Audrey stepped off the bus in a small sleepy town nestled in the Rocky Mountains and scanned her surroundings. The bus schedule identified the town as Colbert, Colorado and the bus station was nothing more than a stand with a few travel brochures strewn on the counter. A pair of passing teenagers cast curious glances her way. Audrey suddenly realized that she must look conspicuous. This was obviously a town that got very few visitors other than family and here she was, stepping off the bus with only a green duffel and in rumpled clothing that showed evidence of much travel. Will I be safe here?
“Hi,” a small voice said behind her. She whirled to face the voice and found herself staring down into the face of a young boy about 6 years old.
“Well, hello there young man,” Audrey said grinning broadly at him. “Do you know where there is a hotel that I can stay at?” He nodded, his shaggy light brown hair flopping around his head.
“Can you show me where it is?” He shook his head, his large hazel eyes glimmering with curiosity and mischief.
“Is there someone who can?” This time he nodded and turned to run down the street.
Audrey assumed he would get his mother and so she set her duffel on the counter and stretched her tired muscles. The buses she had taken between stints of hitchhiking had been few along her journey from Chicago. When she had finally realized the need to get away after that near fatal "accident", she had thrown what was absolutely necessary in that small duffel and run with no destination in mind.
Audrey’s mind turned back to reality as she suddenly noticed the cold wind that blew down through the main street. She reached for her bag to get her jacket. It was a little thin, but it kept the bulk of the wind from piercing to her skin. She turned back to watch the direction the little boy had run, as she did so, she saw him turn the corner dragging a man behind him. Audrey picked up her bag. Her pulse quickened when she saw that he was wearing a policeman's uniform.
“Is this the lady Conner?” he asked the little boy who enthusiastically nodded his head. “Ma’am I understand you’re looking for lodgings.” He smiled widely, showing laugh lines that were evidence of many joyful years despite the fact that he looked only a few years older than her twenty-eight years.
Audrey hesitated, unsure whether to trust him. She took the chance. “Yes, I think I’d like to stay here for a short while. Young Conner here said there was a hotel I could stay at.”
“There is, but Carl and Nellie closed it down and headed down to Arizona for the winter,” he informed her. Disappointment flickered in her eyes and he added, “But I know a lady who has a room you’d be welcome to.”
“Thank you,” Audrey said gratefully with a small smile. “I’d like that.” Audrey now turned to Conner, smile widening. “And thank you too,” she added reaching out to tousle his hair. He grinned up at her with a smile lacking a few teeth.
“I’m Sheriff Derek Holden, the man said.
Audrey shook his outstretched hand, hesitated and introduced herself, “Audrey, Audrey Blythe.”
"Well, Miss Blythe," the sheriff began.
"Audrey," she insisted quickly, feeling like the biggest liar in the world when she heard that name. She knew that her life depended on anonymity, but that did not effect her guilt.
"Audrey," he continued, "this little gremlin is my son, Conner."
Audrey bent down with a smile, "Hello Conner, it's nice to meet you."
Conner grinned again. "Conner," the sheriff piped in, "welcome Miss Audrey to town." Conner's grin widened and he suddenly launched himself at her to give her a hug. The move was so unexpected that Audrey dropped her bag and almost fell backward, but Sheriff Holden quickly reached out to steady her. When Conner turned her loose, Audrey was holding back tears. The kindness of these total strangers touched something in her that had been frozen by fear and sparked an emotion that she hadn't felt in a long time, hope.

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"Okay," Sheriff Holden said, reaching towards her bag. Instantly, Audrey stiffened and grabbed the handle before he could. He glanced at her but said nothing.
The temperature had dropped several degrees and Audrey shivered as the chill of the rising winds pierced her jacket. Sheriff Holden noticed and thought to give her his jacket since he had on multiple layers, but checked himself as he realized something. She didn't trust him enough to accept it. He had seen the uncertainty and fear in her eyes before she could hide it. Her eyes had remained neutral when conversing with him save for a flicker of disappointment, then a sheen of tears glazing them as Conner hugged her. She was wary of him, he could tell by the way she stood, as far away from him as she could without seeming too obvious.
"Sheriff," Audrey began.
"Please, Derek. I only go by sheriff if it's official business," he replied, trying to put her more at ease.
"Derek, is there any place around here that I can get a job?" She inquired.
"Well, I'm not quite sure. I can check around, see if anybody needs a hand. In the meantime though, it looks like it's gonna flurry so we'd best get you settled and I bet you could use a good hot meal. You look chilled to the bone." As he finished, the first snowflakes began to fall. Audrey reluctantly admitted to the truth of that statement and followed him around the corner and to his patrol car while Conner skipped ahead of them, catching snowflakes on his tongue.
The only chink Audrey's armour, Derek noticed, appeared with Conner. She seemed to have a weakness for his young son. When she talked to Conner her mocha brown eyes softened and a smile played on her lips, the same expression she had now as she watched him frolic ahead of them with a slight look of longing in her gaze.

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I wish I could be like that. Skipping along without a care in the world. Forget about all of my troubles. Audrey watched Conner, not realizing the way her mask slipped.
They had reached the car and her thoughts turned back to her situation. Sheriff Holden stepped up to open the back door of the patrol car and she froze. Flashbacks to that life-changing night rendering her immobile.

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He had jumped her on her way home and, at first, she was willing to hand over her valuables and be done with it. Then he pulled a knife. She was perfectly still as he bound her wrists and gagged her. They rounded the corner and Audrey wanted to shout for joy. A police car was coming down the street! She was saved! It pulled up to the curb and she watched the officer get out and head towards them. She stomped on her attacker's foot and ran to the officer who caught her as she stumbled forward. He straightened her and, instead of helping her, backhanded her across the face. The force of the blow sent her reeling. Her shoulder screamed in pain as she collided with the concrete. The cop yanked her up and shoved her into the back of the car.
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Audrey snapped out of her revere as a small hand wormed into her closed one. She looked down into Conner's all - seeing gaze.
"Daddy'll let you play with th' si'en if you're scared," he said. This surprised a short laugh out of her. She realized she had backed away from the car and held her duffel a death grip. Her gaze fell on the car again but she forced the rising anxiety down as she walked to it with Conner.
The sheriff had closed the back door and now held the front open as Conner climbed in with Audrey right behind him. The squad car roared to life and he turned the heat on full blast as they pulled away from the curb.
Soon they were pulling off the main road and onto a small dirt one outside of town. The road curved and climbed several miles. By this time the sky had darkened with clouds and the snow was falling more heavily. Through the blur Audrey glimpsed a large two story log cabin seated on the side of the mountain.
As the car pulled into a basement garage, Audrey's brow knit in confusion.
"Who's house is this?" she asked.
"My mom's," Derek answered, turning off the car. " She keeps a room open for the rare occasion someone needs one." Conner flung open the door and jumped out, dragging Audrey by the hand up the stairs to the main floor.
"Gra'ma!" Conner cried excitedly, bringing a woman from another room. She was a handsome woman even in her advanced years with short snow white hair and a wide smile, and she had no trouble bending to catch her grandson in a hug.
"Well, who's this?" she asked Conner, noticing Audrey.
"Ma, this is Miss Audrey Blythe. Audrey, this is my mother, Marcy Holden," Derek inserted from behind them.
Audrey murmured a polite response and offered her hand, but Mrs. Holden would have none of it. She reached out and enclosed Audrey in a warm hug much like the one her grandson had received.
"Ma, Audrey needs to use your guest room for a bit. She came in on the evening bus and since Carl and Nellie are gone...."
"Of course. You my dear," Mrs. Holden adressed Audrey, " just follow me and we'll get you settled in your room." She looped an arm over Audrey's shoulders and led her up to the second floor. The room Audrey was shown to was comfortable and homy. The full sized bed was covered with a colorful quilt and soft down pillows. Audrey laid her duffel at the foot of the bed and turned to Mrs. Holden.
"Thank you for putting me up. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."
"Nonsense, I'm glad to help. Why don't you freshen up a bit and come on back down. Dinner will be ready in a little bit." Mrs. Holden flashed another smile and left, closing the door behind her. Audrey looked more closely around her room. Off to one side were two doors which proved to be the doors for a full bathroom and a small walk-in closet.
She went into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. Her face was pale and slightly hollowed and her clothes now hung loose on her diminished frame. She ran a hand through her shoulder length brown hair. The blond highlights she had once prized were now hidden under layers of grime.
After a long, hot shower, she grabbed another pair of jeans and a T-shirt form her bag. Pulling the shirt over her head, her gaze fell on the bed. It looked so comfortable and she was extremely tired....
I'll just lay down for a few minutes and go down, she thought, crawling under the blankets.

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An hour later Conner pounded at Audrey's door and, when he received no answer, cautiously stuck his head in. Spotting her on the bed he climbed up to her and patted her arm. She didn't stir. Conner frowned and tried again. This time her shook her, but she still didn't stir. Conner tore out of the room and down the stairs, bursting into the kitchen to grab his dad's hand.
"She won't get up!" he cried repeatedly, pulling his dad to the stairs. Seeing his son's distress, Derek quickly climbed the stairs two at time.
He sat on the edge of her bed and shook her. This time she moaned a little. Derek put a hand to her forehead. It was scorching hot.
"Ma," Derek called, "you better get up here!" He rose to wet a washcloth with cold water and laid it on her forehead. Audrey moaned again and turned her head.
"What is it?" Mrs. Holden asked anxiously, coming into the room.
"She's burning up." Marcy came forward and felt Audrey's cheek.
"You're right." She glanced behind her at Conner. "Derek, take Conner and finish your supper. I'll take care of Miss Audrey." Derek stood and led Conner out of the room. Marcy immediately went to her room to gather a thermometer and a night gown for Audrey.
"Oh, Lord, what has this child been through?" she prayed as she removed Audrey's shirt. She spent the rest of the evening and most of the night trying to lower Audrey's spiked temperature. Early the next morning her fever broke, and Marcy called in Derek. Marcy pulled back Audrey's night gown enough to show him what she had found.

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Derek found himself staring down at partially healed cuts that scored Audrey's abdomen.
"They were a little infected but some peroxide helped. I think between the infection, lack of sleep, and malnourishment; she just collapsed," Marcy stated sadly. Derek remained silent. His jaw tightening as he saw the angry red cuts.
"Son, are those knife wounds?" Marcy asked. He nodded in affirmation. "She also has a lot of bruises. They're nearly healed and I almost didn't see them. Derek," she waited until he looked up at her, "you have to help her." He nodded and left the room.
"Who is this woman?" he asked himself as he entered his small home office down the hall. He sat at his desk, staring into space, processing what he did know of her. One thing was sure, she didn't entirely trust him. She was also running, from what he did not know. An abusive relationship? A stalker? Or worse, the law? "No," he said aloud, "if she was wanted I would know." Based on the cuts crisscrossing her stomach, he guessed the first was most probable, an abusive relationship. Clicking on his computer, he pulled up his files on wanted fugitives. 'Better be safe than sorry.' he thought. Nothing. No outstanding warrants on anyone matching Audrey's description. He had that feeling again. That nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong and that he'd best tread lightly. He hadn't had this feeling since ..... since he left the Marshals four years ago.

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She felt drained. Her eyelids felt like they weighed ten pounds as she opened them. Her eyes focused and she was in her room. As she came fully awake, she noticed some differences. For one thing, there was a chair by her bed that hadn't been there before. Second, she was now tucked under the covers of the bed when she remembered laying on top of the covers. 'I probably crawled under them during my sleep, wouldn't be the first time,' she rationalized; however the last thing she realized couldn't be so easily explained. She wasn't in her own clothes! Pulling back the thick quilt, she saw that she was now wearing a red plaid flannel nightgown. She tried sitting up and instantly regretted it as a wave of dizziness and twinge of pain assailed her. She'd just sunk back against her pillows when Marcy Holden entered the room.
"Oh thank goodness that you're awake. You gave us quite a scare," she said.
"What..." Audrey croaked before coughing. Marcy picked up a water glass from the bedstand and held it for her as she took a gulp. "What happened?"
"You were sick. You had high fever for most of the night."
"Where are my clothes?" Audrey asked.
"Here at the foot of the bed. I changed you so you'd be more comfortable." Marcy sat down and grasped her hand. "Audrey, I saw your wounds,"she stiffened. "Sweety, who did this to you?" Audrey pulled her hand out of Marcy's and turned her head away from Marcy.
"Please, leave me alone," she said flatly.
"Alright, but Audrey, if you need help don't hesitate to ask for it." Marcy stood and went to the door.
"Thank you," Audrey said softly as Marcy opened the door.
"I'll check in on you in a little bit," Marcy replied with a sad smile.
The door closed and Audrey let the tears fall. Tears of anguish and fear cascaded down her cheeks. 'Why Lord? Why me? Have you forgotten me?' She knew the answer. He hadn't forgotten. He'd led her here, but why?

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The snow of the previous evening had blanketed the country side. The perfect example of unmarred innocence that brought a tranquility of spirit as one seldom achieved. One that displayed the gentle grace of it’s Creator, but as Derek sat at his desk, staring out the window, he saw none of this. Something about this woman troubled him. When he had sat with her a few times during the night to relieve his mother, she had periodically thrashed in the bed. Sometimes even talking or crying out. The outbursts had been chilling at points. Once she'd curled into a ball pleading with her hallucinated companion not to kill her. He hated to admit it but, after a similar outburst, he had poked around in her bag and jacket. That was little help. All that the bag contained were clothes, a Bible, and a toothbrush with toothpaste. He'd checked the Bible's inside page and found an inscription, "To my stella brillante. May you always rely on Him. Love, Dad.” The jacket hadn't proved a much more useful. He found a small wallet in one of the pockets. The wallet was empty save for about forty dollars, a worn letter, and what looked like a torn piece of a receipt. 'Who is this woman?'he asked himself for the hundredth time. There was a knock on his door and his mom entered.
"She's awake." He stood and headed for the door. "I wouldn't if I were you. She asked me to leave her alone."
He kept on walking as he said over his shoulder, "It's time for some answers."
Derek paused as his hand reached for the knob of the door. Muffled sobs filtered through the old wood door and wrenched at his heart. He couldn't just barge in and demand answers to the mile long list of questions that he'd made in his mind. If he did, he'd probably lose any ounce of trust he'd managed to gain. He whirled on his heel and strode back to his office. His mom was still there with a knowing look in her eye. She had known he wouldn't go in.
"Get me something she's touched. A glass, bowl, anything," he told Marcy who went out and soon returned with a water glass holding it with a dish towel.
"You won't find anything on her," Marcy told him. His head snapped up.
"She talked to you?"
"No, but I'm sure you won't find anything. She's just not the kind of girl who would have a record."
"Ma, come on, how can you tell that just from spending a max of twenty minutes with her?"
"Twenty minutes! I spent most of the night with her...... and you did too!"
"So? She was asleep. It's not like you were exchanging life stories."
"Derek Michael Holden! You heard those nightmares. You saw those cuts. Someone had to do that to her!" Uh oh, his full name.... this did not bode well.
"How do you know it wasn't her pimp? or a partner she double crossed?" he said just to rile her. He knew those theories were ridiculous, but he didn’t want to admit that he agreed with her. If this girl was in trouble, and she obviously was, it probably wasn’t of her own making. Marcy sent him a scathing look that only a mother can pull off. Marcy left the room and he sat back in his chair again, staring at the glass sitting on his desk. If she was in trouble he had no way of knowing what kind of resources her pursuers had. Josh...... he could look into it discreetly and tell him what he found, but that meant reconnecting to his old life. His life before....... “Oh suck it up!” he told himself and reached for the phone. He dialed in the number and sat as it seemed to ring interminably.
“Switch board, the person you wish to contact please,” said a voice on the other end just as he was about to give up.
“Director Rodina,” he said.
“One moment please.”
“Rodina,” a man’s deep voice said.
“Josh, it’s Derek.”
“Hmm.... I once knew a Derek. I thought we were good friends but then he just up and dropped off the map.”
“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that,” Derek said with a small grin.
“Hey no problem, I know you had a lot on your plate when you left. So what’s new? I heard you took the job as sheriff in your hometown.”
“Yep, sure did in fact....”
“What about that kid of yours? How’s he? He ever start talking again?” Josh interjected.
“Well, that has a bit to do with why I’m calling you. You see there’s this gal....”
“Oh, I see. What he don’t like her?”
“Would you just shut up and let me talk? She got off the bus yesterday and she looked pretty bad. I mean thin, pale, and she seemed scared to death of me. At first I thought it was just men in general..... maybe a bad relationship or something, but after I talked to her a bit I realized it’s gotta be the badge.”
“She wanted somewhere?” Josh asked curiously.
“Nope, her description doesn’t match any of the bolos.”
“What’s this got to do with the kid?”
“He’s talked more with or about her in the last day and a half than he has in the four years since........... since Christine died.” Silence on the other end. “Look, my gut’s telling me she needs protecting. From what I don’t know yet, but I don’t want to check her prints and maybe tip off whoever is looking for her to her location.”
“So you want me to make some under the radar inquiries?”
“Make it really under the radar.... I have the feeling whatever this gal’s mixed up in goes deep.”
“Ok, spill, you know more than you’re telling.”
Derek hesitated. “She’s been slashed.”
“As in knifed?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, looks like beaten too. Mostly upper body. Ma found it after the she collapsed. Ma says she’s malnourished and has some infection from the knife wounds.”
“You go through her stuff?”
“For all the good it did me, yeah. Just clothes, money, and a Bible. The Bible had an inscription but it was a personal one, from her dad it looks like. Just a pet name and signed ‘Dad.’”
“What’s the pet name?”
“It’s ‘stella brilante’ aka ‘shining star’ in Italian.”
“Italian huh? She sound foreign?”
“Na, a bit of a midwest accent I’d say. She got off the Kanas City bus but if she’s been running for long she could have come from anywhere and taken any route to get there. She says she’s Audrey Blythe, but that’s probably a dodge.”
“I’ll see what I can find D but this is kind of vague info.”
“Thanks Josh.”
“And Derek...”
“Yeah?”
“It’s good to have ya back in the game buddy,” said Josh.
“I’m not. I’ll talk to ya later.” Derek hung up and with a heavy sigh rubbed a hand over his face.

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“Audey?” a timid voice said from the door. She turned and saw Conner with his head peeking around the thick wood door. She sniffed and wiped the tear trails from her cheeks.
“Come on in Conner,” she said, mustering a smile. He grinned and came in. He was carrying a large book and she had to help him as he tried to scramble onto the bed and hold the book simultaneously. “What do you got there?” Audrey asked as he snuggled down next to her.
“Book,” he said proudly.
“Would you like me to read some to you?” she asked.
His head bobbed excitedly and his eyes shone. It was the story of the three little pigs and she livened it up by reading it with different voices and acting out the various parts of the story. By the end both of them were laughing.
“Again!” said Conner, giggling as she tickled him a little.
“Again? Alright.” She launched into the story once again and didn’t even notice the door swing open fractionally. Conner seemed to enjoy this reading even more, crying out to the pigs not to let the big bad wolf in. When she’d finished she rested her head back and looked down at Conner who was flipping through the book and looking at the pictures. She shifted her arm that was around him and he looked up at her. She smiled and hugged him to her side.
“Ma said you were up,” said a man’s voice at the door. She jerked upright and gave a small cry of pain when she did so. Clutching her arm around her middle she let the sheriff ease her back against the pillows since he had hastened to her side. “I’m sorry I startled you. I was just gonna ask if you were hungry. Ma has some great soup ready.”
“That’s......” she sucked several breaths of air, her brow furrowed in pain before answering him. “That’s alright, I’m just jumpy. Soup sounds good.” She forced a smile and said to Conner, “ Why don’t you go see if you can help your grandma with dinner?” The boy looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression. He shrugged his small shoulders with a small smile and reached up to give her a wet kiss on the cheek before taking his book and scurrying out of the room. Audrey found herself genuinely smiling after him. Then she remembered she wasn’t alone and her face became neutral again. Looking back at the sheriff she found him studying her with an expression startlingly similar to the one his son had bore. Clearing her throat, she continued, “I’m the one who should be apologizing. You and your mother were kind to let me stay here and then this.....” she trailed off.
“Miss Blythe.”
“Audrey.”
“Audrey, you from Kansas City?
“What?”
“Kansas City. You from there?”
“No.”
“Oh, I just assumed since you got off the KC bus.....”
“No.” Great now he’s asking questions. “You said something about soup?”
“Yeah........ I’ll bring some up.” He turned and left the room.

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Derek closed the door behind him and leaned against the frame. He’d been in his office when he’d heard laughter coming from down the hall. He’d gone to investigate and found the door to Audrey’s room ajar. Inside he saw a sight he was unprepared for. His son was cuddled against her side and he was laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard Conner laugh. Yet there he was, laughing and talking like it was about to go out of style. He’d known that Conner was taken with this lady but he’d never imagined that she would reciprocate the sentiment to this extent. She had a melodious carefree laugh which rippled through the room and hall. She was a transformed woman with Conner. No longer uptight or scared, just herself, or at least what seemed to be her true nature. By then he’d realized he’d been staring too long and needed to say something before he was caught. So he had, and had startled her so bad she’d hurt herself and worried Conner. Thankfully Conner was so young he’d taken her at her word that she was fine. At least he’d confirmed that she wasn’t from Kansas City. Pushing away from the frame he went down to the kitchen and paused outside the door. Inside he could hear Conner, telling Grandma about the story he’d heard. His mom looked up as soon as he entered and, of course, began to berate him with questions. “Did you ask her about the.... you know whats?”, “Did she say where she was from?”, “Did she tell you anything?” and to each question he had to answer, “No.”
“Well, I don’t know how you ever managed to get into that government agency that paid you so much back east if you can’t even get some simple facts from that poor girl.”
“First of all, it was the U.S. Marshal’s Ma, and I worked hard for that pay.”
“I know that, but still, I don’t know how you ever caught any bad guys like this.” He just shook his head and went to wash up. Ma never had understood what his job entailed. Sometimes he thought that she’d rather believe the whole world was as simple and law abiding as her hometown seemed, but she wasn’t that naive. Colbert was a small and simple town and although most of it’s citizens were law abiding, like any other town it had its miscreants. Why just yesterday he’d had to arrest a couple of teenagers for busting into the drug store and trying to steal a lot of prescription medicines. Thankfully their parents were the types that believed their children should pay the consequences for their mistakes and had allowed him to leave them in lock up for a night or two just to scare them. He didn’t think any drug charges would be filed, probably just a B&E. Come to think of it, he’d better go into town and relieve Cody, maybe take him and the prisoners some grub. Cody Dillenger had been his deputy since a few days after he’d taken the job. He was a good kid, still pretty green, but a good deputy. When Conner had burst into the office yesterday talking about a lady who’d gotten off the bus, poor Cody had about had a coronary. He’d never heard Conner utter a single word. His original deputy, Harry Grecs had ended up taking a job in the next county as Sheriff because he felt that he’d been passed up for this job for illegitimate reasons. Harry still harbored a great dislike for him. Fact was that the next county had a major drug problem which Harry had inherited when he took the job. Yep, old Harry had made it no secret that, if he ever had the chance, he’d have Derek’s job, and if this thing with Miss Blythe blew up and she wound up in jail, he’d have plenty of grounds to push for Derek’s resignation.

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This guy was too smart. He’d figure out that something was wrong and try to check her story and she’d be done for. Audrey pushed down the covers and cautiously peeled back the bandages from one side of her stomach, grimacing as the adhesive pulled her skin. She must have opened some of the wounds when she took her shower. This time she couldn’t take the risk of running with them unhealed. If she did then she might end up in a less than friendly environment that could get her killed faster then if she’d stepped in front of a train, but that sheriff was an inconvenience that she didn’t need. He was not falling for the fake name and though he seemed like a nice guy, he was a lawman. Lawmen she knew. Living with her dad had taught her enough about them to last two lifetimes. They were suspicious of everyone and, until they received confirmation otherwise, considered everyone a suspect. Frankly she couldn’t blame him if he did check up on her, she had given him more than enough cause to suspect her. Dragging herself into town looking worse than a drowned rat and getting so sick that they’d had to doctor her. Mrs. Holden had found her wounds....maybe she hadn’t told her son. Yeah right, and she was the Queen of England. She’d never been one to lie to herself, but in the last few weeks she’d found herself trying to. Every time she’d felt a wave of pain or woken up sleeping under a bridge she would tell herself it was just a dream..... that she’d wake up any minute still safely tucked in her bed at home... her dad tinkering in his workshop and a hot pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen. It never worked... she would always remember... remember that she would never again wake up to hear her dad arguing with himself or sputtering as he stubbed his toe on the ottoman when he came home in the wee hours of the morning. The door to her room swung open and the sheriff entered bearing a tray. Setting it on the nightstand, he leaned over to lift her to a more upright position on the pillows. He slid his hands under her arms and lifted her as if she weighed no more than sack of groceries. Audrey’s chest tightened and she forced herself to breathe deeply as she found herself face to chest with him. Gripping his forearms while he arranged the pillows behind her, she took another slow breath and detected the faint musk of his cologne. “How long could it take to rearrange some pillows!” she thought in exasperation. She needed some distance between them. The reaction she was having to this man was unmistakeable and she loved it, but that was beside the point. It would be dangerous to get too close to him. Not only for her but for him and his family. Finally he let her back against the pillows and pulled back. He set the tray across her lap and she automatically bent her head to say a quick prayer. Looking up she saw that he had sat on the edge of the bed and was watching her thoughtfully. Paying him no mind, she dug shamelessly in to the hardy beef stew and savored the fresh corn bread biscuit, but after eating half of the bowl had to ruefully push it away. Her meals of late had been so scarce that her poor stomach just couldn’t handle that much even though she really wanted to finish it.

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He’d watched her eat the meal without really knowing why.... maybe he somehow thought that watching her eat would answer some of his questions.... who knows? But he had learned more than he thought he would. First of all, she had prayed before starting her meal which proved she was a Christian. Second, she was right handed. Finally, he perceived that she had been practically starving herself for at least two weeks. That was the only thing that could explain why she couldn’t finish the small amount of food he’d brought up; because the way she’d eaten at first proved that she was famished. What he hadn’t needed to know was exactly how fragile and delicate she was. He’d known by looking at her clothes that she had lost weight since she bought them, but she’d felt so small and vulnerable when he lifted her on the pillows that he’d held her while he arranged the pillows. Which was probably unnecessary now that he thought about it. He moved her tray aside and they sat there for a moment, studying each other. Derek remained perfectly still and watched her become exceedingly agitated as the minutes ticked by. Finally he took pity on her and spoke. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a caged animal,” she quipped inadvertently. He grinned and she looked down as a flush rose on her cheeks.
“Well, not much I can do about that for now. When you get a bit more o’ your strength we’ll see about you taking a tour of the house and outdoors.”
“Do you think I could sit by a window? I can’t really see too much from this perspective but it looks like it’s a beautiful view.”
“I reckon that can be arranged,” he replied.