by Lynde Lakes
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “And you think I would?”
She leveled an icy stare at him, in the hope that the cold silence between them would give him an idea of the ice forming in her heart.
“Let’s get the baby out of the sun.” He gripped Molly’s arm and drew her back toward the truck.
“You have me at a disadvantage because I have a baby in my arms, but I won’t be intimidated, cowboy!”
“And God help anyone who’d try,” he said with bitterness in his tone. He yanked open the door and helped her climb inside, then slid behind the wheel. His chiseled profile looked intense—like he wanted to jam the accelerator to the floorboard, yet he drove slow and careful. The guards kept pace on horseback.
Matt stopped the truck under the shade of a withered oak and turned to Molly. His eyes searched hers. “Okay, what happened?”
She fought the power of his gaze. “You’ve kept secrets from me from the moment you first brought me here. Even after you promised no more lies.”
“What secrets?” He rested his arm on the back of the seat.
She glared at his hand inches from her shoulder and edged away. “Don’t play dumb. Luke told your father that you brought me here to be your bait.”
“I don’t know why he said such a damn fool thing. You must know it’s not true. It was your idea to return here with me. Not mine.”
“You made me love you, made me want to help you. Maybe it was all a trick. Part of a plan. You brought those FBI men here—” Molly shook her head. Nothing made sense. “And what about Ramon? You claimed you fired him. Then he shows up and you go off with him, all buddy-buddy.”
“Ramon is an FBI agent. The call you overheard was to headquarters. The Feds were watching me, making sure I wasn’t letting our past relationship get in the way of the present job.”
“Ha! I guess you assured them they have no worry in that respect. The job always comes first. Just like last time when you left me.”
Matt flinched as though she’d struck him. “That was then. This is now.” He drew her and the baby into his arms. “I love you, Molly. I love you! I love your baby. I’d never put either of you in jeopardy.”
She pulled back. “Then why did Luke say that stuff?”
“Why don’t we ask him?”
“Yes. Let’s.” She lifted her chin. “And there’s no time like the present. Your dad said he went to the barn.”
****
Afternoon sun swept in through a window in the haymow, spilling onto a pile of fresh hay and sending more heat into a closed space that was already too hot. Matt carried Sara Jane in his arms and felt she belonged there. At the moment, Molly couldn’t agree. Her stride beside him was quick and determined. The soft stomping of restive horses echoed through the barn. It was a sound Matt usually found comforting, but not now—not with his problems multiplying.
They found Luke outside the first stall. He’d changed out of his dark suit into faded jeans and worn boots and was currying his quarter horse, Rocket, talking to him in soft murmurs. When they got closer, the animal gave a loud neigh and Luke’s head shot up.
Matt glanced down at Molly. “Ask him.”
A flush crept up Luke’s neck. “Ask me what?”
Molly stroked Rocket’s nose, and when she spoke, her voice was as soft as brass knuckles in a velvet glove. “Did Matt tell you he brought me and my baby here as bait?”
“Ah…no,” Luke said. “But Matt’s with the FBI, and they pull stunts like that all the time. And Dad was goin’ on halfcocked, as usual, and I wanted to reassure him that Matt was on top of things. I was only tryin’ to help.”
Matt met his brother’s gaze with what he hoped was a hard look. “Or maybe you were tryin’ to impress Dad with your supposed inside knowledge.”
“Get off my case, Matt!”
Rocket stomped in place. Disturbed by the raised voices, he whinnied and bobbed his head. Sara Jane’s face scrunched up like she might cry. Horses and babies didn’t like shouting. Matt stroked the horse’s neck with one hand while angling Sara Jane out of the way and lowered his tone to a growl. “Not this time.”
“Don’t get yer britches twisted. I opened my mouth when I shoulda kept it shut, but what was the harm?”
“The harm was that you made Molly think I’d lied to her, planned to use her.” Matt fought the heat of rising anger. “That I didn’t love her.” His throat was dry, his words choked.
Luke’s face turned gray. “I—” He threw down the curry comb, and started for the door.
Molly stepped in front of him and put her hand on his arm. “Don’t bolt, Luke. Let’s talk this out, and try to make it better.”
“Right,” Matt said, calmed by Molly’s reasonable tone. “You messed up there, little brother. But I gotta say I’m mighty proud of how you’ve stayed sober these last few days. It shows a helluva lot of determination.”
Luke stood a little taller and faced Molly with sincere regret in his face. “I’m sorry, Molly. It seems drunk or sober, I’m always makin’ an ass of myself around you.”
“Yeah. Well, you’ll have to work on that. You can start by clearing up your lie to your dad.” She smiled, apparently to tease him into better humor. “With a little effort, I think you’ve got potential to be one of the top good guys.”
Luke puffed out his chest as though she’d just given him a gold bull-riding buckle. “I’m goin’ to try,” he said. “Really try hard. After Mom and Dad head back for Florida, I’m goin’ back to Lone Star to finish rehab. Coolin’ my heels overnight in jail made me realize what I want, deep down is—to make a certain lady respect me.”
Matt frowned remembering the night Luke had stumbled drunkenly into the kitchen and put his hands on Molly. Now his brother was looking at Molly as if he could eat her for dessert. Matt’s throat ached. He’d never been the jealous type—and no reason to start now, especially where his own brother was concerned. But he couldn’t stop his arm from slipping possessively around Molly’s waist.
****
Ranch smells of hay and cattle wafted on the breeze as they crossed the complex toward the ranch house. Molly slipped her hand into Matt’s. He hadn’t betrayed her after all. Her face grew warm. “I’m sorry, Matt…sorry I was so quick to doubt you.”
Matt shrugged. “You’re still off-balance from a serious trauma. And with the threat of danger around every turn, doubt is understandable.”
Beneath Matt’s forgiving words, she heard a tightness in his voice that troubled her. “Is there something else I should know?”
“You were great with Luke,” Matt said, ignoring her question and changing the subject. “I was ready to tear into him, but your soothing voice of sanity made me see that my anger wasn’t what the boy needed right now.”
“Luke’s younger than you, but hardly a boy,” she said. “Maybe if everyone treated him like a man—”
“He has to earn that.”
“Give him a break. Owning up to what he did and staying sober shows he’s trying, at least. With all that’s happened, he could’ve buried his pain in alcohol.” An instant later, she regretted her words because they conjured up the memory of Matt’s own recent battle with temptation when he’d learned of Parker’s death and contemplated finding solace in the promised oblivion of a quart of bourbon.
Something flickered in Matt’s eyes, and then it was gone. He cradled the baby in one arm, wrapped the other around Molly’s shoulder, and gave her a little hug. “You’re right. I understood Luke and even myself better in those few moments in the barn. Thanks, Molly.”
“Perhaps you can ease up now and not be so controlling.”
“Staying in control is an occupational necessity. To be a good agent, I must stay in control, and this ranch would fold without a firm hand. Then there’s the issue of keeping you and Sara Jane alive…”
How could she argue with that? She looked away, unable to form a coherent sentence. Cloud shadows drifted across the compound. Molly bit her lower l
ip. Even if she accepted Matt’s need for control, it didn’t solve her problems. The ebb and flow of her emotions since coming to the ranch worked against her ability to think clearly. Confusion spun in her head like that whirling bull Matt had ridden, stomping her brain to mush and giving her a headache.
Matt began to hum softly. He glanced down at the sleeping baby cradled in his muscular arm with incredible love in his eyes. If Molly hadn’t already fallen in love with him, she’d love him for that gentle look.
Two vaqueros walked the fence line past Molly and Matt, their gazes scanning the area with practiced eyes. “In spite of all the security, I still feel uneasy,” she said.
Matt frowned. “Maybe your concern is warranted.”
She blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Matt’s jaw tightened. “Someone dropped the ball. My FBI team breached security by landing a helicopter in an open pasture. Then, wearing ranch clothes, they blended in with the vaqueros.” He paused to let the meaning sink in.
“Oh, God. And if they could do that—” Although she was sure now that Matt hadn’t brought her here as bait, leaving would be difficult. The barren beauty of the land and its ever-changing sky had seduced her. And so had this cowboy, but—“Matt, for Sara Jane’s sake, I have to leave the ranch.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
“You do?” She had been ready to say, Don’t try to talk me of out it!
“It gets worse. Your detective friend, Arnie Kenner, is dead. Murdered.”
Murdered! Molly closed her eyes against a stab of pain. Her memory of Arnie was hazy, yet he’d been someone she’d…what? Trusted? Cared for? Loved?
Matt frowned. “I’m sorry. I guess you and he were pretty close.”
“I…I don’t know. Maybe…” Molly rubbed her forehead and tried to remember. Could Arnie have been her baby’s father?
“With the failed security and Del Fuego ordering hits on people, we need to relocate you.”
Relocate. She hated that word. “Do you have any idea what’s in store for the three of us? And where we might go?”
“I don’t know, yet.”
“We will be going together, won’t we?”
“That’s what I want. The other agents came to take you and Sara Jane to an undisclosed place, but I’m not willing to step aside unless it’s absolutely necessary for your safety. I may have to do a quickstep to avoid turning you over to them.”
“What does that mean?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t figured out the details.”
Matt had helped her face the trauma from her baby being kidnapped and the murder of her guards, but at what point would he wash his hands of her? With those agents pressuring him, it would be all too easy. “I know your family and ranch would be less of a target without me.”
“That won’t influence my decision. The question is, where do we go? I don’t want us to jump from the frying pan into the fire.” Matt rubbed his jaw. “Do you know how Arnie got the coins?”
“I remember asking. He said the less I knew the better. Why do men say things like that? It’s never better to be kept in the dark.”
“I get your point,” Matt said, looking contrite. “Loud and clear.”
Good. She opened the door to the ranch house and let him enter first. Matt sailed his Stetson across the room lassoing a limb of a hat tree. Then with Sara Jane still in his arms, he started up the stairs.
Molly stopped at the bottom step. “Want some coffee?”
Matt paused. “Nah. I’ll give Sunshine a bottle and rock her to sleep. It’ll give me time to think.”
“How about after?”
“I’ll pass. I have a lot to do before we leave.”
Molly nodded. She knew Matt was still investigating Parker’s murder, was questioning the vaqueros, was talking to the Morales sisters, was looking for clues. Would he delay their departure too long? “When do you think we’ll leave?”
He smiled at her. “Soon, little darlin’. I’ll let you know later tonight.”
****
Molly had a cup of coffee in the kitchen, then took a refill to her room with hope to talk to Matt, but he’d already gone. Sara Jane was sound asleep. Molly tried to read, but she couldn’t concentrate. She sensed impending danger, as a blind person might when checking for solid ground and finding none. Molly got up and paced. She’d rest better once they were on their way.
Sara Jane awoke, and Molly warmed the last bottle in the mini cooler and gave it to her. Poor little thing was so tired she went right back to sleep. Evening shadows darkened the walls. Molly switched on a night light, grabbed her empty cup, and headed downstairs.
Tita and Victoria sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. “Can I get you a cup, señora? You look like a wrung-out dish rag.”
“I’ll get it myself. Thanks. It’s been a rough day for all of us.”
Victoria’s eyes were red and swollen, and Tita’s face was drawn. Molly poured herself a cup of the muddy liquid and sat down. She leveled a look at Tita and spoke softly. “I’m sorry about the abrupt way I grabbed Sara Jane and took off.”
“Forget it. Señor Matt has already explained.”
“Where’s that precious baby?” Victoria asked, her eyes looking a bit disappointed.
“Sleeping. She’s had a long day.”
“Speaking of a long day,” Tita said, “I must get home to Alfonso and Roberto. We’re expecting Roberto’s friend, Suzy, to come for a visit tomorrow. And I want to get a room ready for her.”
Molly smiled at the youthful budding romance.
“We’ll talk more before you leave in the morning,” Tita told Victoria. She hugged both of them, and disappeared out the door.
“That woman’s all heart,” Molly said.
“You are, too. Tita’s been telling me how you care for your daughter…and my son. And you didn’t deserve—” Victoria touched Molly’s hand. “I’m glad you came downstairs. I think Gavin and I owe you an apology. I know what you overheard and—”
“It’s all right. Matt and I got it straightened out.”
Victoria sighed. “The last few days have been horrible. Gavin feels so out of control, and for a Ryan, that’s tough to accept.”
Molly was tempted to say no kidding, but wisecracks wouldn’t be appropriate on the day of Parker’s funeral. Besides, this was her chance to learn more about the man who raised Matt. “Mr. Ryan must miss working the ranch.”
“Very much. Gavin was always a strong man and was disappointed when Parker and Luke didn’t measure up. He pinned all his hopes on Matt. But Matt wanted his own life and left the ranch. It was quite a blow to Gavin.”
“Yes, I can see how hard it would be for him to face the separation.” And the courage it must have taken for Matt to break away.
Victoria sighed. “Then Gavin developed heart trouble and lost his strength. For a man who valued strength and control, the loss was devastating.”
Molly nodded. It was clear where Matt got his need to run things.
“Matt was forced to come home and take over,” Victoria said.
“He might’ve hated the idea at first, but I believe he’s grown to love it here.”
“I think so, too. But Gavin feels guilty about forcing Matt into a life he didn’t want. At first I didn’t understand why, instead of showing pride and appreciation, Gavin finds fault. He’s really finding fault with himself. He feels so powerless, so helpless. And after Parker’s murder…”
Molly’s throat constricted at the pain in Victoria’s voice. She swallowed and said, “Mr. Ryan has had a lot to deal with, but try not to worry. Matt loves his father, and they’ll work this all out.”
Watching how Matt dealt with Parker and Luke had given Molly some insight into Matt’s character, but watching the way he and his parents related to each other brought Molly a clearer understanding of the Ryan family. Matt had been forced into the role of family protector, and his commitment was strengthened by FBI training th
at stressed his duty to protect. Maybe it went even deeper than that. Perhaps nurturing and protecting were part of his DNA, were built into his very soul. Now his love for her and her baby made this need to protect overwhelming.
“I met Parker’s wife,” Molly told Victoria. “Why isn’t Bev staying here?”
“Matt asked her to come. It would have given him more time with the children. But Bev and Luke’s wife, Connie Lou, both had run-ins with Gavin, and they swore never to cross the threshold when he was here.”
Molly wasn’t surprised. Gavin could be a royal pain in the butt, but she didn’t have to tell his wife that. “Divorce does terrible things to families.”
Victoria nodded sadly. “Parker and Luke didn’t want the divorces, and Gavin tried to stop the separations by telling Bev and Connie Lou that if they left the ranch, he’d get custody of their children.”
Molly lowered her eyes to hide her disgust. With the father-in-law interfering, no wonder the marriages failed. Would any marriage to a Ryan work? “Where are Bev and Connie Lou staying?” Molly knew there wasn’t a town close by.
“Bev and her children stayed all night with the Gomez family, and she and the boys will be leaving tomorrow. Connie Lou and her baby, Alicia, are staying with her parents. Her stepdad works for Matt and lives on the ranch.”
Luke had mentioned wanting a certain lady to respect him, and he was willing to go back into rehab to make that happen. If Gavin Ryan stayed out of things, maybe…“I think Luke would like to get back together with Connie Lou,” Molly said.
Victoria gave a small, wistful smile. “I wish. I miss baby Alicia, and Connie Lou’s a swell gal. She’s always been crazy in love with Luke. If he’d stop drinking, she’d be back in a heartbeat.”
Molly had the same notion. She’d seen both jealousy and love in Connie Lou’s eyes. Molly squeezed Victoria’s hand. “Let’s send good thoughts their way.”
“I haven’t given up hope.” Victoria tilted her head and studied Molly’s face. “What about you and Matt? Are you two working things out?”
“We’re trying…” Molly didn’t want to discuss the obstacles that loomed in their way to threaten their love.