back right away."
"No. Actually, I see just the opposite. There was more to this than just kidnapping you to keep you out of the way. It may have started out that way but somewhere along the line things changed. Those men yesterday were trying to kill me and you overheard them planning to kill you. That's more than your basic kidnapping."
"There must have been a mistake somewhere." Her eyes were dark with distress and Sam had to suppress the urge to sit down beside her and put his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be all right.
"Maybe. But, until we find out whose mistake it was, I think we should lay low and think about our next move. I don't know about you, but I'm not all that fond of getting beat up and shot at."
Babs stood up and shoved her hands in her back pockets, her back to him. "You think my family wants me dead, don't you?" Her voice was low and strained, the attractive huskiness deepening.
"I don't think anything at all right now. All I know is that we ought to find out what's going on before we go waltzing into a potentially dangerous situation. We need someplace where it will be safe to stay for a few days and give the whole situation some thought."
She didn't say anything for a minute and he stared at her silently, knowing how hard this was for her. He was asking her to trust him, to do what he thought was best. He was also asking her to accept the possibility that she might be in danger because of her family. After a long moment, her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she turned to face him, her face set.
"All right. I'll go along with this. For a while anyway."
Sam nodded, accepting her decision calmly, as if he'd never had any doubts about her seeing it his way.
"Okay, the first thing we need to do is get some clothes and then find some transportation."
"What's wrong with your truck?"
"The guys who kidnapped you obviously know what it looks like. I want to find someplace to hide for a few days and I don't want them picking up our trail. The truck would make it too easy."
Babs sat down on the edge of the bed, her brow wrinkled as she considered the problem. "Why don't we just buy another car?"
Sam stared at her. In one sentence, she'd summed up the gap between them. For Babs Malone, buying a car was no big deal. She probably didn't give it much more thought than he'd give to buying a new pair of shoes. The reminder of their differences was irritating.
"There's only one problem that I can see with that."
She looked at him, eyes wide and questioning.
"Money. Cars cost money. Generally lots of it. I didn't bring that kind of money. Hell, I don't even have that kind of money."
"That's no problem. I can just call up my bank and they'll transfer the money to a bank here and then we can buy a car." She was clearly pleased with having found a simple solution to their transportation difficulties.
"Sure. Great idea. We're trying to lay low and keep out of sight. Every fruitcake in the country is looking for you for that fifty-thousand-dollar reward. So you're just going to waltz into the local savings and loan and announce that you're the kidnapped Malone heiress and you'd like to have a few thou transferred from your bank account and could they arrange it please?"
Babs flushed at the bite in his tone and drew herself up a bit stiffly. "Fine. You're so brilliant. You think of something."
"Thank you, I will."
The silence that settled over the room was thick with indignation. Sam looked at her and then looked away. She looked like a child who'd been unfairly punished. Her chin was set but her eyes held an edge of hurt. Not that it was his problem. He hadn't done anything out of line. Nothing at all. He glanced at her again. She was staring at her fingernails with such an air of deliberate unconcern that he almost smiled.
"Oh, hell. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that. We've got enough problems without snapping at each other."
She looked at him from under her lashes,
"No. Actually, I see just the opposite. There was more to this than just kidnapping you to keep you out of the way. It may have started out that way but somewhere along the line things changed. Those men yesterday were trying to kill me and you overheard them planning to kill you. That's more than your basic kidnapping."
"There must have been a mistake somewhere." Her eyes were dark with distress and Sam had to suppress the urge to sit down beside her and put his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be all right.
"Maybe. But, until we find out whose mistake it was, I think we should lay low and think about our next move. I don't know about you, but I'm not all that fond of getting beat up and shot at."
Babs stood up and shoved her hands in her back pockets, her back to him. "You think my family wants me dead, don't you?" Her voice was low and strained, the attractive huskiness deepening.
"I don't think anything at all right now. All I know is that we ought to find out what's going on before we go waltzing into a potentially dangerous situation. We need someplace where it will be safe to stay for a few days and give the whole situation some thought."
She didn't say anything for a minute and he stared at her silently, knowing how hard this was for her. He was asking her to trust him, to do what he thought was best. He was also asking her to accept the possibility that she might be in danger because of her family. After a long moment, her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she turned to face him, her face set.
"All right. I'll go along with this. For a while anyway."
Sam nodded, accepting her decision calmly, as if he'd never had any doubts about her seeing it his way.
"Okay, the first thing we need to do is get some clothes and then find some transportation."
"What's wrong with your truck?"
"The guys who kidnapped you obviously know what it looks like. I want to find someplace to hide for a few days and I don't want them picking up our trail. The truck would make it too easy."
Babs sat down on the edge of the bed, her brow wrinkled as she considered the problem. "Why don't we just buy another car?"
Sam stared at her. In one sentence, she'd summed up the gap between them. For Babs Malone, buying a car was no big deal. She probably didn't give it much more thought than he'd give to buying a new pair of shoes. The reminder of their differences was irritating.
"There's only one problem that I can see with that."
She looked at him, eyes wide and questioning.
"Money. Cars cost money. Generally lots of it. I didn't bring that kind of money. Hell, I don't even have that kind of money."
"That's no problem. I can just call up my bank and they'll transfer the money to a bank here and then we can buy a car." She was clearly pleased with having found a simple solution to their transportation difficulties.
"Sure. Great idea. We're trying to lay low and keep out of sight. Every fruitcake in the country is looking for you for that fifty-thousand-dollar reward. So you're just going to waltz into the local savings and loan and announce that you're the kidnapped Malone heiress and you'd like to have a few thou transferred from your bank account and could they arrange it please?"
Babs flushed at the bite in his tone and drew herself up a bit stiffly. "Fine. You're so brilliant. You think of something."
"Thank you, I will."
The silence that settled over the room was thick with indignation. Sam looked at her and then looked away. She looked like a child who'd been unfairly punished. Her chin was set but her eyes held an edge of hurt. Not that it was his problem. He hadn't done anything out of line. Nothing at all. He glanced at her again. She was staring at her fingernails with such an air of deliberate unconcern that he almost smiled.
"Oh, hell. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that. We've got enough problems without snapping at each other."
She looked at him from under her lashes,
Similar Books
