She was pretty, with wide, shocked eyes, a heart-shaped face, and a mouth hanging open in embarrassment. The temperature in the room went up a few clicks, but he did his best to keep his face expressionless.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, scrambling to her feet and clamping both hands on her tangled hair, which he had to admit, made her all the more appealing. There was something about seeing a woman unkempt like that, in a perfect kind of way. It made her seem more real and less like a walking magazine image.
She hugged her coat to her chest. A green ribbon hung from the zipper. The scrap on the door must have caught on her way into the cabin the night before.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She inhaled, still staring around the room. “Yes. I’m so sorry to have imposed—I got lost last night and had no cell service.” She patted her pockets in a quiet search before unearthing a phone from her coat in apparent relief.
“That white Toyota?”
“Is mine. Yes. I’m so sorry; I didn’t know what else to do. I saw your cabin just as the sun was setting and thought maybe someone here could help me. But then it got dark and no one was here and I—I’m sorry. I was only going to stay until morning, I swear.”
Adrian considered the situation. Logically, letting it slide made no sense. This woman had broken into and slept in his family’s cabin. If this were any other instance, he’d be tempted to call the police. But either she was an extremely good actress or her embarrassment and remorse at getting lost the previous night was genuine. This woman was no burglar.
“It’s okay,” he said.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, hugged her coat to her chest, and stared uncomfortably at the rug.
Adrian cleared his throat. “I saw your truck out there. I wondered if you were having some car trouble.”
“More like navigational trouble.”
Adrian dipped his fingers in his pocket. “Is there anything I can do to help? Give you directions?”
“I was trying to make my way to Two Pines.”
His hometown? “You’re about an hour out,” he said.
Her eyes widened. “An hour? So much for GPS.” After an exhale and a glance around the room, she lifted her phone. “You wouldn’t happen to have a portable charger with you, would you?”
“Sadly, no. But if you’ll allow me a minute or two here, you can follow me when I make my way back into town.”
Her face relaxed into overwhelmed surprise. “You’d do that?”
Her enthusiasm was so innocent; it drew a smile from him. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll be headed that direction anyway.” His family didn’t live directly in Two Pines, but he had to drive through town to make it back to the ranch. Might as well give her a hand.
If she wondered why he’d driven all this way to stay only a minute or two, she didn’t say as much. He never would have made such a trip if he hadn’t thought the lockbox would be here.
After their dad’s death, the Bear brothers had been approached by their father’s attorney to relay the contents of the family trust. While his brothers had been gifted resources and ownership of their dad’s rather substantial properties, Adrian’s inheritance had been a single line: the lockbox.
When they’d inspected his dad’s vault, there was no lockbox. The bank said he’d removed it some time before, which now left Adrian with the question—where was it? More importantly, what did it contain?
CHAPTER THREE
ADRIAN WASN’T SURE HOW TO search for the lockbox without this woman noticing. Then again, what did it matter if she knew why he was here? Once he got her to town, he’d probably never see her again.
“I’ll just—” He gestured behind him.
“Right,” she said, cottoning on to his meaning. “I’ll find the bathroom, if that’s okay. Is there a bathroom?”
“Down the hall,” he said, “though I can’t guarantee you’ll have hot water.”
She trailed off in the direction he pointed, and he took advantage of her absence to begin his search. He ducked to peer beneath the bed. Then he rifled through the dresser drawers and among the blankets in the closet. No lockbox.
Adrian made his way through the other two bedrooms, sweeping through any area he thought the box might have been tucked away in, including the linen closet. Aside from towels, sheets, and a handful of board games, it wasn’t there either.
He marched out into the sunny kitchen and began ransacking cabinets. The lockbox wasn’t likely to be stashed away in there with the bowls and plates, but it didn’t hurt to check. One cupboard offered a box of instant oatmeal and several granola bars. Evidence it hadn’t been that long since Chase and Kimmy, his brother and sister-in-law, had brought the kids here.
Footsteps creaked on the wood behind him, but the woman’s growling stomach was louder.
Adrian glanced back. She’d managed to comb through and tame her long, golden locks. Most of the women he associated with in the business realm of things had chic, modern styles to their hair, keeping it shoulder-length or shorter. This woman allowed hers to hang freely, to cascade down her back. He found himself mesmerized by it, the way he might feel unexpectedly stumbling upon a hidden waterfall.
“You hungry?” he asked.
She crossed her arms over her stomach. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
He narrowed his eyes. Stuck on the side of the road late last night, she probably hadn’t had anything to eat since whatever dinner she might have had.
“Here.” He retrieved a bowl from the cupboard, rinsed it with soap, and dried it before passing it to her. He also turned to retrieve the strawberry-flavored oatmeal and offered it. “It’s not much, but it will tide you over until we get back to town. You can use the microwave to heat up your water if you want.” He gestured to the amenity on the counter. His dad had taken great pains to ensure the cabin was furnished with electricity and indoor plumbing. Might as well use it.
The woman paused before giving in. She filled the bowl with water, placed it in the microwave, and sixty or so seconds later, retrieved it and emptied a few packets to be stirred in.
“You must come up here a lot if you leave food here,” she said.
“That was probably my brother’s. He brings his family here. I haven’t been here in years.”
She swirled the bowl’s contents with a spoon and settled onto the nearest chair at the dining table. “Then whatever you’re looking for has been missing for a while, I take it.”
Adrian stiffened. He’d hoped she wouldn’t pry. He wasn’t ready to talk about his late father with anyone, beautiful stranger or no. “Something like that.”
She took a bite of the oatmeal. “My name is Goldie, by the way. Goldie Bybanks.”
Adrian paused in his search of the cupboards, crossed to her, and offered his hand. “Adrian Bear.”
She slid her smaller hand into his. A rush coursed through him at the touch of her soft skin. She was attractive, there was no denying it. For a moment he considered asking her to the fundraiser that evening. Anyone would be better than Danica Foster, the woman his mom wanted him to take.
Goldie ate in silence as Adrian finished searching the cabinets and shelves, along with the closet space where blankets, fishing poles, ropes, knives, a roll of garbage bags, a first aid kit, fire starters, and other necessities were kept stocked. There was still no sign of a small gray lockbox.