by BJ Wane
Sighing, he glanced up at the loft and, even in the dim lighting, caught a glimpse of Greg binding Mindy on the St. Andrew Cross. The two of them met in middle school in Bozeman after Devin’s father died and his mother moved them to Montana to live with her parents on the family ranch. Greg had helped him acclimate to being the new kid, taught him to ride, herd cattle and skip stones over water when they discovered they were neighbors. Growing up in Phoenix, those activities were as foreign to a city boy as the French language he had struggled to learn.
They remained glued at the hip all through school, attending the same college, fielding the constant inquiries about their sexual orientation, sometimes with humor, other times with thinly veiled angry sarcasm. After joining the FBI, they were assigned to different field offices and worked different cases, getting together back here in their home state several times a year while continuing to apply for an assignment together. When they finally got it, it had ended so badly, they’d walked away from their careers to start over with a small dude ranch, as far away from corruption as they could get.
Devin huffed an exasperated sigh. So much for escaping the long arm of the law they’d sworn to protect and uphold all those years ago. Always willing to champion the underdog or come to the defense or protection of someone in need, Greg wouldn’t change, and Devin didn’t want him to. He knew deep in his gut Greg would agree to Jordan’s request, and wouldn’t fault him for wanting to help. Just as he knew he wouldn’t cave and offer to assist him. If that made Greg the better man, then he had no problem with that. He hadn’t earned his friend’s nickname of stubborn ass for nothing. Greg could take full responsibility for the McAllisters’ foster daughter, but no way would he risk that heartache again.
“With this being the end of the season, the timing is good.” Greg held the phone in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other as he leaned against the kitchen counter. Devin sat at a stool at the island, his glower unchanged from last night when they had returned home and parted for their separate suites.
“The cabins are full and booked for the next two weeks,” Devin argued.
Waving his arm toward the spacious great room behind Devin, Greg reminded him, “We have more than enough room here. She can stay in one of the spare bedrooms and she’ll be working, so she won’t be underfoot. What can it hurt?” He didn’t know why he continued to try and change Devin’s mind; he wasn’t going to budge. Still, he preferred not agreeing to Jordan’s request without some concession from his partner. In his current mood, he would have the girl shaking in her shoes the minute she arrived and it sounded as if she had enough to fret over.
Downing the last of his coffee, Devin carried his cup over to the sink and rinsed it out. “It can’t hurt me because I’ll have nothing to do with it, or her. I should be back by mid-afternoon.”
Frustrated, Greg watched him walk out without saying anything else. Maybe the trail ride today would cool him down. They led guests on guided trail rides through the woods, winding their way up to the flat tops of the rolling hills surrounding their five thousand acres. From there, outdoor and wildlife enthusiasts could enjoy a view of Montana’s wide-open prairie grasslands spanning hundreds of miles and the picturesque mountains along the skyline. Through binoculars and telescopes, they scouted for a glimpse of bison or elk grazing on the range or tried to capture a sighting of black bear or bighorn sheep along the mountain edges.
Pulling up Jordan’s number, Greg strolled toward the floor-to-ceiling bank of windows in the great room and leaned his shoulder against the corner to gaze out at the incredible view he never tired of seeing. The wide-open meadows, still lush and green with a spattering of wildflowers, were backed by the rolling hills Devin would be riding through today. The jagged peaks of the Crazy Mountains rose above the shorter hills in the distance, the endless blue sky blanketing the entire, breath-catching vista. His ex-boss picked up, his relieved voice pulling Greg’s mind off the stunning panorama.
“I was hoping to hear back from you this soon,” Jordan said.
“After how our last assignment ended, I’m wondering why you would trust us.” It would likely surprise Devin if his partner knew about Greg’s misgivings in accepting responsibility for the McAllister’s ward, one of his doubts centered around why Jordan would come to them with his favor.
“Do you forget how many times we told you that wasn’t your fault? Hell, Young, both you and Fisher were wounded protecting that witness. Considering you were outnumbered two to one, it’s a damn miracle all three of you didn’t die.”
“That doesn’t negate the fact she died on our watch.”
“No, and I can only imagine how difficult that must be to live with, but there’s still no one I would trust Kelsey with more than you two. Not only do Theresa and I have every confidence in your abilities, your place in Montana is perfect. If she’s a target, there’s no trail that can lead anyone to her there.”
Greg ran a hand through his hair, watching Devin mount up and lead six of their eighteen guests toward the hills. “Just because she was assaulted doesn’t mean someone’s after her. Couldn’t it have been random?”
“Not with the dead perp’s rap sheet. He was either after her or someone at that establishment and she was in the way. Theresa and I can concentrate on investigating all possibilities if we know Kelsey is tucked away someplace safe.” Jordan paused and then whispered with a catch in his voice, “Please.”
“Yeah, okay, bring her on out. Like you said, we have the room.” Greg gave him the information on the small private airport where he would meet them in a few days, as soon as they could arrange a private flight. He didn’t relish dealing with Devin’s sour attitude and hoped the girl would stay to herself as much as possible.
Kelsey tried hard to keep from letting her disgruntlement show as the small government jet touched down and the view out her window was nothing but a wide expanse of barren land. Okay, the tall grasses were kind of pretty the way they swayed in the breeze with the bright sun highlighting the colorful scattering of wildflowers. The mountains looming in the background looked closer than she imagined they were and reminded her of the trips to the Cascade Mountains the McAllisters had taken her on during her teens. As much as she’d enjoyed those summer vacations, she never could imagine living in such a rural environment. She shuddered thinking the next four weeks were going to drag by.
“I hope you’re not sorry you didn’t pack more,” Theresa commented as they stood on the tarmac waiting for the eager young man to unload her suitcase. Tall and lanky, Kelsey guessed him to be in his late teens, probably working at the private airport while attending college. Although, where he would go to university around here was beyond her. This area gave the term ‘a whole lot of nothingness’ new meaning.
“I’ll be fine. It’s not like there will be anything to do or anywhere to go that would require more than my jeans, right?” She pulled her sunglasses out of her purse and put them on, as much to shield her eyes from the sun as to hide her discontentment with a situation she could blame on no one but herself. If she hadn’t let curiosity get the better of her, that man would have continued on with whatever nefarious deed he’d planned and she would still be home, going through her days without guilt eating at her from causing his death.
As if being in the wrong place at the wrong time wasn’t bad enough, she’d spent the last ten days plagued by hot, sweaty dreams of being bound and tormented into a sexual need she didn’t understand, dreams where she’d been the one on the receiving end of some man’s dominant control. Once her exile was over, the first thing she intended to do upon returning home was look up an old boyfriend who would be willing to give her a booty call. She just hoped she lasted that long.
The only thing she knew about her hosts was they were retired agents. Just what I need, two more father figures looking over my shoulder all day for the next month. She wished she didn’t care about the McAllisters so much, otherwise she could ignore their fretting and unsub
stantiated worries. There were worse things than having people love you, like being abandoned at the age of five.
The largest truck Kelsey had ever seen pulled into the parking lot and from the name Wild Horse Dude Ranch stenciled in black against the maroon side, she assumed her ride to her temporary home had arrived. Oh, wow. She paused in reaching for her suitcase to ogle the tall, lean cowboy sliding out from behind the wheel. If he’s an example of the employees working on the ranch, her stay was looking up, way up. Her mouth watered as she eyed long legs incased in tight denim and the ripple of muscled forearms and bulging biceps below a short-sleeved, tautly stretched forest green T-shirt. Much of his tanned face was shadowed by the lowered Stetson, but she could still make out a rugged jawline, sculpted lips and the curl of thick brown hair clinging to his corded neck.
“Maybe this won’t be so bad after all,” she whispered to Theresa as she drank in the man’s long-legged sexy stride.
A smile of relief touched Theresa’s mouth. “He is eye-catching, isn’t he? And Devin is just as easy on the eyes.”
Kelsey whipped her gaze toward Theresa in surprise. “Huh? You mean he’s one of the retired agents you asked to put me up?”
“Yes, dear. Who did you think would pick you up today?”
Certainly not anyone who looked like the man walking across the tarmac toward them. “I don’t know. Maybe one of their employees.”
“No way.” Jordan grabbed her bag and looked down at her with a frown. “We wouldn’t turn you over to just anyone, not even an employee of someone we trusted. Besides, their ranch is small compared to most resorts. There’s only an older couple that takes care of the cooking and reservations and the stable manager who live on site. A few cowhands are there throughout the day. Greg,” he held out his hand to Kelsey’s host as he approached, “I can’t thank you enough for doing us this favor. This is Kelsey. Kels, Greg Young.”
“Welcome to Wild Horse, Kelsey.” Greg tipped his hat and Kelsey’s pulse spiked at the shrewd look in his moss green eyes. Oh, dear. This was not a man who missed much. It was a good thing he couldn’t see her toes curling inside her sneakers.
Smiling, she hoped he wouldn’t notice her sudden nervousness as she shook his hand. “I would repeat Jordan’s thanks for having me, but since I don’t see the need for this trip away from home, I won’t bother lying.”
Jordan rolled his eyes. “She’s not happy with us, but I promise she’ll be no trouble. Isn’t that right, Kelsey?”
Jordan only used her full name when he wanted to make a point. Feeling like a chastised teen again, she shuffled her feet and twirled her thumbs, wishing she didn’t always feel so guilty when either McAllister showed even a hint of displeasure with her. “Of course not. You won’t even know I’m around, Mr. Young.”
Cocking his head, Greg thumbed his hat back, giving her a crooked smile that brought about a quick spasm between her legs. Crap. Her instant attraction meant it would either be a very long, frustrating few weeks or a very enjoyable short vacation. His response tipped the scales toward the latter.
“Call me Greg and let’s hope that’s the case, Kelsey. I had enough trouble getting my partner to sign off on this favor.” He switched his gaze to Jordan. “Inside is a pretty decent snack bar. Why don’t we wait with you while your plane is refueling?”
Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief she wouldn’t have to be alone with this man just yet. Every time those piercing eyes swept her way, the warm rush spreading through her body grew hotter and she didn’t know which urge tempted her the most – to sidle closer or inch further away. When he turned his full attention to Jordan and Theresa as they sat down to eat hamburgers inside the terminal, she found herself growing irritated because he wasn’t paying attention to her. Yep, it was going to be a long few weeks.
Less than fifteen minutes later the ground crew signaled they were done refueling the jet. “It looks like our plane is ready and I imagine you need to get back, Greg.” Jordan rose and held his hand out to Theresa. “Ready?”
A wave of uncertainty assailed Kelsey, a sense of abandonment she knew was ridiculous. She wasn’t a scared five-year-old found walking alone in a strange neighborhood again. The landscape now surrounding her might look foreign, but the McAllisters would never leave her someplace unsafe or with someone they didn’t trust. But it wasn’t home and she wanted to be here no more than this man’s partner wanted her to be.
Theresa stood with Kelsey and wrapped her in a tight embrace. “Try to have some fun, okay? Look at this as a vacation and we’ll have you back in no time.”
She sighed. How could she let them leave thinking she was unhappy after all they’d done for her? “I’m sure it’ll be quite the experience.”
“A good one.” Jordan hugged her and then turned back toward the plane with a hand on his wife’s lower back.
Greg reached to clasp Kelsey’s elbow while taking her suitcase from Jordan with his other hand. “Relax, little bit. I don’t bite and I won’t let Devin try. She’ll be in touch.” He nodded to the couple and waited with her while they re-boarded the plane. Puzzling as it was, she found comfort in the nearness of his big body and the snug grip of his calloused palm against hers as he slid down her arm to grip her hand. He might be a stranger, and she might be feeling an irrational qualm of abandonment, but she couldn’t deny the escalating urge to press against that ripped body and lose herself in mindless, sweaty sex.
A shiver racked her body as he turned and tugged her toward the truck. “Why Wild Horses?” she asked as he opened the passenger door, tossed her bag in the back and hoisted her up onto the seat as if she weighed nothing.
“We named our place after the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range, which lies south of us about sixty miles.” Kelsey held her breath as Greg reached in front of her and drew the seatbelt across her lap and chest, his rugged face close to hers, his arm pressing against her abdomen. “They’re a sight to see, if we get the chance to take you down there. Sit tight.”
He slammed the door and she exhaled on a whoosh and a delicate shiver. They just didn’t make them like him in the northeast, at least none she’d ever met. She shifted on the seat, the glide of her silk panties over her bare flesh causing those distracting, warm tingles again. If her wayward thoughts and heated reaction to Greg’s nearness, slight touch and/or look continued, she might fare better letting her pubic hair grow back to help lessen the effects of her stirred-up libido.
“Do you ride?” Greg asked, sliding behind the wheel and starting the massive truck.
A rueful smile curled her mouth. “I ride the subway, does that count?”
He chuckled, the amused, deep rumble curling her toes again. If this kept up, she would need to see a podiatrist when she returned home. “No, that doesn’t count. We have a horse clinic next week and if I have time, I’ll take you up. You can learn a lot in those few days.” Changing gears, he turned onto a long, barren stretch of highway and veered from the subject as easily as he shifted the truck’s gears. “Tell me about the attack on you. Are you sure he didn’t say anything that would give you a clue to what he wanted? Where were you at?”
Surprised Jordan didn’t tell him, Kelsey slid her gaze out the window to hide her expression. “Other than calling me a name, he didn’t say anything. I was at a client’s office, working on the books,” was all she said about that.
“That’s what Jordan said, but sometimes, after the adrenaline has settled, small things pop up in your recollection. If you think of anything else, let me or Devin know right away.”
“I thought your friend didn’t want me here.” She didn’t know why that bothered her; she didn’t even know the man.
Greg shrugged, the move drawing her eyes to his broad shoulders. “Doesn’t mean he won’t keep you safe, if need be.”
Kelsey shook her head, returning her gaze out the window and on the blur of wide-open prairie whizzing by. “There won’t be a need. I’m no one of importance, just someone who seems to draw the
crazies.” She didn’t see his sharp look, or the frown tightening his eyes.
Chapter 3
Greg couldn’t wait to see Devin’s face when he got his first look at Kelsey Hammond. While he was a connoisseur of all body types, his partner possessed a special fondness for the petite ones, and Kelsey was about as small as they came. Her head barely reached his chest as they were walking to the truck, putting her around five foot two, and if she weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet he would eat his hat.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her changing expressions as they neared the ranch, those he could see with her face pressed to the window. She appeared even unhappier about being here than Devin was, but after catching the look in her face-dominating blue eyes as the McAllisters hugged her goodbye, Greg felt a tug of sympathy for the girl. There were issues there, maybe more than just getting over an assault and dealing with a possible threat against her. Devin might be a sucker for the long blonde, almost white hair and diminutive body type, and Greg already felt compelled to help her cope with her current circumstances, but that would be as far as their association with their temporary houseguest would go. They’d made the mistake of getting physically involved with a woman they were assigned to protect once, and her death still haunted them.
Kelsey sat up straight with a gasp, pointing out the window. “Those aren’t cows.”
Greg smiled at the surprised accusation in her voice. “No, that’s a herd of bison. Never seen buffalo before?”
She turned and looked at him with wide eyes that could deliver a sucker punch if he let his guard down. “Not out my window. Shouldn’t they be… contained or something?”
“There’s plenty of land for them to roam free, at least around here. You can join one of our trail rides while you’re here and get a closer look. Here we are.” He pulled through the wooden arched entrance, never tiring of seeing the low-lying acres, rolling, tree-lined hills and rough-hewn buildings he and Devin had put so much effort into. Nodding to the left, he said, “That’s the social hall. Mary and Les Ingram do all the cooking for the daily buffets and tend the reservations desk. Feel free to walk over this evening and introduce yourself. They know you’re coming. There’s a pool table and game table, if you play.”