She left things hanging, so he jumped right in. “I’ll walk with both of you and I’ll check her cabin.”
“And what do you plan to do after that?”
He thought he saw a plea there in her interesting dark water-blue eyes. She pushed at her rich auburn curls and stared up at him, waiting again.
“I plan to stay close by until this storm is over. I’ll figure out the rest in the morning.”
“You mean you want to stay here?”
“Do you have any other suggestions?”
She glanced at the fire, looked out the window, stared over at Bettye waiting by the back door. Then she turned back to him. “No, I don’t have any other ideas. Unless you want to stay at Bettye’s place.”
He looked at her then turned to do a quick glance at her friend. “To be honest, I’d be afraid to fall asleep with her in the next room. My head is still throbbing from that darn frying pan.”
The older woman let out a whooping laugh. “My aim is still good.”
Adan rubbed the back of his sore head. “I agree with that, at least.”
He was rewarded with a pretty smile from Sophia, followed by a firm reminder. “I’m the one with the shotgun, though, remember?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget,” he said, mirroring her grin in hopes of gaining her trust. “But I doubt I’ll sleep no matter where I stay.”
“You can sleep on the sofa,” she finally said. “I have a spare room, but it’s full of my art supplies.”
He nodded on that, saving the information to mull over later. “I won’t be a bother, I promise.”
“I know,” she said with a smile. “I always sleep with my shotgun right by the bed.”
He let out a chuckle and shook his head. “I’ve never met anyone like you two.”
Sophia didn’t give anything away with her Mona Lisa smile. “Let me get my coat and hat. Bettye lives right around the curve so it’s not a long walk, but I don’t want her to fall in the snow. It’s brutal out there tonight.”
He checked the windows, wondering what was hiding in those woods. “We’ll get her home. Think she’ll be safe?”
“She’s been living on this mountain alone since her husband died about fifteen years ago. She can take care of herself, but...if there is someone out there lurking around, I’ll be worried about her.”
His mind raced ahead as he did another visual. It was near impossible to see beyond the banks of thick white snow. “Should she stay with you, too?”
“She won’t. Bettye likes her privacy, same as me. Most of the people who live up here keep to themselves unless we plan to have a dinner or get-together. But Bettye has been a good friend to me.”
“I’ll keep watch between the two of you,” he said on a decisive note. And in the meantime, he’d try to decipher who was telling the truth and who wasn’t.
“You two gonna stand by that fire all night or are you gonna walk a feeble old woman home?”
“Coming,” Sophia called.
He watched as she wrapped her bright blue scarf around her neck and tucked it into her coat. “Oh, she also has a dog that usually tags along with her. She won’t let him out too long in this weather, so he didn’t come over here with her tonight.”
“He mighta bit you,” Bettye added. “Only he can’t see and he can’t really hear good. A lot like me, I reckon.”
“But he protects you,” Sophia said on an empathetic breath.
Bettye nodded. “Bandit’s his name. He can still bark warnings.”
“Good.” Adan took that comment as a personal warning to him. Or maybe to anyone in hiding around here.
He mulled it over and then put on his own coat and opened the door. The storm was full-blown now. Fat white flakes danced around under the porch light like bits of lost lace. The soft sound of snow hitting the woods didn’t bring him any peace. It was a bitter, unforgiving night.
And it didn’t help that a man who’d long ago given up on any decency might be somewhere out in those woods. If he was, he probably wouldn’t survive for long. And like a dangerous animal, he’d turn on anyone who encountered him or tried to stop him.
They all stood on the porch while Bettye got her bearings.
“I shoulda marked the way,” she said, squinting into the night, her flashlight beam hitting dark tree trunks and thick hedges. “I guess we’ll find our way if we hold on to each other. That’s what my Walter used to say to me. Too bad it didn’t work out for us.”
“We’ll make sure we get you home,” Sophia replied. She leaned close to Adan. “She says that no matter the weather.”
Adan took Bettye’s flashlight, pain throbbing in his temples. “Let me lead and y’all hold to each other and follow.” He waited for them to huddle behind and then turned to search them with the light. “Just shout the directions to me as we go.”
“What are you doing?” Sophia asked with a frown.
“Looking for frying pans and shotguns,” he replied.
Bettye let out a hoot of laughter. “It’s gonna be a good Christmas this year. I just know it.”
SOPHIA HUGGED BETTYE and petted her big hound dog. “Bandit, take good care of Bettye for me, okay?”
The chocolate-colored hunting dog whimpered a reply and then pushed his nose against Bettye’s worn overcoat.
Bettye nodded and kissed Sophia on the cheek. “You’ll be all right, sugar pie.” She sent Adan a stern glance. “I don’t know a thing about a criminal on the loose around here, Mr. Ranger-Man. But this girl means the world to me and she’s been a friend to me since she moved up here a few years ago. Be kind to her.”
“We’d better get back inside,” Sophia said before Adan could form a reply.
Bettye meant well, but she could take care of herself. This man showing up had confused and surprised Sophia even though she should have known someone would find her sooner or later.
“I’ll check on you in the morning,” she told Bettye.
The older woman stood silent and waved, a knowing smile beaming on her withered face. “I’ll be right here, honey.”
Adan said good-night to Bettye, then followed Sophia, his hand on her elbow making her too aware of the fact that he would be in her tiny cabin all night. And making her all too aware that his presence did make her feel safe in spite of her fears.
She didn’t need him or anyone else taking care of her, though. She’d been on her own for so long she wouldn’t know what being taken care of might mean...and she wasn’t even sure she deserved anyone’s attention or concern. She turned and hurried off the porch before Bettye could add any more information.
“Keep your porch light on,” Adan called to Bettye. “Just in case.”
Bettye chuckled and nodded. “I’ll do that, Mr. Ranger-Man.”
Then she shut the door and turned off the light.
As they shuffled through the ankle-deep snow, he turned to Sophia. “So who else lives on this mountain besides two stubborn women?”
Sophia didn’t want to trust this man, but even though he hadn’t