Lucille has a backseat, he told her as he pulled a folding knife from his pocket and set to work opening the box. Maybe its more of a bench than a real seat, but this child-size car seat will fit just fine.
Lucille? Your truck has a name? Shed never met anyone whod named their vehicle. It seemed a little eccentric for such a take-charge
was raised in south Texas, near the town of Zavala Springs. I was headed back thereto my grandfathers funeral.
Oh. Im sorry to hear that. So that was what the sadness in his voice had been all about. Shed known it must be something bad. But Jimmy and I dont want to intrude on your familys time of sorrow. And, anyway, just going off with you doesnt solve the real problem. Eventually Ill have to face Ramzi again. Jimmy is his son, and the two of us will never be safe until the U.S. government gives us their protection under the law.
Josh gave her a look that said, Too late. The decision has been made. Then he turned the truck at the next corner and headed up the on-ramp to Interstate 610 West.
You got any better ideas, speak up. He was focused on the highway ahead, chin set. My brother and sister will be at the funeral, and theyve both got good contacts. My brother even works for the feds. Maybe one of the two of them will have an idea of how you can set yourself free of the mess youve managed to make.
Clare opened her mouth to utter a smart retort to his zinger, but fortunately remembered in time that she and Jimmy really were in a huge mess. She slammed her lips shut before saying something that would put her into even deeper trouble. At least she wasnt so panicked anymore. Folding her arms across her chest, Clare decided to sit back and fume instead.
He was right. There was no choice.
Josh wasnt quite sure why hed been so rude. Clare had enough trouble in her life right now; she didnt need him snapping at her, too. But shed been looking at him with an expression on her face that said she thought he was some kind of hero. He was no herofar from it. So hed decided to show her exactly how unheroic he could be.
Smart as hell, Ryan. Nice work. As usual.
It wasnt as if he didnt like her or didnt have a high opinion of what shed done so far. He did. Finding a way to get her and Jimmy out of a tradition-bound and male-dominated foreign country, and then managing to protect her child through all kinds of dangers, was admirable. Obviously she had a mother tigers instincts. This was no fainting flower of a woman. Tough and determined, she was a fighter, and how he would dearly love to have her go a few rounds with him.
All of a sudden his thoughts began stirring emotions inside him that made him cower. Things that felt so strong, hed never experienced anything like them before. Prickling and gut-wrenching, they nearly brought tears to his eyes. The simple truth was, he wanted his own family. Badly, damn it. Life was unfair. At least, his life.
But before he could stem the unwanted emotions and shove them back down where they wouldnt get in his way, he found himself angry all over again. And since it had been his admiration of Clare that had started stirring the whirlwind of emotion in his gut, she was bound to be the object of his anger.
Crap. He hadnt wanted things to go down this way. Josh had never imagined, when he saved them, that he would get stuck with the two runaways. At first hed had no intention of taking Clare and Jimmy with him anywhere, and the idea of bringing them along to Zavala Springs had been the furthest thing from his mind. After all, he barely wanted to go back there to face the past himself. He sure as hell didnt want to drag her and the baby along to mingle with his old ghosts, too. No way would he take a chance of her finding out about his familys bizarre history.
But what was he supposed to do with them? He couldnt just dump a woman and a baby by the side of the road. Certainly not this woman and child. So he bit back his temper once again and stepped down on the gas pedal.
Clare made a little snuffling noise and he shot a furious glance in her direction. Her arms were hugging her chest and those fancy, full lips of hers were all stuck out in a huff. Shoot. Another more urgent and surprising sizzle of awareness clipped him in the gut without warning.
Suddenly the urge to kiss her senseless swamped him with such a need that he wasnt sure he could tame it. Danged woman! This kind of aggravation was more than he could stand at the moment. How had his life taken such a drastic turn in only a few short hours?
Gritting his teeth and forcing his gaze back out the windshield where it belonged, Josh noticed that the lavender and gray tones of the coming dawn had begun to lighten the morning sky and give shape to their surroundings. A new day had begun over southeast Texas. Breathe, he admonished himself. Just breathe in and out, enjoy the scenery and stay calm. For sure he wasnt going to tell her too much about his family, and she wouldnt be in Zavala Springs long enough to find out on her own. So just roll with it.