by Katie Ruggle
Grace reached for one of the puppies in Otto’s hand, and he relinquished it. When Hugh held out his hands, though, Otto pivoted away, blocking him with his body. “Get your own puppy.”
Hugh turned to Sarah, but she held her hands up, showing that they were empty, before moving to the counter to mix the milk replacer. Theo and Jules, both cuddling a puppy, smirked at Hugh, who huffed. “Don’t you have to go back to work?”
Theo glanced at his watch and frowned. Giving Jules a kiss on the cheek, he handed his puppy off to Hugh. “How can you even feed it with a cast on?”
“Even with only one-and-a-quarter arms, I’m very…agile.” He gave Grace a wink, making her giggle.
Turning back to Jules, he said, “I’ll be back after five. Think about what I said.”
She made a face at him, but then smiled. “Be safe.”
Once he left the kitchen, Otto looked at Hugh, Grace, and Jules. All were focusing much too hard on their respective puppies. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Jules replied too quickly. “Just Theo and Hugh are being overprotective freaks again.”
At Hugh’s unhappy-sounding grunt, Sarah turned from where she was filling bottles. As she took in their various expressions, her face fell. “This is about me staying here, isn’t it?”
During the beat of silence before Grace spoke, Sarah looked even more miserable. “Don’t worry about that,” Grace said. “Having your brother and fake fiancé come after you is nothing. I mean, Hugh’s stalker blew up the diner—and shot at us.”
“So did mine,” Jules added quickly. “We’re all running from something.”
“No.” Sarah screwed the tops on the bottles, her gaze fixed on her task. Otto wanted to hug her again. “They’re right. What if Jules and the kids hadn’t been outside? What if they hadn’t gotten away? I need to leave.”
“He’s in jail,” Otto said, hating how sad she looked. “He can’t get to you anymore. Every cop in the country is watching for Jovanovic. If he shows his face, he’ll be arrested. You’re safe now.”
She offered him a towel, a bottle, and a bittersweet smile. “Thanks, Otto, but what if he gets out on bail or something? I don’t trust Aaron. He doesn’t care what or who he has to destroy to get what he wants. I shouldn’t drag any of you—and especially not the kids—into this mess with me.” She studied Otto’s face, her expression serious. “Does your offer still stand?”
“What offer?” Grace and Hugh chorused.
“Yes.” Otto’s heart rate quickened.
“Then I’d love to stay with you and your bunker and your tunnels.” She gave him a smile that didn’t quite work. “At least I can help with the puppies when you’re on duty.”
Despite the grave situation, excitement buzzed through Otto’s veins. She’d be staying with him, living in his house, sleeping just a room away. It was almost too good to be true.
* * *
What am I doing?
It was the hundredth time Sarah had asked herself that question. She eyed Otto’s broad back as he led her on a tour of his house. It was beautiful, an old farmhouse in much, much better condition than Jules’s place, and animals seemed to be everywhere. A one-eared gray tabby blinked at them from his spot on the top of the couch, and a fawn-and-black Belgian Malinois with a graying muzzle thumped his tail against the hardwood floor without getting up from his spot next to a heating vent. Outside, a lanky bay gelding shared a paddock with a goat, and a rainbow variety of chickens scratched in the expansive run attached to the coop.
They’d driven for miles of twisting mountain roads before arriving. Otto’s property was set in a valley surrounded by bluffs. It looked as though a giant had pressed his thumb into the mountain. Rock rose on all sides of the property, creating a huge hollow for Otto’s house to nestle in.
The moment Sarah had gotten out of Otto’s squad car, his property felt like home. She’d taken the first deep breath she’d had in weeks as she’d looked around, feeling the tension seeping out of her as the peace of the place settled deep inside. Otto’s home fit him. She felt an echo of the same security and reassurance that the man himself emanated.
It was beautiful and safe and already felt like home, but what was she doing there? Otto had barely spoken to her, and she’d seized on his offer like a desperate person…which she was. When the reality of her situation had struck her, along with the knowledge that Jules or Grace or Sam or Ty or Tio or Dee could be hurt the next time that someone from her past came for her, Sarah knew she couldn’t allow that to happen. Aaron was in jail. That was the only reason she wasn’t already on the road out of town. Logan barely knew her. Without Aaron to prod him, he would most likely leave her alone. Logically, she knew that no one else would be chasing after her, but it was still terrifying to stay. What if she was wrong?
Otto was looking at her expectantly, like he was waiting for an answer, and Sarah felt heat creep up her neck to her cheeks. “Sorry,” she said. “I was distracted. What did you ask?”
“Would you like to sleep upstairs or in the bunker?”
“Upstairs,” she answered immediately, without having to consider it. A bunker sounded too close to being locked in for her own safety. She’d move out of Jules’s house to keep them safe, but she wouldn’t lock herself away, not even to hide from her past. After all, her main reason for leaving had been to gain her freedom. If she remained in Otto’s basement bunker like some kind of human/mole hybrid, she might as well have stayed locked up in her childhood home.
“I’ll show you how to get to the bunker,” he said, crossing the living room to what looked like a closet. “Just in case.”
Curious, she followed him into the closet and watched as he pushed aside hanging coats and opened a hidden door at the back. Sarah peeked around him as he flicked a light switch.
“Wow,” she said, peering down the flight of stairs. “This is great.”
He gave her a small, pleased smile as he led the way down into the bunker. It was bigger than she’d expected, with what looked like years’ worth of food and water stacked on shelves that circled the room. There were several bunks along one side, and she was glad she’d chosen to sleep upstairs—the beds didn’t look that comfortable. The bunker was brighter and bigger and less prison-like than she’d expected, though.
She peered down a corridor on the opposite side as the stairs. “Where does this go?”
“If you go left, it’ll take you into the barn,” he said. “Stay straight, and it connects with the old mining tunnels. I like having a lot of possible exits.”
“I get it.” After the terrifying game of hide-and-seek she’d just played with Aaron, she understood all too well.
“There are packs here,” he said, nodding toward several camping backpacks hanging on the wall. “If you need to leave the house, even if you’re not planning on going far, always bring basic supplies. Water, food, matches, a folding knife, extra layers.” He pointed at each item as he named it.
“Water, food, knife, layers,” she repeated.
“Matches.”
“And matches. Got it.” It was sweet, how he was so intent on keeping her safe. She didn’t plan to wander into the wilderness without him, but it was still good information to have.
He frowned at her. “Are you warm enough?”
“Right now?” When he just continued to eye her, as if using X-ray vision to determine how many layers she was wearing, she answered, “I’m fine. Thank you.”
“There’s long underwear here if you need it.”
Long underwear, she’d found out recently, was not sexy. At all. For some reason, though, his offer made her blush. “Thank you.”
“There are coats, gloves, hats—if you need anything, just take it.”
“I will. Thank you.”
He held out a stocking hat, and she accepted it automatically. The knit was wa
rm where his hand had been. “It’s important to keep your head warm.”
She smiled at him, holding the hat. His gaze dropped to her mouth and then he looked at the floor as he cleared his throat. “Want to see your bedroom?”
“Sure.” As they left the bunker, she gave a last, quick glance at the mysterious tunnels. She’d love to explore them, but that could wait. After all, she’d be living here now. An excited shiver coursed through her, and Otto frowned at her again.
“You’re cold,” he said. “You should put on your hat.”
Rather than explain her true reason for shivering, she pulled on the hat and followed Otto up to the main level. As they crossed the living room and started up the second set of stairs, she couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles moved under the material of his uniform pants.
Pervert, she scolded herself, pulling her gaze away. For as big of a guy as he was, she was amazed that he didn’t seem to have any fat on him. It was all muscle. She remembered how his corded wrists had felt under her grip while he pulled her through the basement window, and she shivered again. He was sweet and strong, and she needed to stop this crush immediately.
Even as she cut off her Otto-related thoughts abruptly, though, she wondered why she had to. Maybe it wasn’t a one-sided silly crush. He’d told her that she was pretty—well, that her mouth was pretty—and he’d put his arm around her, and he’d invited her to live with him. Plus, at Jules’s, she’d been almost positive that he was about to kiss her before they’d been interrupted. As isolated as she’d been in Texas, Sarah was still pretty certain that a guy wouldn’t do all those things if he didn’t like her—or if he wasn’t at least attracted to her a little.
“Is this okay?” Otto asked, and Sarah had to yank herself out of her obsessive thoughts yet again.
She looked around the bedroom. “Oh yes. It’s beautiful.”
“Bathroom’s across the hall.” Clearing his throat, he glanced away. “We’ll have to share. Hope that’s okay.”
At the word share, the image of sharing the shower with him popped into Sarah’s head, making her blush. Other less lustful ideas followed—of brushing their teeth together and dodging around each other as they hurried to get ready in the morning. Those thoughts, where they were happy and settled and together, were even more seductive than the first ones. She’d never had anything like that. She’d never really thought she’d get to. “That’s fine,” she hurried to say when she realized he was waiting for a response.
“Are you tired?” he asked after a short silence.
“No.” Sarah wondered if she should’ve said she was, just to be polite. They’d been together since he’d saved her from her brother. He might need a break from her.
“Want me to show you around outside?”
“Yes,” she answered, too quickly. Even if he needed some time away from her, she wasn’t ready to let him go.
He looked pleased, though, rather than annoyed or harassed, as he led the way back down the stairs and through the kitchen. The old dog pushed to his feet with a low groan as they passed and followed them to the door.
“Is it okay if he goes with us?” she asked, petting the dog’s head.
“Sure.” Otto held the door for both of them to pass through. “That’s Mort. He was my partner, but he’s retired now.”
Sarah watched the dog trot down the steps. “You haven’t replaced him yet?”
“Not yet.” He put his hand at the small of her back, steady but barely touching, as they walked toward the paddock holding the horse and goat. Sarah could feel the heat of him through her shirt and hoodie. “It’s expensive and time-consuming to buy and train a new dog. We’ve been…busy lately.”
Shooting him a sideways glance, Sarah remembered the conversation they’d all had in the kitchen earlier that morning. “All the explosions?”
He scowled, as if remembering. “Yes, and the shootings. Hugh kept getting hurt. Hopefully, that’s over, and we can have our usual quiet winter.”
“Things do seem really quiet in town,” she said, trying to distract herself from the fact that even Otto’s cranky face fascinated her. Clouds slipped across the sun, blocking it for a few moments, just as the breeze kicked up. Sarah shivered, and Otto’s hand moved from her back to her hip, tucking her closer against him as if sheltering her against the wind. She decided she liked that even more than the hand on her back.
“Most people leave Monroe in the winter,” he said, keeping her close as they walked. Sarah basked in his heat and nearness, as well as his unusual chattiness. It was nice not to have the stilted silences. “About three-quarters of the people, in fact.”
“Why?” she asked. To her, Monroe seemed like a paradise. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to leave.
“It gets cold, and it snows—a lot.” He opened the paddock gate and held it for her as she moved through. Mort stayed out, sniffing around a tree ten feet away. “There’s no ski resort here, and the highway gets closed down often, especially over the passes.”
“And that’s the only way through town.” It finally clicked how isolated Monroe was. The only way in or out was east or west on the highway, and there was a mountain pass on either side. If they were closed down frequently, like Otto was explaining, then the people in Monroe were stuck—possibly for weeks on end. Sarah wasn’t sure if she found the idea reassuring or terrifying.
The goat trotted up to greet them, and Otto pulled something out of his pocket—a treat, judging by the goat’s enthusiastic chewing.
“This is Hortense,” Otto said, scratching the goat on her neck as she leaned into the caress. “The horse is Bean. He’s still not sure about people, but he’s more timid than aggressive.”
Sarah studied the horse, who was staring back at them, his ears flicking back and forth with uncertain interest. He was tall and lean, with long legs and a veiny, sensitive face. His ribs showed, but not overly much, and he gave the impression of nerves and speed with a mane and tail tacked on. “Where’d he come from?”
“The racetrack outside Denver, originally.” Otto gave Hortense another treat. “Bean wasn’t very fast, so he was sold a couple of years ago. He went through a few more homes before he ended up with a rancher southwest of here, in a stall right next to a couple of wild boars the rancher was raising. Poor Bean was scared out of his mind. He tried to climb right out of there a couple of times, and the rancher had no idea what to do with a spooky, timid Thoroughbred. I traded a few bales of alfalfa hay for him.”
As Otto talked, Bean had been slowly making his way closer until he was just a few feet away. Sarah kept her attention on Otto, not wanting to startle the horse away. “He’s right behind you,” she said quietly.
“I know.” Otto stood, calm and relaxed, as Bean stretched out, blowing out a puff of air against the back of Otto’s neck. Sarah held her breath, waiting to see what the horse would do. After another exhale, Bean snorted and shied, dodging away from them. Once he was a safe distance away, he turned to watch them again.
Sarah smiled. “He almost seems like he’s playing.”
With a shrug, Otto gave Hortense a final pat before moving toward the gate. “Part of him is scared, and part of him is curious. Every time I don’t give him anything to be scared about, that part gets smaller. He’ll come around.”
As she walked through the gate, Sarah gave Bean one last glance. “I like horses. The person who took care of my father’s horses let me help with them.”
“Did you have any pets?”
“No.” She paused before admitting, “When I was small, I had a kitten, Laila, but only for a few weeks.”
“What happened?”
“My father was angry with me, so he took her away. After that, I didn’t want any more pets.” She studied the rocky ground in front of her. “It hurt too much to lose her.” Sarah didn’t want to meet Otto’s gaze. She was too afra
id there’d be pity in his eyes, and she didn’t want to be pitiful, especially to Otto. “Now that I’m free, though, I’m going to have a lot of pets—well, once I move out of Jules’s place.” The reality of her situation hit her once again. “If I ever go back to Jules’s. If I ever really can stop running.”
“You will.” His huge, warm hand was back, this time resting over her shoulder blade. “Your brother will be locked up for a long time, and Jovanovic won’t return, not with everyone looking for him.” The firm, commanding way he spoke—as if every word was the complete and total truth—almost made Sarah believe that it could be so simple.
She knew her brother, though. He didn’t play by the rules, and he wouldn’t consider the skeleton staff of a small-town police force to be any deterrent to getting what he wanted. Sarah was the key to infiltrating the Jovanovics’ business, and Aaron would get out and snatch her back—or kill a lot of people trying.
She glanced at Otto. He was so good, and all of his animals depended on him. Was she being selfish to stay? As much as she hated to leave her new town, it might be the smartest thing to do. The only thing was that Sarah didn’t know if she could do it. Leaving Otto, even if she knew it was the right thing to do, would hurt more than anything Aaron had ever done to her.
Chapter 10
Sarah stared at the few clothes hanging in Otto’s guest-room closet. That was the extent of her wardrobe, but it looked so skimpy, almost pitifully so. It had taken her five minutes to unpack, and she’d moved slowly, trying to give Otto some time alone after he’d given up most of his day for her. She thought back to the enormous room that had housed her clothes at her brother’s house, and her face scrunched at the memory. She closed the closet door, suddenly very happy. This was much better than her life before.
A tap on the door made her spin around. “Yes?” she said tentatively. The knock had reminded her of Aaron’s appearance on Jules’s front porch that morning.
