Griff’s jacket and slipped on her own. She missed the battered jacket immediately. It had smelled and felt like Griff.

“Here, Griff,” she said. “It’s too cold to stand there without your jacket.”

He glanced over at her, and she saw concern flash in his eyes. “Why did you put that coat on? It’s still wet.”

“It’s fine.” She thrust his jacket at him, ignoring the feeling of loss. “We’re just going into the house, aren’t we?”

He took his jacket absently and slipped it on, still studying the area. He was silent for so long that Willa moved closer to him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

He looked over at her as if she’d startled him. “Wrong? No, it looks fine.”

“You’ve been staring at the cabin as if you expected it to turn on you.”

He gave her a smile and took her hand. “I was just running scenarios in my head. Let’s take a look at the back.”

It was only a casual gesture, she told herself as he led her around to the back of the cabin. There was no reason for her heart to race in her chest and for her lungs to feel like they were going to explode. Griff was merely trying to shepherd her along, and taking her hand was the quickest way to do it.

But her hand felt so right in his. She wanted to twine their fingers together, to press her palm against his and feel her heart stutter in response.

She’d better get a grip, she told herself harshly. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself, or embarrass him. So she forced herself to ignore the feel of his hand on hers, and concentrate on the cabin that would be their home for a while.

There was a small shed at the rear of the cabin, and Griff opened the door. Tools and ladders lined the walls, and there was a space large enough to hold their truck. Otherwise, the shed was empty. Griff shut the door, and they kept walking.

The trees that surrounded the cabin seemed to press in from the back. Griff dropped her hand as he moved into the thicket of woods, and she could almost read his mind. The trees were too close to the house. They could provide too much cover for someone intent on surprising them. Willa shoved her hands into her pockets and shivered. The feelings Griff aroused in her made it too easy to forget the real reason they were at this cabin.

“I don’t like this,” he said, and she saw the concern in his eyes. “These trees are far too close to the building. But there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll rig up an alarm system for these windows at the rear of the cabin. That will help.”

“I guess no one thought of this cabin as a hideout from kidnappers,” Willa said, trying to keep the snap out of her voice. She was grateful they had a refuge like this cabin.

Griff gave her a quick smile. “The trees can’t be helped. But we can fix the problem. Let’s go inside.”

Willa expected to find a very basic, rustic living space. She was surprised at the comfortable, homey atmosphere inside the cabin. Rugged, oversize furniture was grouped around a magnificent stone fireplace that soared up two stories to an exposed-beam ceiling. There were carpets on the hardwood floors, and pictures and Native American rugs on the walls. The kitchen was small but functional. A table and chairs stood between the kitchen and the living area.

There was one bedroom off the living area. A combination of fear and excitement stirred as she looked inside at the one huge bed it held.

“It’s all right,” Griff said behind her. “Ryan told me there’s another bed in the loft.” He nodded to the loft area above the bedroom. “You take the bedroom, and I’ll take the loft.”

Willa was amazed at the disappointment that snaked through her at Griff’s words. As soon as she realized she’d been hoping this would be the only bed in the cabin, she was horrified with herself. Backing out of the room, she said breathlessly, “I’ll get the bags from your truck.”

“Let me help you.”

Griff led the way back out to the truck. It took several trips, but they finally got all the bags of food and supplies into the cabin. Griff drove the truck around the back to put it in the shed, and Willa started to put away the food.

She’d better settle down, she told herself. She and Griff were going to be in this cabin, alone, for God knew how long. If she didn’t want to make a complete fool of herself, she’d better remember that Griff was just doing this as a favor to Ryan Fortune. He’d made that clear enough.

Griff came back into the cabin a few minutes later, and carefully locked the door behind him. Then he went over and examined the window in the main room. Willa watched as his fingers traced the frame lightly, brushing over the wood and lingering over the locks. Before she could stop herself, she was imagining Griff’s hands on her, exploring her as thoroughly as he explored the window.

Making a disgusted noise under her breath, she turned her back and jerked open another cabinet. But putting the food away couldn’t stop her from being aware of Griff in the cabin. She knew instantly when he moved away from the main room and walked into the bedroom.

She refused to allow herself to turn and look at him. Instead, she called out, “What’s the verdict on the security?” She hoped he could hear nothing in her voice aside from friendly concern.

“It’ll do.” His voice was muffled, as if he were still bent over the window. “I have a few things I want to do, but then it should be all right.”

“Did you want something to eat first?”

Griff emerged from the bedroom. “I’ll make us a couple of sandwiches in a while. But first I want to take a look at that head of yours.”

Willa put her hand on the bump over her left temple. “I’d almost forgotten about this.”

“I hadn’t.” His voice was controlled, and she saw a flash of anger turn his eyes dark. “I want to make sure you’re all right.”

“I’m fine, Griff.” She wasn’t sure she wanted Griff to come any closer to her, even if only to check the cut on her head. Her heart was already beating frantically in her ears, and it was hard to draw a breath. “Why don’t you take care of the windows, while I make us sandwiches?”

“That will keep. Your injuries won’t.” He moved toward her.

“I’m fine, Griff. Really.” When she realized she was backing away from him, she stopped and straightened. “I’ll put some alcohol on the cut and that will take care of it.”

“I want to make sure there’s nothing else wrong with you. We don’t know what they did to you inside your building to get you into that rug.”

He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Willa shrugged. “All right. You might as well get it over with. But you’re not going to find anything wrong.”

Except that her palms were sweating and her heart was thundering in her chest!

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