Settling an Old Score - Delores Fossen Page 0,22

him when he went in to start the official interview.

Eli was about to congratulate Ashlyn for how well she’d held up through that barrage Dominick had doled out to her, but when he felt her shaking, he cursed. Obviously, talking with the idiot had gotten to her after all, because she was pale, too.

“I can’t lose Cora,” she muttered. “I just can’t.” And he got the feeling she wasn’t just talking about the danger from an attack but also the threat that Dominick could pose.

She went in the direction of the break room but then stopped and ducked into the observation room instead. “I just need a minute to steady myself,” she said, her voice suddenly as unsteady as the rest of her.

Eli went in with her. “Don’t let him get to you like that.”

It was lousy advice, like telling someone not to blink if they heard a loud noise. Ashlyn’s fears and concerns were natural, and there wasn’t anything he could say to her to soothe that. But apparently his stupid body thought there was something he could do in the soothing department, because Eli put his arms around her and eased her to him.

Eli expected her to push him away. She didn’t. He expected himself to put a quick end to the hug and curse himself for doing it.

He didn’t.

There was some cursing himself involved, but his arms stayed firmly planted around her. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kellan start the interview with Dominick, and Eli considered turning on the audio so he could hear. However, he nixed that idea since he figured it would only add to Ashlyn’s shakiness. He’d listen to the recording of the interview once he had Ashlyn and the baby back at the ranch. That way, it would give his own temper a chance to cool down.

“I’m not usually this shaky.” Her voice was a whisper. A breathy one. It hit against his neck.

“I’m betting you don’t usually have someone kidnap your baby and then try to kill you.”

Now he cursed again. And winced. Because obviously someone had tried to kill her in that alley the night Marta had died. Eli braced himself for her to verbally blast him for that, but when she pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, there was no blasting involved.

Hell.

There was plenty of heat, though. It was masked a little behind her worried and somewhat confused expression, but it was there. And for one bad moment, he got a flashback. Not the kind that came from being a lawman. This one was of her nearly naked and cuddled up with him on the seat of his truck.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice still a whisper. Yeah, the breath was there, too, but this time it landed against his mouth. She noticed it, too, because she pulled back even farther. “Sorry. Sometimes I forget why that’s a bad idea. Then I get an old picture of us in my head, and I remember.”

“In a memory contest, I bet I would win.”

Of course, the moment the words came out, he wanted to hit himself, but he decided just to own the stupid remark. Eli gave her as much of a smile as he could manage. It wasn’t a good one, but it seemed to be enough to stop her from trembling. It even gave her a little bit of color in her cheeks.

“Thanks,” she repeated, but this time her tone had something they both wanted. Awkwardness. It was a hell of a lot better than his remembering how she looked naked.

Or wanting to kiss her.

Ashlyn dragged in a deep breath, pulled back her shoulders. “So, was Dominick trying to muddy things by bringing up Leon and Oscar?”

It was a good question, the right one to diffuse this restless energy between them, and it helped Eli get his thoughts back where they belonged. “Maybe. I’ll talk to the warden at the prison and see what I can find out. Unless Leon’s come into some money lately like Remy, then he hasn’t got the funds to hire two guns. I don’t know anything about Oscar—yet.”

And speaking of Remy, that was Eli’s cue to see if the man had arrived yet. That would also put some distance between Ashlyn and him. “I need to talk to Owen. After that, Gunnar and I can drive Cora and you back to the ranch.”

She glanced at Dominick, who appeared to be in the same riled mood he was when Ashlyn was in