Worse than being attacked on the street by that guy from Blake-Moore. Hearing Aaron’s cries, seeing that stranger gripping her son with that harsh look in his eyes, had been heart-wrenching. And poor Willa. Her eyes filled. Willa had never hurt anyone and hadn’t deserved to die.
“Olivia, don’t.” Ryker reached out and lightly touched the back of her hand. “Don’t dwell on what nearly happened back there. Concentrate on your future. Reliving that fear and worry can’t be good for the baby, right?”
His kindness only made her eyes burn with more tears as she tried to smile. “Right.”
Ryker gestured to her meal. “Eat up. I’m sure the baby is hungry.”
Taking another bite of her burger, she did her best to ignore the weird awareness that had come out of nowhere when she’d held Ryker’s face and looked deep into his hazel eyes.
Ridiculous to be attracted to a man who was only trying to help her out of a dangerous situation. She was as big as an ox and would only get bigger as the baby grew. No man would be interested in someone who probably not only outweighed him but waddled when she walked.
Besides, she wasn’t about to become involved with him. With any man, but especially not another soldier. The last few weeks of her marriage to Tim had been difficult. She’d known Tim since high school; he’d always been Colin’s best friend. Tim was a man she’d known for ten years, yet somehow her husband of five years had turned into a complete stranger.
If that sort of personality change could happen to Tim, it could happen to anyone. She was better off alone, especially since she would have her hands full with a new baby to care for.
These feelings stirring deep within must be gratitude toward Ryker, nothing more. Not only had he saved her life, but he’d helped rescue Aaron. Despite her earlier misgivings, she was thankful that he’d come to find her.
She risked another glance at him from beneath her lashes. Ryker was handsome. His chiseled features belonged on billboards selling anything that women might want to buy. Even something they didn’t want to buy, but would anyway once they saw him. Yet she still found it odd that he’d come all this way to find her and Aaron just because he’d feared they were in danger.
Who did that? Who jumped at the chance to get involved in a perilous situation to protect strangers? She had no idea.
It wasn’t until she finished her meal that she remembered she’d forgotten to pray. Attending church with Willa these past few weeks had been amazing, but she still wasn’t used to doing the simple things like thanking God for her food. She sent up a quick, silent, guilty prayer then crumpled up her empty wrapper and pushed to her feet.
“I’ll take that.” Ryker plucked the garbage from her hand while pressing on her arm. “Just sit and relax, okay?”
She sank back down into her seat, eyeing him warily. “Don’t worry, I don’t think all of this excitement will send me into early labor.”
The flash of frank fear in his gaze was oddly reassuring. “Don’t joke about that.”
Her smile faded and she rubbed her hands over her belly. “You’re right—it’s not a laughing matter. I want this baby to keep growing inside for as long as possible. My doctor says the baby shouldn’t come much before forty weeks.”
Ryker scrubbed his palms over his face for a moment and she could tell the responsibility of keeping her, Aaron and the baby safe had overwhelmed him.
She liked that he cared about her, and about the baby she carried. Her instincts told her Ryker was a man she could trust.
Of course, she’d once felt that way about Tim and look where that had gotten her.
She tried not to remember the way their marriage had slowly unraveled over time. Like a sweater, first the hem, then the sleeves then finally the entire garment until there was nothing left but a pile of yarn.
“Would you like some herbal tea?” He held up a box of chamomile tea that must have been left behind by previous occupants of the cabin. “There isn’t a microwave but I can heat some water on the stove.”
“That would be nice.” Liv knew that she’d need to sit and relax for a while before trying to sleep. She pulled her purse toward her and rummaged for the bottle of antacids she kept with her at all times. No matter how dull and bland the food was, the baby pushed up on her stomach in a way that caused endless heartburn.
“Are you certain you don’t know why the men of the Blake-Moore Group are after you?”
She glanced up at Ryker, who was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. A small pan of water was heating on the stove, but he looked anything but domestic standing there. The gun on his hip and the muscles straining at his shirtsleeves made her mouth go dry.
Stop it! She gave herself a mental shake and did her best to concentrate on what was important. “I’ve been thinking about that since I first went on the run,” she admitted. “But honestly, I can’t think of anything that would make anyone within the organization upset with me.”
Ryker’s gaze was steady. “Have you met the owners? Harper Moore or Kevin Blake?”
She frowned, thinking back to when Tim had first talked about his new job. He’d spoken of the two men, but had she met them? There had been a welcome-to-the-group party early on with other members of the Blake-Moore organization, and she thought maybe Kevin Blake and Harper Moore had been there. But for the life of her, she couldn’t bring either man’s face into focus.
“About four years ago,” she admitted. “But I met a lot of guys Tim worked with back then, and I
