Guarding the Truth Read online

  So far, so good. At least they were starting to communicate.

  “Do you want to rest a while?” They had been hiking for about an hour, making wide circles around the cabin so they wouldn’t get lost.

  “I’m fine. It’s so nice out here, and I haven’t had the opportunity to romp around in nature since I was a kid.” She paused to turn her face toward him, but seemed to be staring right through him, deep in thought. “My mother took me to the zoo once when I was about five, and we spent the entire day laughing and eating all the junk food we could from vendors while we visited each animal habitat. I haven’t thought about that in years. Where did that come from?”

  Parker felt a sense of sadness roll over him as he watched this sweet woman recall such a wonderful normal childhood experience. One that should’ve been repeated over and over again until it no longer seemed special. Didn’t everyone’s parents take them to the zoo at least a few times a year? “It’s great that you have such vivid memories of your mother. Not everyone who lost a parent so young would be able to recall it so clearly. What was she like?”

  “My mom? She was my best friend. We did everything together. Since she didn’t work and I was an only child, she must have…just played with me. I remember her always being on the floor with her hands on my toys right alongside me.”

  Parker gave her a moment to savor the memories before he reached for her hand and tugged her in a new direction. “Come on. Let’s go this way. I think I recognize this area from Christine’s description. I bet there’s a nice hot spring right over that ridge.”

  Madeline perked up at the idea and allowed him to lead her. At least she isn’t pulling away. It’s a start.

  Sure enough, at the crest of the little hill they found themselves looking down at a vision from heaven. A steamy waterfall flowed seemingly out of a rock into an enticing pool of crystal-clear water.

  “That’s beautiful. Breathtaking. I wish I had a camera.” Madeline stood there, staring at the picture-perfect scene.

  He had the urge to once again hold her, but he didn’t think it would be prudent at the moment. He wasn’t at all sure he could prevent himself from taking it too far and breaking the precarious new relationship they were developing. He needed to be content to hold her hand for now.

  He made a silent vow to himself to show this woman the world and all its beauty over and over again for the rest of his life, if she would have him. Thank God I wasn’t raised in an environment that stifled exploration of nature and ensured a lifetime of offices, stiff acquaintances, and dinner parties.

  Madeline broke the silence. “Can we get in? Do you think it’s too hot?” Her face was radiant. He loved the open-book expression.

  “I’m sure it’s perfect. But it will feel even better later this evening when the air is cool. Right now it’s getting so hot out the water won’t be very refreshing.”

  “True. Can we? I mean…will we get lost out here in the dark?”

  “No. We’ll be fine. I was paying attention. We aren’t far from the cabin. It just seemed like a long way because we’ve been going in circles.” God, she’s beautiful. Now that he could see her, truly look at her, not as a struggling college student but the wealthy heiress she actually was, he was falling for her even harder. She was no longer playing a role. This was the real deal. And he loved the new Madeline Cooper.

  It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known who she was before, but more like Madeline herself hadn’t been in her true form for him to have really seen her as her natural self, wide eyed and full of life. Excited. Fun.

  As he watched her burgeoning excitement, he wanted her, wanted her naked beneath him, wanted to explore her all over again. His lust was evident in the bulge growing beneath the fly of his jeans.

  Parker squelched his desire, setting it on the back burner for later. He was putting off what needed to get done this afternoon, and reluctantly he decided they had to head back to the cabin and get some lunch before launching into what he was sure Madeline would be none too pleased about.

  Chapter Twelve

  Madeline could have stared at the alluring sight before her all day and not gotten bored. The trees were so green, the water so clear, and the rocks looked like they were carved especially for the little pool they were holding. Of course they are, dummy. The water carved them this way over probably thousands of years.

  Parker yanked Madeline from her pondering, pulling on the hand she’d forgotten he’d been holding all this time. It seemed so…right, being with him like this.

  “Let’s go. We can come back tonight. There’s something I want to show you. Teach you, actually, before it gets dark.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll see…”

  Parker didn’t look her in the eye, just started walking, but seemingly unwilling to let go of her hand. She didn’t mind. She would not have wanted him to. But what was he up to? What could he possibly want to teach her that caused him…was it reluctance?

  The walk back to the cabin took mere minutes. Madeline hadn’t realized in the few hours they’d traveled, they’d only gone a few steps from the cabin. Good, it would be easier to find the hot spring later, and she was not about to forget that detail. Would they take off their clothes and skinny dip together? The idea sent a spark up her thighs and made her clench her legs together. It gave her something to look forward to.

  For the last two days, Parker had been a little standoffish. Was he giving her time to adjust to their new personas, or had he lost interest? Maybe he doesn’t even like the real me? But that seemed unlikely. The signs were all there, just mixed with a level of hesitation. Perhaps on her part.

  “Let’s get something to eat, and then I’ll introduce you to a new…sport.”

  What does he have up his sleeve?

  “Okay. But I have to tell you, I don’t enjoy rock climbing or swinging from tree branches. Hiking is kind of my limitation when it comes to the outdoors.” She hated to disappoint him later when he announced whatever he had in mind.

  His laughter reached into her soul and grabbed a hold. Would she ever tire of hearing it? I guess rock climbing and tree swinging are not on the agenda. Either that or he mistakenly believed he could change her mind.

  “Neither of those activities is on today’s docket. But, I’m enjoying the mental image.” He smiled and turned to make them some sandwiches. In a few days these sandwiches were going to get really old. How were they going to replenish supplies? Did he have a plan in mind? Or maybe they weren’t going to stay that long. Even a week would be a long time to camp out with a cooler of food though.

  “Mmm, turkey and cheese,” Parker mumbled around the bite he took while handing Madeline her own sandwich, “I haven’t had this in ages.”

  His humor caused her to giggle and loosen up a bit. She knew she’d been tense. Who wouldn’t have been, though? She’d found out their relationship was essentially a lie on both their parts, and a madman was on the loose attempting to kill her. She was definitely looking forward to a long soothing soak in the hot spring later.

  They made quick work of polishing off another scrumptious outdoor meal on a blanket in the grass, and then Madeline watched as Parker went to the car and returned with a duffle bag. She recognized it as the one and only item they took off with when they fled the apartment four days ago. Had it only been four days? Seemed like longer. So much had happened in that time.

  But what made Madeline pause was she also remembered what was in the bag, weapons. She’d entirely forgotten they had them. What were they going to do with them now? And why did they need to be removed from the safety of the car? They had been fine resting in the back of the Jeep. No need to disturb their slumber.

  “Madeline, have you ever fired a weapon?”

  “No. And I don’t ever intend to, either.” She was frozen in her spot where she had been lounging rather comfortably in the shade. Her comfort level altered drastically at what Parker had in mind for their next outdoor activity. Suddenl
y rock climbing and tree swinging didn’t seem nearly as offensive. She could use more exercise, right?

  Parker plopped the offensive duffle on the blanket, precariously too close to Madeline for her own peace of mind. And to make matters worse, he opened the bag and carefully removed several black implements of destruction. She didn’t know anything about guns, but she assumed the two small ones were handguns and the larger one was some sort of military rifle. She cringed and scooted back a few inches on the blanket. He’s not going to get me to touch one of those things.

  “Relax, they aren’t loaded right now. I want you to learn how to use a gun and keep it with you, just in case.” He must have seen her look of horror. She could feel her face reddening and her head shaking back and forth.

  “Madeline, once you get familiar with a gun, it won’t seem so daunting. Please give it a try. I’ll feel so much better when I know you can protect yourself, even when I’m not around.”

  “How about instead, you just stay around.”

  He laughed, low and soft. “I wish I could be next to you at all times. That certainly would not offend my sensibilities, but the reality is there will be times when we wander away from each other. I’ll sleep better knowing you can protect yourself.”

  She was still shaking her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s a good idea. What if I shoot myself or you? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got shot by some madman because I was remiss in teaching you how to defend yourself.” He paused and slowly reached for her. “Please, trust me. I would never let you get hurt. Not willingly. You will be safe if it’s the last thing I do on this earth. Will you at least give it a shot… I mean, try?”

  Parker pulled Madeline over to his side and then around in front of him to set her down between his legs on the blanket. His warmth seeped into her body, his pecs and six pack against her back distracting her from the objective. Couldn’t he just wrap his arms around her and start kissing her neck instead of performing a weapon’s demonstration?

  He reached for one of the small handguns and held it up in front of her line of sight.

  “This is a .38 Special. It’s a six-shot revolver. Relatively easy to use. Here, hold it. Don’t worry. Like I said, it’s not loaded.”

  Madeline tentatively stretched her hand out to touch the detestable deathtrap as though reaching to pet a rattlesnake. She half expected it to bite her. It wasn’t realistic, but nevertheless, she’d never seen one so close, and heck, they were only used for killing.

  Parker didn’t let her hesitance get a grip. He set the gun in her hand and pulled his back. It was not as heavy as she’d expected and she breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t died on the spot.

  As if reading her mind, he began, “This particular revolver isn’t very heavy at all, contrary to what some imagine. Just hold it for a minute. It won’t bite. Turn it over. Get a feel for it. It’s often a handgun of choice for first time users. It fires very accurately with very little recoil.”

  Madeline could tell he was patiently waiting for her to familiarize herself with the gun before proceeding. His patience with her was, as usual, remarkable. Instead, all she could think about was his breath on her cheek, in her ear. If she turned her face toward him, would he take her lips? There were only a few centimeters between them.

  “Madeline?”

  “I don’t think I can…” Can’t what, Madeline? Touch an inanimate object? Buck up a bit. Your life is at stake. There was no good reason for her to let the bad guy have the upper hand. Clearly he knew how to fire a weapon. Why wait around for him to kill her?

  She took a deep breath and examined the little revolver, flipping it over a few times, but still holding it at arm’s length. She was not unaware that a loving, protective, warm body was wrapped around her. His hands were on her forearms, his chest against her back, his penis pressed into her butt. Madeline Cooper, how can you possibly turn this very serious situation into something sexual? Have you gone mad?

  As if sensing her thoughts again, Parker rubbed his hands up and down her arms. An act that should’ve warmed her, but gave her chills instead. He leaned into her a little more than necessary and covered her hands with his over the detestable gun.

  “Let me show you how it works,” he mumbled into her ear. His breath was warm and pleasant again on her neck and shoulder.

  Sweat ran down between her breasts into the V of her thin T-shirt. He’d done an unbelievable job selecting things in her size, items he must have at least put some thought into seeing her in. This particular shirt for instance. To some it would look like any old shirt, but Madeline knew it was not the case. It was thin and snug, and the neckline was perfectly sexy for her figure. Made for her.

  “Are you listening?” Had he been speaking? She wasn’t sure. How long had she let her thoughts wander, wrapping themselves around this thoroughly sensual activity. Regardless of the object in her hand.

  “I’m sorry. My mind wandered, I guess. Did you say something?”

  “I was saying,” Oh, he knew he was too close to her, speaking too softly, blowing too often in her ear. There was no doubt, “the chamber opens like this…”

  Parker pushed the cylinder latch to open the chamber, and suddenly several holes were revealed, presumably where the bullets would be placed.

  “Now you try,” he pulled back, “familiarize yourself with opening and closing the chamber.”

  Madeline held her breath and did as he instructed.

  “Good.” He seemed pleased with her first attempt. She considered sabotaging the lesson and fumbling a little too much with the gun to prolong his lingering behind her. It was so pleasant having him in that position. It had been days since they had been this close.

  Sure, he’d comforted her and held her a few times and even at night, but not in this sexual way, not so close that she wanted him deep in her soul. Not since that fateful morning when the two had been yanked from their respective fake lives and thrust into the unknown.

  Suddenly Madeline felt the incredible weight of the implication of his presence in her life. This man has given up everything for you. He traipsed across the country to keep you safe and sound. And still he’s here.

  Without further thought, Madeline set the gun down in front of her, turned in the warm embrace of her rescuer, and placed her palms on his cheeks to get his attention. “Thank you.”

  He looked startled. “For what?”

  “For taking such care of me. For rescuing me. For risking everything to save my life.”

  Parker gently placed his lips on hers for the briefest of kisses, feather light. “Any time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you mean a lot to me. I never want you to hurt like you have in the past.”

  “Well…thank you anyway. You didn’t have to do this. It means a lot to me. No one has ever… I mean, except of course for my father, no has ever…”

  “Cared?”

  “Yes,” she uttered quietly, averting her eyes from his penetrating stare.

  “Well, someone cares now. And that someone will always be there for you. Now let’s get back to the revolver, shall we? I like my women safe and self-sufficient.” He tried to sound lighter, more jovial, she was sure, but the effect was more endearing than anything else.

  To lighten the mood and join the banter, she played into his choice of words. “Women? How many are there? And how, pray tell, have you had time for others when I’m such a handful?”

  Another hearty chuckle followed. “Baby, you’re stalling.” He picked up the gun and placed it once again in her unwilling hands.

  “As I was saying, this chamber holds six rounds, so keep that in mind if you ever need to use it. A mental tally will keep you from being surprised to find out you’re out of ammunition. Always make sure you have a good shot before wasting a round, and Madeline, in this case, aim to kill. This isn’t a situation where I would rec
ommend maiming someone. This man means to kill you, and if he has an opportunity, he won’t hesitate to take it, even if you’ve already shot him.”

  “I don’t think I can, Parker. This is…so not in my nature. You’re asking me to shoot at another human being—”

  “Yes, one who has already shot at you. Have you forgotten?” She turned once more, enough to look him in the eyes. What she saw was dead seriousness. This was not a laughing matter. It was a matter of life or death, and Parker had no intention of her falling prey to the latter.

  “Okay. I get it. How do I use this thing?” She took a deep breath.

  He smiled. “Finally, some sense. Let’s go.” He stood and pulled her up with him, reaching for the gun resting in her palms.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To practice.”

  Shit. I was afraid of that.

  “Great. My idea of afternoon entertainment. Won’t the noise draw attention to us? What if we accidentally shoot someone, a hunter or something, out here?” A girl can try, right?

  “Nice try, sweetheart, but there isn’t a living being around here for so many miles that absolutely no one will hear the shot, let alone become the recipient of a deadly wound. Let’s do this before the sun dips too low to see our target.”

  “What target? Did you bring a target?”

  He chuckled again. “It was a figure of speech. Lighten up. I’ll pick something in the distance, and you’ll aim to kill it, so to speak.”

  “Oh, no. You wouldn’t mean to have me shoot an animal or something, would you?” The thought was so appalling that she momentarily decided she must have seriously misjudged this man.

  “Of course not. I’m talking about a tree, a stump, a branch, anything. Just something to take aim at.” He grabbed her arm and tugged her reluctant body along behind his.

  When they were a few yards away from the little cabin, Parker pulled some bullets out of his pocket and flipped open the chamber on the revolver. “I’ll load it for you. You shouldn’t have any occasion to need to reload, so I won’t burden you with that step.”