Ranch Hideout. Sandra Robbins
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friendly manner wasn’t at all what he’d expected, though. He’d expected to find a person who was private and suspicious. Most people in her position would react that way, but not Liz. Maybe the way they’d met, with him saving her, had been the key to allaying her suspicions. That was promising, since he needed her to trust him.
These thoughts were still running through his head when the ranch came into sight. She pulled up beside the house, and he pulled up behind her. Before he could step from the car, she was already hurrying toward the front of the house.
“Thanks again for your help. I really appreciate it,” she called out to him.
“Wait!” he yelled as he jumped from the car. He caught up to her at the bottom of the porch steps. “Liz, I’d like to—”
Before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted him. “I hope you enjoy your stay at Little Pigeon. Dean has all kinds of activities planned for his guests. There’s a schedule in the office, and you can sign up for whatever interests you.”
“I’m not much into planned excursions. I like to explore on my own, but I’ll take a look.” He paused for a moment before he continued. “Maybe you’d like to show me around the area. We could go for a ride.”
Her forehead wrinkled as she studied his face. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “I stay busy. Don’t have much leisure time. This afternoon was the first time I’ve been able to get away all week.”
He nodded. “I understand, but I’ll check with you and see.”
“Okay.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to go now. I told Gwen I’d help with dinner for the guests, and I’m running late.”
“Then go on,” he said. “I’m eating in the dining room tonight, so I’ll see you then.”
A shaky smile pulled at her mouth. “We’ll see.” She backed away a few steps. “It was nice meeting you, Gabriel. I’ll see you later.”
“Nice meeting you, too, Liz.”
She didn’t say anything else, and he watched as she climbed the steps to the porch. Her demeanor had changed dramatically on the way back from town. She’d seemed more closed off once they’d gotten back to the ranch. It was almost as if the girl with the smiling eyes he encountered in the movie parking lot had disappeared and been replaced with a skittish woman who wasn’t quite sure about the stranger she’d met.
He narrowed his eyes and wondered if he had come on too strong for their first meeting. Maybe the best thing to do would be to give her some time for a day or two to get used to his presence here. Once she became accustomed to seeing him in the dining room and around the barn, she might feel more at ease with him. The last thing he needed was her running away every time she saw him. He couldn’t keep her safe if she wouldn’t let him near her.
When she reached the front door, she glanced over her shoulder and straight at him. He didn’t know if he imagined it or not, but her step appeared to falter for a moment. No doubt about it. She was suddenly nervous around him. He was going to have to do something about that.
His supervisor was trusting him to ensure no harm came to Liz before she could testify against a criminal kingpin. He was also trusting Gabriel to handle the assignment discreetly. If Liz knew that the FBI had assigned her a protective detail, she’d want to know why...and the answer might make her change her mind about the wisdom of testifying. That would be a disaster. He had to get this just right—had to keep her safe, no matter what...and he had to do it without letting her ever suspect that he was an FBI agent.
“You may call yourself Liz Madison, but I know who you really are, Elizabeth Madison Kennedy,” he muttered under his breath as she disappeared into the house. “So you’d better get used to me. I’m going to be around for a while.”
Liz put the last of the dirty plates in the dishwasher and glanced around the kitchen to see if she’d missed anything. Tonight they’d had more guests for dinner than usual. She’d stayed in the kitchen, but several times she’d stood at the door into the dining room and listened to bits of the guests’ conversations. The room had buzzed with chatter about trail rides, excursions to Cades Cove or hiking adventures on the Appalachian Trail.
This was just the beginning of the fall tourist season when the mountains came alive with brilliant colors. Once the leaves had faded, the holiday festival of lights would take over and draw thousands of tourists. Gwen said Little Pigeon Ranch was booked solidly to the end of the year. Liz couldn’t wait to participate in all the festivities.
She paused in closing the dishwasher and shook her head. What was the matter with her? She wouldn’t be here to see those things. If all went as she hoped, she’d be back in her apartment in Memphis soon, and her life would settle back into the routine she’d enjoyed before coming here.
The door between the dining room and the kitchen suddenly swung open, and Liz jerked her head around to see Gwen storming into the kitchen. She stopped just inside the room and placed her hands on hips. “Why didn’t you tell me you were attacked in the theater parking lot?”
The muscles in Liz’s throat constricted as she tried to swallow. “I’m sorry, Gwen. I didn’t have a chance. When I got here, you were in the middle of getting dinner ready to serve, and we’ve been busy ever since.”
Gwen pursed her lips and shook her head. “That’s no excuse, Liz. You know that Dean and I need to be informed if anything happens to you.”
“And I was going to tell you. I just haven’t had time.” Liz paused as a thought struck her, and she frowned. “How did you find out?”
Gwen’s expression softened as she studied her. “Mr. Decker told me.”
Liz’s eyes widened in surprise. “He told you? When?”
“While he was eating dinner. I stopped at his table to see if he had everything he needed. He asked where you were, and I told him you were in the kitchen.” Gwen arched an eyebrow. “Is he the reason you didn’t come out of the kitchen all during dinner?”
“No!” Liz blurted out without thinking. “I mean, I was busy.”
Gwen stared at her for a moment before she took Liz by the hand and led her to the kitchen table. When they were both seated, she leaned forward and squeezed Liz’s hand. “When something like this happens, you have to tell us about it.”
“I don’t think it was related to my testimony,” Liz offered. “I honestly think he was just a creep trying to rob me. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time—again.”
“Maybe,” Gwen said. “But maybe not. Dean and I can’t help protect you if we don’t know what’s going on. We feel a responsibility to take care of you while you’re here.”
Liz shook her head. “I know you do, and I’m sorry about putting that burden on you. I worry all the time about how I’ve brought my problems to your and Dean’s doorstep. If anything happened to you or Dean or to your daughter...” She stopped, unable to go on as tears filled her eyes.
Gwen’s pressure on her hand increased. “Don’t worry about us. We agreed to this fully aware of the risks. It’s your safety we all have to focus on.”
The tears pooling in Liz’s eyes blurred her vision, and she tried to blink them back. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you and Dean. You’ve offered me a safe haven for now, and I don’t want you to regret it.”
“We would never regret it. I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through. We just want to help you.”
Her chest tightened. “You have. More than you’ll ever know.” She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes. “Now I need to finish up in here. I’ve cleaned the countertops and the stove. All I need