There was nothing but woods around them. No other homes. It was private and secluded, but all Ramie could think was that there were too many places for intruders to hide. How would anyone ever know if someone got close?
Unease gripped her and she wondered if she’d been a fool to place her trust in Caleb Devereaux. She’d acted in a moment of panic. There’d been nothing else she could have done. But now that the preliminary panic had passed, she feared she’d made a huge mistake.
“Ramie?”
She realized she’d halted, resisting his effort to get her into his house. She dug in her heels, tugging her arm free of his hold. Panic gripped her and she recognized the signs of an impending anxiety attack.
“It’s not safe here,” she managed to get out in a garbled tone. “It’s too secluded. Too private. How would you ever know if someone was in the woods?”
Her vision blurred and she swore violently under her breath, what little breath she could take. Enough with the damn crying. She wasn’t a crier. And yet she’d done little else since Caleb had stormed back into her life. Emotional upheaval was the very last thing she needed. It was all she could do to manage what little sanity she had left.
To her absolute shock, Caleb didn’t argue. He didn’t try to talk her down. He simply swung her into his arms and strode resolutely the remaining distance to the door. It opened just as they approached and Caleb swept by a man she could only assume was one of his brothers.
“Caleb, stop,” she gasped out. “Put me down. Please.”
He ignored her, carrying her into a spacious living room that housed two large couches, a smaller love seat and two armchairs. He set her down on the love seat and then grasped her shoulders firmly, forcing her to look him in the face.
“Breathe, Ramie.”
He wasn’t as gentle as he’d been before. Not as understanding. He looked . . . pissed. Impatient. Haggard from lack of sleep. Shame crowded into her mind. She knew she sounded ungrateful. And mistrustful.
“Pull it together,” he ordered tersely. “You can’t fall apart now. You’re safe. Breathe, damn it.”
His words were like a whip, snapping over her and bringing her sharply into focus. Calm descended and the loud buzz in her ears abated. He shoved a cool washcloth into her shaking hands and she buried her face in it, breathing deeply.
When she finally pulled the cloth away she saw two men standing just beyond Caleb, their expressions indecipherable.
Great. Her first face-to-face meeting with his family and she was a complete basket case.
“Okay now?” Caleb asked, his tone gentler than before.
She nodded, closing her eyes in embarrassment.
“Ramie, stop,” he said in a low voice. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“What is she doing here?”
Ramie yanked her gaze to the doorway where the stricken, female voice had come from to see a young woman standing there, staring in horror at Ramie. Her words were shrill, almost to the point of hysteria.
Ramie didn’t need an introduction to know who she was. Ramie knew her on sight. Tori Devereaux. Caleb’s sister. A woman whose mind Ramie had been in. A woman Ramie had suffered with.
“You said you were helping her, not that you were bringing her here,” Tori said, her voice rising. “What is she doing here? She can’t be here. You have to make her leave.”
Tears ran in rivulets down Tori’s face as she stared at Ramie, shame burning brightly in her eyes. Ramie closed her eyes, unable to bear looking at Tori a moment longer.
It was obvious that Tori’s brothers had been completely unprepared for their sister’s outburst. And before they could react further, Tori turned and ran from the room.
Caleb looked as though he’d been punched in the stomach. His two brothers were equally stunned.
“I’ll go after her,” one of his brothers said in a low voice.
He departed the room leaving Ramie alone with Caleb and the other brother. Ramie knew the names of the family, just not who was who. Caleb was the oldest and Beau and Quinn were younger while Tori was the baby.
Her guess was that Quinn had been the one to go after Tori and that Beau, the second oldest Devereaux, had remained behind. The moment Tori’s outburst had registered, Beau’s expression had become unwelcoming. He stared at Ramie as though she were an unwanted intruder. She could hardly blame him.
“I’m sorry,” Caleb said in obvious bewilderment.
Ramie shook her head. “Don’t apologize. Her reaction isn’t surprising.”
Beau’s brow furrowed. “Why do you say that? You sound as though you expected such a response.”
Ramie stared directly back at him, her voice calm. “Because I know. Because I saw everything. Because I’m the one person apart from her and her kidnapper who knows exactly what she went through. You and your brothers didn’t see. You know only what she’s told you or chosen to share. She’s embarrassed and ashamed because I saw her at her worst and I experienced it with her. You can hardly expect her to roll out the welcome mat for me. Because as long as I’m here, I’m a constant reminder of everything she’s tried so hard to forget. And she doesn’t get to console herself with the fact that I don’t know everything as is the case with you and her other brothers.”