Page 7 of Saving Cade
He broke his gaze. “If that’s what you think is best, I’ll disappear. No one will know you helped me.”
Thoughts tumbled around in her head as she turned off the highway toward the brightly lit Walmart parking lot. She was stupid to even consider going with him, right? He really could have murdered that girl. She didn’t know him at all. But what would Travis do if he caught up with her? She wasn’t sure.
She pulled into a parking space and stopped the car. “What kind of a place is it?”
He gazed at her. She couldn’t help but notice his emerald green eyes. “It’s a six-bedroom house. Plenty of room for two people.”
“I don’t know. I think I’m crazy to even consider going with you.”
Cade sighed. “I’m not a killer. I was framed, and I got close to finding out who was behind it before I was convicted. If I can just dig into it a little more, I should be able to prove there was fraud going on in my company, and who was behind it.” He glanced at her. “I won’t hurt you. I can protect you.”
Meg shut the engine off. “I’ll think about it. Sit here. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Meg left him in the car. The cool night air smelled like rain was coming, which was a bizarre thing to notice given the fact that she had an escaped criminal sitting in her vehicle. She entered the store and ran to the bathroom before grabbing a cart. She didn’t have a lot of money, so she tossed a discount package of white T-shirts in the cart. Large should fit the guy. She also bought a baseball cap that said, “World’s Greatest Dad.” It might be best if Cade wore it. Who knew what photo they were circulating on the television? Then she grabbed a package of wet wipes, some painkiller, and a few snacks. She had no idea when he’d eaten last.
After she checked out, she parked the cart and grabbed the grocery sacks. All that for less than twenty bucks. She walked back to the car and got in. “Here you go,” she said, handing him the wet wipes. “Clean up as much as you can out here, then you can go in and wash in the bathroom.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cade unbuttoned the plaid shirt he was wearing. She tried not to stare at his abs. Too late. Holy cow. He must have been in the prison gym every day. The thought made her balk.
She grabbed the T-shirt package and the hat and held the sack out. “Put your trash in here.”
It took a few minutes for Cade to clean up. When he was done, she gave him the baseball cap. “I thought maybe this would help people not recognize you.”
“Good idea.” He pulled on a clean T-shirt and slipped the hat on pulling it low, then he got out of the car. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk into the store. It was hard to believe he borrowed those jeans. It looked like they were made for him. She stuffed the grocery sack full of dirty wipes in the back seat and scolded herself for ogling Cade. He could be a murderer. She had to pull herself together.
Exhaustion settled in and her eyelids grew heavy. The time was catching up to her. It was after one in the morning now. They needed a place to crash. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax. She’d nodded off when she heard the door open.
Cade climbed into the passenger seat. “Thanks. That feels better. Not quite as good as a hot shower.”
Great. Now she was thinking about him in the shower. So not where her mind should be. “We need to find a place to sleep.”
“What have you decided?”
Meg rubbed her thumb on the palm of her hand. “I can take you to your place in Colorado. Then I’ll keep going.”
Cade nodded. “Thanks.”
“I’ll look for a rest stop where we can crash.”
Cade frowned. “Why don’t I drive while you take a nap? Then we can switch.”
“You’re not tired?”
He tugged on his baseball cap. “Nope.”
“Then at least take some painkiller.”
He got a funny look on his face. “Yes, Mom.”
Meg’s face burned as they traded seats and she buckled herself in. What was she doing? She just handed an escaped convict her car keys. She should be terrified, but for some reason, she felt safe with Cade. She reached into the back and pulled out a sweater. After wadding it up, she snuggled up to the door and closed her eyes. It wasn’t half bad.
The soft rocking of the vehicle put her to sleep. It was a dreamless sleep, one where she knew where she was, but time seemed to pass quickly. When she woke again, the sun was up. She stretched and looked at the landscape. Cade nodded to her. “You slept hard.”
“Yeah. You tired?”
