Conceal, Protect - By Carol Ericson Page 0,20
and decided to stick around.”
She dug in her heels. “Where’s your family?”
“My parents are at their ranch in Texas. I have a couple of sisters who are busy getting on with their own lives.” He rinsed his cup and put the dishes in the dish drainer on the counter. “I’m wandering right now, Noelle. I want the freedom to pack up and leave whenever I want. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Me?” She ran her hands across her face, smoothing out the lines. “Not at all. Just give me a little notice before you pack up and leave.”
“Will do.”
She hopped off the stool to extinguish the disappointment that flared in her gut. Why should it surprise her that J.D. had plans to move on? “I’m gonna hit that shower now.” He tossed a dish towel onto the counter, snagged his backpack and strolled toward the front door.
She followed him and watched him cross the yard to the guesthouse, his long, confident stride eating up the ground beneath him. She didn’t expect him to settle in the guesthouse forever, but if he wanted to stay there until she felt safe, she wouldn’t mind that one bit.
* * *
J.D. FLICKED THE disabled spy camera he’d uncovered last night into an ashtray next to the one Noelle had found.
While Noelle had slept, he’d searched the rest of the house, but Zendaris seemed to have been satisfied outfitting just Noelle’s bedroom and her living room. What the hell did Zendaris think Noelle knew about Abby and where she’d hidden the plans for the anti-drone?
What did Prospero think she knew?
They were both wrong. She didn’t know anything. She still believed this harassment had something to do with her husband’s murder, not even connecting it to the disappearance of her roommate.
What had the D.C. cops told Noelle about Abby, anyway? He knew they hadn’t made a big deal out of it. Maybe that’s why Noelle hadn’t mentioned it to him yet. But then, she kept things zipped up.
After opening up about her husband, she’d stacked up her defenses again. She ran hot and cold. When she got the sense she’d told him too much, she’d shut down. Then she’d turned the questioning on him.
He didn’t mind. He had his story down—half-truths made it sound more believable. His sisters were getting on with their lives all right, but they were dragging him along with them by sending him pictures of their kids every two minutes. His parents were on the ranch, but they were joining his sisters every five minutes, begging him to come back to the ranch for a visit.
He couldn’t allow Noelle to see his phone or she’d wonder what the hell he was doing hanging out in a town where he didn’t know anyone except her when his family back in Texas was begging him to check in for a visit. Ever since his fiancée had dumped him, his sisters had been busy trying to set him up.
He didn’t need setting up. He could find his own woman.
Thirty minutes later, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, he clapped his hat on his head and sauntered into the yard. He spotted Noelle sitting on the porch railing, swinging one booted foot.
He cupped one hand around his mouth and yelled, “Be careful. That thing might collapse beneath you.”
She scooted off and landed on the dirt, pulling an oversize bag with her. “I think I found the one stable spot.” She tapped her head. “The hat looks new.”
J.D. ran his hands along the brim. He hadn’t had time to head home and pack clothes more appropriate for a ranch than the big city, so he’d picked up a few things to look the part. “Didn’t have much use for a cowboy hat in Iraq.”
“I wouldn’t think so. Did the shower and—” she waved her hand up and down his body “—everything else work okay?”
“Warm water and everything.”
“Where’s your truck? I didn’t even notice last night that it wasn’t inside the gates.”
“When I saw your brother heading onto your land last night, I pulled my truck over outside your gates so I could take him by surprise.”
“Well, you did that.”
He chuckled at the memory. He’d wondered why he was able to take down one of Zendaris’s guys so easily. “I did not break his nose.”
“Ted tends to get overly dramatic. He’s a great actor.” Her shoulder jostled against his as they walked out to his truck, and she took a step away from him.
“What’s his story?” He