Free Lone Rider by Lauren Bach Page A

away...or drawing him closer?
    Then just that quickly he jumped free of the bed. Tess struggled to sit up, grabbing for the sheet. “Go ahead and get up,” he said gruffly.
    Stung by his sudden brusqueness, Tess snapped. “Am I allowed to use the bathroom in private? Or are you a pervert who likes to watch?”
    Too late, she bit her tongue. No sense antagonizing the man. She needed to stay calm and maintain control. She waited for him to retaliate, wondering if the wiser move might be to apologize.
                  To her surprise Dallas ignored the remark, slipping a shirt over his head. She caught a brief glimpse of the bulge tenting his briefs before he turned away. “Help yourself,” he said.
                  Snagging her jeans from the floor, she slid them on and hurried into the bathroom.
    The first thing she noticed, besides the fact that it was infinitely cleaner than the one at the main house, was no lock on the door. Then she noticed the small window. Her spirits soared. Yes! It would be a tight fit, but she co uld squeeze through. And then--
    Then she’d get as far away from the cabin as possible. She knew she wouldn’t get much of a head start so every second would have to count. Starting now.
    Moving quietly, she attacked the window pushing determinedly on the wooden sill. It didn’t budge. Damn! She shoved again, then looked closer, spotting the bent nail hammered into the frame. She tugged at it, barely able to grasp it with her fingers, finding it immovable.
    She needed something to pry the nail out. Scrambling back to the sink and turning on the water to cover the noise, she opened the mirrored medicine cabinet.
    To her surprise the cabinet contained her toiletries. He’d undoubtedly unpacked her bag. Shampoo, deodorant, cosmetics. Her razor was conspicuously missing. So were her tweezers. She was disappointed, yet it didn’t surprise her. Dallas struck her as a thorough man. He’d never have let her in the bathroom alone otherwise.
    A knock sounded on the door.
    “Just a minute,” she yelled, quickly splashing water on her face. With no lock he could have simply walked in. She supposed she should have felt grateful, but she didn’t. Opening the door , she found Dallas holding a neat stack of her clothes.
                  “Any more dizziness?” he asked.
                  “No.”
                  He thrust the clothes at her. “Then go ahead and take a shower. The water’s good and hot , but it won’t last long.”
                  Her first instinct was to refuse. Except what did that gain her? A shower and clean clothes would feel heavenly. Still she hesitated.
                  “There’s no lock on this door,” she pointed out. What’s to stop him from barging in?
                  Dallas shifted, leaning comfortably against the doorjamb. “After that pervert remark I ought to make you leave the door open. However, I’m a reasonable guy , and I’ll give you the privacy you need. As long as it’s not abused. Just remember that if I want to come in, nothing can stop me. Besides, if you got dizzy and fell--”
                  She snatched her clothes from him. “I won’t!”
    He glanced at his watch. “Good. Then you’ve got ten minutes. Take it or leave it.” 

 
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
                 
    Even though Dallas allotted her ten minutes for a shower, Tess only spent half that time beneath the water. First she tried again to pry the nail free with her fingertips. Unsuccessfully.
    Damn, what she wouldn’t give for a claw hammer. Or a telephone. And a gun. Frustrated, she threw open the bathroom door.
                  A delicious aroma greeted her. Food. Her stomach growled, reminding her of exactly how long it had been since her last meal. She turned toward the kitchen, frowning at the man who controlled too much of her