Dangerous Intentions by Dori Lavelle Read Free Book Online

grin widened and a scream rose up in my throat. I opened my mouth and it exploded out.
    Before I could do anything else, Jude’s face disappeared, and Dustin was suddenly at my side.
    ***
    “Are you sure it was him?” Dustin asked for the third time in five minutes. He had brought me into the living room. My body wouldn’t stop trembling as he held me tight, trying to calm me down. When he first touched me, I’d panicked. If Jude was really here, if he was watching me from the shadows, seeing me in another man’s arms would infuriate him. Even with the dim lighting, we could still be visible through the thin living room curtains. Dustin had refused to back off and had pulled me into his arms.
    “His face was so clear, Dustin.” Even with the slight smile on his face, his eyes were filled with evil. Another chill ran down my spine.
    “I just think… You could have imagined it. It’s completely possible, since it’s the middle of the night and this man is your worst nightmare.”
    I rubbed my forehead and tried to get my breathing back to normal. “It was just so clear.” The longer I thought about it, the more I started to think Dustin had a point. Why would Jude see me through a window and not come to me? I gazed at the living room windows, at the darkness beyond the sheer curtains. “Maybe you’re right.”
    Dustin tightened his arms around me and I leaned my head against his hard chest, allowing the sound of his heartbeat to carry me back to the sense of safety I’d enjoyed over the last three days. I prayed he was right, that my mind was just playing tricks on me.
    Although nothing else happened after that night, the incident had reminded me that I had to make plans, and fast, before my fears became my reality.
     

Chapter Thirteen
     
    Travis stood in the field with his hands on his hips, wearing a torn cowboy hat. When he heard our truck approach, he turned to look in our direction, a hand shading his eyes from the blinding sunlight.
    The pregnant cow was finally in labor after days of waiting. I had been looking forward to the welcome distraction.
    Dustin stopped the truck, hopped out, and helped me out. I was grateful for the comfortable clothes Grace had bought me. She had gone for the smallest sizes she could find at Lucy’s Scraps. The clothes still looked baggy on me, but I didn’t mind. I had no reason to look fancy, and I wanted to be able to move around freely on the ranch. It had kept me busy to help her around the house, feed the chickens and pigs, and do some gardening. She never again brought up the topic of my abusive husband. Instead she told me about her niece’s adorable daughter.
    Travis greeted me with a warm smile and filled Dustin in on the condition of the animal.
    “Great,” Dustin said, removing his cap. He wiped his brow before putting the cap back on his head. “I’m glad everything is right on track.” He bent down on one knee and touched the cow’s head. It blinked, then struggled to its feet. Dustin and Travis didn’t try to stop it. Dustin herded it to the nearby barn. Instead of entering, it walked around once and then leaned against the wooden wall before lowering itself back to the ground under the wide tin-roof shelter that extended out of the barn.
    Then, before our eyes, it started happening. Dustin and Travis sprang into action. Travis ran into the barn and emerged with a bucket filled with clean cloths. Dustin sprinted back to the truck and returned with some chains. I asked them what they were doing and they said they were only getting things ready in case they needed to help the calf out.
    As they got the cow comfortable, I backed away and went to sit on a bed of straw close to the entrance of the barn. From there, I watched in awe. I was so entranced that I didn’t even mind the smell of manure that permeated the air.
    After what felt like an hour of the cow straining to get her young out into the world, she finally succeeded. The calf was sleek and