When they ran across the area without another shot being fired, Joel figured it was safe. He met Connor with a handshake about ten feet from the edge of the clearing. “About time you got here.”
“I had to break about a dozen laws and ignore the screaming from the guy at a nearby airport and a police chief to get here.” Connor hitched his thumb in the other guy’s direction. “Davis came along to fly the plane and we picked up a ranger.”
Joel knew they could all fly but didn’t question the extra man. Only issue was getting them all out, but that was Connor’s problem. “Thanks for that. Both of you.”
Connor slid his gun back into the holster. “I almost hate to ask, but who’s in the bag?”
“Better yet, who’s the woman?” Davis asked.
“Perry, one of the Baxter executives.” Joel motioned for the rest of the group to join them. “And this is Hope Algier.”
Davis smiled at Joel. “Her father is not happy with you.”
“He’s the one who sent me out here.”
“We’ll talk about how you spend your vacations later.” Connor walked past Joel to welcome the group.
Davis leaned in. “And we’ll definitely talk about the woman.”
Chapter Twelve
Hope barely made it to her town house that night before falling over. She’d gotten to know Connor and Davis as they kept up a steady stream of mindless chatter on the helicopter ride out of the forest. They talked about a debriefing but gave her a day’s reprieve on having to sit through it. Apparently she had paperwork to fill out and questions to answer.
They promised they’d take care of the inevitable search for Mark and investigation into Perry’s death. She was grateful, but there was so much information to take in. It all welled up until it threatened to choke her.
At one point she had to concentrate on her breathing to keep from putting her head between her knees to calm down. And she wasn’t the scare-easily type.
She always held it together. Or she had done so until her life fell apart in the double whammy of losing Joel and losing her climbing guide career.
Back at the airport hangar, when Joel had announced the coordinates she’d marked off in the forest and suggested it could be a grave site—presumably Mark’s—her stomach had dipped. She’d known what he thought when they were out there. Hearing the stark truth as he delivered the news to his colleagues sliced through her.
When the cavernous room had started to spin away from her, Joel had held her hand and told her everything would be fine. But it was Davis with his photos of his pregnant wife that took her mind off all the death.
The big man seemed to be totally in love. He grinned as he pointed and his voice picked up with excitement. Hope found his happiness contagious.
The talk also filled her with a strange sadness. A longing for what she feared she’d never have. She couldn’t exactly move on and start a new life when she was still stuck in the old one. The main part of which was rummaging around in her kitchen right now.
“I take it you’re staying here tonight?” she asked as she sat down across from him.
Joel froze with his hand on the open refrigerator door. “I don’t want to drive back to Annapolis.”
Never mind that the rest of his team found somewhere to sleep in the DC area. He hadn’t even asked. Just drove her to the town house and settled in.
Truth was he was here and she wasn’t about to kick him out. Didn’t even want to try. “Fair enough.”
He shut the door and came around the kitchen island to where she sat on a high barstool. Her bare feet dangled off the footrest. She’d showered and changed into clean clothes, consisting of a thin T-shirt, which had his gaze skipping to her breasts every few seconds, and plaid boxer shorts.
She’d chosen the outfit on purpose. To entice him. Some men loved to see women in tight skirts or sexy lingerie. Joel preferred the fresh, down-home look. Put on something he could tunnel his hands under, maybe no underwear and just a hint of the bare skin beneath, and he lost his cool. Happened every time.
She wasn’t the only one who showered. So had he, but he’d used her downstairs bathroom instead of the one in her bedroom upstairs.
The restraint surprised her. She had half expected him to pull back the curtain and step in with her. Not that she would have objected, though the dressed version was pretty nice and smelled pretty good, too.
Damp hair, faded jeans and a white tee that slipped over him like a second skin. Looked like he also knew how to entice.
Right now he did it by stepping into the space between her legs. He didn’t touch her. Didn’t have to. The place was small enough for her to feel his presence in every room, even though he hadn’t lived there in months.