Searching for Beautiful (Searching For 3)

Gen remembered meeting Julietta and Sawyer when they were in town. They lived in Milan, and had welcomed Wolfe into their family when he was nineteen and homeless. The couple represented everything she'd always wanted. They ran the most successful chain of bakeries and hotels in the world, fit perfectly together, and were madly in love. Exactly what she'd hoped to have with David.

She pushed the thought firmly away.

"Bedrooms are upstairs," Wolfe said. "I'll run into town and stock up on supplies and get you some clothes."

"How long are we going to stay?"

He studied her. Odd, he had such a hard face, all severe lines and carved features. His lips always held a bit of a snarl, as if he'd never outgrown that snarky teen boy he'd once been. But there was a wealth of gentleness underneath that always intrigued her. "When do you need to be back at the hospital?"

The reminder of her real life made her jerk. "A full week. We took a week for our honeymoon." The word made her slightly nauseous.

"Then we have time. We'll take it day by day. Do you want me to pick up anything specific you need?"

She shook her head. "No, I trust you."

The words dove deeper and he took a step forward. "Want to come with me?"

Gen forced a smile. "I'm going to rest. It's been a long day. I'll see you in a bit."

He frowned, and she almost laughed at his papa-bear expression. But then he gave a nod and headed back out the door. Her legs trembled with the sudden fear of being alone. Pathetic. She couldn't remember the last time she had no one surrounding her, or a task to complete, or a deadline to meet. For the past year, the hamster wheel was the only thing that made sense. Even sleep was never for more than a few hours, and always interrupted by dreams of endless lists and tasks. Her mind was no longer her own. Neither was her soul.

She walked down the hallway and into the bathroom. Turned on the light. And stared into the mirror.

The woman who gazed back was hardly recognizable. Brown hair scraped back in a ponytail. Makeup smudged. Shadows etched under her eyes. Full lips, high cheekbones. She'd lost more weight, so the bright orange T-shirt hung a bit loose over her shoulders.

Gen looked harder. Her usual vivid blue eyes were . . . empty. The spark had disappeared, and only a dull light reflected back at her. When had that happened? She'd always been driven but basically happy. Sure, she took on too much responsibility, but the world seemed a big, interesting place and she wanted to fill voids. Maybe egotistical, but surgeons were supposed to have a bit of a God complex. She ached to help, give back, and heal. She craved knowledge and experiences and wonder. But over the past year, all she experienced was crippling fear. The knowledge she wasn't enough for anyone. Not for the world. Not for David. Not even for herself.

Gen turned away from the mirror.

WOLFE DROVE FAST, INTENT on getting back to the cabin quickly. He struggled with leaving her alone, but realized she needed to process. They'd been on the run most of the day, and he bet she was pretending the whole event never happened. Because when the truth struck home, it was going to get messy.

Emotion tore through his chest. Damn, he'd never seen her like that. When he asked her straight-out if she wanted to marry David, pure fear skittered across her face. What had the asshole done to her? The fallout was going to be epic. Besides her close-knit family loving her fiance, she had just screwed her career, since he was her boss. Gen disliked bucking the system, especially her family. But Wolfe would get her through it. One lesson always sank home--nothing mattered except protecting your soul. God knows he'd lived through that himself. He'd walked away from everything and dove into the pitfalls of hell. And it was still worth it.

The painful simmers of the past tried to push past his consciousness, but he locked it back down. He needed to focus on Gen and giving her what she needed. Wolfe ripped through his errands, buying a couple of changes of clothes, underwear, a bathing suit, a case of water, and some basic groceries. There wasn't much selection, but the small town was perfect for hiding out for a few days. Most people came here for the recreational activities, to hit the famous racetrack at Saratoga, or to see the Baseball Hall of Fame in nearby Cooperstown.

He threw the bags into the car and reached into his pocket for his phone. Yep, it was bad. Voice mails poured in, from Alexa, Kate, Izzy, and Gen's mom. He pondered the idea of letting Gen know. No, she wasn't up for the consequences yet. Leaving your groom at the altar ended up with a mass of details. He'd buy her time.

Wolfe shot through the variety of messages and quickly dispersed news that gave away nothing. Alexa jumped to support her sister, and he knew he could count on her for calming down the family. Nothing from David yet. What was really going on behind the scenes with them? Was he hurting Gen? Why would she look so afraid of the man she was about to marry? Or was she just scared of hurting him?

He scrolled to the next message and shook his head. Kate was the worst. As Gen's best friend, she was hard-core when it came to protection. He smothered a laugh at the blinking words.

If u don't tell me where ur hiding her ur ass is grass. She needs me.

Wolfe tapped out his response:

She needs time, then my ass is all urs. Give her a day. I'm taking care of her.

The phone shrieked. Ah, crap. He stared at it for a while, but best friends were scary. He figured Kate would find a way to GPS them by the middle of the night, so he hit the button. "How is she? I'm coming to get her."

He kept his tone polite but firm. "Not yet. You gotta give me some time. She just ran away from her wedding and needs to get her head on straight. I'm asking you for help, Kate. Help me buy her some space."

A furious silence hummed over the line. "What's really going on? I had no idea she'd pull something like this. I mean, I've been worried about her, and knew she was stressed, but this is not Gen. Has she told you why?"

"No. But I'll find out. Is it bad there?"

A snort filled his ears. "You have no idea. It's chaos and I'm trying to keep everyone sane. David seems heartbroken and locked himself in the room with Gen's dad and his best man. The press smelled blood and stormed the church. Gen's mom thought she was kidnapped, insisting she'd never run. How the hell did she end up with you?"

Wolfe dragged in a breath. "She escaped through the window and I was there. Listen, Kate, there's something bigger going on, much more than some bridal jitters. I think she's afraid of the son of a bitch."

"What? Oh my God, has he hit her or something?"

"Don't kno

w. Just give me a few days to get the story and get her back on her feet. Please."

He waited her out. He knew Kate was stubborn, loyal, and loved Gen like her own sister. She was also extremely intuitive. "Okay. Keep texting me updates. I'll talk with her family and let them know she's lying low and will explain everything later. And I'll keep an eye on David. Maybe I'll figure out the real issue."

"Thanks.

He stuck his phone back into his pocket and got into the car. Something didn't add up, but he'd find out. Meanwhile, he'd stick close to Gen for the next few days. Purity--the hotel chain he helped run with Sawyer--was doing well, so he'd put in a call to one of his assistants to keep him informed. He couldn't remember the last time he took a day off, let alone a whole weekend. This would be good for both of them. A little fresh air, recharge the batteries, and get back into the real world.

Wolfe headed back to the cabin.

four

GENEVIEVE LOOKED UP as the car pulled into the driveway. A ghostly fog floated around her, almost as if she was stuck halfway on Earth and the other at a higher plane. She hoped much higher, since Catholic guilt from her mother was steeped in her soul. She didn't mind the numbness though. Much better than the panic attack dancing on the edge of her sanity.

No more mirrors. Keep busy. Don't think.

The three new rules of survival.

She jumped up from the porch and helped him haul in the bags. "You okay?" His sharp gaze traveled over every part of her, as if in the hour he'd left her alone she'd grown a few inches. Past her five-foot Hobbit status. He gently pushed her out of the way and scooped up the rest of the bags, allowing her to carry only the bread.

"Fine. You know I can lift a three-hundred-pound patient, right?"

"In that case, take this." He gave her a bag of eggs. "Wouldn't want you to get out of shape."

Their familiar banter soothed her nerves as she followed him inside and set the bags on the counter. "Do you want me to make dinner?" she asked.