Free brides for brothers 15 - a randall hero by judy christenberry Page A

avoid looking him in the eye.
    “Why are you crying?’
    “It—it just happens when you have a baby.”
    “If that’s true, why are you hiding? Why not come back to dinner?”
    She let her head drop. Then she nodded. “Yes, of course, I’m coming back to the table.” She was a mature adult, after all, capable of being courteous and cordial despite her breaking heart.
    “Good. You need to eat a good meal.”
    “I need to wash my face. Then I’ll come back to the table.”
    John paused and Lucy held her breath. “Okay, I’ll go on ahead. But you’ll come?”
    “Yes, I’ll come.” And she’d stare her feelings right in the eye, dare them to overcome her.
    She didn’t go to the bathroom until after he’d left her room. Then she went in and washed her face. She was horribly embarrassed. Now she had to go to the table and face the Randalls.
    And hope she could avoid a detailed questioning.
     
    J OHN WENT BACK to the table. “Lucy will be here in a minute. I think we shouldn’t ask too many questions.”
    “But why was she crying?”
    “I’m not sure, Mom. We need to give her some space.”
    “You think so?” Griff asked. “She won’t maybe think about leaving?”
    John frowned. “I don’t think so.”
    About that time they heard Lucy coming down the hall. She slipped into her chair and muttered an apology. With her head down, she ate a decent meal. John knew because he kept an eye on her.
    Just as they finished, she asked, “Is my car parked at Larry’s garage?”
    “Why, yes, it’s there,” John said. “Did you need it?”
    “I just wondered.”
    John looked at his father. Could his dad be right? Was Lucy planning on leaving? But he wasn’t sure why she was upset. She’d put him off by saying it was because she’d just given birth. But there was no way he was letting her leave.
    Lucy went to the kitchen with his mother to help with the cleanup. But she didn’t look anyone in the eye. Which meant she was doing exactly as she’d planned from the time he forced her out of her bedroom.
    She was going away.
    With Emma.
    Not if he could help it. She wouldn’t last long trying to hide from Cecil and provide for her baby.
    He couldn’t keep his promise and protect her from Cecil if she lived somewhere else. So why was she running away? What did she have to hide?
     
    Lucy had no choice but to hide her feelings. And run. That had become clear to her as she’d sat across from John at dinner. She’d been so aware of him, so attracted to him, she could barely swallow. Staying here near John was no longer possible.
    After she’d run from dinner, she’d spent the rest of the night trying to figure out the fastest way to reach her car. But all she came up with was to walk to Rawhide. It took a fifteen-minute car ride. How long would it take her to walk it, carrying Emma?
    She couldn’t take much. Lying in bed in the dark, she carefully thought out what she could take. In the closet was a backpack she’d seen when she’d arrived. She planned only a change of clothes for her, but Emma would need more. If she packed tightly, she thought she could fit enough of the baby’s clothing.
    Without a washer and dryer, she’d need a lot. Maybe she could manage to make it until she found a motel with laundry facilities.
    And of course she’d need food, too. It made Lucy wish she were nursing her child. But because she’d been afraid she might not survive, she wanted her child to be bottle-fed.
    She’d also have to take breakfast for herself. She wouldn’t be able to stop anywhere in Rawhide or nearby. John might come looking for her, so she couldn’t leave clues.
    Not even if she wanted to.
    Leaving John was something she tried not to think about. He’d said he would keep her safe, but he wouldn’t want to when he discovered she loved him. That was why she had to leave.
    She heard Emma starting to wake up. Her child didn’t start crying at once. She would squirm around and make sweet sounds. Lucy