Allowing Turbo to lead him closer to the road where Jodi would pass, Hunter continued to muse on his million unanswered questions.
When her truck appeared, his heartbeat picked up pace.
When she stopped and rolled down the passenger window, something dark and heavy inside him lifted. Turbo was ecstatic to see her.
Hunter didn’t want to name what he felt.
“Hey, guys,” she called out, mostly to Turbo because that’s who she looked at. “What a nice greeting.”
Turbo wagged his backside with glee.
“You are so easy,” Hunter told the dog. Leaning against her side door, he said through the window, “Done for the day?”
“Yeah, and I hope you’re not cooking already, because I picked up groceries for our meal. That is, if you’re free to visit so I can do a little payback.”
Bowled over by the offer, noting the bags in the seat and on the floor, he met her gaze. “I’m free.”
Her brows twitched together. “Good. Give me half an hour to unload the tractor and shower.”
Nodding, Hunter started to retreat, and she spoke again.
“Also, remind me to ask you about how you just said that.”
Stymied, he pulled back. “What?”
“That I’m free. You said it different and I wanted to ask about it.”
Having no idea what she meant, he said, “Okay.”
“Thanks. Figured I could get some explanations from you. See you soon.”
Watching her drive the rest of the way over the bumpy road, Hunter said absently to Turbo, “Confusing as hell, right?”
Turbo did more excited wiggling.
“So happy to visit her again, huh? Because I’m what? Chopped liver?”
The dog howled.
Laughing, Hunter led him across the yard. “Sorry, bud, but you have to wait the allotted thirty minutes, same as me.” He should have offered to help her unload the tractor.
He should not imagine her all wet, lathering her petite, trim body in her very small shower.
Of course he did anyway.
And this time, he didn’t even berate himself. Never in his life had he met a more fascinating, enigmatic woman who kept so many secrets yet never seemed to hide her thoughts.
If you irritated her, she let you know.
Piss her off? You’d get the blast of that deadly stare.
Question her ability and she’d cut you down with her prickly ire.
She had a close relationship with powerful people, but she was as down-to-earth as a person could be.
After twenty minutes, he lost his patience and started a meandering stroll toward her place. If she spotted him, he’d claim Turbo wanted to roam. Given how the dog pulled at his leash, it wasn’t a lie.
As they neared her property, Hunter glanced around, for once disliking how the surrounding trees insulated them from the rest of the town. If you cut through the woods, it wasn’t quite a mile to the main road. But houses? People? Businesses?
Safety?
All too far away.
In a crisis, there was no guarantee anyone would be driving by to help, even if she made it that far. Through his binoculars, he’d watched her working in those woods and knew she’d set up little markers so she’d spot if anyone else trespassed. She’d even gone out after dark and attached a few hidden cameras in the trees.
What she’d do if she found anyone lurking around, he couldn’t say.
Of course, he remembered that she was usually armed. Had she taken a weapon to town with her? On a hot Saturday afternoon?
Probably.
“Do you see something?”
Annoyed that she’d caught him unaware, Hunter turned and found her on the front porch in an oversize T-shirt that she’d paired with pulled-on cotton shorts. Her smooth legs and bare feet kept him awestruck for a moment, before he caught himself. “I didn’t hear you.”
“I noticed.”
Though she’d combed back her damp hair, the ends were already starting to dry. Her outdoor work left her with a light tan, and today her nose and the tops of her cheekbones were pink. She looked delicate, when he knew she wasn’t.
Without any effort at all, definitely with no deliberate intention, she looked completely feminine. No makeup, no polished nails. No sexy clothes—though those shorts...
“What?”
He realized he’d been analyzing her, so he said, “You should wear sunscreen.”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “Sure, Dad.”
“Not how I’d have you see me.”
As Turbo charged toward her, she grinned and sat on the bottom step, welcoming him with open arms and even a few kisses to the top of his head.
Squinting, she slanted her gaze up to see him. Here in the yard, beneath the setting sun, her eyes fascinated him. They were like a burst of shining amber rimmed with brown.
“Uh, Hunter?”
Fuck, he’d done it again. “Sorry. I’m distracted today.”
While gently rubbing Turbo’s ears, she nodded her understanding. “That business from yesterday, right? I figured you would be. I mean, in your shoes, I’d be going nuts wondering who knew what and how and all that.”
Taking the initiative and hoping she didn’t bolt, he sat on the step beside her. “I told you I wouldn’t grill you, and I won’t.”
She’d stiffened at his nearness, but didn’t move away.
He’d take that as a good sign. “So what’s for dinner? And what can I do to help?”
Deliberately, she loosened her posture and continued rubbing Turbo. “You hadn’t already planned anything?”
“I had hamburgers to grill, that’s all, but they’ll keep. We can have them tomorrow.”
“So, um...” She watched the dog while petting him. “I’m eating with you tomorrow?”
“If you’d like.” To give her a little space, he leaned back with his forearms on the porch and stretched out his legs so their knees didn’t bump. “I enjoy our visits. Plus, my dog is mopey when he doesn’t see you.” Lower, in a teasing rumble, he complained, “Acts like I’ve been depriving him all this time with only my company.”
As he’d intended, she grinned. “Yeah, I enjoy talking with you. So count me in for dinner tomorrow. Today, I figured on grilling pork chops. The grill is warming up now. I picked up potato salad to go with it.”