A thought struck and she asked, “If you can escape from anywhere, why didn’t you escape the hole in the ground?”
He hesitated and kept his eyes on the path ahead.
His silence made her realize something. “You were going to escape, weren’t you? My arrival stopped you.”
His eyes met hers then and he made sure to keep her from seeing his shock. She was far more observant than he had thought. He definitely had to keep that in mind going forward. “I wasn’t quite sure of success, which is what caused me to delay my plans.”
“Now you lie,” she accused. “You don’t strike me as a man who doubts his skills.”
“Believe what you will. I will not debate the matter with you.”
She could tell by his stern tone that she would get nothing more from him on the matter. It made no difference to her, since she had gotten what she wanted. He had remained in the godawful hole with her purposely and his gallantry touched her heart.
“Where are we going?” she asked, seeking a more neutral discussion.
That she didn’t pursue the matter gave him pause and made him wonder why, since she could be tenacious when she wanted to be. But he let it go and answered, “We’re taking a bit longer way home.”
“Don’t you worry that Rhodes will pick up our trail?”
“I’ll make certain he doesn’t.”
His confidence far surpassed hers and so she reminded, “But he picked up your trail from the last time.”
“He never found my trail. He heads in the direction of where we just left, but that doesn’t mean he will reach the now deserted place. If he does, he will follow the obvious trail, the one the group left, and when or if he comes across the group, they will give no indication I was ever part of them.”
“What if his tracker picks up our trail?”
“Not possible. Devin will see that our tracks are covered.”
“But you said we would travel a different trail so as not to bring harm to anyone, as if we were leading them away from the others,” she said, feeling he talked in circles.
“Aye, I did. If we remained with the group and were caught, what might the consequences be?”
“I’m sure Rhodes wouldn’t harm them. They are a harmless lot,” Willow said.
“So it would appear under the circumstances, but change those circumstances and what happens?” He continued, not expecting a response. “When forced into certain situations, we do what we must to survive and to protect those we love.”
Willow thought of her and her sisters’ situation when their da had taken ill and their mum had died. Life had changed rapidly and they had had to adapt. Sorrell had to do the same when she had discovered her husband was a far different man than she had believed.
Slatter kept his focus on the road as he spoke. “Corliss is old and her bones protest more often than not, but nothing stopped her from protecting her grandson when a lone man tried to do him harm. She smashed his head with a rock and continued to do so until there was no breath left in him. She knew if she didn’t, they both would die. Corliss did what she had to do to keep them both safe.”
“I would have never thought she had the strength.”
“Strength often comes when needed. Roanna found her strength when her brother-in-law told her either she or her daughter would warm his bed or he would put them out of their own home. She knew even if she submitted to him that he would eventually have her daughter as well. She chose to leave and face the unknown. It took courage to do that.”
“She told me differently,” Willow said, imagining how horrible the situation must have been for the woman.
“She thought it better to keep the truth to herself. Her brother-in-law is a respected man and she doubted anyone would have believed her. Then there’s you,” he said, a teasing smile surfacing. “You were the most challenging to rescue.”
“Was it me who was a challenge or the situation?” Willow asked with a lift of her chin.
“A bit of both, I believe, but I’m not one to give up easily.”
“And obviously you’re a man with a kind heart.”
His smile vanished in a flash. “Remember as with Corliss and Roanna, things are rarely what they appear to be.” A teasing sparkle in her green eyes and a slight smile pushing at the corners of her mouth, returned his smile. “Do you have a sensible response to that?”
Her smile broke free. “Only that while Corliss and Roanna have secrets, you’re charming, though often less-than-honest tongue is not a well-kept secret.”
“Perhaps it’s a ruse for a much darker secret,” he whispered as if hinting otherwise.
She turned a puzzling look on him. “That would make sense of why there are two sides to you; a man with a kind heart and a man with a misleading tongue. Now I’m intrigued to solve this mystery.”