Texas Christmas Defender

by Elizabeth Goddard

  Heart pounding, she arched a brow, then yanked her arm free and left the barn. After all Inez had done for her, she wasn’t sure she could lie to the woman about her relationship with Brent. Or, rather, nonexistent relationship. Nor did she believe she could hide the fact he was a Texas Ranger who had found her. But telling the truth about Brent would require her to reveal all the secrets that had become her burden to bear in her mission to hide her true identity on the llama ranch.

  Inez knew some of it already, of course. Adriana had been here only a month when she’d shared with Inez who she really was. Her old name. After all, Inez had found her dehydrated, bruised and exhausted from the trek across the harsh Mexican terrain until she’d crossed the Rio Grande and collapsed on Inez’s property.

  As Adriana recovered, thanks to Inez’s care, she had known she owed the woman her honesty—to a point. Many secrets had to stay hidden for Inez’s own protection, not to mention her peace of mind. One of them having nightmares that never seemed to end was more than enough. So, while Inez was aware of her past, it was something they rarely discussed. Mostly, they focused on the work. The older woman who’d run this llama ranch for years taught her everything in a short time, and Adriana had come to love her like family.

  She hadn’t wanted to use any of the cartel money but had some money of her own that she’d been stashing away for the inevitable day when she’d have to run. Besides, to purchase the ranch in her own name would give her location away. She and Inez had their own private agreement for now.

  She hurried to the house and opened the door, the aroma of cinnamon immediately greeting her. My favorite. Somehow she had to compose herself or Inez would read her well enough to see that something had upset her. She absolutely refused to let the Texas Ranger’s untimely appearance ruin their Christmas. It was hard enough to celebrate as it was, considering the family she’d left behind and memories of a life when she was much younger, when her mother and grandparents were still alive and before her father had entered his own life of crime, her brother following in his footsteps after their father’s death.

  She entered the brightly decorated kitchen and breathed in the scent. Normally this would relax her. But not this morning.

  Inez instantly looked up from pulling the scrumptious cinnamon rolls from the oven. She set them on the stove and frowned at Adriana. “Tanya, your cheeks are flushed. You’re not ill, are you?”

  While living here, she went by Tanya Parker and tried to speak mostly English. Yes, Adriana had an American mother, who’d taught her the language, but she had died when Adriana was very young. Died and left Adriana behind to end up being raised in a cartel family.

  A second-generation American, Inez had helped her to polish her English and speak it well. With her curly auburn hair and glasses, she might not look or sound like Adriana Garcia, but in the end, she couldn’t disguise her Mexican heritage.

  Inez set the oven mitts aside and pressed her hand against Adriana’s forehead and cheeks like her mother would have. Adriana smiled and stepped away from the woman’s reach. “No, it’s nothing. Just glad it’s Christmas. I look—”

  The doorbell rang. Adriana stiffened. She hadn’t come up with a story to tell Inez yet. She didn’t much feel like keeping anything from her. But how did she explain? “I’ll get it.”

  Adriana made her way to the foyer and peeked through the peephole just to confirm Ranger McCord stood there. Seeing his tall form, his brown hair mussed from the hat he’d removed, his broad shoulders held high, had her heart skipping. His green eyes stared down the peephole and her pulse jumped. The man appeared intense in a way she couldn’t help but find attractive.

  She couldn’t let her emotions run away over him. If only she hadn’t been infatuated with him from the moment she’d met him two years ago. Her sentiments aside, she wasn’t even sure how she felt about his sudden appearance, even if he promised protection.

  Sucking in a breath to regain her composure, she opened the door and smiled. Somehow she had to get into the act. “What a surprise to see you.”

  Amusement sparked in his eyes as he returned her smile, flashing those dimples and triggering that tingle in her toes again. She tried to look at anything but his smile, but where? His eyes? His strong jaw? His more than adequate physique? He’d placed his Stetson back on his head and that wrapped up the complete handsome Texas Ranger picture.

  She opened the door wide and waved him in with a flourish.

  Inez appeared, wiping her hands on a towel.

  “This is Brent McCord, Inez,” Adriana said, then turned her attention to the Ranger. “What brings you by? You’re welcome to spend Christmas Day with us.” She hadn’t even waited for his answer before inviting him. Adriana hated the way her words sounded so stilted and rehearsed.

  She focused her next words on Inez. “That’s all right with you, isn’t it?”

  Inez’s eyes widened. Her gaze held Adriana and a small grin lifted her lips as if she knew a secret. “Welcome, welcome, Mr. McCord. If you don’t have other plans, we’d be delighted for you to join us. You’re just in time for the cinnamon rolls. They’re just out of the oven. It’s a late breakfast for us. We’ll eat our Christmas dinner in a few hours. I hope you like smoked turkey.”

  The Ranger nodded with a grin. That cute triple-dimpled grin. Adriana wished he wouldn’t smile at all, because he was entirely too charming. “No plans at all,” he replied. “I appreciate the invitation, ma’am.”

  Ranger McCord stepped all the way inside and drew in a long breath, the aroma of cinnamon rolls obviously getting to him. Adriana motioned for him to sit on the sofa in the small living room of the ranch house, the huge window in front offering a good view of a portion of the ranch. From that position, they could see the unpaved driveway leading to the house on one side, and a part of the pasture on the other side with llamas grazing in the distance. By the subtle relaxing of his posture, she could tell he appreciated the chance to keep an eye on things and hopefully see any danger that might approach.

  Inez returned with coffee and a plate of rolls for them. Adriana watched as the Ranger took a bite of Inez’s specialty and closed his eyes, savoring the flavor and texture. When he opened them, they looked right into Adriana’s. Unsettling.

  She shook off the effect he had on her and grinned. “There’s nothing like them, is there?”

  “I haven’t tasted better.”

  The shared reaction to Inez’s cinnamon rolls oddly broke the awkwardness of the situation, and for a few minutes Adriana believed that she would be able to forget that Ranger McCord had been searching for and finally found her. And now he would...well, she wasn’t really certain what his next step was. At the end of this most holy day, she didn’t know what would happen to her. But, for now, they ate and talked as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

  “What do you think of my lovely sweater?” Inez modeled it for them. “This was my Christmas gift from Tanya.”

  Adriana looked at Brent. “We exchanged gifts last night. I guess we were both too anxious to wait to give our gifts today.”

  “And what did Inez give you?” he asked.

  She suddenly felt awkward because they had no gift for him, but he was an unexpected guest. “A beautifully carved leather handbag. I can get it, if you like.”

  “No need. You can show me later.”

  “I’m sorry I don’t have a gift for you. I didn’t know you were coming.”

  “What?” He twisted his face in mock offense.

  “Just a minute.” Inez gave a mischievous grin, then disappeared around the corner.

  “So what’s it like working a llama ranch?” Was this Brent’s attempt at small talk? Benign conversation until Inez’s return? She’d play along, for lack of any other options. His voice intrigued her—it didn’t sound like he’d grown up in Texas. She might ask him about that late
r, if given the chance.

  “I had no idea how much I’d love living and working on a llama ranch.” Adriana released a long sigh. “I could live here forever in peace.”

  Brent moved away from the sofa and sat across from her on the floor, one knee up. His arm rested on his knee. “You mean, if it weren’t for the fact your brother is after you,” he whispered.

  She leaned her head back. “You would have to bring him up. Bad enough you’re here, I had hoped to enjoy the day without thoughts of my particular situation.” She hadn’t forgotten her brother. Would never forget that everyone was after her—including the Texas Rangers—but, for today, she’d needed a reprieve.

  “I don’t want you to relax. You can’t afford to until this is over.”

  Brent stiffened at the approaching footfalls in the hallway and returned to his previous seat.

  Inez held a wrapped package and handed it to Brent. He frowned as though he wouldn’t accept it. Adriana couldn’t let him hurt Inez. She grabbed the package for him and handed it over, forcing it into his hands, not letting him refuse. “Merry Christmas.”

  Pain flickered behind his gaze. What was that about? Reluctantly he took the package. “There was no need,” he said as he glanced to Inez. “I’m intruding here, as it is.”

  “God brought you here today for a reason.”

  Surprise sprang from his eyes. “Well, I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

  “Of course you do,” Inez said. “I know you’re here to protect my Tanya.”

  Brent glanced at the woman. He turned his attention back to Adriana. She saw the question in his eyes. You told her?

  Adriana gave a subtle shake of her head. Inez was extremely observant and had obviously figured out on her own that things were not as they seemed.

  He hesitated another moment, then ripped into the small package. It was a leather-bound devotional filled with God’s promises. The leather carving was similar to that of Inez’s gift to Adriana, obviously purchased at the same craft shop.

  “I had been praying about who to give this gift to,” Inez said. “A few moments ago, I knew.”

  He stared at the gift long and hard before saying anything. For a moment, Adriana feared he would hurt Inez’s feelings with his lack of response, but then she realized she knew better. The woman was tough and her faith in God was strong. If she’d felt led to give this gift to Brent, nothing he said or did would make her regret it.

  “Thank you.” His tone revealed he maintained a tight control over his emotions.

  Brent rose to his feet and set the gift on the side table.

  Adriana thought at first his action meant that he didn’t appreciate Inez’s thoughtfulness and was discarding the gift, but then she saw the emotion boiling up in his gaze. He glanced at Inez, true gratitude in his eyes before he shuttered it away.

  He unholstered and brandished his weapon, surprising them both. “And now, for my gift, I’m going to check the perimeter. Make good on that promise of protection. Double-check the booby traps. You might want to let me know what and where all of them are so I can find and check them.”

  “Let this be a test to let us know how well I’ve hidden them.” For a moment, she felt pleased and proud that he needed to ask. But then a dark thought crept in. “Except,” she admitted, “you got through some of them before on your own.”

  He frowned, his thoughts clearly running on the same track as her own. “Right. If it had been anyone else, you’d be dead right now.”

  * * *

  Brent had to step away from this situation that had grown far too personal.

  “We’ll be eating Christmas dinner in a couple of hours. Don’t be gone too long,” Inez called after him as he shoved through the front door, clomped across the porch and down the steps. He kept his eyes sharply attuned to his surroundings, though his mind remained muddled by the fact he’d found Adriana Garcia and was spending today with her and her friend like they were some kind of happy family.

  He never in a million years could have imagined he would be eating Christmas dinner with the sister of drug cartel head Rio Garcia. She’d disguised herself to look nothing at all like the woman who had saved him. And it would have worked, except for those beautiful eyes. All he had to do was look closely and he saw the Adriana he remembered. Her warm brown eyes had been a dead giveaway. Those had been the same eyes that had signaled a warning to him to stay hidden while she’d distracted Garcia’s men searching for him. It astounded him to think that, even then, he’d had an instant connection with her and been able to read her easily enough to trust her silent offer of protection.

  Then she’d come back for him after leading Garcia’s men away. She’d hidden Brent in her own home until she could safely spirit him out of danger. They’d spent that one day together, two years ago. He would never forget that day or those eyes. The hair and glasses might fool others, but up close and personal, they hadn’t hidden the luster and compassion in her gaze. At least, not from him.

  When he’d seen her before, she’d had long dark hair, but she’d done a great job of disguising it with auburn curls to go with the plain farm clothes that hung loosely off her body. But changing her appearance hadn’t diminished her beauty or hidden away her spirited nature. Brent found himself insanely attracted to the woman. Still. After two years. It was why he’d had to be the one to find her.

  Her disguise and the fake name, Tanya Parker, had worked well enough that the Texas Rangers and Garcia’s cartel had initially gone after the wrong woman—Danielle Segovia, who had been misidentified by a local policeman in El Paso after seeing photos of Adriana. Of course, she had turned out to actually be Danielle Segovia and not Adriana Garcia. Danielle just happened to be a dead ringer for Adriana, that was, before she’d disguised herself.

  The Rangers had received intel that Adriana was hiding in El Paso and running a small crafts shop, Mexican Artifacts and Crafts by Danielle. Though it had seemed odd that she’d attempted no disguise beyond changing her name, they’d thought she was hiding from her cartel brother in plain sight. Ranger Colt Blackthorn, Brent’s close friend, had gone undercover to determine if the woman was actually Adriana. But it had turned out she wasn’t, and Colt, well, it looked like he had fallen in love. Good for him.

  As for himself, attracted to Adriana or not, Brent wasn’t relationship material. At least, he kept telling himself that, but Adriana was causing a war between his heart and mind.

  Confusion about what his next move should be clouded his thoughts. And he needed to focus in case he’d inadvertently led Garcia and his men to Adriana’s llama ranch, as she’d suggested. He couldn’t dismiss the possibility when there were lives at risk, even though he didn’t think that it was very likely that he’d been followed. No one knew he was coming. Only Colt knew that Brent had gone in search of Adriana, following the clues in the letters he’d received. And even if the whole of their reconnaissance unit had come searching for her, how would Garcia know about it? How could he find out? Was there another mole—someone else, like Greg Gunn, who’d been working both sides?

  All this he considered as he carefully made his way to the perimeter of the ranch, vigilant for Adriana’s booby traps even as he thought that Garcia’s men would know to look for them, as well. In fact, the traps themselves had given the ranch away, confirmed to Brent that he had found the right one. Even though the traps warned the occupants of intruders, they also signaled to others that the property owner was someone who expected trouble.

  And this didn’t bode well for Adriana.

  Regardless of her innocence or guilt, it was his duty to keep her safe. Except Brent knew deep down that his feelings of protectiveness went beyond his duty as a Ranger.

  He wanted to believe in her innocence, but he could be misjudging where her loyalties rested. He had a murderer for a father—a man he’d ad
mired his whole life until he learned the truth. His instincts couldn’t be trusted. Yeah, Brent could be completely wrong about her. He couldn’t let his attraction to her—not to mention his lingering gratitude for the way she’d saved his life before—lead him astray. He had no idea just how much that swayed his judgment, if at all, but he had a feeling it did.

  Now that he’d found her, seen her in the flesh again and talked to her in person, seen the passion in her eyes, he realized he’d been thinking about her eyes for the last two years. He’d been thinking about her all this time. And he might actually be in trouble here.

  He came across an air horn’s trip wire and carefully stepped over it, grateful for the distraction. Adriana had tripped the outer booby traps to his heart already—and he reminded himself she was a fugitive. Could be guilty of crimes as heinous as murder. And even if she wasn’t guilty of that, she’d certainly stolen drugs and money from her brother and had not turned them over to the authorities. There was a lot she had to answer for—and until he got those answers, he had no business thinking of her in romantic terms. It could mar the Rangers’ investigation.

  After he’d successfully avoided more of her booby trap alarms and was reassured that no one nefarious lurked near the ranch, his tension eased, if only a little. The cartel drug lord might not be in the near vicinity, but Garcia could very well be on the way. According to Agent Alvarez’s intel, the drug lord already knew his sister was staying near the border, which had prompted the Rangers to be on the lookout for him.

  Brent glanced back at the ranch house, the barn and the distant pasture where thirty or so llamas grazed. The temperature had already reached the high forties and might even reach the fifties. Christmas in Texas was nothing like the white Christmases he used to have in Baltimore where he grew up. But he shoved his past aside and concentrated on the present.