by Piper Stone
I almost recoiled from her fierceness but knew she was simply angry at the assholes responsible for invading her space. A single whimper from the injured pup drew my attention toward the cage. I walked closer, peering down. I had no idea if I could care for the dog in the way the pup deserved, not with my hours spent on the ranch. Hell, I wasn’t certain I wouldn’t scar the baby for life. Still, the way his paw twitched in his sleep was one of the fond memories I had from spending with Snake and Apollo, my buddy going on and on about curling up with him at night. “Is he going to be all right?”
“He’s basically made it through the night, so I think his chances are very good.”
“I’ll think about it, but don’t expect the answer you’re looking for.” I realized I was gazing at the pup, my stomach tightening.
“You won’t let anyone get through to you, will you?”
I rubbed my eyes and forced myself to glance away from the injured dog. I couldn’t handle taking care of an innocent animal. Not now.
Maybe never.
“How sad.” She gave me a hateful look before walking around me and turning off the light. As I stood in the dark, a list of questions rushed into my mind. Sadly, I knew the woman well enough to realize I wasn’t going to get anything else out of her. Maybe it was time for me to do a bit of hunting myself.
I trailed behind her and back to her front porch. The first hint of morning was just crossing the horizon. She leaned against the railing, her body rigid. “You’re right. They won’t stop there. Will they?”
“They will if you heed their warning as well as mine.”
“And you know I can’t do that. I signed a code of ethics to care for all animals, large and small. I wouldn’t be doing my profession justice if I gave up on this.”
Damn, the woman was stubborn.
“What I know is that you have your entire life ahead of you right now. While I’m not stupid enough to think that you’re going to stop searching for answers, you need to be more careful.”
She bit her lip, barely darting me a look. “I realize that.”
“I hope you do, Danni, because a few of them play nasty. You haven’t just ruffled feathers with your accusations. You’ve gotten under their skin. To that end, you’re coming with me. You’re going to stay at my place for a couple days until I can figure out what the hell is going on.”
After making a strangled sound, she laughed. “I can’t do that. This is my home and my place of business. No one is going to push me out. No one. Not only do I have clients to see, that baby dog you refuse to name needs to remain right where he is for at least a full day, maybe more. I can’t risk moving him.”
I was afraid she was going to say that. Inhaling the early morning air, I thought about the options. “I have some work I need to get to today, but I’m coming back tonight. You can’t go anywhere just yet, not until your tires are replaced anyway. I expect you to stay put.”
“You want to keep me a prisoner here?”
Leaning closer, I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. “Truth is I want to keep you safe. I told you that already.” For some reason, I expected her to jerk away. When she closed her eyes, nuzzling against my hand, my cock began to throb. The way her heated mouth had been around my shaft had blown my mind. But being inside of her had felt right. “Then you’re going to promise me that you won’t call a friend to come get you. Right?”
“Well, I do need to get the tires replaced.”
“Leave that to me.”
Now she pulled away, shaking her head. “I already told you that I’m a big girl. I’ve been tackling car repairs and basic maintenance of whatever shitty place I lived in for a long time. I think I can handle making a few phone calls.”
“My dad has a mechanic’s shop in town. He’ll send out one of the guys. Is that good enough?”
“Your dad?”
“Yeah, he’s not really running it any longer, but he keeps on top of things.”
She studied me for a few seconds before nodding, resigning herself into allowing me to help her. “Okay. I would appreciate that. I don’t know anyone here, at least not any longer.”
“You used to live here before?”
“You trying to get to know me, cowboy?”
“Now, what do you think?”
Her laugh was genuine, although her stance remained tense. “Yeah, my dad took a job back East when I was young. I think I always missed Montana.”
“That’s why you purchased this place. You’re right in that it seems a hell of a lot of work.”
“I know it does and between selling everything I own, borrowing money from my parents and taking out two loans, I made it happen. I’ll be eating macaroni and cheese for months, but it’s worth it. I love the place.”
“The land alone is gorgeous, and I can envision what you’re going to do with the entire place.” The care she had was incredible. There was no doubt about her talent. Maybe that’s why some rancher had found and called her in the middle of the night. Funny how I had my doubts.
“I hope I’ll have the opportunity to do that at some point. First, I have to get more patients. You can stop worrying about me, Mustang. I can take care of myself. I really can. My dad taught me how to shoot, making certain I could protect myself.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. This is serious, Danni. Let me get a handle on this. Okay?”
“You’re going to need to learn to trust me. My instincts are damn good.”
“And you’re going to need to learn to obey me.” A swell of desire as well as need to protect her refused to be denied. I wanted this girl.
In fact, there was no doubt now that she belonged to me.
When she lightly punched me in the stomach, I growled.
“I’ll be a good girl. Okay?”
I gave her a stern look. “Uh-huh. As long as you promise to stay here, I won’t need to punish you again.”
“I have a single friend left, Mustang. There’s no one to lean on. As I said, I have patients to see later today.”
I fingered her chin, inching closer until I could feel the heat of her body. “You’re one tough lady.”
She moved onto her toes and I realized just how cute she looked in fuzzy slippers and pajamas. The woman certainly knew exactly how to get under a man’s skin. “And you’re one mysterious cowboy Marine, Holt Wills.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, lady.” As I pressed my lips against hers, several images flashed into my mind as my instinct kicked into high gear.
None of them good.
Now I knew for certain that I needed to find out what the hell was going on.
“Kinda funny how you manage to come here around meal time,” Hawk said as he grinned.
Shrugging, I heard the pitter-patter of little feet just before Ashley tumbled outside, wrapping her arms around my legs.
“Unkie Muftang!” Ashley squealed with glee.
I bent down, closing my eyes as the little girl threw her arms around my neck, clinging to me. Ever since the day I’d met the little mighty mite, she’d acted as if I was family. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it remained for her, missing her father to the point she hadn’t talked for weeks. Only with Hawk’s careful love and attention had she begun to return to normal.
Whatever the hell normal was.
“And how is the little princess this morning?” I asked as I smiled up at Hawk.
“Baby girl, you don’t have a coat on. You need to go back inside. It’s time for breakfast.” He stood with his legs crossed in the threshold, his eyes twinkling. He’d handled becoming an instant father a hell of a lot better than I would have.
“I’m not a pwincess,” she insisted, pulling back. “I know, Daddy.”
“Then what are you today?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes, pointing to her purple and turquoise outfit. “I’m a mermaid, silly.”
“Oh! I can see that now.”
With a single flip of her hair, she thumped back inside w
ith exaggerated footsteps. “Men.”
Both Hawk and I burst into laughter as I stood. “Let me guess. She’s very attached to Bryce,” I teased.
“How would you ever have guessed? My darling fiancée continues to believe the majority of men are the scourge of the earth.”
“So when’s the wedding?”
“Very funny. Probably in the spring. Bryce can’t make up her mind. How’s the pup?”
“Touch and go but the vet said he should be all right. The dog was shot.”
Hawk hissed. “Jesus Christ. Hunter?”
“Nope. Up close and personal with a handgun.”
“Any idea who the dog belongs to?”
I shook my head. “No ID of any kind.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I can tell something is on your mind and not just about the dog. Come inside, for God’s sake. I swear it’s going to snow today.” Hawk left the door open, walking toward the den.
I trailed behind him, waving to Bryce before walking into the room and shoving my hands into my jacket pockets.
“At least you found the vet,” Hawk said as he turned to look at me.
“Yeah, she’s very… helpful in her own defiant way.”
He lifted a single eyebrow, finally grinning. “Well, that sounds promising.”
“Frustrating is more like it. She’s the woman who accosted me at the auction. I’m sure you heard about that.”
“Yep. Tanner mentioned the whole thing to me. I’m not necessarily surprised. What did was the fact you didn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t think much of it, at least at first.” When I gave him a hard glare, he narrowed his eyes. There hadn’t been tension between us since I’d arrived, but I had the distinct feeling he was hiding something.
“That’s an interesting coincidence the vet is the same woman,” Hawk said dryly.
“Yeah, and I usually don’t believe in them.” I inched closer. “If you’re not surprised about her accusations, does that mean you’ve heard something about cattle fraud?”
Hawk exhaled. “While you might not be an old hand at cattle ranching, you’ve heard all kinds of shit. Haven’t you?”
The look on his face told me that this was something more serious. “What aren’t you telling me? Is there something going on that I should be aware of?”
“Are you accusing me of something, my friend?”
I’d heard the same terseness in his voice during the time all five of us had been questioned for days by our superiors. Defensive. Angry at being questioned for his integrity.
“I just have a bad feeling that whatever Danni thinks she found holds some merit.”
“Now you’re on a first-name basis. Interesting.”
There was no doubt the man was tense. “Has anything happened that seems odd?”
He took a deep breath before answering me. “Odd? Maybe out of the blue, but nothing abnormal.” He hesitated once again. “Look, I’ve been hearing rumors for a couple of months about a potential investment scheme, but as far as I can tell, it’s more chatter between drunken cowboys over a couple of beers. I’ve also heard the FBI has some ongoing investigation.”
“You’ve looked into the rumor, haven’t you?”
“I might have thrown a couple inquiries out there, but I also know better than to toss around any accusations, which is obviously unlike whoever this Danni girl is.”
“Danni Brexton.”
“Never heard of her.”
“She’s new in town, only been here about a month.”
Hawk narrowed his eyes before a grin popped on his face. “Buying Forester’s place. That surprises me. Ben Forester wasn’t that old.”
“Maybe he simply wanted to retire.”
“Could be,” he answered, continuing to study me. “You like her.”
“That’s not the reason I’m here.” When his grin widened, I gave him my middle finger. “Fine. I like the girl but at this rate, she’s going to get herself killed. However, I know she’s not making it up.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning some asshole slashed her tires last night.” I could tell my tone had changed, anger and concern mixing together.
“Shit. Well, it would appear Dr. Brexton has opened up a can of worms. What did she tell you?”
“Other than she has a friend of hers supplying her with information, not much. Oh, she did say she was called out in the middle of the night to tend to an injured steer.”
He looked away. “That’s unusual.”
“I thought so, especially since no one knows about her, well, other than because of the auctions and whatever other times she made these same accusations, but the call came almost as soon as she’d moved here.” His eyes seemed unfocused as he processed what I’d told him. I loathed the direction my instincts were moving in. “You think you can ask around, see if you can find out anything?”
He held my gaze, finally nodding. “Yeah, I’ll make a few calls, but that’s not a lot to go on.”
“Maybe that particular auction means something.”
“Unlikely. There were what, two hundred ranchers there, maybe more? That’s the second big auction of the month, but there are more throughout the state.”
“Yeah, somewhere around that number.”
Hawk rubbed his jaw. “Like I said, I’ll make a few phone calls, but don’t expect a miracle. However, if I were you, I’d made sure and control this girl. We’re talking millions of dollars at stake. Not a single rancher is going to take blatant accusations without retaliation. If there is something going on, the Feds need to handle it.”
“I get it. She’s already stuck her nose into something she shouldn’t have.”
“If you like this girl, help her understand that. I’ll call you later.”
As if I was going to be able to do that without chaining her to my bed. Hell, the thought sounded pretty good right about now. I stood where I was, trying to figure out if I could do anything else.
“Something else on your mind, Holt? I can see your wheels churning.”
It was my turn to look away. “I don’t know. Just thinking about Snake a lot lately.”
“Yeah, I’ve been doing that myself. Any particular reason?”
“I don’t know.” I’d struggled with talking to him about the experience overseas, just like the rest of the guys had. Maybe my guilt was eating at me more than I’d realized.
And maybe my anger for the way everything had been handled wasn’t as easy for me to get over as I’d hoped. I didn’t blame Hawk. He was one of the best men as well as soldiers that I’d ever known, but his inability to bring people in, share what the hell he was planning had cost us a friend.
Stop blaming anyone else.
I closed my eyes briefly, realizing my inner voice was right. I was coming apart at the seams.
“Maybe it’s the dog you found,” he said quietly.
“Maybe so.”
“If you ask me, I think you need to keep him.”
I laughed, although the sound seemed bitter. “That’s what Danni said.”
“Been thinking about getting a pup for Ashley. It would be good for you. You’ve been holed up since you got here. Maybe Danni and the dog came into your life for a reason.” His grin was even wider than before.
“Okay. Okay,” I said, backing away. “The last thing I need is a matchmaker.”
“Be careful because Bryce has been hot under the collar to set you up with one of her girlfriends.” Every ounce of tension had left his body.
“Um. No. No. No.”
“Hmmm… Maybe you’re already taken.”
I waved him off, heading toward the front door, trying to ignore his comment. Although a part of me wouldn’t mind having someone in my life.
What the hell was I saying? I had nothing to offer anyone.
Not even the lovely filly who embroiled every one of my senses.
“I’ve missed having a dog.”
I walked alongside Snake as he strolled the base, ke
eping his eye on the still scrawny dog. “Never owned a dog.”
“Well, given you were such a fuck-up, I can understand why.” Laughing, Snake took a long stride away, holding up his arms.
“Come here so I can beat your ass.”
“That’s what I’m talking about, buddy. You were always getting into fights.”
“Yeah? Well, someone had to defend your scrawny ass,” I shot back.
Snake kept the grin on his face before crouching down and whistling. Apollo came running, his tail shifting back and forth at ninety miles an hour. As he rubbed the dog’s head and ears, making cooing sounds, I wondered what it would be like to have a buddy.
“The one thing about animals, other than their unconditional love, is that they are very sensitive. They can read you better than any human. My boy, Rocky, was like that. He was a Golden Retriever. He never left my side. I never told anyone, but I mourned him after enlisting for months. Hell, I guess I still do today.”
“What happened to him?”
Snake nuzzled against the pup’s head, taking his time to answer. “Mom told me that he never stopped suffering after I left. One day, she found him on my bed. He’d died in the middle of the night. He was only six. Six years old.”
I sighed as I held the phone in my hand, finally dialing her number. I’d forgotten all about the conversation two days before the mission that would ultimately end his life, or maybe it was simply another one I’d wanted to block out of my mind.
“Hi there. Are you checking up on me?” Danni asked, a lilt in her voice, which shocked the hell out of me.
“I’m checking up on the dog, actually. You? Nah.”
“Men,” she snarked before chuckling. “The dog without a name is doing just fine. You want to hear something special?”
“I’m afraid to ask what that might be.”
“Yeah, you should be afraid,” she purred.
There was dead silence for a few seconds. Then I heard a few barks. They sounded happy.
“Hey, boy. Say hi. Can you say hello?”
I heard her voice as she obviously held out the phone. When the dog became more animated, barking and whining, another pang tore at my heart. Jesus.