“No. Maybe just an arm to lean on.”
Hayes’ gaze met mine. “I won’t let you fall.”
“Okay.” The single word came out as a whisper, and I forced myself to look away.
We moved slowly through the halls and then out into the night. That first hit of mountain air soothed my fraying nerves—a balm to all the pieces that felt just a bit ragged at the moment. As I stepped off the curb, my entire body twinged.
“What is it? Is something wrong? Should we go back?”
The panic in Hayes’ voice had the corners of my mouth tipping up. For a man who dealt with emergencies every day at his job, it was amusing to see one little grimace send him running. “Nothing a few soaks in the hot springs won’t cure.”
He stayed still for a few more moments, studying my face as if to assess if I was being honest with him. “More than just your head hurting?”
“I landed pretty hard on my side. I’ll be tender for a week or so.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry this happened.”
“Me, too.” I started moving towards the parking lot, scanning the vehicles for that familiar Sheriff’s SUV. “Did you find anything?”
Hayes took my arm again. “This way. And not much. We’ve still got officers looking, and we got a bit of a description from the couple who came along, but it was dark, and he was wearing a hat. All we’ve got is a better idea of height and build.”
“Better than nothing, I guess.”
He beeped the locks on his SUV and opened the passenger door. “We won’t stop searching.”
“I know you won’t.” I looked at the seat I needed to climb into. “This might be tricky.”
“Trust me?”
I turned back to face Hayes. That question held so much more than this moment. It held baggage and forgiveness and a million other things. I searched his face, looking for all the answers I needed in those dark eyes. I didn’t see all of them, but I saw enough. “Yes.”
He moved in, swift and smooth. One arm went under my legs, and the other behind my back. He lifted me as if I weighed no more than a sack of flour and deposited me carefully in the seat.
I let out a whoosh of air. “Well, that’s one way to do it.”
Hayes chuckled. “Easier than anything else. Do you want me to buckle you in?”
“I think I can handle that.”
“All right, then.”
He closed the door softly and rounded the front of the SUV. Climbing behind the wheel, he turned over the engine and started us back towards Wolf Gap. We were quiet on the ride, both of us lost in our thoughts.
I turned my gaze to the sky, searching for the constellations my father had taught me. It was one of the good memories I had of him. And I tried to hold on to the good bits. To remind myself that no one was all good or all bad. But, sometimes, the good pieces held more pain than the bad ones, as if the stars themselves became tattered remnants of what they once were.
Instead of thinking of that, I let my vision blur with the landscape, allowing it to become a beautifully dark impressionist painting in my mind. By the time we pulled up to a house on the outskirts of town, my eyes were drooping, but I was in a lot less pain.
“Here we are.”
I forced my eyes open and did my best to take in the place in front of me. It wasn’t what I’d expected, but it somehow fit. Classic was the word that came to mind. A historic white farmhouse with black shutters and a wraparound porch. There was even a porch swing. He probably had a full acre of land yet could walk to town if he needed to.
“I love a porch swing.”
Hayes grinned. “That one’s solid. A great place to drink a beer and let the day go.”
“I think I need one at my place.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. But why don’t I get you inside first so you can get some rest?”
I yawned. “I think that’s smart.”
Hayes hopped out of the vehicle and came around to open my door. “I’m gonna lift you again. I think it’ll be easier on your body.”
“Okay.” This time, it didn’t hurt nearly enough. Instead, I felt the planes of muscle as Hayes leaned me into his body. I smelled the hint of something that wasn’t pine but similar.
He eased my feet to the ground. “You okay to walk?”
I nodded, unable to find words at the moment. He led me up the path. The front yard was simple, grass and some basic shrubbery in front of the porch. But it worked. A few pots of flowers with gorgeous blooms sat on the porch steps.
Hayes followed my line of sight. “That’s all my mom. Every time she comes over, she moans about how boring my yard is. Then, a few days later, another pot appears. I had to hire a neighbor girl to water them because I forget and then break my mother’s heart when my black thumb kills something else.”
I could see the interaction in my mind as clear as day. Julia harping on Hayes and fussing with plants. And him simply letting her. Not only that, he’d made it so the plants grew and prospered. “I think they’re beautiful.”
“I don’t hate looking at them.” He put his key in the lock and opened the front door.
I couldn’t help my intake of breath. Hayes was just full of surprises. Instead of the tight corridors and small enclosed rooms I expected from a historic home, it was open and airy. “This is gorgeous.”
“We gutted it pretty much down to the studs. I loved the exterior, but the interior was a mess. But that meant I got her for a song. I had a friend who was just starting up his contracting business, so I let him use my place to prove what he could do—and I got a steal on the labor.”
“I’d say it paid off.” I moved into the space, walking by a small study with its glass doors and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, past a wall filled with a scattering of black and white prints of Hayes with his family and friends, and into the kitchen. It was a showpiece somehow managing to be both light and masculine with unique light fixtures and creative drawer pulls.
“Glad you like it. Do you want water? A soda? Maybe something to eat?”
“Honestly, I just want a shower and bed, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.”
He led me around the kitchen, through a living space with deep couches and a massive TV, and to the back stairs. “You go first in case you get a little wobbly.”
My hand went to the railing, a rustic but smooth wood, and I made my way up without any dizziness.
“Second door on your left.”
I stopped just inside the space. It was that same mix here—a dark wood headboard but white duvet and pillows. The bedding resembled a cloud, and I couldn’t wait to fall into it. “This is gorgeous.”
“Glad you approve. My sisters left some sweats in the dresser in case they come over for a movie night and want to be comfortable. Those should fit you.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Don’t be dumb.”
I scowled at Hayes. “I’m not dumb. But I also don’t want to be presumptuous.”
He rolled his eyes heavenward. “They’re just clothes. It’s not the family jewels.”
“Do you have family jewels?” I asked with a smirk.
“I think we might’ve misplaced the crowns somewhere along the line.”