The Search The Secrets of Crittenden Cou - By Shelley Shepard Gray Page 0,62

rest. I’ll see you when you wake up. Perhaps then you would like some soup? I can keep it warm for you.”

That half-smile appeared again. “Look at you, Beth. You really are turning into quite the innkeeper.”

“All I’m doing is offering soup, and anyone can open up a jar. Frannie canned at least two dozen jars of chicken noodle soup this past summer. It’s good, I promise, and it will be sure to make you feel better.”

For a moment, something soft and sweet appeared in his eyes. Then he shook his head. “I won’t be able to stay for soup, Beth.”

“Pardon me?” Surely she’d heard him wrong?

With a wince, he moved and pulled himself up to a sitting position. Looked at her directly. “Beth, in a few hours, I’ll be gone. The only reason I haven’t left yet is because my partner wants to pick me up. There’s a lot that needs to be done and I’m going to need some support.”

“You’re not going to stop and rest? Chris, you’re hurt.”

“I can’t, Beth. It’s important that I do my job.”

She could understand that. Though it wasn’t quite the same, she’d watched children even when she was tired or under the weather.

He winked. “And before you give me any advice, you should know my partner doesn’t put up with much foolishness. If she doesn’t think I can work by her side, she’ll let me know.”

Her? “Your partner? She is a girl?”

“A woman, not a girl,” he replied with a wry grin. “Taylor would have my head if she heard I was referring to her as a girl.”

Beth couldn’t begin to understand the innuendo. “But you are hurt, Chris.”

“Not too bad.” He sobered. “But even if I was, it’s clear that I can’t stay here in Crittenden County any longer.”

“Why not? Surely a day or two won’t make a difference.”

“It’s going to make all the difference. It’s not safe for me or anyone here. I got the names of the men Perry reported to, and some of the details about their base of operations. But doing so cost a lot to the investigation.” His eyes turned haunted when he exhaled, then spoke again. “It’s almost a certainty that my cover is blown.”

“But where will you go?” At the moment, she didn’t care about her safety, only about his.

And perhaps about something else, too. There was something about him that had her heart and she wasn’t ready to either analyze it or to let him go. All she wanted was to enjoy his company just a little bit longer.

“I’ll head on home for a little bit. Then I’ll get reassigned.” Lying back down, he added, “That’s the usual thing that happens.”

“Where is your home? I don’t even know.”

Instead of answering her, he merely stared at her. Silently begging her not to ask anything else.

Though she knew he was only doing what his job required of him. Though she knew he was keeping a careful distance between them, as was proper, she felt betrayed. Just yesterday, she’d thought there had been something special between them. “But Chris—”

“It’s what has to happen, Beth.” He paused, then said, almost grudgingly, “You had to know that there could never be anything between us. It wasn’t possible.”

Instead of making her feel worse—knowing he, too, had felt their curious connection—his words made her feel braver. “Where is home? You never told me.”

“I know.”

After a moment, she realized he wasn’t going to tell her. He wasn’t going to tell her more about himself, or about his past. He wasn’t going to let her get to know him better.

Carefully, she gazed at him, trying to catalog every scar and mark and detail of him into her memory. “Is Chris even your real name?”

He swallowed. “Yeah. Chris is.”

But he didn’t say that his last name really was Ellis.

“I’m sorry, Beth. I know you don’t understand any of this. But I promise I didn’t intend to hurt you. I tried to stay away from you.”

“Is that what you usually do? Stay to yourself? Stay private?”

“It’s easier that way.” He lay back down with a wince. And Beth knew he wasn’t going to be able to continue their conversation much longer. He was in pain and exhausted.

And her questions and worry weren’t helping him. If anything, she was making things worse.

But sometimes a woman’s heart and brain didn’t work in sync. “Chris, do you think I’ll ever see you again? Do you think we’ll ever talk again?” Even as she heard the whine, the