if I show up in a convertible, she’ll lose her mind.”
He chuckled, scouting the surrounding area for any threats. “Good. Go. I’ll take care of the ticket and the car.”
“But—” Movement sounded. “I’ve started the spring cleaning, and the place is torn apart in every direction. Even the laundry—and I know not all of those clothes are yours. Zeke keeps dropping stuff off. It looks like a disaster.”
“Perfect,” he said, straightening as Hallie walked out of the clubhouse.
Mrs. Leiton sighed. “Just don’t do anything crazy, okay?”
It was too late for that. “Have a nice trip.” He disengaged the call and watched the city girl look warily around the vacant parking area. Her shoulders were stiff and her fists clenched. Today she wore dark jeans, a blue sweater that matched her eyes, and a silver clip in her hair, keeping tendrils off her pretty face.
Her gaze landed on him, and relief filled them before being quickly banked.
Yeah. Definitely too late.
* * *
Hallie tried to hide her reaction to seeing the big cowboy near the black truck. Then she looked around and really took in her surroundings. The clubhouse and bedrooms were in one building, while huge matching buildings flanked it on either side, making a square-shaped parking area in the middle. Unlike the main building with its many wide windows and sliding glass doors, the metal buildings held normal windows, wide garage doors as well as people-sized doors.
Beyond each structure, fields and hills rolled away to the mountains that rose all around them. The wind picked up and she shivered.
He watched her from beneath his weathered brown cowboy hat, those dark eyes hooded.
They were alone. Completely.
She hesitated and studied the wolf, who had run across the field to sit on the concrete near one of the garage doors the second she’d walked out. He was a real freaking wolf. His thick fur was a myriad of colors—white, gold, black, brown, even red—and his eyes, a deep golden yellow, were focused on her. His muzzle was white, while darker colors spread up between his eyes and flowed throughout his coat. He yawned, revealing shockingly sharp canines. “He’s real,” she whispered.
Trent nodded, surprise lifting his eyebrows. “Yeah. Full-bred wolf—and he rarely comes this close. I think he likes you.”
“How old is he?” She wasn’t sure which looked more dangerous—the wolf or the cowboy.
“Around two, I guess.” Trent moved toward his truck, long and lean with a natural grace. He opened the passenger-side door. “Hop up. Another storm is coming.”
What in the world was she doing? She’d jumped from one disaster to another, and now she was alone with a guy twice her size and a wolf. “I’m not usually so stupid,” she admitted, hesitating.
Trent smiled, the flash of white teeth somehow reassuring. “Hallie? You left stupid behind at the interstate.”
Laughter bubbled out of her before she could stop it.
His smile slid away, leaving an intensity in his gaze that fluttered through her abdomen. “I like your laugh.”
She shifted her stance. “Thanks.” Then she pushed a wayward curl away from her face. “I didn’t mean to go so far from the interstate and am still not sure how I ended up so lost.” The storm had come up suddenly, and visibility had been nil the night before. “I was trying to find a place to pull over for the night.”
He gestured her toward the truck. “I could be wrong, but I’m figuring you were already in a mess before the storm took over.”
Oh, he had no idea. She plastered on a bright smile and strode forward, letting him assist her up into the truck, his easy strength stealing her breath. “Nope. Just heading for a fun girls’ weekend.”
He leaned over her to fasten the seat belt, his elbow brushing her arm. “It’s odd you haven’t tried to call the girls to let them know you aren’t going to make it.” Electricity ran over her skin at his touch, and that scent of male and leather was going to destroy her. He leaned back.
She blinked, affected by his nearness when what she really needed was to keep her wits about her. “I called them after my shower.” Hopefully the service had been restored.
“Huh.” He tugged off his hat and tapped it against his jean-clad thigh, scattering water. Apparently it had been raining earlier. “Darlin’, you’re a crappy liar. Not that you’re crappy and a liar, but that you completely suck at lying. Worst I’ve ever seen, to be honest.”