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Yeah, it made sense. I hadn’t been able to save Emmett, and now this drive to protect Evelyn was bringing up the guilt I always felt when I thought about him. I didn’t want to have the same guilt with Evelyn. It didn’t matter that I barely knew her—she was mine to protect.
I knew that. In a deep, caveman, I-shouldn’t-say-those-words-out-loud way.
But I still had to discover more about what was drawing me to her. She was fucking gorgeous, and she’d invaded very different kinds of dreams, no matter how hard I’d tried to keep her out of them. But it was more than that. Something below the surface was yanking me toward her with all the speed and subtlety of a freight train.
Across the ranch, a light was on in one of the guest houses. When I was out here at night with nothing but the stars, every artificial light was a beacon. My stomach did a swoop both of dread and excitement. It was the Bitterroot House. So I wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping.
Earlier today while I had been walking the horse, it had occurred to me that the process for approaching Evelyn was the same. Obviously, Evelyn wasn’t an animal, but slow, consistent exposure was the only way either of them would let go of the nerves they carried.
Cutting a wide berth around one of the other guest houses, I made it to the road. Evelyn was sitting on the porch of the house in a pool of light, and my anxiety eased. But that same instinct that had told me she was more comfortable at a distance told me that I shouldn’t sneak up on her in the dark. She was safe. That was enough for me.
“Who’s there?”
She was looking in my direction, body now fully alert. I’d underestimated how much she’d be listening. And staying silent wouldn’t ease anything for her. “It’s Lucas.”
She relaxed. “Oh.”
I walked closer—close enough that she could see me in the porch light, but far enough to respect her distance. “I’m sorry, I saw a light while walking, and I wanted to make sure you were all right. I wasn’t planning to bother you.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m glad it was you and not like... a bear.”
“A mountain lion would probably be more accurate.” Her face fell, and I chuckled. “I’m mostly kidding. There are mountain lions, but they’re actually pretty shy and stay away from humans. And we have electric fences.”
“So... sitting on the porch in the middle of the night is a safe idea?”
I laughed again. “Yeah, you’ll be fine.”
“Good to know.” She leaned back against the chair.
She was wearing comfortable clothes made for sleeping, and it was the first time I’d ever seen her in something that showed skin. The tank top revealed her arms. And then I had to force myself to keep still.
Evelyn had scars. I wasn’t close enough to see their true shape, but there were a lot of them, drifting down her arms in seemingly random patterns. They didn’t look like they were self-inflicted, which confirmed my suspicion. She was running from something—or someone—and I’d bet money it was what had given her those scars.
“You were out walking?”
I nodded, loosening my jaw enough to speak. “Needed some air.”
“Most people are sleeping by now.”
“You’re not.”
A small smile that felt like a victory appeared on her face. “Fair enough.” A small silence intervened. “Couldn’t sleep?”
I shook my head.
“Me neither. And I’ve never seen stars like this. So why would I stay inside when I could watch them out here?”
Looking up, I saw what she meant. The vast Montana sky made the stars so clear it felt like you could touch them. You could see them twinkling. The moon hung low on the horizon, just a sliver that didn’t overpower the stars. It was stunning.
On impulse, I took a step closer. “Do you want to see the best view of the stars?”
Her eyes met mine, cautious. “Where’s that?”
“Top of the lodge,” I said. “It’s built for stargazing. Well, not exactly for stargazing, but we built it with the intent for it to be used. Sometimes, we take the grill up there and barbecue.”
Another small smile. “Men and their barbecues.”
“Damn right.”
