Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5)(26)

Megan just wanted a chance at a normal life and a productive career, even if that meant no possibility of giving birth to babies of her own. She had other options if she ever wanted to have children. She’d just never felt a strong pull to be a mother. Of course she hadn’t been attracted to a man long enough for any serious relationship to occur—until Ryder.

Oh, Megan. He kissed you. He didn’t propose or ask you to be the mother of his children.

Hoping to lighten up the mood again, she went to her bedside stand and pulled out some of her smaller, quieter toys. At least losing her womb hadn’t kept her from enjoying orgasms. She wasn’t sure she would have the privacy to use them at Ryder’s, but being that close to the man for several more days, she decided it was better to be prepared than frustrated.

Seeing her handgun, she removed it and tucked it in her purse. She had her carry permit. Ryder was handy with a knife, but she didn’t feel safe without having her own weapon. Not that she expected any trouble, except maybe for a stray rattler while out hiking or something. God, she hated snakes.

Zipping up the bags, she slung her camera case onto her shoulder and released the handle of her suitcase to wheel it into the hallway. She stopped at her office and made sure the photos she wanted to work with weren’t in the cloud. The chance of having an internet connection out there was slim, given the way Ryder referred to that cloud.

Megan then packed up her laptop before heading toward the garage. She was about an hour early. Plenty of time to clean up the kitchen. Maybe Ryder would be ready early, too.

When she reached the kitchen, she found it spotless. She left her bags and went in search of Ryder in the living room. His folded blanket lay neatly on the arm of the sofa. The man hadn’t left his military ways behind him. Patrick tended to be a neat freak since his days in the Marines, too, especially after a post-traumatic stress episode. She assumed having everything in its place helped them restore order from the chaos in their minds after a nightmare or flashback.

“Ready?”

She turned to find him standing in the hallway. “Yes. I want to stop at the store before we leave the city, though. I’d like to get some groceries.”

“There’s a good one near my place. Everything we’ll need and fewer people.”

She walked toward him, and he stepped aside for her to precede him down the hallway. In the garage, Ryder soon had her bags tucked into the back of her SUV. She set the alarm, for whatever good it might do, and pulled out after him. Soon they took the ramp heading for the Jemez. As she followed, she noticed he took care not to weave in and out of traffic so she wouldn’t lose him.

The scenery already looked familiar from their ride up here yesterday. After stocking up at the convenience store that served as the local grocery, he turned from the main highway onto one that wasn’t as well maintained as the logging road had been. Red dust kicked up from his back tire. She drove slower to keep some distance between their vehicles in case he hit a rut and rolled his bike.

The rock formations and soil surrounding them still had red tinges.

Simple beauty.

She couldn’t wait to go exploring with her camera when she wasn’t trying to keep her eyes on the road. She’d have to watch for rattlesnakes—probably scorpions, too. So different from her time spent in the wilds of the Black Hills. Of course, there were venomous snakes there, too. None had ever bothered her.

Megan shuddered. She really didn’t like snakes.

Ryder turned onto an even less maintained road. She maneuvered to avoid some of the ruts. This must be a fun road to drive after a rainstorm. Not. After avoiding what had to be a bone-jarring hole, his bike made a sharp turn, and there stood a one-story adobe house. The reddish tint of the mud made it clear it had been made from local soil.

The unpainted wooden front door welcomed anyone who might happen upon the porch. A ristra of dried red chiles hung from the porch roof rafters. Two small windows on either side of the door completed the fa?ade. Cozy.

A newer addition extended off to the right of the main part of the house with larger, more modern windows. She could imagine his friend’s grandmother living in the old section, but until she saw the new addition, she wouldn’t have pictured this as his home. Of course, he merely lived here and took care of the place for a friend.

She didn’t imagine too many people ventured this far up the mountain, though. Someone had to be looking for the house to find it, and she wasn’t sure if she left and tried to come back she could retrace her path.

Vines of morning glory grew up the wall on the left side of the entrance, with hollyhocks shooting up before them. Their blossoms would be gorgeous against the red adobe in mid-summer.

Too bad she wouldn’t be here to photograph them.

He indicated with his pointed finger the spot for her to park, and she exited the SUV. A panoramic view of the valley and mountains stretched out beyond the house.

“What a beautiful place!”

“I agree. I probably didn’t appreciate it as a teenager, but it’s given me a lot of peace since…since I moved out here.”

“I can imagine.” The feeling of peace and harmony here was palpable. His friend was a godsend to offer him a place to recover from combat.

“I can’t wait to start taking photos.” She popped the hatchback. “But first, I guess I ought to carry my things inside.”

“I’ll get the suitcase.”