churned at what suddenly felt like a ride on a runaway roller coaster. She hadn’t expected to find a potential new home so soon. If she were honest, she’d hoped it would take a while, time during which she could prepare herself for living alone again. Having to face that less than an hour after arriving in Blue Falls hadn’t remotely been part of her plan.
Leah knew she should be thankful, should take this as a sign that her decision to move to Blue Falls was the right one. Besides, there was no guarantee waiting longer would make the transition any easier. And the truth was that even if Conner’s place wasn’t currently uninhabitable, it was too small for two people who weren’t a couple and didn’t mind the close quarters.
“Tyler said he wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours, so what do you say we go grab something to eat?”
Leah didn’t feel much like eating, but what else was she going to do to pass the time? Attempting to eat and talking with her cousin sure sounded better than sitting around waiting and allowing her anxiety to grow.
“You can’t beat that for timing,” Conner said as they headed down the street to the Primrose Café. “And Tyler’s a good guy.”
But a guy nonetheless.
Not wanting to appear ungrateful for Conner’s understanding and willingness to jump right in to help her, she gave him a smile. “Thank you.”
“That’s what awesome cousins are for.”
Her smile grew into a genuine one. She appreciated his levity.
Somehow she made it through the meal, managing to say the appropriate things at the appropriate times, both to Conner and all the friendly locals. By the time Conner had to head back to work, she was thankful for the blessed quiet of her car. When she slipped into the driver’s seat, she simply sat for several minutes, watching the comings and goings of the people who were going to be her new neighbors.
Using her phone, she pulled up a map of Tyler Lowe’s address. Conner had told her the bunkhouse wasn’t far from Lowe’s house. He’d shared that fact in a tone that meant he thought that would assure her, but once again her stomach twisted into knots.
Lowe’s ranch was a few miles out of town. Sure, she’d wanted peace and quiet, but would being out that far alone be even more frightening than what she’d left behind? If someone attacked her there, would there be anyone close by to hear her scream?
She shook her head, telling herself for the umpteenth time that just because she’d been attacked once didn’t mean it would ever happen again. Realistically, it probably meant the chances were less than they’d been initially. Plus, if there were fewer people around, didn’t that mean there was less of a chance that one of them would be the type to attack her in the first place?
The what-if game could drive her mad if she let it, so she gave herself a mental smack and looked in the rearview mirror. She smoothed her hair and made sure she didn’t look like death. She needed to convey “I’m a responsible adult who pays her rent on time.”
At least she hoped she could pay her rent on time. Thus, the need for getting her mind off what had happened and back on work. On finding her creative spirit again.
She paused with her hand clasping the keys in her ignition and took a slow, deep, calming breath before she ventured toward a new part of her life. On her way to her destination, she ran positive thoughts through her head. She would love this new place. She could afford it. She would feel safe and refreshed, inspired to create even more beautiful jewelry to sell in retail shops and online. It would feel like home.
When she reached the mailbox with the appropriate address, she turned off the highway onto a gravel drive that curved a couple of times before revealing a modest-sized house that had a few decades on it. Beyond it sat a barn and another structure that looked like a small wooden house with a low porch running the length of the front. That must be the bunkhouse, she guessed.
She talked down the part of her that wanted to turn around and retreat back to the safety of Conner’s presence. Common sense prevailed as she spotted a dark blue pickup truck parked in the shade, telling her that Tyler Lowe was most likely inside one of the buildings. When anxiety tried tying her insides in knots again, she reminded herself that Conner had told her Lowe was a good man. She had to trust that her cousin would never put her in harm’s way, especially not after she’d told him what had driven her to Blue Falls in the first place.
Of course, she hadn’t told him everything. She didn’t plan to ever share that with anyone she didn’t have to in order to make sure her attacker stayed in jail for as long as possible. Reliving those horrible minutes made her skin crawl.
Rallying the friendly personality that had been second nature to her before the attack, she slipped out of her car and went in search of Tyler Lowe. Her first instinct would be to approach the house, but a metallic banging drew her to the barn instead. As she crossed the space between where she’d parked and the barn entrance, the sound stopped. Her nerves started firing again, more so with each step she took toward the barn. What if Conner was wrong about Lowe?
Stop it!
Common sense told her that not all men were the type who’d attack a woman. After all, she’d gone more than twenty-nine years without being assaulted by any man whose path she crossed. She’d simply become the unlucky victim in the statistics game.
Leah approached the open barn door, determined to greet Tyler Lowe with her friendliest smile. She hadn’t counted on nearly colliding with a giant.
Her feet slipped on the gravel at the same time she gasped at the size of the man who’d stepped out of the barn. He reached toward her, probably to keep her from falling, but the gesture sent warning bells to clanging in her head and she managed to evade his touch. She took a couple of steps back as she righted herself.
“Sorry,” he said in a deep voice that matched his impressive height and solid build. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
After a couple of moments in which Leah fought hard against the visceral need to spin around and race toward her car, she somehow managed to wave off his concern. “It’s okay. I... I’m looking for Tyler Lowe.”
“You found him. Leah Murphy?”
She nodded, trying not to think about how the man in front of her was easily twice her size, maybe more, and could crush her without breaking a sweat.
He extended his hand and smiled. “Conner said you’d be coming by. Nice to meet you.”
Even though his smile seemed genuine, not the evil type her attacker had worn, it was all she could do to force her own hand toward his for a shake. The moment his big, undeniably strong hand wrapped around her much smaller one, panic exploded inside her. What if he didn’t let her go?
But after a quick shake, he thankfully released her. Judging by the curious look he gave her, she wouldn’t be surprised if he thought her a complete lunatic. She needed to pull herself together if she wanted to even have the choice of whether to rent this place.
“You, too,” she finally said.
“Come on,” he said with a nod to his right. “I’ll show you the place. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s in good physical shape. Has lots of space.”
When Lowe started walking along the gravel drive that led past the barn, her brain didn’t seem to want to send the appropriate message to her feet to follow him. Before he noticed her hesitation, she hurried to catch up. Of course, that was easier said than done considering his long legs easily outpaced hers without him even seeming to try.
As she tried to close the distance between them, she noticed just how wide his shoulders were, how solidly built he seemed to be. His tanned arms were no doubt strong if the cut of the muscles were any indication. His worn jeans clung to obviously muscled thighs and, she had to admit, a nicely made backside. Even with her nerves doing their best to overwhelm her, she still wasn’t blind to the fact that Tyler Lowe was a finely made man not much older than her, if she was guessing correctly. There was no hint