by Barb Han
Amber put some muscle into closing her door after getting inside. “Did he tell you that I was married?”
“Yes. But that’s all. He said it was a long time ago.” Rylan turned the key in the ignition, and the engine hummed to life. He put the gearshift in Reverse.
“What else did he say?” she demanded, and her voice was a study in calm. He couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.
There was no point beating around the bush, and he didn’t like the idea of hiding information from her, so he came out with it. “Did your husband have a kid?”
“I had a child, Rylan. He was stillborn—”
“I’m so sorry, Amber. It’s none of my business. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” His heart fisted in his chest thinking about the pain she must’ve endured as he pulled off the drive and put the transmission in Park.
He turned to her as she stared out the front windshield. “I was out of line bringing it up, Amber. And so was Mitch. He never should’ve stirred that pot.”
“That’s the thing, Rylan. I never talk about him. My family always tiptoes around the subject and I get it. They’re afraid of dredging up the past, and I love the fact that they want to protect me. From what I can see that can be rare in families, and I wish more people had loved ones who would do just about anything for them.” She paused and he let her catch her breath as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. “But I’m done talking about this for now. We have a little girl in the back seat who needs all of our attention.”
“When you’re ready to keep going, I’m here.” A dozen questions fired off in his mind. This wasn’t the time for any of them. He couldn’t help but wonder if losing a baby was what caused the sadness in her eyes. It was a flash, and he’d almost missed it a few times already. There was another emotion present when she held Brooklyn that made sense to him now.
“That means a lot to me, Rylan.”
She turned to face him, and he leaned over the armrest to brush his fingertips across her cheek. “I wish there was something I could say or do that could take that pain away from your eyes, Amber.”
“No one can take that away, Rylan. But you can do something,” she said.
“Name it. I’ll do anything.” He meant it, too.
“Kiss me.”
“THAT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA,” Rylan said, but there was no conviction in his tone.
She leaned toward him, and they were so close she could breathe the same air. His masculine scent filled her senses, destroying her ability to think clearly. “No. It’s not. But it’s too late for me.”
With that, he dipped his head and claimed her mouth. She parted her lips for him and teased his tongue inside. For something that should be avoided at all cost, kissing Rylan sure felt right in the moment.
But then she’d thought about the one kiss they’d shared in high school more times than she cared to admit. She could be real about it. He’d most likely been drinking. In fact, back then she thought she tasted alcohol on his breath. When she’d accused him of kissing her because he was drunk, he’d laughed and told her he kissed her because he realized how beautiful she was. That night at the bunkhouse, where she’d often gone to clear her thoughts, he’d looked at her like it was the first time he’d really seen her. She’d changed over the summer and had grown two inches, to her current height.
And ever since he opened the door yesterday, she’d been wanting him to kiss her again to see if it would be as magical as it felt that night.
Rylan’s hands came up to cup her face, and she brought hers up to get lost in his thick dark hair.
She’d never experienced so much passion in a kiss with any other man, not even the one she’d been married to.
The skill with which Rylan kissed Amber caused her mind to snap to other pleasures she figured he’d mastered, as well. She could only imagine the sparks that would fly in the bedroom based on the heat she was experiencing right then.
The baby cooed in the back seat, breaking into the moment.
Amber pulled back first, and he stopped her with his hands. He looked into her eyes, and it felt like he was looking right through her.
“Damn,” he said under his breath. That one word was about the sexiest thing Amber had heard.
She laughed at herself and he cocked an eyebrow.
“That’s not a response I’m used to in situations like this,” he said, but then he smiled, too.
“I don’t doubt you have a lot of experience in situations like this, Rylan Anderson,” she quipped.
“That might be true. But none have ever felt like this.”
Now it was her turn to say the word damn.
With that, he turned his attention back to the road ahead. He navigated back onto the driveway and onto the farm road.
Amber didn’t ask how long Rylan planned to stick around. Staying in one place seemed to suffocate Rylan once he turned eighteen. He’d never been good at holding on to a possession for more than a few months. The pattern was always the same. He’d get a new motorcycle, and it would be all the rage for a few weeks. He’d tire of it and sell it only to buy a four-wheeler a few days later. The only certainty was that he’d get bored with his latest toy and move onto something or someone else. She figured some people didn’t stick. They moved in and out of cities, jobs, lives. She would do well to remember that, because he’d moved out of hers once already. An annoying little voice reminded her that he’d come back to Jacobstown and that technically he didn’t leave her.
Having a daughter would change him but nothing would tame him. He’d always walked the edge. He didn’t grow up with money. He’d worked for every penny. But that didn’t mean he spent it wisely. At least back then. She remembered the time he bought an old Jeep and then got bored with it before he was finished paying for it and lost money on the deal. It wasn’t the money she worried about. Young people didn’t have the same understanding of finances that someone with real responsibilities did. It was his attention span that bothered her.
Thick gray clouds rolled across the sky. Amber had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Luckily, Brooklyn had a full stomach. She was cooing happily by herself in the back seat. The two-lane farm road leading away from the ranch was empty at this hour on a Sunday. The temperature was dropping. The cold front was blowing through, and the temperature had dropped into the thirties. At least the temperature was above freezing and it was dry outside.
The conditions threatened to worsen, but the best thing about Texas weather was that it changed on a dime. People always said if someone didn’t like the weather, all they had to do was stick around for five minutes and it would change. And if not five minutes, then a couple of days before the sun would shine and the days would warm up again.
Rylan cursed as he checked the rearview mirror.
An all-black sporty sedan roared up behind them. There were no markings on the vehicle. Amber took note of the plate. “I think we should keep an eye on this guy.”
“Maybe we should turn around and head back to the ranch where we have backup,” Rylan said. They’d driven halfway to Zach’s office.
Amber briefly thought about making a call for help. She’d charged her cell enough at the house to be able to make a call. This far away who would be able to get to them? Amber’s heart galloped. Trees lined both sides of the road. Turning around was their safest, and only bet. She studied the car behind them. “It almost looks like an unmarked vehicle.”
“Why would law enforcement be out here on this farm road?” Rylan made a good point.
“Wish I knew.” She glanced back at the sedan. “This doesn’t feel right to me, Rylan. We rarely ever have another agency here in town that Zach doesn’t know about. Maybe we should give him a call just to check in with him.”
“That’s probably smart,” Rylan said.
Amber called he
r cousin, who picked up on the first ring. “We have a suspicious vehicle on our tail and Brooklyn is with us. Do you know anything about outside law enforcement being in the area?”
“I haven’t heard a word. That doesn’t mean another agency couldn’t be involved, especially if Brooklyn was taken across state lines. We have no idea what we’re truly dealing with, and I can’t speak for another office,” Zach stated. “What does the vehicle look like?”
She described it.
“What about the license plate? Maybe I can run it through the database and get a hit,” he offered before seeming to think better of it and adding, “Although, any undercover operation would be blocked.”
“It’s worth a try.” Amber chanced a glance behind.
Everything was quiet for a few seconds save for the sound of tires on the road and the unaware baby in the back.
“While I’m waiting to see if we get a hit, which vehicle is Rylan driving?”
“We’re in my small SUV.”
“Is that the one you take on cattle runs sometimes?” Most cattle ranchers used ATVs or pickup trucks and not horses like her family usually did. It was a tradition her father had started when they were young, and everyone kept it up most of the time.
“Yes.”
“Have your weapon at the ready just in case there’s trouble.” She located her SIG Sauer in the glove compartment. Granted, it was normally her brothers going up against dangerous poachers, but she knew how to protect herself and she, like everyone else, carried anytime she went out on the property. A coyote could be lurking behind any tree or bush. Wild hogs were mean creatures, not to mention dangerous. And then there were poachers. She’d encountered the first two more times than she cared to count. She’d been spared the latter so far.
“I have DPS on the line. I need to put you on hold.” Zach waited for acknowledgment, which she gave.
A grin lifted one side of Rylan’s mouth. “I’d ask if you know what to do with that SIG, but I know better. Remember the time you shot a hole in my favorite ballcap?”
She couldn’t help but laugh at the memory.
“You were just lucky it wasn’t on your head at the time,” she quipped, grateful for the momentary break in tension.
But then the sports sedan sped up toward the bumper.
“What do we do here, Rylan? What’s our move?”
Chapter Ten
Lights swirled from the black sedan behind them. Amber wished Zach would come back on the line so he could tell them what to do.
“Anyone comes at us with a weapon we protect ourselves.” Rylan pulled onto the shoulder of the two-lane road as he surveyed the landscape.
“This is bad,” she said.
“If that little bean wasn’t in the back seat and you weren’t here, this would be right up my alley,” he stated with one of those devastating smiles that was all Rylan. She tried to convince herself that it was the heat in the moment that sent a rocket of electricity shooting through her, and not the fact that she had a very real and growing attraction to the man in the driver’s seat. “As it is, I have to consider both of you.”
“Thanks for the confidence in my shot.” Amber snorted.
“I just mean that if either of you got hurt because of me I’d never forgive myself. So, I can’t be my usual self on a mission.” His voice dipped when he spoke those words aloud. It always had a deep, musical quality that she could listen to all day. His voice poured over her like Amaretto over ice cream, melting her insides as it washed through her.
He covered her hand with his, and electricity pulsed through her. It was his masculine and all-male presence that did that to her, made her want things she knew better than to think about.
“I can take Brooklyn and run into the woods. No one would know this area better than me, and that would give you time to handle these guys on your own,” she said.
The lights continued to swirl, but the driver didn’t exit his vehicle. A pickup truck did come speeding up on the road in front of them, barreling toward them.
“Whatever happens next, I’m glad you came back, Rylan,” she admitted. She wanted, no needed him to know that.
“Don’t count me out yet, Kent,” he countered with the sexy little smirk that dented the corner of his cheek. He was in his element.
A man in what looked like a state trooper uniform exited the vehicle. His tan uniform and hat seemed authentic.
“Something feels off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Amber said.
The truck was getting closer as the officer walked toward them.
“Wouldn’t he wait? I mean why get out of his vehicle on a two-lane road while a truck is steaming toward us?” Rylan had good questions.
“I’m concerned about this, Rylan.” She scanned the officer and it struck her. “Zach never makes a traffic stop without his hand on the butt of his gun, in case of trouble. I’ve never seen any officer just walk up like this. Also, notice how much is missing from his belt?”
Rylan muttered the same curse she was thinking. Turning the steering wheel a hard left, he mashed the gas pedal. “Take the safety off and get ready to shoot if he so much as looks like he’s about to pull his weapon and fire.”
The tires peeled out as Rylan banked a U-turn and then navigated the small sport utility on the shoulder and past the black sedan.
“I sure hope you have a plan that doesn’t involve getting rammed in the bumper by a pickup truck that weighs far more than my car.” She braced for impact, and her thoughts immediately snapped to the little girl in the back seat. Even in a car seat she could be hurt by an impact.
The black sedan’s engine revved, and then the vehicle spun around to follow them.
Rylan’s reflexes were spot-on as he shifted to the right and swerved so that the pickup missed the bumper.
Zach returned to the line, and Amber gave her cousin the quick rundown and told him they were headed back toward the ranch with two vehicles on their tail. She ended the call. “He promised to send the closest deputy. He’s also calling my brothers, so help should be here in a few minutes.”
Rylan pushed the SUV as fast as it could go, outmaneuvering the other pursuing vehicles, and she could see why he was the best at what he did. His confidence was earned. She and the baby were handicaps that he wasn’t used to accounting for.
Amber was ready with her SIG, but she really didn’t want to get a shooting match started. There was no telling where a stray bullet might end up, and she wouldn’t risk Brooklyn’s safety.
The road zigzagged ahead, and Rylan drove like an Indy driver on a hot track. He checked the rearview mirror a couple of times before she could visibly see tension leaving his shoulders as the other vehicles moved out of sight.
“They’re gone. But I have bad news. You’re stuck with me until this whole situation is settled.”
“I get that we’ll have to hide, but where can we go with an infant?” Traveling with a child wouldn’t be easy. If Brooklyn cried at the wrong time, it could be game over. Even Amber realized that.
“Call Mitch. Let him know what just happened. Security needs to be made aware of another threat to the ranch. We can’t take anyone’s safety for granted.” He was right.
The phone call home was short. She relayed the details. Everyone was already on high alert due to the murder that had happened last night. All Amber could think about was getting to her cousin’s office and hearing what the mystery man who’d dropped off Brooklyn had to say. Certainly, he’d be able to describe the woman who handed over the baby, and that might jar Rylan’s memory. Would she match the victim?
Right now, they had little to go on, and Rylan didn’t seem able to remember being with Brooklyn’s mother, or any other woman, during that time frame. He’d insisted that alcohol likely played a role in his memory loss, but after being around him she highly doubted that had hap
pened. They would find another explanation if they looked hard enough. She believed that with her whole heart. “Do you think the guys who were following us will expect us to show up at the ranch? They could be circling back.”
“I know a back way to Zach’s office from here.” Rylan made a couple of turns that would have them doubling back. His gaze was intense on the stretch of road in front of them. “I’m sorry I got you involved in this, Amber. I truly am.”
“You didn’t do anything on purpose.” How could he have known how this would all shake out?
“I have no idea what Brooklyn’s mother got herself into, but this isn’t good and I’d bet anything now she got involved in something illegal.” He gripped the steering wheel. That steel resolve was in his voice, but she didn’t like the undercurrent of resignation that she picked up on, too.
“We’ll find out soon enough. This guy at Zach’s office will lead us to Brooklyn’s mother—”
“Who might not still be alive,” he stated.
“We can’t think like that until we know for certain. I’m sure once you hear a description of her it’ll all come back. We’ll find her and figure out what made her leave this beautiful little girl and take off. I mean, she must’ve cared about her daughter because she did find a way to leave her with her father,” Amber stated.
“What if—” He stopped himself. “No. Never mind.”
“Go ahead. Say what you’re thinking,” she urged.
“I wasn’t in a good place that weekend if I had a drink, Amber. There’s a chance her description won’t ring any bells. And then what? I’ve put you in danger for nothing.” It wasn’t exactly defeat in his voice that she heard, but she didn’t like where this was going.
“If this guy gives us good information and if it clicks who he’s talking about right away, then great. We still have to locate her, and from what I can gather so far, she seems to be in pretty big trouble. Look at that angel in the back seat. She’s been well taken care of for three months. Her mother wouldn’t do that if she didn’t love her. And anyone who takes that good care of her baby can’t be all bad. Maybe she got herself in a tough spot and went to the wrong people for help.” Amber could only hope her words were sinking in. “It’ll be okay. You’ll see. This’ll all be over soon, and you can start figuring out your next move. You can look forward to getting to know your daughter, Rylan. What could be better than that?”