The new soldier spoke in German, and although she knew a little of the language, she couldn’t make out what they were saying; they were speaking too fast. Although she did make out the word dog and perhaps stop.

He stepped closer as the other soldiers backed away, and she had the sudden feeling that they’d been less of a threat together than he was alone. Just looking into his eyes, seeing his calm, self-assured arrogance at being superior to the other men, and being superior to her, terrified her. She knew instinctively that he was a man she’d never be able to escape from.

“You’re missing your dog?” he asked.

Cate nodded and forced a smile. “Yes, I am. He’s been missing for some time and I’ve been out looking.”

“Where is your house?” he asked, his head tilted to the side ever so slightly as he considered her, as if he were trying to figure out whether she was lying or not.

Cate inclined with her head rather than pointing, not wanting to lift the blanket from her body. If he saw so much as a glimpse of her uniform, if he suspected her for even a second, if . . . She stood straighter, refusing to start panicking now. Just like she’d pretended to eat beans with Jack, she was going to pretend she was a French woman searching for her dog.

“The first house there,” she said, the lie falling from her tongue so easily she surprised herself.

She hadn’t been expecting a smile in return, but a smile was exactly what she received. Something about his demeanor changed, and her immense fear of him slowly fell away as his eyes softened.

He said something to his men in German, and then waved them away, leaving the two of them alone.

Cate gulped. Was he staying with her? She liked the way he’d seemingly reprimanded his men, but the way he’d suddenly decided to accompany her wasn’t what she’d been expecting. Had she chosen the wrong house? Was there something he knew that she didn’t? Suddenly her fear grew and she knew how naïve she’d been to relax around him for even a second.

“I, ah, I can walk back alone,” she said. “I don’t want to trouble you.”

“Not at all.” His French was perfect as far as she could tell, and she hadn’t expected a German officer to be so eloquently bilingual. “But I’m sorry to say I haven’t seen a dog. I hope he comes home to you, but it’s not safe for you to be out here looking for him. You shouldn’t go out in the dark again.”