Amazingly, she didn’t detect sarcasm in his tone. The Luke who’d rushed to her rescue today reminded her of the charming man she’d initially fallen for, not the angry man who’d tracked her to Bel Air. “The last thing I want is an entourage. Yes-men. People who cater to your every whim while taking advantage of your prestige and fortune. Olivia’s cup of tea, not mine.”
“Then what about a bodyguard?”
“Why?”
“To protect you. Watch over you. You’re worth a lot of money. What if someone tried to kidnap you for ransom?”
“I don’t think that’s an issue.”
“What about the paparazzi? We’ve all seen how they hound celebrities. Look at what happened to Princess Di.”
“I’m not royalty. And I’ve made it a lifetime mission to avoid the paparazzi.” In spite of her anxiety, she managed a small smile. “I’m actually pretty good at it.”
Eyes locked on the road, Luke grunted.
“Are you worried about me?”
He caught her gaze and her heart fluttered. “Yeah,” he said. “I am.”
“Because of the baby.”
“That’s part of it.” He focused back on the road. “Hell, Rae. Seeing you down for the count, knowing you suffered through the night alone. Considering some of the more seedy ramifications of your new social status … I’d be worried about any woman in your position. You’re vulnerable.”
It wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She didn’t want pity. Nor did she want to be smothered by unwanted attention. “Sam said I’m a warrior.”
“Sam’s trying to get in your pants.” Luke held up a hand before she could protest. “Sorry. I won’t go there.”
“You already did.” Rae shifted her focus to the passing scenery. The snow-covered mountains, the occasional farm. She tried to lose herself in the beauty and serenity of the rural landscape, but there was no comfort to be had. Not with Luke tangling up her nerves and senses. How could he be so kind one second and a jerk the next? Although when she thought about it, almost every man in her life had treated her with a duality that made her head spin and her heart ache. She always ended up disappointed or hurt. Part of the reason she didn’t trust easily. Since their confrontation in Bel Air, she definitely didn’t trust Luke.
Yet he’d been her first cry for help.
Not Sam. Who’d only treated her with respect and kindness.
Luke.
“You okay, hon?”
“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”
“What?”
She kept her gaze on the cold mountains, hoping to somehow freeze her heart. “Hon. You call every woman hon.”
“I do?”
“All the time.”
He fell silent for a moment then asked, “You think that’s chauvinistic?”
“I think it’s…” She closed her eyes, trying to wrangle a sensible argument. Right now she couldn’t come up with anything better than it made her feel ordinary. As if there was nothing special to set her apart from any other woman he’d ever flirted up or slept with. Which was sort of needy and pathetic on her part. “Never mind.”
They fell into a tense silence.
Luke turned on the radio, though he kept the volume low.
Alison Krauss.
Rae had always liked Luke’s taste in music. At the Shack he pumped in classic rock and country pop. She tried to focus on the soothing ballad, but her mind was fixed on her baby. Was she all right?
“How you feeling, Rae?”
Rae, not hon. A lump lodged in her throat. “Lousy.”
“Need me to pull over?”
“No. It’s not that.”
“Stop thinking the worst.”
“I’m not…” She shook off the lie. “I can’t help it.”
“Think about something else. Tell me what’s up between you and your mom. Why are you on bad terms? What’s up with her husband?”
“I don’t have the energy.”
“All right then I’ll talk. Back in Bel Air, you asked about my family. How about I bring you up to speed?”
Weary, queasy, she sighed and relaxed against the leather seat. “Okay.”
“You know about Gram and Chloe’s café, Moose-a-lotta. It caught on like wildfire. Aside from themselves, they now have a staff of five. Chloe and Dev have been living together now for almost five months. She still hasn’t agreed to a wedding date, which drives my brother crazy, but she’s got some sort of superstition thing going on with her pregnancy and his past.”
Rae swallowed. “Chloe must be about six months along now.”
“Mmm.”
“And Monica’s expecting now, too. Sam told me. I’m so thrilled for her.”
“Everyone’s thrilled. Happened when Leo took her to Paris as a way of resparking their marriage.”
“And in the process they made a baby. Twins. How romantic.”
“You know Leo. Not a hearts-and-poetry guy, but yeah. What you said. Speaking of happy endings,” Luke said, skating over baby talk. “Rocky and Jayce are getting married—day after Valentine’s Day—and Gram and Vince are living together in Vince’s house. Daisy’s still copping to the ‘just friends’ living together for companionship thing. No one believes it, but no one pushes. Especially family.” He frowned. “Who wants to think about their grandma getting it on? Not me.”
Rae smiled a little. “Understandable.” She thought about Daisy Monroe, a feisty eccentric, and Vincent, the mild-mannered operator of Oslow’s General Store. They couldn’t be more opposite, yet somehow they clicked.
“Did you know my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer?”
Rae blinked. “What? No.”
“Thought Rocky might have mentioned. Or Sam.”
“No. No one…” She tried to sit straighter and failed. She did, however, home in on Luke’s expression and tone. “How is he?”
“Recovering. Thank God. The proud bastard kept it to himself. Given he’s a workaholic, we all thought it was fishy when he retired early to move down to Florida with Mom. Turns out there’s a specialist down there. Dad underwent radical treatment and, though it wasn’t easy, he’s beating it. Dev found out first and finally let Rocky and I in on the news not long after you left.”
He flexed his hands on the wheel. “They came up for Christmas. Dad looked thin and worn but he never complained and declared the topic off-limits. Mom seemed in good spirits, but a little twitchy. It was hard seeing them like that. Thinking how they’d weathered the worst part alone. Pisses me off just thinking about it.”
“I’m sure your dad had his children’s best interest at heart. Withholding as a way of shielding.”
“I’m a big boy, Rae. I may have a carefree approach to life but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of handling hard truths and challenging situations.”
Rae’s pulse kicked. Was he still talking about his dad?
“I just want you to know, I’m here for you.” He glanced over. “And the baby.”
It wasn’t a formal commitment. Certainly not a declaration of love. More like an offer of friendship. She didn’t know what to make of it. Or Luke. Every time she got a whiff of his devotion to family, her insides went all squishy. “You don’t know how lucky you are, Luke. Being part of a big nurturing family.”
“Not all sunshine and roses, trust me.”
She’d take it, thorns and all. Squeezing back tears, Rae palmed her stomach. “This baby is my family.”
He reached over and placed his hand on hers. “Mine, too.”
FOURTEEN
The Rothwell Farm.
It had taken less than three minutes to drive from the intersection of Swamp and Fox to the property now owned by Harper Day. Tucked away in a portion of the woods and butted up against a now-barren cornfield covered with snow, the two-story farmhouse looked nothing like the last time Sam had seen it—which had been almost a year ago.