more than ready to go home and put her feet up. As she pulled into her driveway and climbed out of her Maxima, she had the odd sensation of being watched. Glancing around at the thick trees, she shook it off. She was just tired from not sleeping well the past couple of nights and the crazy interaction with Zane and Cruz last night. She gripped the pepper spray on her keychain more tightly.
Her small cabin didn’t have a garage, and she sure wished for one in the cold, snowy winter. Right now, she wished she could’ve driven into the garage and not had to walk from her car feeling like there were eyes on her back. She had the awful feeling of being a target.
All but running up her porch steps, she typed in the code on the deadbolt with trembling fingers, rushed into the house, and slammed the door. She checked all the deadbolts and checked that all the windows were closed, and then she cursed herself for being a scared little filly. She wasn’t like that. She’d lived alone for years and often worked odd hours while making treats at her shop by herself. She’d never been scared before, but the kidnapping last month had definitely given her a different perspective on her formerly safe valley. Devon was here watching over all of them now. She had to remember that. Cruz would watch over her too if she wanted.
She shook that off and started rummaging through the fridge for something to cook for dinner. If only Cruz were coming for dinner. She saw the takeout containers from last night and slowly pulled them out. She might as well eat them, but it was nowhere near as fun to eat them alone—without Cruz. She wished she’d at least heard from him today.
Movement by a window caught her attention. She glanced up and screamed out. A man stood looking in her window. He grinned back at her, and she recognized him as Josh, the guy who’d worked for Cruz. What was he doing here? He’d brought her home the night of Cruz’s barbecue, so she supposed it was her fault that he knew where she lived. It was more than a little creepy to have him just show up and stand at the window staring in. Maybe she was still just cautious after the kidnapping, but she thought it was more than that.
He gestured to the door and gave her a thumbs up.
Meredith walked on unsteady legs to the front door. Her front door was wood and glass, so she was facing Josh’s smiling face. It would be rude and awkward to not open the door, but she didn’t want to. She undid the deadbolt, staring at her fingers that were trembling. What was she doing? Josh hadn’t seemed like a bad guy to her, but he’d quit his job because Cruz told him to stay away from her. It seemed extreme that he would quit his job to try and be with her. She was uncomfortable right now.
Slowly turning the knob, she cracked the door but held on to it, hoping he’d catch the hint that she wasn’t inviting him in. She felt more confident knowing she could shut it easily if he made one wrong move. “Hey,” she said quietly.
“Hey!” He smiled. “You okay? Can I come in?” He gestured his hand inside, and his smile wavered as she kept staring at him through the crack in the door. “Or you could come out here, and we could sit on the porch?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted.”
“Oh. Okay. Could I take you out tomorrow night? Or maybe we could go on a hike in the morning or something?”
Meredith drew in a breath and studied his brown eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Why not?” His brow furrowed, and his eyes narrowed.
Meredith prayed for strength. How did she tell him he could never compete with Cruz, and even if she never had a chance with Cruz, she didn’t want to go out with someone else and waste that person’s time? Cruz was the man for her, and until he realized it and admitted it, no one else would do.
“Mer …” He seemed to take her lack of response as permission to bear his heart. His voice got deep and gravelly, and his eyes were beseeching. “You’re honestly the most beautiful woman to me. I don’t want to come across as the