the meantime, the road somehow seemed even darker than it had been moments before, the pavement barely visible, the night closing in around her.
Naturally she’d left her flashlight back in her room, never thinking she’d need it.
She wondered how long it would be before anyone came looking for her.
If they came looking for her.
Either way, she couldn’t stand there forever. There was probably more of a chance she’d encounter a vehicle on the main road than on the one to Sutton Hall. She’d be better off heading back into town and hoping someone passed by.
She was about to start in that direction when lights suddenly swept over her, followed quickly by the sound of an approaching engine. Foreboding prickling the skin at the nape of her neck, she glanced up.
It looked like a car, coming up on the road. She could barely make out its details in the darkness.
She wondered if the driver saw her, if she needed to flag his or her attention....
Or if she even wanted to, she suddenly thought with a trace of nervousness. Maybe it was no coincidence the car had appeared on this lonely stretch of road so soon after hers broke down. Whoever it was, the driver had her all alone out here....
Before she could shake her doubts and decide what to do, the car began to slow as it approached. The driver had clearly spotted her. Or been looking for her, knowing she was likely to be here?
She had no weapon, no way to defend herself—
The car came to a stop beside her. The window slowly rolled down, and even before she bent to peer inside she knew who she’d see.
Adam Sutton looked back at her, one eyebrow raised, his face shadowed in darkness, lit only by the console in front of him. “Problem?”
Don’t you already know? she nearly asked, biting back the words. Whether or not he was responsible, this probably wasn’t the best time to tick him off, not when she was alone and defenseless on the side of the road.
“My car broke down. I’m not sure what’s wrong with it.”
If he was surprised, he didn’t acknowledge it. He simply nodded. “Come on,” he said with a tip of his head. “I’ll give you a ride back. You can call the rental company to come check it out.”
She hesitated just the slightest moment, her suspicions lingering a little too long, asking whether she really wanted to get in that car with him....
But the offer was entirely reasonable, of course. And if he wanted to do something to her, he could have done it here, where he had her alone, under the guise of helping her with the car.
She reached for the door handle, her gaze meeting his.
She saw from the steady frankness in his eyes that he hadn’t missed her pause. He didn’t comment on it, but simply waited.
She wished she could read what lay in those cold black depths.
He didn’t even smile, or try to offer her some reassuring gesture. He simply sat there, waiting.
Doing her best to shake the feeling she was willingly stepping into a trap, she pulled the door open and climbed inside.
Chapter Six
They rode in silence for a few minutes, the quiet lying thick and heavy between them. Adam did his best to keep his eyes on the road and off the maddening woman beside him.
Of course her car would have to break down just before he came along—if that was what had even happened. For all he knew he’d simply caught her when she was up to something out there and she’d used the breakdown as an excuse. He wouldn’t put it past her.
Swallowing a sigh, he grimaced. Damn. The woman had him so turned around he barely knew which way was up.
Jillian cleared her throat gently, an obvious prelude to speaking, and he braced himself. “I didn’t know you’d gone into town,” she said mildly, though he thought he almost detected a hint of accusation in the words.
“No reason you should. I left after you did.”
“What took you into town?”
“Just some errands. What about you?”
She hesitated for a moment before saying, “I stopped by the library to see what I could learn about Sutton Hall.”
He fought the urge to frown. On the one hand it would make sense that she’d be interested in learning more about the place she intended to hold her wedding. On the other, someone with less up-front motives would probably do the same. The fact that she’d chosen to go