“How are things with your family now?”she asked.“Have you ever gone back for a Navarre family Christmas?”
His gut twisted.“No.I’ve never been invited.”
She gasped.“Are you kidding?After all this time?Not even by your mom?”
Navarre swallowed hard, the words thick in his throat.“My mother falls in line with whatever my father wants.She’s always been like that.The last time we spoke on the phone, she told me she didn’t have a son and hung up on me.”
Being cut off financially had sucked, but he’d found a way to make it on his own.But having his family refuse to acknowledge his existence had been a royal kick to the nuts.And even though he’d closed that chapter of his life, the wound still stung.
“Usually, I spend Christmas with Jackson and his family.It’s a packed house every year, with kids running around, parents fussing.There’s at least one argument over the proper ingredients of a casserole.After dinner, somebody breaks out the dominoes; there isn’t a member of the family who doesn’t take that game seriously.But no matter how crazy things get, they go out of their way to treat me like one of their own.”
“That sounds wonderful.”Sloane’s voice had softened, a little dreamy, as if sleep was preparing to reclaim her.
“It is.I’m lucky to have them in my life.At this point, I consider them more family than my actual blood relatives.I even know the secret ingredients in Momma Jackson’s award-winning peach pie.”
He couldn’t see her in the dark, but he could practically feel her smile.“Which is?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret, now would it?”Navarre smoothed a hand up and down Sloane’s back, and when she made a soft, contented sound, every muscle in his body tensed.For a fleeting moment, he wondered how she’d fit in with the Jackson family—they’d love her, no doubt about it—and then he gave himself a mental smack upside the head.Now was not the time to be pondering where she’d fit into his future.Actually, the time was never.She was a colleague, which made her off-limits for that kind of crap.Being friends was okay, but nothing more.It was a line he simply refused to cross, because it made things way too complicated.“When we get back, I’ll ask her to make you one.”
“I’d like that.”She rested her cheek against his chest.“Thank you for trusting me enough to share that with me.”
“You’re welcome.Now go back to sleep.We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Chapter 14
Sloanestirredasthefirst slivers of dawn filtered through the tiny gaps of their shelter, and winced at the kink in her neck.The earthy scent of Navarre’s leather jacket enveloped her, mingling with the heat of his body and the layers of clothing they wore, cocooning them in a comforting embrace against the frigid morning air.
Surprisingly, she’d slept fairly well, but that may have been due to exhaustion.The human body could only withstand so much physical and mental strain before it simply shut down.Even so, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have gotten peaceful rest if Navarre hadn’t made her feel safe.
She shifted slightly, tilting her head to peer up at him, and the seriousness in his expression set her nerves on edge.
So much for feeling safe.
Before she could ask what was wrong, Navarre silenced her with a press of his finger against her lips.She gave a quick nod to acknowledge the unspoken command, trying her best to ignore the tension coiling in her belly.
Navarre bent his head closer, the stubble along his jaw rough against her cheek as his lips brushed her ear.
“We’ve got company.”His voice was barely a whisper.
She could have sworn her heart stopped beating for a few agonizing seconds.Her gaze darted to the entrance of their shelter as the sound of crunching leaves reached her ears, confirming that they were no longer alone.
“I think it’s a bear,” he said.
Was that better or worse than it being the men who were after them?She honestly didn’t know the answer.An icy chill snaked down her spine, freezing her in place.Bears were huge, with sharp teeth, sharp claws, and really big appetites.And although they ate a variety of plants, they wouldn’t think twice about eating meat if the opportunity presented itself.
“Shouldn’t it be hibernating?”Sloane whispered.
“How should I know?I’m not a zoologist.Maybe this one got the munchies and decided to leave its den early.”
Her fears ratcheted up a notch as the bear sniffed around the entrance of their shelter.Clearly curious about their scent, it pawed at the fragile barrier.The massive paw broke through the thatch, sending debris cascading down upon them, its razor-sharp claws coming within inches of Navarre’s head.He reached for his pistol, and the metallic click of the safety being disengaged echoed in the small space.
Sloane’s eyes widened.“Are you going to kill it?”
Silly as it might sound, she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.Maybe if he fired a warning shot, the noise would be enough to scare it away without actually hurting it.
Navarre slanted her a look.“That’s entirely up to the bear.”
Its paw broke through the barrier again, forcing Navarre to duck his head to avoid being clawed.He shifted position, took aim at the animal.But before he could fire, the paw retreated, and early morning light poured through the gaping hole.
