“Sounds like fun.” Then she paused a moment and her cheeks again went that delectable shade of pink that damn near did him in. “Thank you, Joe.”

Startled, he glanced fully at her, taking his eyes from the road for a brief second. “What on earth are you thanking me for?”

“For being my wind today,” she said softly.

It was a damn good thing they were driving down the highway. It was a damn good thing he’d given himself the mother of all lectures regarding Zoe’s status with him. Otherwise he’d spend the next hour kissing her. What man could resist a woman looking at him with so much vulnerability but at the same time like he was the hero of her universe?

I’m so fucked.

Fucked.

Fucked.

Fucked!

When he slowed to take the turn onto the main highway, he took out his cell and hastily texted Sam.

Unavailable today.

Then he did the unthinkable and shut his phone off, tossing it into the console. Never before had he taken himself out of commission with KGI. He had nothing to tie him down. No commitment to anything or anyone other than himself—and his family, of course. But if KGI got called out today, they’d have to work without him. Sam would have all sorts of questions. Questions Joe had no intention of answering. He was due a day to be off call seeing as how he’d never done so before, and that should be sufficient enough explanation to any of his nosy, prying, interfering brothers.

He just hoped to hell they didn’t tell their wives or they’d descend much as they had with Eve, all wanting a closer examination than they’d gotten at the family barbecue to make sure she was good enough for him. He nearly snorted. They needed to be worried about him being good enough for her. He wasn’t exactly known for his wit, charm or subtlety when it came to women, but he was going to need everything he could muster to crack this particular nut.

Oh God. He was losing his fucking mind. He hadn’t even been out on an actual date with this woman yet and he was already making excuses to his family and plotting a game plan. It was time to slow the hell down before he got in way over his head. He should have never offered to show Zoe around. Should have kept his distance and let it be. But he hadn’t, and now he was going to have to deal with the consequences.

CHAPTER 9

GRADUALLY Zoe relaxed under Joe’s calm and easygoing manner. And to think she was worried that he’d been hitting on her when he was treating her in much the same manner as he did Rusty, who was his adopted sister. She forced herself not to feel humiliation that she’d panicked and misread the situation. Thank God, she hadn’t made obvious what she’d assumed. Well, other than her blurting out the question of whether he was asking her out yesterday. Hopefully, he’d forgotten all about that, or just put it down to a simple misunderstanding. She’d taken all the embarrassment over rejection she could handle in this lifetime.

Still, a small voice in the back of her mind demanded to know what was so wrong with her that no one wanted her. Cared about her. Her father. Sebastian. Her mother even. No one wanted her. Stella Huntington. How could her mother have left her and never looked back? To a man who had no obvious love or interest in his daughter. Was it because he’d wanted a son?

Knowing now what she hadn’t known then, that was likely the case. A daughter could hardly take over Garth Huntington’s criminal empire. Had her mother always known? Was that why she’d left? But if that was the case, why hadn’t she taken Stella with her? Wouldn’t a mother want to protect her only child from such a dangerous environment?

Hot tears stung her eyelids and she inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly so as not to betray the sudden surge of emotion. Damn it. Now was not the time to be feeling sorry for herself and reflecting on the past. It was just that—the past. And there was nothing she could do to change any of it. If she had any desire to live, to be free of the life she’d unwittingly led, she had to move forward and reinvent herself. She was Zoe Kildare now, and Stella Huntington was dead. Just like Sebastian and likely her father had wanted. But why hadn’t Sebastian just done the deed from the start? Why go through the farce of making her fall in love with him? Did he get off on humiliating her? Had he planned to taunt her with just how stupid and naïve she was before he killed her? For that matter, had her father hired him to get rid of her?

All the questions made her head ache vilely and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed—Rusty’s bed—and cry for a year.

“Hey, you okay?” Joe asked gently.

Mortification burned through her mind. She schooled her features and then turned, flashing her most convincing smile in his direction.

“I’m fine. Just excited to see the bison and elk. Do you think they’ll be out?”

Joe studied her a moment, his slight frown telling her he didn’t buy her explanation a bit, but thankfully he didn’t press her on the issue.

“Bison, almost a guarantee. The elk are a little scarcer. The best time to see them is in the evening, right before sunset and at dusk. If we don’t have an elk sighting today, then I’ll bring you back one evening and I’ll see what I can do about rustling one up for you.”

He grinned as he said the last and she couldn’t help but grin back, the earlier heartache lifting beneath his friendliness.

“I thought we’d hit the Old Homestead while we’re out this way too. It’s a representation of the area in the 1800s with cabins and structures that existed in that time period. They have homestead days there and have people dress in period clothing. Folksingers perform, and they have refreshments, including watermelons chilled in the stream that runs right through the settlement.”