stroking her back, soothing her. God, it felt good… too good. Crap, she’d just made a fool of herself in front of Fin Hudson again, and now he’d want to know why. She’d managed to avoid talking about the bank incident with him, but could she do the same with this? Maggs doubted it. Findlay Hudson was tenacious.
“Do you think I could pull of a pair off those spandex cycling shorts as well as Mr. Goldhirsh? I’m thinking I could.”
“You don’t have the legs for it. Mr. Goldhirsh is hot,” Maggie said.
“I’m hot!”
“But not in his league.”
Fin sighed, the muscled chest rising and falling beneath her ear. “It’s probably best I don’t. There would likely be a riot as I cycled down the main street. All the women gasping and sighing. I’d be mobbed.”
“That ego of yours is stronger than ever.”
“I always try to be honest.”
It was a silly conversation, but one that gave her time to regroup. Time to breathe easier and steady herself.
“If you believe that’s honesty, we have a problem.”
“You’re a cruel woman, Maggie Winter. A man’s ego is a fragile thing.”
“There is absolutely nothing fragile about you, Findlay Hudson.”
She felt his lips in her hair and closed her eyes. She wanted to stay right here forever. Here she was safe. But she couldn’t.
“I’m all right now, thanks.” She tried to push out of his arms.
“Like hell.” They tightened. “First the bank, and now this. What’s going on, Maggs?”
“I’m okay. It’s passed now, and thank you for that. I—ah, I’m not sure what happened.”
“Don’t lie to me, Maggie.”
“I’m not. Let me go, Fin.” She pushed against his chest, and reluctantly he released her.
“Talk to me. What was that about?”
“Nothing.” She climbed to her feet. Cool air slapped her cheeks as Maggie walked slowly down the road, counting as she drew in a breath, then released it like she’d been taught until she began to feel normal again… whatever the hell her new normal was.
Knowing she couldn’t just keep walking and that he’d be waiting for her to return, she headed back to face the inevitable questions from the sexy park ranger.
What would she say to him? Maggs had hoped coming back here would have stopped the attacks. Stopped the flashbacks. Seemed she was wrong. It had taken the loud boom to set her off, and she was instantly back in that restaurant in London. Why? A gunshot did not sound like a bomb.
Her therapist had said the attacks would just come on her unexpectedly, that something random could trigger them.
“Feeling better?” He leaned against the front fender of her car now, arms crossed, eyes focused intently on her. His hair was ruffling in the breeze, leather jacket open, and beneath he wore a gray wool sweater. His long legs were in faded worn jeans. On his feet were tan lace-up boots.
The man was an absolute magnet for women. They loved his occupation, his looks, his personality, and pretty much everything he was, and she had to say that in this setting with the mountains behind him, he looked good.
“I’m sorry about that, Fin. I’m not sure what happened,” Maggs said. She hated lying, but right now it was her best defense.
“Looked to me like one hell of a panic attack or some kind of flashback.”
“Yeah, weird right?” Maggs smiled, forcing her lips upward. The word flashback sent chills through her. She’d had enough of those to last a lifetime already. “It was the noise. It gave me a surprise is all, Fin. I’m not used to things like that just coming out of the blue.”
“Bullshit. The same thing happened when the robbery started in the bank. Both times were more than a surprise, and you lived in one of the nosiest cities in the word. So don’t give me that BS. Tell me what’s going on, Maggs.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She dug her toes into her boots to stop from taking a step back and away from him. She’d developed a healthy fight or flight streak over the last six months, and right now it was all about flight. In fact, she had the urge to simply hit the road and keep running until she found a nice place to hide. Of course, she loathed exercise, so that wouldn’t happen, and to be honest she’d probably only last about five minutes, as her fitness levels were nonexistent.
“You’ve come back different from the girl who left here two years ago.”
Crap.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m exactly the same.”
“No.