A SEAL's Devotion

by Cora Seton

  He urged his horse closer to Eve’s, looked around to establish they truly were alone and said, “Fulsom’s the one who robbed the food stores.”

  Eve’s head snapped up. “You’re kidding!”

  “No. Don’t know who he hired to do it. Maybe someone on the crew. But it was him. He did it for ratings. We were meeting our goals too easily.”

  She indicated the snowshoe prints. “One of Fulsom’s people again?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe Nora isn’t the only one who has enemies from before. We’ve all led interesting lives.”

  She took that in. Time to make his point.

  “The thing that Fulsom doesn’t understand is that we stand by each other. We’re a family. We’re not going to sacrifice anyone to save ourselves. We learned something when Nora was attacked. When she started seeing things that weren’t right, we didn’t believe her because the signs were so subtle. Nora nearly paid for that with her life. We won’t make that mistake twice. We’re watching all the time. We’re looking for signs of trouble. Noticing them when they happen. Making plans to fight them. But when someone here attracts trouble, we don’t kick them out. We help them.”

  Eve had gone very still. He didn’t know how else to warn her—or convince her to trust him. “Clem’s not the only one who knows more than he lets on,” he added. Could he be clearer without coming out and telling her he knew who she was?

  “No, he’s not,” she said.

  Anders swallowed and resisted the urge to swing his mount away from Eve. What the hell did that mean? Had been wrong in thinking she didn’t know who he really was?

  Anders’s neck and shoulders prickled, and he turned Wishful all the way around, scanning the horizon in every direction. Suddenly, he felt far too exposed. Was someone watching them?

  “Time to head back,” he said shortly. He expected Eve to protest. After all, they’d barely started their ride, and they hadn’t discussed the grazing of the bison at all.

  Instead she urged her horse around back the way they come.

  “I think you’re right. I’ve watched Base Camp since the beginning,” Eve went on, “but I forgot Nora’s stalker was watching her from right here on the ranch. I’ve been in the manor a dozen times and never thought about the fact he was in there, too.” She shivered. “There are so many ways someone can get on this land.”

  “That’s why we patrol it now. I’ll be out here tonight.”

  “So many people think this world is safe.”

  That was an odd thing to say. Was Eve thinking about Nora’s stalker, what she herself had seen overseas, or was she thinking about Hansen Oil?

  It occurred to Anders for the first time Eve might actually have the measure of his father and what he was capable of if he felt threatened. Had she looked up past cases against the company? Had she seen what had happened to whistleblowers and activist groups who’d gone against him? Had she read about the various ways her father had conspired to ruin his adversaries’ lives?

  If so, she’d feel as vulnerable as he did.

  Eve was brave, Anders realized. One woman taking on Hansen Oil alone. He was afraid of losing Base Camp. She had to be afraid of losing everything.

  This was the kind of woman he’d always hoped he’d meet. The kind of woman he wanted to marry. How ironic she’d be the one person guaranteed not to love him when she found out who he was—

  His phone buzzed. Anders pulled it out as they approached the stable.

  “Anders here.”

  “Hey, it’s Mason Hall. The charity hockey fundraiser is coming up. Just reminding you to be at the high school a half hour before game time.”

  It took Anders a minute to remember what Mason was talking about.

  The charity hockey fundraiser. He’d promised months ago to join Mason’s team. Had gone around town collecting pledges. “I’ll be there,” he said reluctantly. How the hell was he supposed to play hockey when his world was falling down around his ears?

  “Good. See you then.” Mason hung up, presumably to call the next man on his list.

  “Who was that?” Eve asked as they rode toward the stable.

  “The charity hockey fundraiser game is coming up. I’m playing on one of the teams. I think Curtis and some of the guys are coming to watch.” Of course, who knew what would happen between now and then.

  “Everyone’s going to watch,” she said. “Avery told me about it yesterday.”

  Anders looked up at the steel-gray sky. “Better dress warm if you’re going to sit in the stands for a few hours. It’ll be cold.”

  “It’s always cold.”

  “I thought you thought Montana was beautiful, even in winter.”

  “I spoke too soon.”

  The days passed swiftly, with Eve slipping away every chance she could to work on her film. Avery had agreed to work with her and to put off talking to Renata until the film was done.

  Avery proved to be a pro at losing Clem’s cameramen and seemed to know every method of traversing Base Camp and the manor without being seen. She had forwarded Eve a number of files that highlighted different aspects of green energy use at Base Camp. Eve had been reaching out to various activist groups asking for video clips and images of the damage Hansen Oil had done to the environment over the years. It was painstaking work to put the footage together in an interesting way, and she was all too aware she didn’t have much time left to finish it.

  It helped that Renata had suddenly changed her tactics. After retreating to the crew’s headquarters at a local hotel for a few days to lick her wounds, she’d come back with a vengeance, apparently having decided she wasn’t going to give up and let Clem win without a fight. She’d taken to trailing him around all day, offering unsolicited critiques of his methods until he lost his cool. Eve thought Clem was used to being top bully in any given situation. Renata was driving him crazy.

  Anders had been preoccupied, too, as were some of the other men. The tracks near the bison pasture had set them all on alert. Kai had confessed to her he was really on edge. “If they come for our food supply again, it’ll be nothing but bison for the rest of the year. If they come for our bison, we’ll really be in trouble.”

  On the second night she found it hard to concentrate at dinnertime. Seated with Anders, she could hardly make herself come up with conversation. She still wasn’t done with her film, and Avery was growing more adamant by the minute that they enlist Renata in their cause. After lots of soul-searching, Eve had told Avery about Melissa and put the two of them in contact with each other. It felt good to know she wasn’t in this alone, but tonight the first episode of Base Camp in which she was featured would air nationwide.

  When Anders asked if she was okay, and she confessed her discomfort, he only shrugged. “Best thing is to ignore it. Definitely don’t check out the Base Camp website. Just keep living your life.”

  She wished it was that simple.

  Two nights later, the charity hockey fundraiser was held at the same outdoor rink the Night Sky Bonfire had been held at, and Eve had a strong sense of déjà vu as they parked in the high school parking lot and made their way to the ice rink. She was grateful for all the layers she’d added to her Regency ensemble, including two pairs of long underwear underneath her gown and several sweaters under her coat.

  She followed the rest of the Base Camp crowd to the bleachers that had been set up around the outdoor rink. Anders peeled off to join Mason Hall and the other men on their team while they took their seats.

  While everyone around her chatted, Eve sat lost in her thoughts until a whistle blew and the men on the ice began to play. She hadn’t even noticed them entering the rink.

  She took more notice after that. Anders hadn’t been joking; he was good, and soon she was cheering and yelling along with everyone else. It felt good to put down her troubles for a minute.

  “Go, Mason—go, Anders!” Avery screamed as the combination of men nearly scored a goal early on. Anders missed, but the next time he score
d.

  Eve leaped to her feet. “Go, Anders!” All around her, others were doing the same.

  This was fun, Eve decided as she settled down again. Just for an hour or two she would enjoy herself. She could worry about the future later.

  Why had he ever stopped playing hockey?

  Anders raced after the puck, passed it to Colt Hall, who passed it to Mason, who scored again. They were up two to zero, and the rush of winning felt great.

  All his worries faded away as he concentrated on the game, losing himself in it like he had in high school. Back then, it had made a welcome escape from the rigors of grades and the constant need to prove himself to everyone, including his father. He was good at hockey, always had been. He knew instinctively where the puck would go, how the goalie would react, where to put the shot.

  Out here there was just the ice and the puck. The other team blocking his way. His own team helping him. There were boundaries to the game, walls to keep the puck in.

  Why couldn’t more of life be like this?

  Mason Hall took the face-off, got control of the puck again but quickly lost it to a man on the other team who threaded his way through the players and scored before anyone could react.

  Two to one.

  The next time Mason got the puck, he passed it to Anders, who turned, saw a clear path to the goal and took a shot.

  A player from the other side came out of nowhere. Body blocked it, corralled the puck with his stick when it bounced off the ice and shot it down the rink to score another goal.

  Hell.

  The game was all tied up, and they’d only been playing ten minutes.

  All thoughts of Eve and his father forgotten, Anders bent to the game—

  And went after the puck again.

  In between periods, Eve and Avery went with Boone and the rest of the women to grab some hot chocolate. As bundled up as she was, it was chilly sitting in the bleachers; the hot chocolate was the only thing saving her. Clustered together, the women drew a lot of attention as people commented on their old-fashioned clothes, called questions about the show or simply greeted them. It was slow going, but they finally made it to the concession stand and got in line.

  “Anders better score some more goals,” Avery said as they waited.

  “I wish I was playing,” Boone said.

  “Next year you men should form a team. The tournament goes all week,” Riley said.

  “Maybe we will,” Boone said. “If we’re here next year.”

  Riley elbowed him, and Boone hurried to add, “Sorry—just superstitious. Don’t want to assume anything.”

  “We’ll be here,” Avery said. “Right, Eve?”

  Eve could only shrug. Who knew what would happen next?

  After an uncomfortable pause, Riley turned the conversation, and soon they were back in the bleachers clutching their drinks. A breeze had picked up, and Eve huddled among the others. This time she sat between Riley and Avery, with Boone on Riley’s other side.

  Eve settled in to watch the next period and, as soon as the game started, forgot the cold and everything else.

  As usual, Mason took the face-off, but Anders exploded from behind him, caught Mason’s pass and streaked down the ice to score a quick goal.

  Eve leaped to her feet with everyone else and cheered. The risers reverberated with the din of their feet as they jumped and stomped in appreciation.

  “Go, Anders!” Eve screamed. She nearly spilled her hot chocolate but caught it in time and took another gulp, burning her tongue.

  “He’s really good,” Avery said.

  “He is!”

  “Someday this reality TV show will be over and life will get back to normal,” Avery said wistfully. “We’ll be able to do more things like this when Base Camp is established and everything isn’t so pressured. The men can join hockey teams. We can do things, too.”

  “It’s been hard, hasn’t it?” Eve asked as they sat down again. “You all have been under such a microscope. Sometimes you must want to take off and be on your own for a while.”

  “It has. Always cameras. Except now,” Avery joked. She pointed to where the crews had lined up along the rink. “I think the cameramen really like hockey.”

  “I think you’re right.” Eve had to laugh when all the video cameras turned as one to follow the puck. “Where are Renata and Clem? They’re going to be mad later that none of those cameras were trained on us. They should be showing our reactions to the shots. Things like that.”

  “There they are.” Avery pointed, and Eve groaned.

  “They’re fighting!”

  “Sure looks that way.”

  Renata was pointing a finger in Clem’s face. Clem had his hands on his hips.

  Avery pulled her phone out of a pocket in her coat. “Guess we’ll have to document ourselves. Show some team spirit!”

  Eve jumped up and shouted, making everyone around them look, since currently the two teams were milling around on the ice, waiting for the ref to make a call. Avery filmed her.

  She sat down again. “How was that?”

  “Perfect. Now you do me.”

  Eve did so, but both of them settled down and turned their attention back to the game when it started up again.

  At the second intermission, the score was four to three—in favor of the other team.

  “Hot chocolate refill!” Riley called out, and they all stood up, their mood somewhat dampened in comparison to their earlier trip to the concession stand.

  When they reached the ground and were walking toward the stand, Eve realized the first cup had caught up to her. “Bathroom break,” she shouted, and the women veered off together like a school of fish. “Boone, hold our place in line,” Riley ordered.

  Boone saluted and kept going.

  Eve couldn’t remember the last time she’d traveled in a group like this. In high school maybe? It was fun. It was easy to let her worries slide amid the laughter and chatter.

  Washing her hands afterward, she was still trying to come up with an equivalent experience when Avery nudged her. “Hurry, the game’s going to start again.” Riley did a head count, and when everyone was accounted for, they caught up with Boone, who was nearly at the head of the line waiting to order their hot chocolate.

  Ten minutes later, steaming cups in hand, they were nearing the risers again when the announcer came back on the air. Boone and Riley led the way to where Walker and the rest of the men were saving their seats. Avery, Nora, Samantha, Addison and Hope followed.

  Savannah had a hard time negotiating the steps up onto the riser. Eve hung back behind her, giving her time, not envying the other woman climbing stairs this many months into her pregnancy.

  “Mmph!” Eve exclaimed when a hand clamped over her mouth.

  “You move, you talk, you do anything and you’ll regret it,” a man hissed in her ear. “Duck.” Before she could react, he shoved her under the bleachers and pushed her forward, wending a path between the metal struts holding them up. Eve struggled against his grip, but he was far too big for her to escape. His fingers dug into her face. She screamed, but hardly any sound escaped.

  All her friends were directly overhead. In a moment someone would come after her, she thought wildly. He wouldn’t get away with this, whoever he was.

  When the crowd overhead roared, her heart leaped in relief. Someone had seen what had happened. Now they’d come and save her.

  Then she realized they were reacting to the game, now back in full swing.

  Horror mounted within her, and Eve tried to dig in her heels. She grabbed a support strut and hung on.

  The man shoved her forward, and she had no choice but to let go or break her wrist. Her breath was coming in short gasps, her long skirts tangling around her legs. Chills ran through her veins as he half shoved, half carried her through the maze of the support struts and out the far side.

  This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t—

  But it was.

  Kevin must have
seen the Base Camp episode that featured her. He must have spilled his suspicions to Johannes Hansen, and Hansen must have sent one of his henchmen after her. What would he do with her? Intimidate her? Make her disappear?

  Did he have a weapon?

  Manhandled along, Eve struggled to make their progress as difficult as possible. The man swore when she caused him to stumble, lifted her bodily off the ground and kept going, bursting into a dead run when they reached the parking lot.

  No one came to stop him.

  She was on her own.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‡

  When Anders scored his third goal of the night, he grabbed Mason, slapped him on the back and bumped fists with Colt. They were unstoppable as a team.

  He turned to the bleachers to see if Eve had caught his shot but found the section where the inhabitants of Base Camp were sitting in an uproar.

  There was Boone—and Riley, who was gesturing wildly.

  There was Avery, calling up to Boone from the base of the risers. Harris was with her, Greg close by.

  “What’s going on?” Mason asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  He scanned the women again, hard to do when everyone was moving. There was Sam, Addison. Hope.

  “Anders!”

  That was Curtis calling from beside the ice rink. Anders kept scanning the crowd. There was Nora. Savannah was still seated, cradling her belly.

  Where was Eve?

  “Anders—we can’t find Eve!” Curtis called out.

  Hell.

  Anders dropped his stick, skated for the edge of the rink and vaulted over the wall. “Where is she? What happened?” he yelled, making awkward progress through the snow in his skates.

  Avery reached him just as Curtis did.

  “She’s gone!” Avery cried. “I don’t know where—she’s just gone!”

  “Avery thinks she’s in trouble—I don’t know why,” Curtis said.

  Half-hysterical, Avery grabbed Anders’s arm and shook it. “She was behind me. Behind Savannah. One second she was there, then she was gone. She didn’t just run off, I swear it, Anders. She was determined to stay until she—” Avery broke off. “We checked the washrooms, the concession stand—she’s nowhere!”