Top Gun Guardian

by Carol Ericson

  Leaving the bathroom door open, Raven stepped back into the bedroom just as Buzz appeared in the doorway, clutching a yellow towel. He tossed it to her.

  She clutched it to her chest, all too aware of her peaked nipples brushing against the fabric of her blouse. She ducked into the bathroom and put the towel on top of the closed toilet seat.

  “Are you okay in here?”

  “I can bathe by myself, Raven.”

  “Well, I’m sure you can, but I’m going to be right here in the next room if you need me.” Since Raven’s little brother had drowned, she’d always been leery of kids and water.

  She scooted past Buzz and scooped her bra from the bed. “Did you get much sleep?”

  “A little. You?”

  She turned her back on Buzz and shrugged out of her blouse. She shimmied into her bra and slipped back into her blouse, buttoning it correctly this time. No slices of bare skin. Tucking the blouse into her slacks, she turned to face him.

  “I was sleeping just fine until I had that dream. Someone was chasing me through the U.N.”

  “Makes sense.”

  His blue eyes still smoldered, and Raven shifted a nervous glance down at her neckline.

  “Don’t worry. Everything’s in place…but not before I got an eyeful.”

  Warmth suffused Raven’s cheeks and she slipped her feet into her Jimmy Choos. Nothing like a little height to regain your composure. “Watch it, Buzz. You’re sounding a little desperate.”

  “Maybe that’s because I am a little desperate.”

  “I’m done, Raven. All clean.”

  Which was more than Raven could say for her thoughts.

  “Okay. Grab your towel and let’s go shopping.”

  Twenty minutes later as they headed out the front door, Buzz dangled a set of keys in front of Raven. “You take my truck and follow me back to the White Cloud Airport. I want to return our Good Samaritan’s truck.”

  “Maybe he figured you were a goner and took off in your Jetstream.” She snatched the keys from him. “Is your truck going to start?”

  “That’s one of Shep’s jobs. Remember I told you about Shep Ochoa, our ranch manager? He’s supposed to take the truck out for a spin now and then, so she should be good to go.”

  “Do you want to ride with me or with Buzz?” For some ridiculous reason, Raven held her breath. But not for long.

  Malika jabbed a finger in her direction while Buzz quirked an eyebrow.

  Raven grabbed the door handle and stopped. “Isn’t she supposed to be riding in a car seat? What’s the law in Oklahoma?”

  “I have no idea, but I can ask the sheriff before we get a ticket.”

  Raven followed Buzz back down the highway and through the quaint town of White Cloud, now bustling with a noontime crowd. The Christmas season was approaching but they still had to get through Thanksgiving. Christmas in a small town would be interesting…different. Of course, it couldn’t compare to Manhattan.

  Not that she’d be spending her Christmas or even her Thanksgiving in White Cloud. Hopefully, she’d be out of here in a few days.

  She waited for Buzz outside the small airport, just an airstrip really, while he shook hands and exchanged conversation with his new best friend. Buzz had flown into this town knowing he’d get to his ranch one way or another. Comforting.

  He hopped into the truck beside her and winked at Malika in the backseat. “Are you girls ready to do some shopping at Daisy’s?”

  Raven’s jaw dropped. “Daisy’s? Really?”

  Buzz smirked. “Don’t worry. Daisy will have everything you’ll need for a vacation in White Cloud.”

  “Just no pictures, please.”

  Buzz laughed and slapped the dashboard. He was enjoying this a little too much. He’d always played up their differences. He played the country hick from a small town and she embodied the cosmopolitan sophisticate educated at European boarding schools. But he was no hick and she felt like an impostor most of the time.

  And when the hick and the sophisticate got together in bed…dynamite.

  Raven pressed her knees together and sunk her teeth into her lower lip. She needed to sweep those thoughts from her mind. They had to take care of Malika, not get so involved in each other they forgot about her existence. Not like her parents did to her and her brother, Jace.

  Squaring her shoulders against the seatback, Raven said, “Direct me to Daisy’s.”

  “That’s the adventurous spirit.”

  Raven cruised down the main street of town past the Arapaho, betting those old geezers were still stationed at their table gossiping. She pulled into a parking spot on the street.

  Buzz shoved open his door. “Daisy’s is on the corner. I’m going to stop in to see Sheriff Tallant and then take the truck over to the grocery store for some provisions.”

  She climbed out of the truck, dropped the keys in his palm and patted her purse. “Is there a bank or ATM nearby? I’d like to get some cash.”

  Buzz lifted the sexy cowboy hat he’d been sporting since they left the ranch and skimmed a hand through his short brown hair. “That’s okay, Raven. Tell the salesclerk to put the clothes on my tab.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She hoisted her heavy bag higher on her shoulder. “I can pay for my own clothes.”

  “No!”

  Was this some kind of macho posturing? Raven placed her hands on her hips and opened her mouth. Then she noticed the grim set of Buzz’s mouth and the muscle ticking in his jaw. The ATM. He didn’t want her using the ATM or her credit card or anything else someone could use to trace her whereabouts.

  The hands on her hips fisted, her nails digging crescents into her palms. Someone had sent her a text message, someone who believed she might have Malika. Someone knew her name.

  She dropped her chin to her chest and aimed a glance at the top of Malika’s head. “All right. They won’t think I’m trying to pull one over on them, will they?”

  “Nah. Just mention my name and the Willow Road Ranch.”

  “And I suppose I should drop that little bombshell about our marriage and adoption of Malika.”

  “That would help.” He crammed the hat back on his head and dug into the pocket of his jacket for his wallet. He handed her a wad of cash. “This will help, too. If you spend more, because I know how much you like clothes, have them bill it to the ranch.”

  “You folks in White Cloud sure are a trusting bunch, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to exceed my clothing budget here at Daisy’s.” She snatched the money from his hand and slipped it into her bag.

  “You never know.”

  He tipped his hat and sauntered down the street in his tight jeans, looking every inch the cowboy. And she wanted to explore every inch of him…again.

  Malika tugged on her hand. “Shopping.”

  Daisy’s surprised Raven, and she picked up a couple of pairs of Levi’s and some decent sweaters along with a pair of low-heeled boots. She also scooped up some underwear and a bra and while they weren’t Victoria’s Secret, they weren’t granny panties either.

  Her first pair of blue jeans thrilled Malika, and she insisted on a pair of rockin’ red cowboy boots. The kid had taste.

  As Raven heaped their purchases on the counter, the salesclerk smiled. “You must be new in town, or are you here for the rodeo?”

  “Rodeo?” Raven tilted her head. “Um, no, we’re sort of new, visiting. Uh, I’m Buzz Richardson’s wife and this is our daughter.”

  Wow, that just rolled off her tongue.

  The woman’s eyes widened and then crinkled around the corners. “You don’t say. Buzz is a favorite around here, even though he’s been on the road for years. It’s a shame about his folks. It’s good that he’s bringing family home.”

  The clerk continued to chatter while she rang up the clothes and didn’t blink an eye when Raven admitted she didn’t have enough cash to cover the total.

  “I know Buzz is good for it, and if not—” she winked “—I kno
w where to find him.”

  Raven gathered the bags, hanging some from her wrist and entrusting Malika with a few of the smaller ones. The salesclerk scurried to the door and held it open for them. Raven smiled her thanks.

  “Buzz should be back with the truck any minute now.”

  “Shh.” Malika put her finger to her lips and glanced both ways. “Buzz-Daddy.”

  “Oops. You’re right. Buzz…Daddy.” Raven had to admit it had a ring to it, just like that wife business.

  Raven spotted Buzz’s white truck at the only stoplight on the street, and she waved. When the light turned green, he made a U-turn and pulled up to the curb.

  The door of the truck flew open and Buzz charged toward the sidewalk, clenching a piece of paper in his hand. He raised the crumpled paper in his fist. “This is not good.”

  Raven dropped the bags that were biting into her right hand. “What? What’s wrong?”

  He waved the sheet in front of her nose. “This. Not good.”

  She snatched the paper from his hand and read the brightly colored flyer announcing the White Cloud Harvest Festival and Rodeo. “What’s the problem? The clerk in Daisy’s mentioned something about a rodeo. Sounds fun…I mean, Malika would like it.”

  Buzz flipped off his hat and smacked it against his thigh. “Yeah, lots of fun, lots of strangers. We just lost our safe haven.”

  Chapter Six

  Malika nestled in close to Raven’s side, her small fingers curling around the bags in her hands. Raven met Buzz’s eyes, creased at the corners with worry, and gave her head a slight shake. Malika didn’t need any more turmoil or fear, and the girl had super-sensory radar for both.

  Buzz plucked the flyer from Raven’s hand and smoothed it out on the hood of his truck. “Sure, Malika would like it—cattle ropers, bull riders and rodeo clowns—what’s not to like?”

  “We finished our shopping.” Raven held the bags up and swung them back and forth. “Now it’s time for some lunch.”

  “There’s a fast food place in town with a kids’ play area. Will that work for everyone?”

  Buzz’s voice had a forced note of cheer, but Malika didn’t notice. She’d already fixated on the words fast food and play area.

  Raven clapped her hands. “Sounds great to me. Nothing I like better than a processed burger, fries and screaming kids.”

  They stuffed the bags in the backseat of the truck where Buzz had already secured a booster seat. He lifted Malika into the truck and settled her in the seat. “You’re not six years old yet, are you?”

  Malika shook her head and held up five fingers.

  “You’re kidding me.” Raven clapped a hand over her heart. “You’re only five?”

  Malika wiggled her five fingers, and Raven murmured to Buzz, “I thought she was about eight.”

  “Because you’re such an expert on kids?”

  Raven opened her mouth, thought better of it, and snapped it shut. Buzz still harbored a lot of resentment against her for ending their engagement. She’d let him wallow in it…for a while.

  They pulled into the parking lot of the fast food restaurant and Raven shuddered. One of her worst nightmares, but they needed to keep Malika occupied while they discussed this latest wrinkle in their hideaway location.

  They ordered some burgers and fries, which Malika wolfed down in under ten minutes. Then they ventured into the play area where Raven and Buzz hunched across a plastic table to hear each other after Malika had scampered toward the play structure teeming with screaming kids.

  Buzz flattened the rodeo flyer on the table. “I had forgotten all about this. It couldn’t come at a worse time.”

  “How big are we talking? I mean this is still White Cloud, Oklahoma, not Times Square on New Year’s Eve.”

  “It’s the biggest event we have.” Buzz slumped in his chair, stretching his long legs in front of him. “We get a lot of strangers during the summer months, too, but the Harvest Festival is a big deal in this part of the state.”

  “You don’t know every person in White Cloud as it is, Buzz. A bunch of strangers wandering around is not going to make that much difference. We can still keep Malika safe here, even with the rodeo in town.”

  “I hope you’re right. People are going to start heading into town soon. Maybe it’s already started.” He gestured around the playroom at the screeching kids barreling down slides and chucking balls at each other in the ball pool. “It’s crowded in here, even for a Saturday.”

  Raven waved at Malika, swinging from a rope. “We’ll keep an eye on her. We’ll protect her.”

  Buzz stared out the window. “You know, I used to think I could protect anyone.”

  Raven’s heart lurched in her chest as she covered Buzz’s clenched hand with hers. She should’ve been with him when he lost his parents, but nobody had bothered to call her. The guys from Prospero must’ve thought she’d cause him even more pain. And maybe she would have.

  “I still think you can protect anyone, Buzz.” She slurped some soda through her straw. “Do you know Malika has a name for you already?”

  “Really? Like I don’t already have enough nicknames?”

  “She calls you Buzz-Daddy. Sort of sounds like a fifties doo-wop group or something.”

  Buzz grinned. “And what does she call you?”

  “Mama.”

  He dropped an over-salted French fry onto the waxy paper as his brows shot up. “Does it freak you out?”

  “Funny enough, it doesn’t.” She shrugged and brushed her fingers together. “The kid’s kinda growing on me.”

  “You saved her life.”

  “It’s not like I had a choice. I saved my own, too.” She planted her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her palms to cover her warm face. She really didn’t know if she’d acted out of a desire to save Malika or her own hide. She’d leave the heroics to Buzz and his buddies. “So the rodeo’s a big deal.”

  “The biggest in four counties. I’d forgotten all about it. You know I haven’t been back much since my folks died.”

  She sucked in a breath. She hadn’t known that. The ranch had once been the center of his universe.

  Carefully creasing a greasy napkin, she said, “There are going to be strangers anywhere. Do you really want to pick up and move Malika?”

  “I can’t move her at this point.” Buzz shook the ice in his cup. “My agreement with President Okeke was to take Malika to White Cloud and then have no further communication with him. I can’t contact him with a new location, and I can’t take off for parts unknown without his knowledge or approval. Then it really would be a kidnapping.”

  “Who’s calling this a kidnapping?”

  “The CIA. Colonel Scripps told me the Agency is hopping mad that I absconded with the girl, but the president and I figured the fewer people in on the plan, the less likely we’d have to deal with a betrayal.”

  Raven almost swallowed her fry whole. “You suspect some betrayal from within the Agency?”

  “We always suspect betrayal. You should know. You were working that one mission when all four members of Prospero were almost killed due to sabotage.”

  “That was overseas where anything can happen on a mission. But here, Stateside? At the U.N.?”

  “You said it, Raven. Anything can happen. Anywhere.”

  She crumpled the paper wrappings in her hand. She thought she’d had it made when she’d landed the job at the U.N. Safety. Security. Regular hours. No more chasing around after adrenaline junkies like Buzz and the rest of the Prospero gang. Had she missed the rush?

  Not until Buzz had zoomed back into her life.

  Raven looked up just in time to see Malika flying down the slide and land face-first on the AstroTurf.

  Malika rubbed her cheek, but scrambled to her feet to take her chances again.

  Buzz laughed. “I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

  Raven put her hand on his arm. “Buzz, why haven’t you been back to White Cloud? You l
oved this place.”

  The smile on his face dissolved. “That was before I lost my fiancée and killed my parents.”

  AFTER DINNER, BUZZ KNEADED the knot in his shoulder as he surveyed the kitchen. The place had a homier feel now, with food in the cupboards and the fridge and a child’s laughter echoing from the family room. He hadn’t been convinced that he could ever call the ranch home after the deaths of his parents and the estrangement from his sister. He still wasn’t sure.

  He folded his arms and wedged a hip against the kitchen counter. Maybe White Cloud hadn’t been the smartest choice for Malika’s hideaway. Maybe he hadn’t been the smartest choice for her savior either.

  After years of keeping other people’s families safe, he’d failed when it had come to his own family.

  Raven called from the other room. “Where’s our water? Playing board games works up a mighty thirst.”

  “Mighty thirst. Soda.” Malika’s voice, stronger and surer than Buzz had ever heard it carried into the kitchen.

  Raven poked her head around the corner, her face flushed and her eyes bright. She was actually enjoying playing games with Malika. She’d forged an incredible bond with the little girl.

  “You can ignore that last request. Malika doesn’t need any more soda.” She slipped into the kitchen and hopped on top of the counter, her long legs dangling beneath her. “Is something wrong? Did you get some bad news from Colonel Scripps?”

  “No.” Buzz pushed off the counter and grabbed the handle of the fridge. “I was just thinking about the ranch. It feels like home today. After my folks died in that plane crash, it sucked the life out of this house.”

  Raven traced her finger along the grout of the tile. “You know, I didn’t learn about the crash at the time it happened. I found out about a year later from Meg. None of the guys bothered to tell me. That’s why I didn’t call.”

  Ian Dempsey had been one of his comrades in Prospero and his wife, Meg, and Raven had hit it off the few times they’d met. Must’ve been their similar backgrounds—growing up with wealth and privilege, although Meg had shunned that lifestyle and Raven had embraced it.