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He'd admired her fierce threat when she'd told him to leave.
She'd won his respect the way she'd claimed that dog to protect her daughter.
And his heart had been the victim when Phoebe's face had softened as she'd listened to him talking to Dylan. He'd speaker-phoned his brother on purpose, figuring it was the best way to get that look of terror off her face, and it had worked.
But…shit. No woman should ever have to be that afraid, especially not for her child. Her response had unleashed a fierce protective instinct in him that was usually reserved only for his siblings and his horses.
He needed more information from Eliana. He needed to know about the threat they were facing, and what he needed to do to prepare for it.
But first, to get them out.
Instead of collecting dog toys and food, Jacob strode to the window and edged the curtain aside to check the backyard. Finding nothing suspicious, he walked to the side window and checked out the window there. Then to the front of the house, and then the other side. Only when he was satisfied that no one was poised to break in did he turn his attention to collecting dog gear…but at every moment, his attention was attuned to the sounds upstairs of his three charges gathering their items, and he was paying close attention to the noises outside the house, listening for any sign that danger was imminent.
Which meant he heard Phoebe's footsteps racing back down the stairs, and he was already turning to face her when she popped into the room. But his gut still dropped when he saw her again.
She'd changed into jeans that fit her like a gift, boots with a fleece cuff, and a black hoodie that she'd zipped halfway up, down just enough so he could see her pink shirt underneath. Her hair was brushed now, up in a messy bun, and she was wearing the faintest hint of makeup.
Not seeming to notice how she was affecting him, Phoebe flashed him a polite smile. "So, just a quick question. Are we going to a hotel? Or do we need to bring sheets and towels and stuff like that? Do we need to bring food?"
She was breathtaking. Did she have dimples? He kinda thought she might. Her eyes were a radiant blue. He'd never seen anything like them before.
She blinked. "Jacob?"
Shit. What was wrong with him? "Yeah. Sorry. I was distracted."
"By what?"
"Listening to the outdoors to make sure no one is outside who shouldn't be." A partial truth, but he wasn't going to scare her off by admitting how deeply affected by her he was.
Her eyes widened. "Did you hear anything suspicious?"
"Nope. We're good."
She smiled then, a genuine smile that made him want to smile back. "Okay, then. The sheets and towels? Are we going to a hotel?"
A few hours ago, he would have jumped on that idea. Stash them at a hotel and go back and forth between the hotel and his horses. Anything to avoid having to host these strangers in the private oasis he'd created for himself, away from people and noise and chaos.
But now that he'd met them, the idea of leaving them unattended in a hotel room for even a moment was intolerable. He shook his head. "Dylan requested I take you back to my place."
She blinked. "Your house?"
He nodded. "It's fully secure." Suddenly, he almost wished he was the kind of guy who'd created a place that others might decide felt like home. He knew how plain it was. "It's sparse. You might want to bring stuff to make Annie feel like it's a home." And Phoebe. But he couldn’t say that.
She cocked her head. "How sparse is it?"
He shrugged. "I don't think you'll like it, but it's safe. Clean. Toss whatever you want to take down the stairs and I'll bring it out. I have a big truck, and can take a lot." What the hell was he doing? Inviting chaos and clutter into his home?
Yeah. He was. If Annie needed a dog to keep away the night terrors, then she was a kid who had a past like he had. He knew about night terrors, and there was no damn way he was going to mess up what progress she'd made.
Phoebe gave him a thoughtful look. "It could be a while that we're there then, you think?"
He shrugged. "Each night can feel like an eternity if it's dark enough. Take it one at a time. Each night matters when you're scared. So do whatever it takes to make each night okay for her."
Her eyebrows shot up, and he swore. What the fuck was he, a poet now? "Or whatever," he muttered. "I'll get the dog food."
He spun around and headed into the kitchen. What the hell was wrong with him? He was losing his mind. His focus.
But a traumatized kid with night terrors? A mom who got scared about her kid? It brought back memories he'd shut down a long time ago, memories that would haunt him forever. Memories that maybe could be silenced if he helped Annie and Phoebe.
