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She shook her head “I drove to Texas that night Leftelse, except for love coo”

“What about when you bought the trailer?”

“I hadand I lived off the mini-bar while I searched for a place to buy I found the listing for the trailer on the Internet and my lawyer handled the transaction as well It was a cash deal so it didn’t take too long, but by the tin, the bruise on one”

“Why so careful?” he asked “Making sure no one saw you Not going to the police in Nashville…?”

Her head dropped “Look, as much as I claim to be a nobody, my face and my name are familiar I don’t want anyone to know about this, Sa” She crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive move

Saently lifted it “If you tellto say about that, right?”

Mist covered her eyes “That it wasn’t my fault”

“Yeah”

Her lips pressed together for several seconds, then she said, “Much as I’d like to believe that, Sa men There have only been a few, but still… I chose this one as a boyfriend and a er So, really, who’s to blame?”

“Not you,” he told her in a strong voice, his gaze unwavering “He tried to steal money from you He ra—”

Her hand instantly shot out and her fingers pressed to his lips “Don’t say that word”

He pried the fingers from his mouth and said, “Call it what you want The fact still remains that you were assaulted”

His fingers curled around hers and he rested their entwined hands against his chest

She took a few deep breaths, then told him, “Reese can’t know about this” Her beautiful blue eyes pleaded with him “You need to know, because I’m still a little skittish and I don’t want you to think it has anything to do with you And I don’t want to start so totally honest You wouldn’t do that to me”

“No, I wouldn’t But Reese is your best friend, darlin’, and she’d be damn hurt if she heard it elsewhere”