Sloane placed a hand on Creed’s hand. “Please, Creed, just leave Ryder alone today. He needs time to himself.” As Creed looked at her in bewilderment, Sloane admitted, “He talked to me about Olivia this morning.”
“Shit,” Creed swore softly. “How the hell did she come up?”
“He was singing. I asked him about the song,” Sloane whispered. “I had no idea where that question would lead.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Creed said as he raked a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t seem to matter how much time has passed. He just can’t seem to get over her.” Starting the truck, Creed drove toward the ranch house. “I’ll drop you by the house and my dad can take you into your store. I will have Jace and Cody take turns driving by every thirty minutes or so.”
“I’m fine, Creed,” Sloane insisted. “I haven’t heard anything from my friendly neighborhood stalker in the past couple weeks. And I have my gun if I need it.”
“No, you haven’t,” Creed said as he pulled up in front of the ranch house. “But you are staying with me now. You don’t think he is going to eventually notice?”
“He probably will, but I am tired of living in fear. He won’t do anything in broad daylight. And I will keep the back door of the store locked at all times.” Opening her door, Sloane slid from the truck as Creed came around the front. Tugging her into his arms, he rested his chin on the top of her head. “You need to go, Creed,” she said as she pulled back.
Lightly tracing his fingers over her cheek and down her neck, Creed lowered his head and gently took her lips with his. “I have to go,” he groaned as he pulled back. At the sound of the front door opening, they both glanced over at the house. Creed’s mother stood on the front porch, her hands resting on her hips. Kissing Sloane one last time, Creed gently pushed her in his mother’s direction. “I need Dad to take Sloane into town for me today, please Mom. Old man Jenkin’s cows are out again all over the highway. One of them has been hit already by some careless teenagers.”
“Of course,” his mother assured him. “I need to run to the grocery store and your father said he wanted to stop by the hardware store. We will take Sloane in with us.”
“Thank you, Cara,” Sloane said as she met her on the porch. Looking back at Creed, Sloane smiled and waved. “I’ll see you tonight,” she told him. “I should be to your house by 6 p.m.”
“I will pick you up after work,” Creed said as he rounded his truck and got in on the driver’s side. He left before Sloane could tell him she was bringing her car this time. She hated to be without transportation. Hated the idea of being stuck anywhere. She would be getting her car.
“Charles should be ready soon,” Cara said as she entered the house, Sloane following close behind. “He is just finishing his breakfast.” The phone rang as they walked into the kitchen. Charles rose from his chair to answer it, but Cara waved him back down. “You finish eating, Charles. We need to get Sloane to her store.”
Sloane sat in a chair opposite Charles while Clara answered the phone. “Well, hello there again, young lady,” Charles said with a grin, his pale blue eyes twinkling. “It’s good to see you. Tell me, how is that store of yours coming along?”
“Good,” Sloane responded, excited to be talking about her bookstore. “Things are going really good. I just have a little more painting to do, then I need to get all of the books back on the shelves, along with the shipment of new books I have coming in. I’m going to make a trip to..” before Sloane could finished, she was interrupted by a soft cry from Cara as she dropped the phone. Standing quickly, Sloane rushed to her side. Alarm filled her at the sight of the tears streaming down Cara’s face, until she saw the pure joy filling the other woman’s eyes. “What, Cara?” she asked. “What is it?”
Looking over at her husband, Cara whispered, “They found him. They found our boy, Charles.” Charles slowly stood and made his way toward them, his eyes full of hope. “They found our Justice,” Cara said as she walked into his arms. “Our son is alive and coming home.”
Sloane’s heart filled with happiness for the family who had come to mean so much to her in the past few weeks. There was so much love in their close knit group, but there had been so much pain as well. Now was a time for joy and rejoicing.
As the couple held each other, tears flowing between them, Sloane picked up the phone Cara dropped on the counter. “Hello,” she said quietly. “Is someone still there?”
“Yes, ma’am,” a voice responded. “I’m here. I’m glad we could call and give this wonderful news to Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell. Are they able to continue our conversation or should I call back with details later?”
“Why don’t you give me the information and I will pass it on?” Sloane asked as she grabbed a pad of paper and a pen that sat on the counter.
“I’m sorry,” the voice said. “I can only give information out to the family.”
Charles looked down at Cara, kissing her softly on the forehead and held his hand out for the phone. “I’ll talk to them,” he said as he struggled to gain control of his emotions.
After handing the phone to him, Sloane fought tears of her own as she watched the couple cling to each other in hope and elation. “Wait,” Charles interrupted the man on the phone. “What do you mean he’s in the hospital? Is he okay?” Cara stiffened in his arms and he patted her back comfortingly. Nodding his head, Charles responded to the man’s response briskly, “Yes, I see. The main thing is that he is alive. We will be on the next flight out to bring our son home.”
After hanging the phone up, Charles pulled his wife closer, burying his head in her hair as his body shook with a sob. “He’s coming home,” he whispered hoarsely. “Our son is coming home.”
Feeling like she was intruding on a private moment, Sloane left the room and decided to go outside and wait for them. Opening the front door, she was surprised to see Ryder entering the barn leading his horse. Grinning at the thought of giving him something to take his mind off their discussion that morning, Sloane quickly followed him.
Ryder was sliding the saddle from the gelding when she entered the barn. Looking over at her in surprise, he asked, “What’s going on? Did you need a ride to work? I’m sorry, Sloane. I thought Creed was coming back for you.”
“Oh, he did,” Sloane said, smiling widely. “He got a call about some old man’s cows getting out and had to go take care of it. Your parents are going to take me to town in a while.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Ryder chuckled lowly. “Well, what has you in such a good mood?” Picking up a brush, he started brushing the horses back.
Unsure whether or not she should be the one to tell him about Justice, Sloane responded, “I think you should go in the house and see your parents, Ryder. Let me finish that.”
Stopping in mid-stroke, Ryder raised his head to look at her. “What’s going on, Sloane?” he asked.
Stepping forward, Sloane took the brush from him. Unable to stop herself, she said, “They found Justice, Ryder. He’s alive.”
At the stunned look on Ryder’s face, Sloane gave him a gentle shove as she laughed. “Go be with your parents, Ryder. They can fill you in on all of the details. I’ll take care of your horse.”
In shock, Ryder whispered, “I knew he was alive. I knew it.” Sloane watched as a grin slowly slipped across his features. Suddenly, Ryder let out a loud whoop and threw a fist pump in the air. “I fucking knew it!” Picking Sloane up in the air, he twirled her around and around. She laughed, glad to see this side of him instead of the unhappy, dejected side she saw that morning.
“I see you’ve heard the news,” Cara laughed from the entrance of the barn. As Ryder let Sloane slide back to the ground, they both turned toward his parents. “It’s true son,” she said. “They found your brother and he’s coming home!”
Moving swiftly, Ryder closed the space between them and tugged his mother into his embrace. “What happened?” he asked his dad as he held her close. “Where was he?”
With a quick glance at Cara, C
harles shook his head slightly. Sloane froze. There was obviously more to the story then Charles was willing to share in front of his wife. “What happened isn’t important right now, son. What’s important is that Justice is alive. He’s at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. Your mother and I are going to go get him and bring him home.”
“I want to go,” Ryder said. “I want to be there for Justice.”
“I know, son,” Charles responded as he put his arm around Ryder’s shoulders and pulled him in for a quick hug. “I have a feeling the whole family is going to want to go. But we can’t all leave. I need you here to take care of the ranch. Caiden has his veterinary practice. Creed and Katy need to be here for Sloane.” When Sloane would have protested, Charles held up a hand. “You are a part of this family now, Sloane. You are Katy’s best friend and Creed cares deeply for you. We are not leaving you unprotected.”
“But you can’t go alone,” Sloane insisted. “You need someone to go with you. Katy can go. I will still have Creed here.”
“We won’t be going alone,” Cara said as she smiled gently at Sloane. “Linc will go with us.”
“No one has heard from Linc you said,” Sloane questioned. “How will you find him?”
“Creed will find him for us,” Cara said confidentially. “Let’s go into town now. We need to tell everyone the good news!”
Hanging back, Sloane started brushing the Sorrel down as she told them, “Let me take care of this horse first. After I put him in the pasture, I will meet you outside.”
“Thanks, Sloane,” Ryder said as he stepped back from his parents. “I’ll put the saddle and blanket in the tack room.” As Charles and Cara went to get their car out of the garage, Ryder told Sloane, “I know Creed has been keeping track of Linc through some of his contacts in the towns where Linc rides bulls. It shouldn’t take too long to track him down.”
When Ryder stepped into the tack room, Sloane’s hand stilled. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Things were looking up for the Caldwell family and she was so happy for them. Life in Serenity Springs was better than she had imagined it would be. Now, if only they could find her stalker, then it would be perfect. She would be able to feel safe while she worked on her store alone. She would be able to stay at her apartment again. And she would be able to move on and explore her feelings with Creed. As much as she wanted to do the last one now, Sloane knew she needed to respect Creed’s wishes and good intentions. She would take things slowly and not push to be in his bed at night, even though she didn’t want to be anyplace else.
Hearing Ryder behind her, Sloane opened her eyes and quickly finished brushing down the horse. Handing Ryder the brush to put away, she took the Sorrel to the gate at the back of the barn and guided him through. Slipping off the bridle, she grinned as he snorted and trotted out into the pasture shaking his head and neighing loudly. Turning, she met Ryder at the barn entrance and went with him to get in his parents vehicle. Yes, life in Serenity Springs was almost perfect.
Chapter 13
Creed entered the door to the police station, his hands full of bags filled with food from the diner. It had taken him all morning to help wrangle the wayward cattle at the Jenkins’ place. He was tired, cranky and horny as hell. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop thinking about Sloane. She was quickly burrowing her way into his life and heart, and he was helpless to fight it. He didn’t even want to fight it any longer. He just wanted Sloane.
Leaving all but his lunch on the front counter, he yelled, “Lunch is here,” as he made his way back to his office. Opening his sack as he entered the room, he glanced up in surprise to see his parents sitting in the chairs in front of his desk with Sloane, Katy, Ryder and Caiden leaning up against the wall. “What’s going on?” he asked as he rounded his desk and sat in his chair. Leaning back in it, his gaze sought out Sloane’s and he held out his hand to her. Screw it. He wanted her near him.
Creed watched as Sloane walked over, a beautiful smile stretched across her face. His breath hitched as she slipped her fingers into his before leaning down and gently kissing him in front of everyone. “Your parents have news for you, Creed,” she said as she straightened, her hand holding tightly to his.
“You tell him, Sloane,” Cara insisted, her eyes lit with delight.
Creed cursed silently as Sloane licked her lower lip nervously. He felt his dick twitch as Sloane knelt in front of him. Right now he wished like hell his family was out of that room and Sloane’s lips were wrapped around his…before he could continue with that thought, Sloane whispered something that quickly put a damper on his desire. “They found your brother, Creed. They found Justice. He’s alive.”
Creed had always known deep down in his soul that Justice was still alive. Not once had he believed his brother was killed in the line of duty. Justice was too smart, too cunning, and too much of a fucking stubborn bastard to let someone get the best of him. But looking into Sloane’s warm, inviting eyes, hearing her say what he already knew, was almost more than he could handle at that point.
Reaching down, Creed yanked Sloane into his lap. Threading his fingers through her hair, he held her tight against him, his entire body shaking. His brother was alive. Justice was alive. Hiding his face in her shoulder, Creed let a tear escape. Even though he knew it was unreasonable, he felt like he had let his brother down. Creed was the oldest. He was the one everyone looked to for guidance. It was his job to protect his younger siblings. There should have been something he could have done for Justice. He should have talked Justice out of re-enlisting in the army for the second term. Should have looked harder for him when he came up missing.
Something no one in the family knew was after the army declared Justice deceased, Creed had done everything in his power to track him down. He even hired a private investigator to look into his brother’s disappearance. Unfortunately, the investigator turned up empty. He told Creed that Army Intelligence kept everything regarding Justice’s file buried so deep he couldn’t find anything.
Holding Sloane close, he absorbed what strength he could from her presence, thanking God she was there. After a moment, Creed raised his head and looked at his family. “Where is he?” he asked.
Running a gentle hand down his cheek, Sloane directed his gaze to her. “He’s at a hospital in D.C. Your parents are going to go get him soon.” Seeing the silent warning in her eyes, Creed refrained from asking more. “Your parents think it would be best if you stayed here to watch over me,” Sloane continued as she lowered her gaze. “I told them I would be fine if you wanted to go with them. I don’t want them to go alone.”
“We told her we wouldn’t be alone,” his father interjected. “All of you have jobs and responsibilities. You need to be here. I want you to track down Linc. He will go with us.” His father’s brisk tone allowed no arguments, but Creed was not going to give him any. As much as he wanted to go with them to get Justice, his place was in Serenity Springs protecting his woman.
“Dad’s right,” he agreed, acknowledging his father with a nod. “I know Linc is riding tonight in Austin. I can get a hold of him and have him on a flight out first thing in the morning. ”
“All flights were booked for today, Creed,” Katy told him. “Dad and Mom are going to have to leave tomorrow. Why don’t we all go watch Linc ride tonight? We haven’t seen him in so long. Then the three of them can leave in the morning on the same flight.”
“Yes,” Cara said excitedly. “Let’s go watch Linc ride. Can everyone get away overnight?”
Creed grinned, his arms tightening around Sloane’s waist. “What do you say?” he asked her. “Wanna go to a rodeo?”
A slow smile slid across her face as she murmured, “Yes, please. I haven’t been to a rodeo in ages.”
“You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen Linc on a bull,” Creed grinned proudly. “Cassie will be out of school in a couple of hours. I need to talk to Jace about taking care of things while Katy and I are gone.
Once I get things settled here, Sloane and I will stop by her apartment so she can pick up whatever she needs to wear to the rodeo, grab Cassie and go home to pack. Can everyone be ready to leave by 5pm at the latest?”
As everyone agreed, Creed gently moved Sloane off his lap and stood, holding her hand. “Let’s get moving,” he said as he took in the looks of pleasure on his family’s faces. “I haven’t seen Linc ride in years. We need to cheer our boy on.”
Finally, everything in his life seemed to be working out. Justice was alive and coming home, Linc would also be back in the family fold once he found out about Justice, and the woman he loved was standing next to him.
Creed stood silently, his mind on what he had just discovered, as his family filed out of his office. Holy shit. He was in love with Sloane Murphy. After just a few short weeks, he not only loved the woman, he would do anything for her. How in the hell had that happened? Creed didn’t do love. Not since Sandra had broken his young heart. Somehow Sloane managed to sneak past his barriers. A part of him felt like he’d always known her. It probably had something to do with the fact that he’d heard so much about her over the past several years from Katy. Whatever the reason, Sloane was now embedded deep in his heart.
Tempting His Heart Page 8