Desperate as she was, she still hesitated. Maybe the mother and sister didn't exist. Maybe . . . but something about him rang true - mostly the part that he had saved her life.
He gave her an exasperated look. "What's the matter, are you expecting a better offer?"
Her cheeks warmed with more than embarrassment. "No, I . . . it's just that I've imposed on you so much already."
"Then don't waste any more of my time." His voice was gruff, and his brows were drawn together in a frown . . . and yet the blue eyes twinkled with humor.
If he had intended her harm, fate had already provided him with ample opportunity. She shrugged and accepted his invitation with some reservation. As he had pointed out, it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. She climbed into the leather seat and he shut the door after her. He walked around to the driver's side, ducking his head as he folded his long frame into the car. Maneuvering the car around skillfully, he started back up the road.
"Have you got folks around here?"
"Not any more." She kept her eyes on the road, but she could see the outline of his somber face from the corner of her eye.
"Visiting family?" He persisted.
"No, just visiting."
He frowned. "Where did you plan to sleep tonight?"
She nibbled on her lower lip. There was no point in telling him she had intended to sleep in the car. "At a hotel in Huntsville, but I haven't rented a room yet," she blurted out, and then caught her breath. Now he would know that no one was expecting her. Her fingers found the door handle - just in case.
"You're in a fix." His tone was flat and uninterested.
He swung the car off the road and under an arch that read "Ambrosia Acres." Not even a path had existed here when she lived in the area five years ago. The grass had been mown short for about five feet on either side of the narrow drive, and a tangle of underbrush and trees lay beyond . . . freedom, or a barrier? She gripped the handle tighter. It had been foolish to climb into the car with him. And yet, if she had refused, would she have been any better off hiking down the road? He could have forced her into the car . . . could have drug her into the woods. The chances were slim that anyone would have come along the road to help her. She felt dizzy from breathing off the top of her lungs.