Running for Her Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

head.
    “Tara,” he said, letting her hand go and reaching to brace her arm. “Slow down. You’ve got a head injury.”
    Her steps faltered. “I do?” She reached and patted her head. When she looked at her fingers and saw the blood on them, she turned white, and he was afraid she was going to faint.
    He wrapped an arm around her. She felt fragile and vulnerable, and he wanted five minutes alone with the idiot who’d been too much of a damned coward to stop and help her. He stepped behind her and gently parted her hair. On the back of her skull, almost level with her ear, she had a bump and a small cut. There was quite a bit of blood, but he knew that head wounds bled more than almost any other part of the body. “It looks as if you might have sliced it on a rock. You’re going to be fine,” he said, wanting to reassure her. “The doctor may tell you that you don’t even need stitches.”
    She turned to look at him. Her green eyes were big. “I’m not going to a doctor.”
    “You could have a concussion,” he said. “You should be checked.”
    “No.”
    Hell. Scratch fragile and vulnerable. “Can I at least drive you home so that you can wash the blood off?” Once there, he’d take another look, and if he needed to, he’d throw her in the car and head for the nearest emergency room.
    She swallowed hard. “That would be okay.” She looked at Gordon. “Can we give you a lift?”
    “No, thanks. Can’t stand anything with an engine. Just glad to see you’re okay.” The two men, with Tara between them, walked up the hill. Jake kept his hand just inches away from her elbow, ready to catch her if she faltered.
    Andy stood next to Jake’s car. “Got a hold of Lori Mae. Officers in the surrounding four counties will be looking for the vehicle.” He smiled at Tara. “I guess it’s a good thing Chief Vernelli decided to look for you.”
    Tara stared at him. “Why did you do that?” she asked. Her tone wasn’t as friendly.
    He could hardly tell her that from the moment she’d answered the door last night and tried to rearrange some of his favorite parts with her knee, he’d been thinking about her. That would make him seem like some kind of nut. “I’m a cop. It’s what we do.”
    It took a minute but finally she gave him a halfhearted smile. “I’m sorry,” she said. “We started off on bad footing and I guess I haven’t regained my balance yet.”
    Then they were even. He felt short of breath and a little light-headed himself. He opened the passenger door and motioned for Tara to sit. “Andy, I’ll give Tara a lift home. Go have breakfast with your grandfather.”
    They drove the short distance to her house in silence. He barely had the car stopped before she opened the door and got out. He followed her up the steps and waited while she opened the screen door and unlocked the wooden door.
    She turned. “Thank you.”
    He was being dismissed. And he didn’t like it. She was pale and her hand wasn’t quite steady. “Maybe I should come in. What if you fall over in the shower?”
    “I won’t.”
    Given that he’d already forced his way into her house once, he stepped back and sat down on the cement step. “If you’re not out in fifteen minutes, all bets are off.”
    She chewed on her lower lip. “Fair enough.” She pushed open the door. “Since you’re going to be here and all, could you make sure nobody else comes in while I’m in the shower?” It was an offhand request, made casually. Too casually, perhaps.
    “You’re expecting someone?”
    “No. But once Gordon gets to town, he might tell the story, and it wouldn’t be that odd for someone to come out and check on me.”
    It sort of made sense. But there was something that wasn’t right. “Okay. Nobody gets past me.” He didn’t miss the relief in her eyes before she turned away.

Chapter Four
    Thirteen minutes later, she unlocked the door and came out onto the porch. She was dressed in a blue jean skirt that showed