Jack wanted to assure her that everything would be fine. He couldn’t find the right words, though. Lately, no matter what he said, it always managed to be twisted into an argument.
He shook his head, then turned his attention back on the road. He followed the curve of the driveway, only coming to a complete stop when he pulled up in front of two massive french doors. After telling her to stay put, he slipped out into the rain and jogged up the front steps.
She watched him knock, wait a beat, then let himself inside.
Tess lingered a few minutes, her forehead pressed against the window pane in order to see if he would return right away. When it seemed as if he might be a while, she drew back, reached over and turned off the car. Without the engine’s hum, the pitter patter of steady rain was calming. Soothing.
Leaning forward, she grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone.
Still no signal.
No internet then, and no cell service.
Not that she needed to make any phone calls—or, really, had anyone left to call. Her family was all dead and gone and, since the wedding last year, she lost touch with any friends she once had. Still, it made her uneasy to realize that she couldn’t call out, even if she wanted to. The two of them were lost in some strange small town she had never heard of and there was no way anyone would know where they’d gone if something bad were to happen.
On the heels of that sobering thought, a sharp tap rapped against her window, breaking up her introspection. She screamed, a short, terrified shriek that burned her throat and caused her to fall back into her seat. Her purse spilled out on the floor of the car.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark shadow. Her imagination went into overdrive. She screamed again, her heart racing as frantic fingers fumbled with her seatbelt clasp.
Her only instinct was to get away.
The car door flew open. Jack’s bulky body filled the doorway before one hand landed securely on her far shoulder. Caging her in, he dipped his head to meet her gaze as he tried to calm her down.
“Whoa, Tessie, baby, it’s okay. It’s me.”
She ripped her seatbelt up over her free shoulder, clutching her chest with her other hand. Her heart felt like it was about to beat its way right through. Now that she was safe, anger rushed in. It didn’t matter that her reaction was over the top. She hated being spooked and Jack knew that.
“What’s wrong with you?” she snapped. “Don’t do that!”
“Sorry.” Since he tried to stifle his chuckle, she decided he might actually be. At least his mood had perked up some. “I thought you saw me running over. I swear, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
A deep breath to steady her nerves. When she muttered, “Whatever. It’s fine,” she almost believed that she meant it. She shook her head. “What did they say? Can we stay?”
After a quick once-over to make sure she was feeling better, Jack let go of her. He backed away, opening the car door wider. There was something tossed by his foot. Swooping down, he picked it up.
It was a folded umbrella. He must have thrown it when he heard her screaming.
“For you,” he said, gesturing as he popped the umbrella up. With a quick shake, it opened wide. “I spoke to the clerk. There’s plenty of vacancies. When I told her that I needed to head back out to the car, she offered me an umbrella. I brought it for you. The rain’s starting to come down pretty hard again. I don’t want you to get a chill.”
It didn’t matter that it was a short dash from the car to the front doors. Tess felt something inside of her tighten. “Oh, Jack. That’s so… thoughtful of you.”
“So, I’m forgiven?”
She let slip a tiny grin. “What kind of wife would I be if I held a grudge?”
Holding the umbrella down at his side, Jack leaned in and kissed the top of her head before giving her his hand to help her climb out of the Honda.
He insisted on walking her to the front of the inn. The umbrella wasn’t very large. It covered Tess and might have shielded Jack from some of the downpour if he’d let her share it with him.
Which he point blank refused to.
By the time they reached the shield of the awning, he was soaked and her guilt had returned with a vengeance. Why was the pigheaded man so stubborn?
She tried to offer to go back and help him carry in the luggage, not at all surprised when he told her no. When Jack then tried to escort her inside? Tess let some of her own frustrations out as she denied him. If he wanted her out of the rain, she could damn well do it without a chaperone, especially one who thought she couldn’t even manage to carry her own duffel bag.
She knew she was being tough on him. He thought he was acting the part of a gentleman, no matter that his overbearing personality stifled her. Tess might not be the type to hold a grudge, but all the little, niggling things that drove her crazy lately were quickly adding up.
Second honeymoon, she reminded herself. And she smiled.