Taking Chances (3 page)

He knew when not to push, so he let the subject drop. He wouldn’t force her to reveal her secrets. Hell, he had a few of his own that he didn’t care to share.

“How about that storm?” He changed the subject with not-so-subtle dryness. “Looks like we’re in it for the long haul.”

****

“So, where’d you learn to play Pinochle?” Lucas shuffled a deck of cards. After a day of uncomfortable silence, he’d finally broken the tension by asking Nora for a game. He knew Doc Johnson liked his card games and had to have a deck lying around somewhere. They’d found one in the kitchen drawer.

Nora shrugged and tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

Like pulling teeth to get this woman to talk about herself. What secrets did she hide? Hell, he shouldn’t want to know.

“What brings you to
Dayton
?”

“Just deal the cards.”

He tapped the deck on the table. “I was on my way home when the storm hit, thanks for asking.”

She raised an eyebrow as he dealt them each twelve cards. “Where’s home?”

“A two-thousand acre ranch a few miles from here. I took it over from my dad a few years ago after I retired from the Navy.”

“You were in the military?”

Lucas set the deck in the center of the table with the top card face up. “Pilot.”

“Pilot turned rancher. Interesting career change.”

“Nah. I grew up on that ranch. The Navy let me spread my wings for a few years, but I never doubted I’d come home.”

She met his eyes. Something haunted and sad flashed in hers, hitting him hard in the chest.

“Where do you call home, Nora?”

A mask dropped over her face, hiding all emotion. “Your play.”

Complete shutdown. He recognized someone trained to detach. This woman nailed the skill. So, who or what had trained her? Government, or life? Damn if he didn’t want to know. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to break through her walls and find out what hid beneath.

He played his card. “I flew down to visit my brother and his wife over in Colson Hills.”

“Isn’t Colson Hills like a twenty minute drive?”

Lucas grinned. “Yeah, but I prefer to fly.”

“What do you do, circle the city a few times?”

He chuckled. “The lady has a sense of humor. Actually, I only circle once.”

She smiled and it hit him straight in the heart. When she let her guard down, she was stunning. He wanted her guard down with him. All the time.

Dangerous thoughts, since this woman obviously ran from someone or something. A mistake he refused to make again.

“You’re lucky to have siblings,” she said, rearranging her cards in her hand.

“Tell that to my parents. Raising three boys, all a year apart, who competed for everything and raised hell every second of every day… I bet they’d beg to differ.”

“I’m sure they don’t see it that way.”

His parents were the most patient, kindest, forgiving people on the planet. They had to be, raising him and his brothers.

“You were an only child?” he asked.

“Foster child.”

Wow
.
An answer.
She looked equally surprised.

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “Parents died in a car accident. No relatives to take me in. Can’t change the past.”

He wished he could. Her tone sent a protective urge sweeping through him. Something told him she would change it too, if possible. As much as he and his brothers had fought growing up, he’d do anything for them. Hell, when Josh retired from the Army and went off the rails, Lucas had dropped everything to drag his ass back from the edge. His brothers would do the same for him.

“You gonna play?”

Just like that, she closed up. But he knew more than enough about her now. She may be running or hiding, but she was alone. And damn if he didn’t want to take away her loneliness.

Freedom sat a hundred yards away.

Nora gritted her teeth and forced her leaden legs another step. The heat of the jungle pressed down on her. Every breath hurt, her lungs burned. Sweat trickled down her face, brushed her lashes, falling onto her blood-soaked shirt.

Just ahead, a boat that barely looked like it could stay afloat bobbed lightly in the muddy waters of the Mekong River. It would be empty because the Thai fisherman who’d left it there was long gone.

Another step. She could do this. Gripping
the man
slumped over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry, she pushed her pain down deep. Her bare feet shuffled over rough ground and through tall grass that grabbed onto her legs like a million fingers, forced her back, tried to prevent her progress by shredding the soles of her feet
,
b
loody footprints left in her wake.

Keith pre
ssed down on her, made each step slow and unbearable. Eyes trained on the boat, she focused on each step, not the agony. She had been trained to file away the pain, save it for later, when they were safe.

A bullet zinged over her head and she ducked instinctively. The added weight forced her to her knees.
The man
she carried made no sound as she hit the ground hard, with a sharp cry as pain shot up her legs. Her chest rose and fell heavily with each gasping breath she took. Dots danced in front of her eyes as she struggled to stay conscious. Heat and her exhaustion wore her down.

Gritting her teeth, adjusting her grip, she forced herself to her feet, body screaming from exertion, threatening to quit on her. Digging deep, she found the strength to lift both of them and take another agonizing step. She couldn’t think about
Keith
lying unconscious over her shoulders. How his weight bore down on her. How his blood slid down her body and mingled with her own.

The jungle behind her exploded with sound. Bullets rained over her head, hitting the ground near her feet, driving her forward. She cried out with each step closer to the river. If they’d wanted her dead, she would be dead already. No, they wanted her alive and that was much, much worse.

Keith’s weight grew heavier. She pushed desperately forward. She had to hurry. She could do this. They’d made it out of Cambodia, they’d make it home.

Men shouted behind her. Their voices echoed through the dense jungle, their bullets warned her to stop. Nora heard the warning, her knees buckling, but not falling completely. The pain was excruciating. She wouldn’t stop now. Keith wouldn’t stop, and neither would she.

With strength she didn’t know she had, she surged forward, almost lost her balance, and stumbled through the sharp, knee-high grass and underbrush toward the boat. It bobbed carelessly on the water, beckoning her, promising escape. All she had to do was get to it.

Using every resource she had, she placed one foot in front of the other, the acrid heat of the jungle pressing her down. Her lungs begged for a full breath of clean air; her body screamed in protest of the torture it experienced. Bullets drove her forward, adrenaline made her strong.

Grunting, she pushed her pace. The men giving chase were close. She could feel them closing in on her, moving in fast. They were hot on her trail, as desperate to stop her as she was to keep going.

In her ear Keith whispered, “Put me down, Nor. Save yourself.”

“No.” She cried out in frustration as her legs buckled again, the muscles simply too exhausted to go on. This was the first time he had spoken since they’d escaped. She’d refused to believe he was dead. Hearing his voice gave her strength to push harder, faster, forcing her legs to function against their will.

“I’m…hit…can’t save…both of…us.”

“Watch me,” Nora said through clenched teeth as her feet sank into soft ground. They were close to the river now. Only a few more feet to go. Shaking her head against the ringing in her ears, she trudged on.

“Dammit, Nor…always stubborn…never know when to quit…”

“And don’t forget it, Williams. Now, shut up and let me concentrate.”

Breathing hard, Nora adjusted her grip and broke into a half run, half shuffle. Keith’s weight made it impossible to lift her feet, but she managed to stumble along like a prisoner in chains, the strain sapping the last of her strength. Blood pounded in her head, her vision tunneled, but she didn’t lose sight of the small boat that was their freedom.

The jungle exploded behind her. Men shot at her feet, shouted at her in Thai, but she
had one mission: to get to that boat.

“Not going…to…make it. Let me go, kitten.”

Tears filled her eyes at the intimate nickname he only used when they were alone. She shook her head, unwilling to let him go.

“Shut up, Williams,” she whispered, her feet sinking into wet ground. “We’re getting on that boat.”

The ground suddenly gave way beneath her feet and she slid down the muddy slope, landing hard on her backside. Keith hit the muddy shore with a thud as she fell back, but she didn’t lose him. A bullet singed her arm, lightning hot, propelled her into motion. With a grunt of pure adrenaline and determination she rose to her feet, dirty water swirling past her knees, and reached for the boat.

Gritting her teeth, she crouched and dumped Keith over the side of the boat without finesse. It bobbed as he fell heavily into the bowed bottom. She managed to keep hold of it and drag her tired body over the side to fall in beside him, breathing hard. But the reprieve was short lived as a bullet zinged inches from her head and popped into the water.

She lunged for the tiny motor on the back of the fishing boat and pulled the cord. It sputtered and died. Cursing, she tried again, didn’t risk a look at the jungle to see how close the rebels were. She didn’t have to look, she knew.

Another yank on the cord. Nothing.

Three more tries.

Nora cried out in frustration and fear.

The boat rocked.

She woke up screaming.

****

Startled awake by Nora’s screams, Lucas reached in the bedside drawer for his gun. Not his bedroom. Unarmed, he rolled out of bed, winced, and followed the sound into the living room.

By the flickering firelight, he could see her flailing around on the sofa. Seeing no one else in the room, he moved to her side and knelt down.

“Nora.” He grabbed her wrists and forced her arms down. “Wake up.”

“Keith?” Her eyes opened and met his, wide, haunted, hopeful.

“No, it’s Lucas.”

She shook her head as if to clear it, then looked around the room. “Oh, God.” She sank against the cushions.

Lucas reached out and brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb. As much as he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice, he asked, “Who’s Keith?”

Visibly, she withdrew. “No one.”

She hid her thoughts well. But, a woman alone renting Doc Johnson’s old cabin in a small, remote town like
Dayton
could only point to one thing. And since he knew she wasn’t a lost tourist, that meant he’d been right about her hiding from something or someone. That someone appeared to be named Keith. Abusive husband? Jealous lover?

Warning fire spread through his gut. Only a fool would get involved in a mess like that again. Yet, when he looked in her eyes, saw tears clinging to her long dark lashes, and vulnerability lurking just below the violet depths, the warning went unheeded.

She shifted, bringing them closer. The blanket slipped down to her waist, revealing a blue tee shirt that shouldn’t have been sexy, but fit her curves like a second skin and molded her perfect breasts. Their breath mingled. The air charged around them. Their gazes met and locked.

Then Lucas sealed his fate and dropped his gaze to her parted lips.

“I don’t want to be alone tonight,” she whispered.

Lucas cupped the nape of her neck and crushed his lips to hers. She tasted like sin. A warning went off in the back of his mind. He deepened the kiss with a groan when she bit down on his lower lip.

She pulled away. “Bedroom.”

Like a man thirsting for water, he followed her to the bedroom. “Beat it, Ranger.” Ranger trotted out and Lucas closed the door.

Nora met him halfway, grabbed his shirt and kissed him. With a low growl, he took command of the kiss, tasting the sweetness of her mouth. He slid his hands beneath her tee shirt, needing to touch her skin. A soft groan escaped her lips when he cupped her breast, flicking a thumb over a pebbled nipple.

She tugged at the bottom of his shirt. Releasing her mouth, he pulled the shirt off and tossed it on the chair. She did the same with hers. Then reached for her pajama bottoms and shimmied out of them, revealing long, shapely legs. The small scrap of black lace came last, sliding down her legs, to be kicked aside.

Lucas let his gaze roam over her slender, toned body slowly, while h
e
grew hard with desire. Her lips parted on a sigh when his gaze lingered on her breasts, perfectly sized for his hands.

No modesty with Nora. Only uninhibited, undeniable, sexual attraction. He liked a bold woman, but had never met one like her.