Nipper, Jack’s Australian shepherd, bounded up to him, and Carter reached down to scratch the dog’s velvety ears.
“I suppose you want to go for a walk?” Roaming the property together had become a nightly ritual when Carter couldn’t sleep.
The dog’s tail slashed the air and he barked. Carter took that as a yes.
Restlessness drove him toward the creek where the cottages were located. In spite of Violet’s generous offer, Carter had decided to stay in the main house and bunk in the guest room that Gray occupied when he visited the ranch, leaving one of the cottages empty in case Savannah changed her mind. A possibility that had begun to shrink over the past few days.
Savannah hadn’t exactly welcomed him with open arms. What made him think she would accept his help?
Just as Carter reached the creek bank, his cell phone rang.
An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen and Carter’s heart slammed against his rib cage. Had his father finally discovered they’d been trying to contact him?
“Hello?”
He heard a crackling sound. And then a tentative but familiar voice. “Hi.”
“Savannah?”
“Yes.” A long pause followed. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all.” Carter’s hand tightened around the phone. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t—” The line crackled, distorting her words. If they lost the connection, Carter was afraid she wouldn’t call back.
“Savannah? You’re breaking up. Where are you?”
“I’m...here.”
“Here?” Carter repeated.
“At the gate.”
Chapter Four
Savannah’s heart performed a little Texas two-step as Carter Wallace approached.
In faded jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt that accentuated his athletic build, Carter was even more attractive than she remembered. His loose-limbed stride and the set of his broad shoulders conveyed the fierce confidence of a man who faced life head-on. A confidence Savannah couldn’t help but envy.
Once again, she contemplated turning the car around. Something that had crossed her mind at least half a dozen times since she’d left Dallas.
Her boss hadn’t exactly been thrilled when she’d stopped by the diner after her appointment with Dr. Yardley and told him that she had to reduce her hours. The next day, when Savannah checked the schedule, she saw that not only had Bruce honored her request, he’d given all her shifts to a new waitress he’d hired over the weekend.
Leaving her with no choice but to accept Carter’s offer to stay at his sister’s ranch for the time being.
But doubts began to creep in as Savannah parked between the massive stone columns that stood like sentinels on either side of the driveway, guarding the property from outsiders. Like her. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but the Colby Ranch was obviously a large, prosperous operation.
It only reminded Savannah how little she knew about Carter Wallace. Was she really welcome here? Maybe he was already regretting his impulsive invitation.
Rob had made a lot of promises, too, and he’d only kept one of them.
I’m leaving, Savannah.
Savannah’s fingers closed around the shift stick but the passenger-side door opened before she could put the car in reverse. Carter hopped in beside her, his large frame folding almost in half to accommodate the passenger seat of her compact car.
Savannah took a deep breath. If he looked at her with pity, she’d turn the car around and head straight back to Dallas....
“It’s about time.” The crooked smile that Carter flashed in her direction coaxed a dimple out of hiding, an unexpected but charming contrast to the man’s ruggedly handsome features. “If you didn’t show up within the next twenty-four hours, I’d decided to round up a posse and find you.”
He’d planned to return to Dallas? For her?
No, not for you. For Rob, she reminded herself sternly. An internal dash of cold water on the warmth his words stirred in her heart.
It would be a mistake to forget the reason she was here. To Carter, delivering Rob’s message had been a duty. An obligation. But Savannah had an obligation, too. To do everything she could to protect the health of her unborn child. Even if it meant swallowing her pride and accepting help from a stranger.
“I hope this isn’t a bad time,” she stammered. “I probably should have called first.”
Except that if she’d dialed Carter’s number any earlier, Savannah knew she would have lost not only her voice, but her nerve. She’d packed her suitcase that morning and stowed it in the trunk of the car, giving God what she hoped was ample opportunity to send some kind of sign that He had another plan. One that didn’t include Carter Wallace.
Yet here she was.
“I didn’t call before I showed up at your door that day, either,” Carter said easily. “So I guess that makes us even.”
No, they weren’t. Not until he understood that she didn’t intend to be a charity case or outstay her welcome here. She’d scheduled another appointment with Dr. Yardley in two weeks. If the test results proved that she was obeying orders, Savannah planned to ask for an increase in her hours at the diner again and continue her search for another apartment.
“I can pay rent.” Savannah didn’t look at Carter as she put the car into gear and continued down the long gravel driveway. “I don’t expect to live in the cottage for free. Or I can help out around the house or in the kitchen. I’m a pretty decent cook.”
At one time, she’d dreamed of attending culinary school. Before she’d met Rob.
“Chicken and dumplings are your specialty, right?”
“How did you know...” Savannah’s voice trailed off, leaving an awkward silence in its wake.
Rob must have told him.
The day they’d met, Carter had claimed that Rob talked about her all the time when they’d served together in Afghanistan. Savannah hadn’t believed him—until now. The thought that Rob’s friend knew more about her than she knew about him was a little unsettling.
And what else had Rob told him? The truth—or more lies? Less than twenty-four hours after they were married, Savannah had discovered that her new husband didn’t seem to know the difference. She’d been so tired of being alone that she’d let Rob sweep her off her feet.
Believed everything he’d said...
“Don’t worry about things like paying rent or washing dishes right now.” Savannah could feel the weight of Carter’s gaze, studying her profile. “How about I show you where you’ll be staying first? You can unpack your things. Settle in and get a good night’s sleep.”
Which could only be, Savannah thought ruefully, a tactful way of saying that she must look as exhausted as she felt.
“All right.” Self-consciously, she looped a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. She knew the past few days had taken a toll on both her health and her emotions. The stress of apartment hunting during the day. Wrestling with her fears at night. Savannah had been reading through the New Testament every morning, taking comfort in the fact that other believers had faced difficult situations, too, and God hadn’t abandoned them.
She trusted Him. Men, not so much anymore.
“Keep