“It’s a loaner from the ranch.”
“But you said—”
Jarvis smi
led and tickled Silas’s bare foot. “This one is so low-tech no one cares where it is. It was never GPS tagged.” His eyes met hers. “I triple-checked.”
She peered past him through the open doorway. The truck was in rough shape, with a dent behind the passenger door and spots of rust around the wheel wells. “You’ll leave me that one?” she asked.
“No. Keep my truck for now. There will be fewer questions if I’m using the old model.” At the table he unpacked the meal. “The garage called to let me know the tire was replaced today, but they can hold on to the car for you. I wish we could’ve taken it to the police station for evidence collection.”
“You brought enough food for an army,” she observed. There was no sense repeating herself about why they shouldn’t involve the police yet. Until she had something more substantial than the classic bitter-stepdaughter story, she would keep the threats under wraps.
Jarvis pegged his hat on a hook by the door. “I wanted to eat with you tonight. Unless you need me on sway duty.”
It took her a second to register the meaning, and then she laughed. “We’re all set here. He just ate.”
Jarvis’s warm gaze drifted over her and a slow smile curled his sinfully sexy mouth. “Then we should catch up.”
He’d brought barbecue and corn bread, along with fresh salad and steamed veggies. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I loaded up a bit of everything.”
“It’s perfect. Now stop stalling and tell me all about what happened at the courthouse.”
His brow furrowed. “I’m glad you didn’t go.” He shoved his fork into the pile of shredded meat but didn’t lift the bite to his mouth. “Whatever she had in mind, I doubt it was pleasant.” He paused long enough to gulp down a bite of the barbecue. “She was waiting for you outside the courtroom, at the window that overlooks the parking lot. Someone else was down there, keeping her informed.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket. “I think this is the guy.”
Mia wiped her fingers on a napkin and picked up the device. She enlarged the picture as far as it would go. “That looks a lot like the man she was with at the country house.”
“Thought it might be,” Jarvis muttered. “Assuming he was invited, we can’t go after him for trespassing.”
“Correct.” She poked at her salad. “You’re sure she didn’t see you?”
He spread his arms wide and grinned. “She was looking for you and the baby, not a random cowboy. She completely ignored my existence.”
She appreciated the way he made her laugh, despite the fear rattling her nerves. “This really is above and beyond the call of cowboy assistance.”
“I’m not so sure,” he said.
Seeing the kissable smirk on his lips made it tough to stay on her side of the table. When would she find her perspective? She couldn’t keep turning one errant kiss into something significant. He’d initially helped her for the sake of the ranch and now he felt obligated to see it through. It didn’t exactly make for a level playing field.
“Maybe you should bail on the party,” she suggested.
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m more curious than ever, and you want an eyes-on report about your dad.”
“If she gets suspicious, you could be in trouble. I should go and force her hand.”
“Judging by what I saw today, that woman was born calculating and mean,” he stated. “Her suspicions are the least of my worries. I promise I’ll look good enough that Selina won’t let me out of her sight and so different from a working cowboy that Regina will have no idea that she passed me in the courthouse today.”
He looked pretty damn hot right now, but she kept the observation to herself. She had to believe in him. “I added the video file to my cloud folder at my attorney’s office.” She hadn’t meant to bring that up, but someone trustworthy should know. “Along with the fake custody email that came through last night.”
“Does your attorney check that folder? Will he take action?”
“Only if I request it. I just wanted you to know so if something happens...”
“Nothing will happen.” His voice rumbled through the cabin like thunder. “At the party I’ll speak with your dad and make sure he’s feeling well and sounds like himself. If I can gather any more information, I’ll do that, too. Then we’ll make a plan to get you out of here and safely back to your life.”
She was sure he didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, but she felt as if he was pushing her away, nudging her along like a willful steer. Chances were good she was too sensitive and too lonely out here to accurately interpret what Jarvis did or didn’t mean by every other word. He’d helped her and she’d done something to help him, as well.
“Speaking of plans,” she began, pausing to snag another piece of the corn bread. “I worked my way through the land records and have some suggestions about where you might want to search.”