Montana Fire (24 page)

Once in his bedroom, he placed her bags on his bed, and then checked to see he’d left
the bathroom in good condition. The refrigerator door banged shut, reminding him she
was in the main room alone.

He hustled back out. “Find everything?”

“Yes. I like how you’ve organized the food the same way I would have.”

“Good. Let me get started on warming up the place before we freeze.” She hadn’t removed
her coat yet.

She looked up at him. “Do you have a specific place you want me to put things?”

“Wherever you like, but how about keeping a few of the non-refrigerated items in a
separate pile?”

Her brows pinched. “In case we have to leave in a hurry? For when they find us?”

There went her cheer. Damn. This uncertainty couldn’t be good for her sense of control.
“Yes.” When Jamie’s lip trembled, Max returned to her side and hugged her. “Don’t
worry. There’s only one main road up here, and Hank will keep an eye out for us.”

There was a back road, too, but it lead up and over the mountain. He doubted anyone
would come that way, as there were numerous switchbacks and pitted roads that could
snap an axle if one went too fast.

She looked off to the side. “Terrorists don’t always come in cars, I bet. They’re
probably military men who would think to stash their vehicles somewhere, then hike
in through the woods.” Jamie’s hands fisted at her side.

She was a smart one. “This isn’t the movies, honey. I don’t think a lot of them are
highly trained military operatives who’ve gone to the dark side.” He wanted to tell
her everything was going to be okay, but he never was one to lie. “I know you’re scared.
Hell, I am, too, but if you think about all of the ‘what ifs’ too much, you won’t
sleep. Considering we’re a good eight miles from town, and the undergrowth is next
to impossible to get through, I don’t think they’ll come by foot.”

He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. When she moaned, he had to pull
away for fear he wouldn’t be able to stop. He tapped the counter next to her. “I’ll
leave it up to you how much you want to keep out. Then you need to hit the hay.”

“What about you? I’m not sleeping alone.”

God, but he adored this woman. Jamie was more resilient than any person he’d met.
“Trust me. You won’t be.”

She smiled then began sorting the food. Max went to work lighting the wood stove.
He liked having Jamie around. She brought life to these old walls. It was what he’d
been missing in his life these past eleven years.

A few minutes later, a cabinet door banged shut, and Jamie stepped into the living
room. “All finished.”

The fire was heating the place nicely. He tossed in one more log and stood. “Great.
Let me show you to the bedroom.” Halfway down the hall, he grabbed some fresh towels
from the linen closet. “Thought you might like to shower. If there’s anything you
need, just holler.”

“Thank you. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay up. I’m exhausted.”

The emotional toll would have felled even the strongest person. “Me, too. While you
shower, I’ve got some calls to make. I also want to check on my gear. Take your time.”
It would be better if she didn’t hear the conversation.

Once he showed Jamie the bathroom, Max slipped back into the living room. While he
didn’t expect trouble, he wanted to be prepared in case Hank called. They’d only have
a few minutes to get out. That also meant they’d have to leave by the back route,
which would take longer.

The flight would require cash, and the men he could hit up for the money at a moment’s
notice was limited. Trent, Dan, Thad, and Cade were his only choices, and Cade was
in Hawaii on his honeymoon.

Max called Trent first. Before he had a chance to say hello, Trent responded. “You
in trouble?”

“Not yet, but my sixth sense is acting up.”

“Mine would be, too, if I thought terrorists were after my girlfriend.”

He liked the idea of having Jamie in his life. Whether she was willing to be in his
would soon be tested. “You learn anything else after we left?”

“Just finishing up now. Chuck Forbes said he and his men will be scouring the area
for any suspicious behavior.”

The added manpower should speed up the capture. Max leaned against the counter, keeping
his eye on the hallway. “Need a favor.”

“Shoot.”

That was one of the reasons he liked Trent. The man got straight to the point. “Need
some cash.”

Trent whistled. “How soon do you need it?” Trent would give a man in need the shirt
off his back.

“As soon as I can get it. I’m thinking two grand should get us pretty far if we need
to get out of here.”

“I should be able to drum up that much. Have you gotten burner phones yet?”

At the ease with which his request could be met, Max blew out a breath. “Weather permitting,
I’ll head back down to Hank’s tomorrow.”

“How is the old guy?”

When Trent had come up last summer, the three of them had gone fishing for the day.
“Still feisty.”

“You’ll have to dump your car, too, you know.”

Shit. He’d just bought the SUV. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do that.” Actually,
he didn’t want to admit he’d need to.

“If these men can trace credit cards, they can find a car. As soon as I hang up, I’ll
ask Dan and Thad to round up the cash.”

Max was touched by his friends’ generosity. “I’ll pay you guys back. I just don’t
want to withdraw anything from my account.”

“No problem.”

They discussed how to handle the exchange, and concluded the best way would be for
Trent to leave the money with Hank. Max didn’t need to have his friend followed to
their doorstep. No telling what these men would do once they found out Jamie had flown
the coop.

“I appreciate this more than you can know.”

“You’d do the same for me,” Trent said. “I’ll work on getting what you need on my
end.”

“Thanks.” When Max disconnected the call, he felt a bit more settled having taken
care of that issue.

Now it was time to go into survival mode. First, he wanted to create a bug-out bag
and make sure the cabin was booby trapped for the night.

The wind had already started to howl, rattling the windows. Damn. They didn’t need
the snow. On the other hand, it would make it more difficult for an intruder to come
and go unnoticed. It was hard to cover tracks. He wouldn’t be surprised if in a couple
of days this terrorist cell sent a scout to check out his place. His name was in the
public record as owner. Hiding in the technological age was getting harder and harder.

The shower turned off, and the image of Jamie wet and naked flashed in his mind. He
wanted to snuggle with her, kiss every inch of her delicious body, and then make slow,
gentle love with her. But she said she was exhausted, and he agreed, she needed her
rest.

Max gathered some bottled water, canned soup, and a few power bars she’d purchased
to put in his emergency stash. Tomorrow, if they made it to Hank’s, he’d grab some
dried meals.

Max strode to the closet where he kept his gear. Fishing poles, batteries, flashlights,
sleeping bags, stoves, and anything else he’d need to survive was there—including
his weapons. Not knowing how long they could stay there, he gathered what he thought
they’d need, and took the gear into the living room. He was carefully packing the
items in a duffel bag when Jamie came out, looking clean and quite refreshed.

She was dressed in gray sweats and sneakers, but she couldn’t have looked more adorable
if she tried. He immediately squashed his longing. Her hair was wet and barely combed.
He now regretted having tossed Marie’s hairdryer.

“What are you doing?” she asked. He didn’t like the hitch in her voice.

“Being practical. I like to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, even if that possibility
is slim.”

She walked over to the pile of gear on the floor and sank down in front of him. Her
blue eyes were wide with worry. “You think they’ll find us?”

Shit. He hadn’t meant to upset her again. “They may try, but they won’t succeed. I
trust every person who knows we’re here.”

“People aren’t always trustworthy.”

It was time to find out what really happened to Jamie to make her so skittish. He
knew the basics, and that she’d been burned badly. If he understood her better, he’d
be able to anticipate how she’d react under difference circumstances. “How about hopping
up on the couch, and I’ll get us a glass of wine?”

Her eyes shone. “I’ll fall asleep.”

“Then I’ll carry you to bed. Red or white?” He stood.

“White. You really are prepared aren’t you?”

“You have no idea.”

From the cabinet, he located a nice Chardonnay and poured them a glass. He could have
sat across from Jamie in the leather chair, but he wanted to be close to her, to be
able to hold her if she needed comfort.

Max held out the glass. “You said people can fool you. Want to tell me about it? You
might be thinking I’m trying to pry, but I need to learn what could set you off, what
makes you afraid.” That was the truth.

She returned her gaze to him. “You mean will I freak if I see someone with a gun?”

Jamie was smart. “In part.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled. “Okay. I’ll tell you if you think it’ll
help. My friends all know the story anyway.”

“Thank you. It means a lot that you trust me.”

That brought out a smile. “If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that I trust
you.”

Her words meant the world to him. “Thank you.” He tapped his glass to hers, and they
both shared a moment.

A slight blush crept up her face, and she inhaled deeply. “Benny and I had been dating
for about three years when his mom’s deteriorating condition took a turn for the worse.”

“Amber told me his mother had ALS.”

“Yes. I really can’t say if that was the trigger for him changing, or if it was when
he asked to marry me and I said no, but the fact was, he went crazy.”

Max hadn’t heard about the proposal. “If you’d been together for so long, why did
you say no?” He held up a hand. “You don’t have to answer that.” He’d said he wanted
information to help him judge her reaction to certain stressors. Knowing why she broke
up wasn’t needed, but he wanted to learn everything about her. Learn who’d hurt her
and why.

“It’s fine. Benny and I got along really well for a long time. We both loved to watch
old movies, and we both were in the medical field. He was interested in my patients
and how I tried to make a person’s last few weeks on earth more comfortable.”

“Sounds like you and he were a good fit.”

“We were for a while. I think I was attracted to him because he was so nice. My life
growing up had basically sucked, and when I moved to Rock Hard, Benny was there to
pick up the pieces.” A lovely smile crossed her face, but then her cheer disappeared.
“I once had a dog named Beau. When he died, I didn’t know what to do, so I called
Benny. He loved animals, too, and handled everything. That was before we started dating.
When he came over and was so caring, I knew he was the one for me.” She looked off
to the side. “Or so I thought.”

Max set down his glass then removed hers from her fingers. “Come here.” He slipped
her onto his lap and held her tight. Max kissed her forehead. She looked up at him
with a small smile on her face. “Then his mom became incapacitated?” he asked.

“That actually occurred a few years later. Benny began to change slowly. I didn’t
see it right away. When the deaths at the hospital occurred, I was really shaken.
I started to examine my life and I realized I wanted a man with focus, purpose, ambition.
Benny had none of those traits anymore. He started to look to me more and more to
make the decisions.”

“Like which movie to watch or where to go to dinner?”

“Yes!”

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. “When did you know it was time to call it quits?” Jamie
fascinated him. Most women would have blamed the man, but she seemed to have a good
handle on what she wanted. He also wanted to never make any of those mistakes with
her.

“I’m not really sure. I kept hesitating because Benny had more empathy than any person
I’d ever met. In the end that one positive trait was his downfall.”

“What do you mean?”

“Benny had so much sympathy for the terminally sick people that he decided to put
the patients out of their misery. He thought that would cut short my suffering.”

“So he killed them.” Cade had told him that part of the story.

“Yes, but I never suspected he’d go that far.” Her voice drifted. It was almost like
she was reliving that terrible moment.

Max hugged her. “It’s not your fault, you know.”

She planted a palm on his chest, and her touch seeped deep into him. “Zoey helped
me see that, but it’s still hard.”

“You’re a strong woman, Jamie Henderson.”

“I try to be.”

She looked up at him, and when she smiled, Max knew then and there, he’d fallen for
her. Hard.

Chapter Twenty