The Marshalls Boxed Set (Texas Heroes: The Marshalls Books 1-3)

by Jean Brashear

  “Never mind. It’s obvious that you’re on the run.” He sighed. “You’ll tell me when you feel ready.” He glanced over. “You will, right?”

  She couldn’t meet his gaze. She didn’t like lying to him. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  “I’m only sorry you don’t feel that you can trust me.”

  She couldn’t begin to have that discussion yet. “What I meant is I’m sorry for not recognizing who you are.” Elena kept her eyes on the road, embarrassed to look at him.

  He chuckled. “No big deal. It was kinda nice, actually.”

  “I haven’t seen any movies in a long time.”

  “Hey…” he soothed. “It’s seriously not important.”

  “Thanks.” But she focused on the windshield. The night that surrounded them.

  “So…” He reached for the key. “Since you’re not ready to confide in me about where you’re headed, any problem if I resume my journey?”

  She wrapped her fingers around the door handle. “Could I…would it be okay if I came along just until the next town?”

  “You seriously think I’d just say get out, I’m done with you? Leave you here?” His tone went sharp. “I already told you I wasn’t leaving you alone. You think I’d, what, forget you and go on my merry way?” He exhaled. Raked his fingers through his hair. “Sorry. I’m tired. I’d rather not sleep here on the side of the road, so in my book that means either turn back or go forward. I can take you back where you came from, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what you want, right?”

  She swallowed hard. “Right.”

  “So let’s just drive and see what’s up ahead. Or we could plot a course on the GPS, but my life is scheduled enough. I’d rather be surprised.”

  When she didn’t answer—mostly because she didn’t know how to express what she was feeling—he started the car. “Speak up if you change your mind.”

  And away they drove.

  As the miles began to slip by, the atmosphere inside the car hummed in a way she’d never experienced. It felt…comforting. Safe.

  But it also made her stomach flip every time she remembered she was in the car with Josh Marshall. Superstar Josh Marshall. Who was so decent that he’d somehow saddled himself with a woman who, despite the fancy clothes Richard had insisted on her wearing, was only a dressed-up poor girl, the polar opposite of the glamour girls Josh Marshall was always being photographed with.

  “Are they?” she asked.

  He seemed startled. “Are who what?”

  “Women. The patrolman asked if they’re all over you.”

  He shook his head wearily. “Pretty much.”

  “You don’t like it?”

  “I used to.”

  It was strangely intimate, talking like this. Dark, open space surrounded them, yet they shared the dim privacy of the car’s interior.

  “But you don’t anymore?”

  He studied her for a moment, then returned his attention to the road. “Sometimes it feels like I’ve lost myself somewhere along the way.”

  Elena turned back to the dark road ahead. “I know how that feels,” she whispered.

  The highway stretched out before them, the gentle swipe of the wipers the only sound but their breathing.

  Josh drove on, and she lost herself in the rhythm, feeling her body relax by inches.

  “Had you been hitchhiking for long?”

  Startled, she came back to herself, to the reality that she had no idea where to go or what to do. That she couldn’t afford to succumb to the temptation of dry, warm clothes and the comfort of not being alone.

  Or the solid presence of a man who was certainly drop-dead handsome but surprisingly down to earth. He didn’t seem to have any need for compliments or ego massage. He’d been sensitive to her needs and not pushed her for information.

  He still hadn’t asked her name, she realized.

  “Hello?”

  She jerked around and caught him grinning at her. His brilliant smile broke up the ice ball of tension lodged in the pit of her stomach, spreading a welcome warmth through her.

  She found her own lips curving in return.

  “You’ve got a beautiful smile,” he said.

  Her first impulse was to shrug the compliment away. She hadn’t received praise in a long time, not from Richard and, before him, the father who’d been stuck with her after her mother abandoned them both.

  Sorrow speared into her heart, choking her as shame battled with caution. Grief fought with old fears.

  “What’s wrong? What did I say?”

  “Nothing. I’m sorry. I—” She heard him turn on the blinker and glanced around, seeing only a convenience store nearby. “Why are we stopping?”

  He put a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched. Waited for the darkness and anger to swamp her.

  But it didn’t. As before, she felt no rush of emotions from him. Saw only kindness and concern.

  “Hey…” he said softly. “Let me be your friend, okay? I’ve got two long arms here, no strings attached.” As she shivered with nerves, he continued. “Only a hug, all right? Because you look like you could use one.”

  She sat where she was, though she yearned for the comfort. Touching had always been a mixed blessing because she was too receptive to the other person’s emotions. When the person touching her was Richard, the hate battered her.

  And recently haunted even her dreams.

  So she avoided touch whenever possible.

  “Okay, here’s the plan. You hug me, and I’ll do my best not to touch you.” Beneath his teasing tone, she heard understanding.

  She did want that hug, almost more than she wanted to breathe.

  She waited and feared her hesitation was taking too long and he would lose patience.

  But he didn’t.

  And finally she allowed herself to lean closer, just the merest inch.

  Chapter Two

  Josh watched her inner debate, every line of her body telegraphing fear and misery, and he wondered why her trust mattered so much.

  But then she moved nearer, if only slightly. At her softening, he spread his arms and let her decide whether to close the distance.

  Gingerly she leaned against him like a stray cat too long unfed, though she didn’t go so far as to open her own arms around him.

  Eventually she laid her head against his shoulder, and because he remained still, Josh felt her relax by inches. If he’d ever seen anyone more in need and less able to ask for it, he couldn’t recall when. He continued to keep his arms away from her but gently laid his cheek on top of her head.

  Until he felt her shaking sobs begin.

  He closed his eyes at her suffering. Someone needed to pay for this, but he checked his rage for fear she would sense it and retreat again. Once he was calm, slowly he brought one hand up to touch her cheek and stroke gently.

  And when she accepted his touch, he couldn’t recall anything that had felt more rewarding in a long time. “It’s okay…” he soothed. “Go ahead and cry. You’ve been brave long enough.” When she snuggled into him more closely, he wrapped the other arm around her gently, resisting the urge to hold her tight and hard.

  Tentatively, one slender arm stole around his waist.

  Josh couldn’t stand it. He slid out from under the steering wheel and drew her onto his lap.

  She went instantly rigid, and the pain and the sorrow he saw in her face arrowed straight to his heart.

  He let go immediately. “I won’t hurt you, I swear to God I won’t,” he promised, spreading his arms again so that she knew she was free to choose.

  For one endless moment, their gazes met. Josh gave up on words and let his heart speak through his eyes. He had no idea why it mattered that he convince her.

  But it did.

  A small sob, then she collapsed against his chest. Her voice was filled with tears when she finally spoke. “My name is Elena.” Soft as a whisper. “And I don’t know where I’m going.”

  Something i
nside him uncoiled, and he smiled.

  The beginnings of trust. “Elena.” He tried out the sound of it on his tongue. He wrapped her up securely and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “You’re not alone anymore, Elena. We’ll figure something out.” He began to rock her slowly, relishing the feel of her in his arms.

  Your soulmate needs you. Suddenly, the old fortune-teller’s words swirled through his mind. Josh felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

  He stiffened. No way. No freaking way. A party trick, that’s all that had been. He was only helping out someone in need, as he’d been raised to do.

  Elena tensed. “Josh?”

  What are you doing? You can’t get involved with her. You only know her first name. God knows what she’s running from.

  Stricken eyes met his.

  He would do what he could for her, but it was unrealistic to think he could solve all her problems.

  Or that he didn’t lead a life that was hard enough on someone who was whole. This woman was vulnerable and terrified, and he had to be wary of making promises he couldn’t keep.

  When he remained silent, she scooted away from him. Grabbed for the door handle and yanked it open, poised to run.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  How had she let down her guard so completely with a man who was all but a stranger?

  A famous, handsome, wealthy stranger who, just as Richard had, held all the power. Could do anything to her he wanted.

  She couldn’t feel his emotions as she did others. She could only read his body language, his expressions. But instead of assaulting her with what he felt when they touched, he—

  Calmed her. Soothed her, almost like he was a buffer that deadened the emotional battering she was accustomed to, even from people she trusted.

  She didn’t understand how that could be. Or why Josh had made her feel so safe. In those moments when she was wrapped in his arms, snug in his sweats, she was suffused with a sense of security she hadn’t known since Richard had taken over her life.

  She’d forgotten how it was not to walk on eggshells.

  But then Josh had tensed and withdrawn.

  And she remembered all too well what would come next…

  Fear had been a constant for too many years for her to trust any sense of safety. With Richard, she never knew whether the blows would be verbal or fists, only that any respite was temporary, easily shattered by one wrong move she could never predict.

  And all she knew was to try to stay out of the way.

  Be careful. Careful, careful, careful.

  “Elena?”

  She shoved open the door and lurched outside, searching for avenues of escape. Her hands twisted over and over one another as her anxiety level rocketed.

  How could she have been so stupid as to let down her guard?

  With quick steps, she began to walk away.

  “Hey!”

  Oh, God. She started running.

  “Elena,” he shouted. “What the hell happened?”

  She didn’t turn around as she raced for the rear of the building, looking for someplace to hide. Suddenly, she remembered that her purse was still in the car.

  Oh, no. What little she’d escaped with, she needed—what would she do without it? How could she get it back?

  Josh grabbed her arm.

  She spun around. Oh, God, she hadn’t even heard him. She batted at his hands, drowning in fear.

  “Elena, stop.” He grabbed for her other arm. “Elena, listen to me. It’s only me, Josh.”

  But she didn’t relent. Couldn’t.

  She would not be a punching bag again.

  Once she had fought Richard. He’d threatened her father if she ever fought him again, so she’d quit.

  But not fighting him had never protected her, only changed the punishment.

  So now she would fight.

  Chapter Three

  “Elena, stop. Listen to me—” Josh tried to get through to her, but she continued to struggle, her eyes wild, her body vibrating like a plucked string.

  So he let go and stepped away, lifting his hands in the air, realizing that she was lost in a world he couldn’t enter. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He kept his voice low and calm, repeating the reassurances over and over. “Please, Elena, listen to me.”

  Finally her head rose, but she was still someone different, eyes darting from side to side, her entire body tense and trembling.

  Something was very wrong, something beyond those cretins on the roadside.

  You’re big, she’d said.

  Acting on instinct, Josh dropped to his knees to make himself seem less threatening.

  At long last, he thought he saw a flicker in her eyes, a slowing of her shaking. Taking heart, he opened his arms wide in a gesture of vulnerability as he searched for the right words.

  “It’s going to be all right, I swear to you. No one’s going to hurt you.” He was pretty sure she was listening now, though she still quivered. “I protected you from those men, and I’m going to keep protecting you. Do you believe me?”

  Her gaze focused on him at last, rather than whatever horrors had gripped her. Her doubts were still uppermost, but he thought he saw a flicker of hope there, too. A shudder shook her body.

  He decided to concentrate on that hope. “Tell me what you need from me. I’ll do whatever will ease your mind.”

  Finally she returned to herself, but as awareness returned, her spirit seemed to crumple. A second later, her body followed.

  He barely caught her in time. Gathered her to him, his grip light but secure.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, burying her face in her hands.

  He stroked her back as one would a child. “You’re worn out, honey. Don’t try to decide anything right now. Let’s get back in the car, and you sleep for awhile. If I pass where you want to go, I’ll bring you back. Deal?”

  Her hair hung down around her face as her body sagged in dejection. The faint murmur barely made it past all the obstacles.

  But he did hear her. “Deal.”

  Josh breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t know what had set her off in the car, but the crisis seemed to be past.

  At least for the moment. What in the devil had he gotten himself into? Resolving to get to the bottom of her misery as soon as she’d let him, Josh started to pick her up but stopped himself just in time.

  “Elena, don’t be afraid. I want to carry you back to the car. Is that okay?”

  She seemed half asleep already, but he heard her mumble.

  He leaned closer. “What?”

  “I’m too heavy.”

  Josh laughed. “Sweetheart, you’d blow away in a stiff wind.” Privately wondering how she got so painfully thin, he made one more promise to himself. Before he let her go, he was going to make sure she had at least one good meal.

  But he wasn’t willing to contemplate her departure yet. Instead he scooped her up in his arms and walked toward the car. When her head nestled into his shoulder, he bent to place a chaste kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll keep you safe, Elena,” he vowed. “That’s a promise.”

  There was no answer. She was already asleep.

  Elena woke up slowly, the sun warm on her face. She sat up and winced. Her neck was sore from sleeping on it crooked. Her mouth was lined with cotton, and her stomach grumbled in protest. She hadn’t eaten since—when?

  “Morning, sunshine.”

  Josh. The night flooded back, how she’d run from him. How could she face him after losing control like that?

  “I’m about ready for some breakfast. How about you?” All friendly cheer.

  While she felt like a refugee and looked even worse.

  Of course, she was a refugee, one who still had no idea where to go, what to do next.

  “Hey…it’s okay.” He reached out as though to touch her but quickly retracted it.

  And she remembered how kind and tender he’d been. How safe she’d felt in his arms
.

  What had she done? Slowly she turned toward him.

  And wished she hadn’t.

  What the darkness had hidden, the daylight revealed. She’d thought him handsome last night, but even after a long, crazy night, Josh Marshall was breathtaking.

  “Oh, my God,” she moaned.

  “What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

  She waved him off and shifted to stare out her window, frantically using her fingers to smooth out some of the tangles in her hair, but it was hopeless. Dirty, tired, baggy clothes…she closed her eyes and groaned.

  “Are you sick?” He studied her.

  “No. Don’t look at me.”

  “What? Why not?” He paused. “Is this a my-hair’s-a-mess thing?” He grinned. “It is, isn’t it? Well, that’s ridiculous. I happen to like what I’m looking at.”

  She snorted.

  “I’m serious. How can you not know you’re beautiful?”

  She looked over. Frowned. “Because I’m not?”

  “Don’t do that to yourself,” he snapped, and she recoiled. “Sorry. Who the hell has been talking to you?”

  She glanced away.

  “Look, I only meant—okay. Subject dropped. For now,” he added.

  It didn’t help. She wished she could simply…disappear.

  “Cut yourself some slack, okay? We’ve had quite a night. Look at me—I’m rode hard and put up wet, too.”

  She sighed. “You couldn’t be bad-looking if your life depended on it.”

  “My makeup artist wouldn’t agree. Right now she’d be screaming and dropping sponges and brushes everywhere.” He grinned. “She’d assume the fetal position in thirty seconds, I swear it.”

  She fought a return grin. In that moment, the absurdity of her situation struck her. If she tried for a hundred years, she couldn’t match the women he spent time with daily, so why not let that go, just forget trying? He was funny and kind and brave, and no one had made her want to laugh in so long.

  “Fetal position, huh?” She smiled back. “What’s her name?”

  “Cheryl.”

  “Is she in love with you like every other woman who ever laid eyes on you?”

  “Sadly, no.” He made his mouth turn down to a comic degree. “I’ve tried and tried to get her to run away with me, but she would only agree if I brought her husband and three kids along. Which really wouldn’t bother me that much, I mean, the more the merrier, but Arnie refuses to give up on conquering his crabgrass and her oldest daughter is adamant about not leaving her friend Shayla and…”