staring out the window at plains. “You can’t always be around.”
He frowned. “I plan on being around until the threat is neutralized.”
“I know you will. But what if something happens to you? What if that bullet had hit you in front of the hotel? I had no way of defending myself.”
Rafe glanced her way. “Do you know how to use a gun?”
She shook her head. “Dad took me to the gun range, once, before I went to college. He offered to buy me a gun, but I didn’t feel comfortable enough to carry one.”
“While we’re out here, I’ll teach you how to use one. You’ll carry it and get to the point you feel better about having it near.”
Her fists clenched. “I hate this. I hate that I’ve lost someone who meant so much to me. A senseless murder. They were after me. Now, I hate that I’m afraid. My daddy taught me to be cautious, not afraid. To be strong, not weak.” She shook her head. “I hate this.”
Rafe reached across the console and took one of her fists in his large hand. “One good thing out of this, is that we’re getting to know each other. We might have made new friends.”
She unclenched her fist and wove her fingers into his. “There is that.”
“We might never have met, otherwise,” he said. “Not that I would’ve wished any of this to happen to you or your roommate.”
She lifted his hand to her cheek, fighting back the ready tears. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t.”
“You probably would’ve kept driving.” He chuckled. “You might have been in Texas by now, instead of Montana.”
She smiled. “Probably. Not that I know anyone in Texas.”
“Your brother is stationed there.”
“Yeah. I guess I was headed that direction. But he wouldn’t have been there.”
“He cared enough to get you the help you needed.” He brought her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “See the mountains ahead?”
She nodded, her gaze taking in the snow-covered peaks ahead.
“Those are the Crazy Mountains,” Rafe said. “That’s where we’re headed.”
“Why are they called the Crazy Mountains?” Briana asked.
“Legend has it that a family of settlers were attacked by Blackfeet in the early eighteen hundreds. After her husband and children were killed, the mother went crazy and ran into the mountains. From that point on, the white settlers, and the Blackfeet, referred to the mountains as the Crazy Woman Mountains. The name has been shortened over time.”
“That’s sad,” Briana murmured. Her heart hurt for the woman who’d witnessed the death of her husband and children. Two days ago, she might not have been able to relate with the woman’s anguish. Having witnessed her roommate’s death, she could understand.
“I think you have a friend in Lucy,” Rafe said.
Briana glanced down at the dog, stirring at her feet. Lucy looked up at her with her big brown-black eyes. “She’s beautiful.”
“Did you have pets growing up?”
“We always had a couple of dogs in the house. They would alternate whose bed they would sleep in. On some nights, they’d sleep with Ryan, on others, with me. My parents were glad they didn’t sleep with them.”
“What kind of dogs were they?”
“We had a pair of miniature Shetland sheepdogs. Shelties.” Briana smiled. “Sam and Trixie. They were with us for most of our young lives. They didn’t pass until I left for college.” She sighed. “I missed them terribly.”
“College kept you busy?”
She nodded. “It was good to be running all the time. When I wasn’t in class or studying, I worked at an ice cream shop part-time for extra spending money.”
“What’s your favorite ice cream?” he asked. “Or did you leave the ice cream business hating ice cream?”
She laughed. “I didn’t eat ice cream for a solid year after I graduated. But I eventually came back to my favorite, Rocky Road. What’s yours?”
“I’m boring. I love vanilla ice cream. But I like a thick hot fudge sauce poured over it.”
“Mmm. You’re making my mouth water.” She looked out at the miles and miles of empty plains. “Do you know if Eagle Rock has an ice cream shop there?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never been to Eagle Rock. I just left the military and was on my way there when I got the call.”
She gave him a grateful smile. “I’m lucky you were as close as you were. I doubt anyone would’ve gotten to me from Montana any sooner.” She shivered. “What I