by Donna Grant
Actually, he worried that it might be too soon. He didn’t want to push Naomi away, but he also couldn’t hold back his feelings. If she knew how he felt, then that might be the very thing that brought her back to Texas.
The fact was, he would use anything he could to entice her to return. Horses, friends, and himself. They were good together. Great, even.
And he should know after the last couple of years with Jill, where everything had felt forced. With Naomi, everything fit easily, as if it were meant to be.
He pushed away from the window and made another round of the house before heading upstairs to get a better view. The sound of Naomi moving about in the bedroom eased him somehow. With her, he was able to see himself and the world clearly for the first time.
Brice stopped next to the quilt that he’d hung over the door into the darkroom. “How’s it coming?” he asked.
“Slower than I’d like,” her muffled voice said through the door. “Some of this equipment is state of the art. I was expecting used items.”
He grinned and leaned a shoulder against the wall. “You do know your list went to Clayton, don’t you? He is all about reusing items when possible, but he also recognizes that new things can sometimes get the work done quicker.”
“Remind me to thank him for that. It’s all going to cost me a fortune, but if I was building my own darkroom here, this is exactly what I would’ve bought.”
Brice didn’t bother to tell her that Clayton wouldn’t accept any payment from her. She’d figure it out soon enough. “Do you need anything?”
“You.” Her footsteps approached the door, and her voice was louder as she asked, “What if this doesn’t work? We’ve put a big target on ourselves and everyone we know.”
“It’ll work.”
“But what if it doesn’t?” she insisted.
He drew in a deep breath. “When my mom left, I was the one who discovered the note she left Abby. The first thing I felt was anger that my mother would do such a thing to us. But I was still a kid who wanted her around, no matter how messed up she was. Abby came downstairs the next morning after Caleb got her up. Do you know what she told us?”
“What?” Naomi asked softly.
“That we were going to be fine. That it might be hard at first, and we’d definitely have rough patches, but we’d make it. Because we were together.”
Naomi whispered his name. “I wish I could see your face right now.”
That made him smile. “What I’m trying to say is that we didn’t focus on everything that could have gone wrong. We remained together through it all, watching each other’s backs.”
“Because you were family,” Naomi said.
“Exactly. You’re one of us now. No matter what happens, you’re not in this alone. Ever.”
She kicked the door. “I want to kiss you. The wet, slobbery kind.”
“Keep talking like that, and I’ll yank this door open, the pictures be damned.”
Her laugh filtered through the door. “I’m so glad you came to help me that night.”
“So am I.”
“And…” she began, her voice trailing off. “I’m glad we’re here together.”
He put his hand over the blanket on top of the door, wishing he could have her in his arms. “There’s no one else I’d rather be with. You’re special, you know that, right, Naomi?”
“You were going to tell me something this morning. What was it?”
His eyes closed as he dropped his hand. When he lifted his lids, he focused his gaze down the hallway past the door of his room to the bed.
“Brice?” she called.
“I’m here,” he said.
“You remember what I’m talking about, don’t you?”
He recalled every moment with her. “Yeah.”
“Will you tell me?”
“Yes.”
She issued a little laugh that held a note of sadness. “Just not now.”
“Not through a door,” he corrected.
“I don’t know. There could be benefits to saying things through a door or on a phone call.”
His gut clenched. Was she trying to tell him that he wasn’t enough to keep her in Texas? “Do you have something to tell me?”
“There’s a lot I’d like to share with you,” she admitted.
“Do you want to do it now?”
There was a lengthy pause before she asked, “Do you?”
“I’ve got time.”
Her laugh reached him again. God, he loved the sound of it. It was pure, her humor not just in the laugh itself but also in her eyes and the vibrations she gave off.
“Now that I think about it, I’d like to be looking at you when we talk. I love your eyes, by the way.”
He smiled. “Do you?”
“Definitely. I could stare into them all day. The blue is so striking.”
“I heard your laugh first,” he said. “I was walking through the rodeo, and it stopped me in my tracks. I had to find the woman who could do that to me.”
“You’re coming perilously close to making me forget I’m in a darkroom, Brice Harper,” she said.
He glanced at the bed again. “One night with you isn’t enough. I want more. And I think you do, as well.”
“Yes.”
Brice smiled his relief. “Good. And I’ll take you on a proper ride.”
“On you or a horse?” she teased, her voice growing distant as she walked back to the tables.
He began to harden as he imagined her straddling his hips. “Which would you like?”
“Definitely you first.”
“I beat out a horse?” he asked, laughing.
The laugh died when he spotting something moving in the distance. Brice moved closer to the window in the hall and narrowed his eyes, but he still couldn’t make it out.
He strode to the corner where his rifle was perched and lifted it to his shoulder to look through the scope. Moving the gun left to right, he searched for whatever was out there.
“Brice?” Naomi’s voice said close to the door.
He didn’t take his attention from searching the grounds. “Keep working.”
“What do you see? Your voice is farther away.”
“I’m right here,” he told her. “At the hall window. I saw something in the pasture. It’s in a grove of trees right now.”
She asked, “A person?”
“I don’t know yet.”
He said the lie to keep her calm, and while he hadn’t seen anyone yet, the movements were those of a person, not an animal like a deer. With no livestock in the pastures, any movement caught his attention.
His phone vibrated with a call. Brice didn’t move as he pulled out his phone and brought it to his ear. “Yeah?”
“If you shoot me, I get to shoot you,” Caleb stated.
Brice frowned at the statement. “What?”
“I’m the one out here in the trees, idiot. I know you saw me, and I’m sure you have your gun trained on me.”
Brice blew out a breath when Caleb leaned from behind a tree so he could see him. “I could’ve blown your head off.”
“While I admit you’re a better marksman than me, I doubt you could’ve taken off my head,” Caleb retorted.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
He shrugged before disappearing behind the tree again. “I thought I might change my mind once I arrived.”
“I’m glad you’re here, little brother.”
“I am the one always saving your ass, so it’s only fitting I be here to do it again.”
Brice lowered the gun and straightened, a smile on his face. “Any news from the others?”
“Nothing. And, frankly, that has me concerned.”
“Why? The nurse can no longer identify them, and the syringe is gone.”
Caleb grunted. “Do you really think they’ll stop going after Whitney? And how long do you think you have before they realize Naomi never left?”
“They aren’t going to touch her,
” Brice angrily stated.
“No, they aren’t. We’re going to make sure of that. But I know you, Brice. You’ve thought ahead for just that scenario. You always do.”
He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Brice then looked over his shoulder at the door to the darkroom. He knew Naomi was listening.
“The way I see it,” he told Caleb. “There are only two options. The pictures work so someone recognizes the man.”
“Or?” Naomi asked through the door.
Brice turned and faced it, wishing it were her face he stared at instead of the blanket. “Or … you take Naomi to the ranch, and I take care of things here.”
“You’re out of your damn mind if you think I’m leaving you alone,” Naomi said through the door.
At the same time, Caleb let a wry laugh. “No fucking way. You won’t face them alone. I’ll be standing right there with you.”
Brice didn’t argue with either of them. He knew what he had to do to protect those that he loved, and he would do it without hesitation.
Chapter 31
“I can’t stand this.”
Clayton pulled his gaze from looking outside to his wife. Abby’s anxiety wasn’t doing her or the baby any good. Her discomfort had grown worse, and he was more than a little nervous.
“Do you need another pillow beneath your feet?”
She shot him a withering look. “I’m talking about you and Brice and everyone else leaving me out of things,” she snapped.
It was her worry that caused her to lash out, that and the discomfort from the pregnancy. Clayton walked to the sofa and sat beside Abby, facing her. He took her hand and brought it to his lips where he kissed it.
She turned her head away, tears forming to fall down her cheeks.
“Come here,” he said, trying to draw her to him.
Abby shook her head. “No. Stop,” she said as she cried harder.
If she wouldn’t go to him, he would go to her. Clayton scooted closer and held her. It was only a heartbeat later that her arms wrapped around him, and she buried her face in his neck.
“If anyone can come out of this, it’ll be your brothers. I’ve known a lot of men in my life, my love, and those two are the toughest I’ve ever encountered.”
She sniffed loudly. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“I’m stating the truth.” He leaned back to look at her. “Both of them begged me to teach them things I learned as a SEAL, and despite knowing how much you hated it, I did it anyway. They took that knowledge, and each entered the military, where they did their tours and returned home safely. These men, whoever they are, don’t stand a chance against your brothers.”
Abby wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “When the two are united. They haven’t been since Brice bought the ranch.”
“Caleb left about forty minutes ago to take up watch outside Brice’s house.”
“Really?” she asked, her eyes brightening.
He grinned. “Really. I know it’s a habit, but you don’t have to mother them anymore.”
“I spent too many years as their mother, father, and sister. I worry about my brothers just as much as I do our children,” she said with a lift of her chin.
“Just one of the many reasons I love you.”
She sniffed again and looked into his eyes calmly. “My search for Jamie Adcock has proved futile.”
“If we had time, I’d hire a private investigator, but I have a feeling Jamie and her mother got as far away from the men’s reach as they could. We’re likely never to find them.”
“Everything hinges on Naomi’s picture. Will it be enough?”
Clayton lifted one shoulder. “It’s going to have to be. Our only other option is to wait for Whitney to come out of the coma to tell us where her evidence on them is. And that could take weeks.”
“How did this happen to our town?” Abby asked in outrage.
He’d been wondering the same thing. “I wish I knew.”
“The fact Whitney and who knows how many other girls felt they had to keep quiet breaks my heart. I fear that these men are so powerful that none of the women will step forward to admit what happened—or what is currently happening to them.”
“It only takes one,” Clayton said.
Abby’s brow eyes widened. “Who is that reporter friend of Shane’s? The one who flirts with him but he hasn’t asked out yet?”
Clayton frowned, trying to think who she might be talking about. Then it hit him. “You mean Beverly Barnes? Honey, she runs the local paper.”
“Whatever,” Abby said with a dismissive shake of her head. “See if she’d be interested in running a story about this. With a copy of the picture Naomi is printing. But it has to be front page.”
“You’re a genius.”
Abby smiled and linked her hands behind her head. “Yes, I know. I married you, didn’t I?”
Clayton gave her a quick kiss before he jumped up and rushed to find Shane. He found the ranch manager in the east pasture, looking over the cattle.
Clayton moved his horse alongside Shane’s. “I have a favor.”
“I’ll do anything for this family. You know that,” Shane said.
Clayton looked into his friend’s dark eyes. “I need you to ask Beverly Barnes on a date.”
Shane’s dark brows snapped together, unease filling his face. “I gather this has something to do with our visitors the other night and the wreck?”
“It does.”
Shane returned his gaze to the cattle grazing and leaned his forearm on the saddle horn for a long, silent minute. “You want me to convince her to run the story.”
“That’s right.”
Shane turned his horse around and nudged it into a walk. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll do my best.”
Clayton watched him ride away. He still couldn’t believe there had been a time when he hadn’t wanted to return home. Now, he wasn’t sure how he could do anything without the support of Abby, his family, and friends.
The ranch wasn’t just how they made a living. It was a small community, and they looked after their own. And right now, it was Brice who needed their help protecting both Naomi and Whitney.
Clayton let out a click as he leaned low. The horse bolted into a hard run back to the house.
* * *
Shane couldn’t remember ever being so nervous. He lowered the visor in his truck and checked the cut on his neck from shaving. It had finally stopped bleeding, allowing him to remove the spot of toilet paper he’d used.
He looked into his own eyes through the mirror and frowned. “This isn’t a real date. It’s for Clayton and the others. That’s all. So, take a deep breath and get out of the truck.”
But not even that pep talk got him moving.
He shoved the visor up and jumped when he spotted someone standing beside his truck. Shane rolled down the window and came face-to-face with Beverly. She was a stunning woman with a head of vibrant red waves that fell to her chin. Her hair was as fiery as her personality. Her amber eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, amusement lighting them.
Though in her late fifties, she looked much younger—and had a killer body to go along with it. It took everything Shane had to pull his eyes away from her big breasts.
Beverly preferred to wear all black, and was rarely seen in anything but stilettos. Divorced for over fifteen years, she had no kids, but she was sought after by many.
“Hello, sexy cowboy,” she drawled.
Shane’s heart thumped so loudly, he was sure she could hear it. “Good afternoon, ma’am.”
“You know, most women who’ve grown up here aren’t swayed by a Texas drawl, but I’ve always been a sucker for a true cowboy. Well, one in particular,” she said, smiling at him, her meaning clear.
He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. “Would you like to get in?”
“Would I ever,” she replied.
Once she was in his truck, Shane took a deep breath and tur
ned his head to her. “Beverly, I need to say something. I wanted to tell you from the start, but I was afraid you’d refuse me.”
“Well, I’m intrigued,” she said. “What is it?”
He put his hands on the wheel and looked out the windshield. “First, let me say that I’ve wanted to ask you to dinner for some time.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“That’s a long story, which I will share with you. But not tonight.” He looked at her and was immediately caught by her gaze.
Amber eyes studied him. “If you haven’t noticed, Shane, I’ve tried to make my interest in you known for some time. Whatever you need, all you have to do was ask.”
“I have a story for you.”
Her brow furrowed. “For the paper, you mean?”
“Yes. It’s a doozy. Know that if you print it, you’ll likely be threatened.”
She crossed one slim leg over the other. “I keep my finger on the pulse of the area, and it takes very little to figure out that whatever you do, you do for the Easts and Harpers. So I’m assuming this has something to do with the rumor I heard about Brice Harper getting hit on the head at the rodeo?”
“It’s so much more than that.” Shane blew out a breath. “There are many people connected, and we’re not sure who all is involved. You probably heard about the nurse who was arrested this morning.”
“I did hear something about that.”
Shane scratched his chin. “She’s dead. Suicide. And the syringe they were going to test that was used in the attempted murder is now missing.”
Beverly’s gaze intensified. “I think you better start from the beginning, but I’m going to need a drink for this.”
“We have to go somewhere no one will overhear us.”
She smiled and buckled her seatbelt. “I have just the place, cowboy.”
Shane’s nervousness eased as he drove. Until he pulled to a stop in front of Beverly’s house. She laughed at his obvious unease and opened the door. He put the truck in park and slowly turned off the ignition.
He swallowed hard, his gaze following the sensual sway of her hips as she walked to the front door. She gave him a long look before she walked inside—leaving the door ajar.
The last woman Shane had dared to care about had been killed. He hadn’t held a woman since, and he wasn’t sure he knew how anymore. But this wasn’t about him. It was about the family he had in the Easts and Harpers.