wanted answers, and he wanted them now.
âDonât lie to me. Under normal circumstances youâd be entitled to your privacy, but right now youâre under my roof for God knows how long.â
âIâm not lying to you.â Her voice was so calm, so even, that he nearly believed her. âIâm sorry if I upset you.â
âWho are you running from, Laura?â
She said nothing, just stared at him with those dark blue eyes. He swore at her, but she didnât flinch. He sprang up to pace the room, but she didnât shudder. Abruptly he dropped down on the bed again and caught her chin in his hand. She went absolutely still. Gabe would have sworn that for an instant she stopped breathing. Though it was ridiculous, he had the odd sensation that she was bracing for a blow.
âI know youâre in trouble. What I want to know is how big. Whoâs after you, and why?â
Again she said nothing, but her hand moved instinctively to protect the child she carried.
Since the baby was obviously the core of the problem, they would begin there. âThe babyâs got a father,â he said slowly. âYou running from him?â
She shook her head.
âThen who?â
âItâs complicated.â
He lifted a brow as he jerked his head toward the window. âWeâve got nothing but time here. This keeps up, it could be a week before the main roads are open.â
âWhen they do, Iâll go. The less you know, the better off weâll both be.â
âThat wonât wash.â He was silent a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. âIt seems to me that the baby is very important to you.â
âNothing is or can be more important.â
âDo you figure the strain youâre carrying around is good for it?â
He saw the regret in her eyes instantly, saw the concern, the almost imperceptible folding into herself. âThere are some things that canât be changed.â She took a long breath. âYou have a right to ask questions.â
âBut you donât intend to answer them.â
âI donât know you. I have to trust you, to a point, because I have no choice. I can only ask you to do the same.â
He moved his hand away from her face. âWhy should I?â
She pressed her lips together. She knew he was right. But sometimes right wasnât enough. âI havenât committed a crime, Iâm not wanted by the law. I have no family, no husband looking for me. Is that enough?â
âNo. Iâll take that much tonight because you need to sleep, but weâll talk in the morning.â
It was a reprieveâa short one, but sheâd learned to be grateful for small things. With a nod, she waited for him to walk to the door. When it shut and the darkness was full again, she lay down. But it was a long, long time before she slept.
***
It was silent, absolutely silent, when Laura woke. She opened her eyes and waited for memory to return. There had been so many rooms, so many places where sheâd slept, that she was used to this confusion upon waking.
She remembered it all . . . Gabriel Bradley, the storm, the cabin, the nightmare. And the sensation of waking in fear to find herself safe, in his arms. Of course, the safety was only temporary, and his arms werenât for her. Sighing, she turned her head to look out the window.
The snow was still falling. It was almost impossible to believe, but she lay and watched it, thinner now, slower, but still steady. There would be no leaving today.
Tucking her hand under her cheek, she continued to watch. It was easy to wish that the snow would never stop and that time would. She could stay here, cocooned, isolated, safe. But time, as the child she carried attested, never stopped. Rising, she opened her suitcase. She would put herself in order before she faced Gabe.
The cabin was empty. She should have felt relieved at that. Instead,
Janwillem van de Wetering