Page 14 of Guarded Hearts

She darted out of his line of sight. She’d close the curtains later, after she was certain he was in the guest room and not able to see her.

Oh, what was shedoing? This was her home. Her life. She wasn’t about to hide from anybody, least of all her old—what had he called their relationship? A fling.

She grabbed a plaid throw blanket off her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was going outside and forcing Carson to answer her questions. She deserved to know every step he planned to take to ensure she was safe and that her home was secure.

At the front door, she slipped her feet into a pair of shoes and stepped outside.

“What the hell are you doing?” Carson’s deep voice made her jump.

She tucked the blanket closer around her body. “I could ask the same of you!”

“I’m securing the perimeter.”

“Well…did you find anything?”

He stepped up to the porch steps. The yellow glow of the light slanted across his cowboy hat, casting his face in shadow. “I didn’t see any footprints, but it’s been a dry season. The ground’s hard.”

She swallowed around the sharp lump of fear in her throat.

“You didn’t answer my question. What the hell are you doing outside?”

“I saw you lurking under my window. I wasn’t aware that I’m supposed to be a prisoner inside my home.”

He stared at her for several long heartbeats. Then he mounted the three stairs to the wide porch. When he advanced on her, her instinct was to back away. But she stood her ground, tipping her head to meet his gaze.

“That’s my fault, Layne. I haven’t explained the rules to you.”

She blinked at him, a little stunned. Her perception was that this new, harder Carson would never take the blame.

He twitched his head toward the door. “Come inside and we’ll talk.”

“When did you get so damn bossy?”

He leveled his stare on her, causing her breath to hitch in her lungs. “When did you get so—”

He broke off. She waited.

“Just come inside.Please. And I’ll explain how everything’s going to work.”

When she stepped around him and entered the house, a wave of manly energy seemed to wash over her. In response, her stupid skin prickled.

Then he totally ruined any past connection that surged into her memory by opening his mouth.

“Sit down.”

“I’m going to sit down, but it’s not because you ordered me to in that tone of voice.”

His chest bulged in a deep inhalation, as if he wasn’t just gathering air into his lungs but patience into his soul.

She sank to the sofa in her favorite corner.

He took the leather armchair across from her. Having a heavy oak coffee table between them didn’t dull the effect of his presence. She was far too aware of how good he looked. How comforting his lap always was when she’d curl up there.

He hooked his boot over his knee in a testosterone-filled pose and looked at her. “The rules are simple. You don’t go outside unless you’re with me. If you get a phone call, I tell you whether or not to answer it.”

She held up a palm. “Speaking of phone calls, you were pretty friendly on the phone with my father.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”