The Cowboy's Bride Bet - Holly Rayner Page 0,2

new showed up, I’d want to make sure I knew about them before they knew about me. I stared at the chain lock and wondered how much force it would take to kick that door in.

I grabbed a chair from next to the little table and propped it under the doorknob, wedging it snuggly. Even if someone got a key from the office, they wouldn’t be able to turn the handle.

I snorted, then, shaking my head at my stupidity.

If they wanted to get in, there’s nothing I could do that would keep them out. I looked around. All they’d have to do is throw something through the window, and I’d be done for. Unless…

I went into the bathroom and flicked the light on. The rectangular slat that ran along the top of the shower might be just big enough for me to fit through if I didn’t have my coat on.

Glancing back toward the room, I let out a sigh and shrugged off my jacket. Not that I’d last long out in the weather. If it came down to it, the question would inevitably be whether I was more afraid of a bullet than I was of hypothermia.

Sweat had soaked through all three layers of my clothes, and I shivered, realizing that the cold had started seeping into my bones. Peeling off my sweater, I kicked off my boots and put my clothes in a pile beside the bathroom door. What I needed was a hot shower and a decent night’s sleep.

Standing under the hot water was the closest thing to normal I’d felt in days. Even then, I kept turning off the water and listening every time I heard voices outside. The motel shampoo smelled and felt more like hand soap than something I would put in my hair, but it was better than nothing. After rinsing off the grime of being on the run, I dried off and got into one of my cleaner T-shirts.

Maybe I can find a laundromat before hitting the road again. I took another peek through the blinds, recounting the cars before pulling on a pair of sweatpants. I needed to be semi-dressed in case I needed to leave in a hurry. Would it smarter to wash my clothes or to go to a thrift store and get new ones? The more I can do to change my appearance, the better.

I left the lights off as I crawled into bed. The thought crossed my mind that there was a time when I would have wanted to check the cleanliness of the sheets first, but now, that was the least of my worries. I was safe from the elements, and there wasn’t a soul in the world who knew where I was. This was the best I could hope for.

Taking a deep breath, I stared at the light cast through the blinds across my ceiling. The silence consumed me as I realized just how alone I really was.

My shoulders jerked as I tried to suppress the sobs welling up in my chest. My old life was gone forever, and I’d been so busy just trying to survive, I hadn’t had time to process what that meant.

Will I ever be able to see or talk to my folks again?

If Moretti even suspected they might know where I was or how to contact me, I knew they’d be in danger.

No, it’s for the best that they didn’t hear from me at all. I wish that things were different, but there’s nothing I can do about that now.

I rolled over and pressed my face into the pillow, sobbing weakly until I finally fell asleep.

I woke with a gasp, eyes wide and darting from one side of the room to the other as I tried to remember where I was and how long I’d been asleep.

Greenwater, Texas. An image of my bus ticket flashed through my mind along with my memory of the Cozy Dog Motel sign. My head snapped to the side as I looked at the digital clock on my nightstand. It was already nine in the morning, and checkout time was supposed to be at ten.

I scrubbed one hand down my face, falling back into the pillow. My stomach growled, reminding me that it had been too long since my last meal. Since I still needed to get clean clothes and supplies, the most logical thing to do was pay for another night or two and take a little time to plan my next move.

Two, three,