She swallowed. Was she really going to get into this with him?
“I might have hacked into one bank account to add some funds.”
“You think hacking into a bank isn’t illegal or bad?” he asked, obviously shocked at her admission.
“I admit it was wrong, but hindsight won’t change the past.”
Silence settled between them and Chelsea figured she shouldn’t have told him. It was years ago and nobody had ever figured out what she had done. It had been her first real victory and, illegal or not, she wasn’t sorry she’d done it. In fact, she was rather proud of herself.
“Are you going to finish the story or leave me hanging?”
Chelsea came to a stop and glanced toward a nearby cypress grove. Restless energy had her dismounting and tying the reins around a sturdy tree trunk. Gabe did the same and when he prop
ped his hands on his hips and continued to stare at her, she figured she may as well tell him everything.
Five
Sweet, innocent-looking Chelsea had shocked him, but he was more than ready to hear what she had to say. If she claimed her hacking was for good reason, he believed her. He’d built the foundation of his career on reading people and was pretty confident she wasn’t vindictive. And he wanted to continue spending time with her. She was opening up. Apparently when they weren’t discussing the scandal that had rocked the town, she let her guard slip. He only hoped he could wipe his uncle’s actions out of the picture for good.
“There was a husband and wife who worked for Hunt back when I was a teen.” Chelsea tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and turned to rest against a tree away from the horses. “He had a gambling problem. She was pregnant with their first child, but tried to stick by him despite his addiction. I know my father offered to pay for help if the guy would just go. But, in the end, life became too much and he left her. She couldn’t make the mortgage payments on her own and lost her house.”
Gabe heard the compassion in Chelsea’s tone. This was a whole new side to her he hadn’t seen and it only made him want to uncover even more. He’d always figured she was giving, caring, selfless. His instincts hadn’t proved him wrong before and they were dead-on now.
“She had her own income, but considering she was pregnant with no home, I couldn’t stand it anymore.” Chelsea’s mouth twisted into a half grin. “I may have hacked into his private account and removed funds. And those funds may have found their way into her account.”
Gabe honestly didn’t know what to say. The woman was constantly a doer. She cared for others and wanted to see everyone around her happy. But he’d never thought once that she’d use her skills for something like this.
“Had you gotten caught—”
Her eyes met his. “At the time, I felt it was worth the risk. Now that I look back, I know it wasn’t right to do that, but I got caught up in the moment and acted with my heart instead of my head.”
She gave a slight shrug before she continued. “I just thought, what was he going to do? Tell the authorities? Most of his money was obtained illegally, because I uncovered that he was betting on cock fighting. He wouldn’t want to open that can of worms and be subjected to proving where his income came from.”
Chelsea’s eyes misted. “All of that happened around the time when we’d just lost Mom. Actually, she ran off, but she may as well be dead because I haven’t seen or heard from her since. I knew what that felt like, what being abandoned does to your soul. I couldn’t stand it, Gabe.”
Why did she have to have such a vulnerable side that made resisting her impossible? He’d promised himself when he’d seen her riding up ahead that he’d keep his hands off, but the sorrow lacing her words only had him closing the gap between them.
“You shouldn’t touch me. I’m emotional already and if you touch me...”
Her words were barely a whisper and he saw tears swimming in her eyes.
“This is just one friend consoling another,” he explained.
Gabe wrapped his arms around her and she instantly returned the gesture. “We’re not friends,” she argued.
Smiling, he rested his chin on top of her head. “Maybe not, but we’re something. I don’t think they’ve created a label for us yet.”
When she continued to just be still and let him hold her, Gabe figured she must be gathering her strength. She just needed a minute and he was all too willing to comfort her. As much as he wanted to get her into his bed, he could be patient. Chelsea would be worth the wait.
Hell, his job was based on patience and taking his time, being methodical. And he knew she was much more important than a job. Damn it. When had he let that happen?
Chelsea eased back and glanced up at him. “I’m not sure I can trust you.”
Gabe smoothed her hair back and framed her face. “You will.”
“Are you always so arrogant?”
Gabe smiled because her tone was light, but her question was genuine. “Confident,” he corrected. “I know I did nothing wrong where you’re concerned and, in time, you’ll realize that, too.”