“Okay, give me ten minutes.”
Dos made his way back to the front room. Taking a seat at the kitchen window he kept checking outside. He didn’t expect them to come back tonight, but vigilance never hurt.
Monster dog sat a few feet away. His large, long, wiry gray-haired body vibrated with his need for attention. Dos slapped his thigh and the dog was next to him in a second. He laid his head on Dos’ thigh. Absently petting the dog while keeping watch, he tried to ignore the sounds of Copper making preparations to stay at his house.
He also tried to pretend her home didn’t appeal to him. Quilts and afghans were thrown over chairs. Plants hung in windows. She even had a towel hanging on the oven door with stitching of some kind. Feminine touches. Homey touches.
The kind of touches you don’t want, can’t have, and aren’t going to get.
One night, he told himself. He could handle having his sanctuary invaded that long. Only that long, he would make sure of that. He needed to talk to the Colonel. There was more going on here than a simple burglary. Copper was in danger. And it was all too obvious he wasn’t up to the task of protecting her.
“You’ve got two minutes, and then the bus is leaving,” he called down the hall.
“Just getting the dog food, then I’ll be ready to go.”
He’d been joking, not expecting her to be ready so fast. Having two younger sisters he never expected a woman, unless she was military, to be ready fast. Then again he should have known. Copper might not be military anymore, but she had been.
“Ready,” she said, walking up beside him.
Looking at her he grinned pleasantly surprised at the minimum of items she had packed. The largest being a bag full of dog food. “Give me the backpack and bag. You carry the food and take the dog. We should be able to make it in one trip.”
Getting to the house from his truck had been easier than the return trip. The slight incline, short crutches, quickly swelling knee, and excited dog made for a tough hundred yard hike.
“I could have brought the truck closer,” Copper said. “Or we could have taken my SUV.”
“Nobody drives my truck,” Dos said. He hoped he could be true to that. His knee throbbed so much he wondered if he would be able to press on the accelerator.
“I should have known you’d be possessive of it. Men and their trucks, I’ve just never understood the fascination.”
“It’s not so much the truck, as the fact that it’s mine.” He talked trying to trick his mind into forgetting the pain burning through his leg. God, he should have let the damn bullet hit him, it couldn’t possibly have hurt as much as this. “Growing up with two brothers you become possessive of your things.”
A few feet from the truck he pushed the remote key lock and starter. He didn’t bother telling her the dog couldn’t ride in the cab. Having seen dogs thrown from truck beds, he had no intention of chancing her baby falling out. Besides, right now adrenaline was holding off the shock of what happened to her. She would need comfort later, and it would be a lot easier to let the dog give it than him.
Carefully sliding his injured leg inside, he maneuvered the crutches behind the seat. Pushing the dome light so it came on, he watched her toss the dog food in the truck bed. He waited while she got the dog situated in the back seat then climbed in herself.
“You’re pretty efficient with those crutches,” she said.
“Hasn’t been that long since I’ve been off them,” he told her while testing his ability on the accelerator. Not great, but not bad. He could make it the quarter mile home.
“You got here fast where do you li . . .”
He grinned, though he doubted she could see it in the glow of the dashboard. Making a U-turn he drove up the mountain. As always when he was outside at night he smiled at the myriad of stars you could see here. Copper’s next comment brought him back down to earth.
“You’re the invisible man who moved into the vacant cabin.”
“Invisible man, I like that. If only it were true.”
“You don’t like people much, do you?”
Dos pushed the gate remote while he thought about his answer. “I like people fine,” he said. “From a distance.”
“Ah the military influence again.”
“Military had nothing to do with it,” he said pulling into the garage. Copper reached for the door handle. Dos stopped her. “Wait until it closes all the way.”
She complied with his request, but he could tell it scared her. “Once the door is down the system automatically resets.”
“Take your business seriously, huh?”
Dos shook his head. “This isn’t business. This is my home.”
Easing himself out of the cab he slipped the bags over his shoulder then positioned the crutches. He made his way around the back of the truck. Monster dog sat beside Copper, but her attention was on Dos. She watched him like a hawk as he made his way to the door.
“What?" he asked, but wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“You don’t look so good.”
He grinned and punched in the code on the keypad beside the door. “I’ve looked worse.”
“Not because of me.”
Turning around he shook his head and winked. “Don’t worry about it. A little aspirin, little ice and I’ll be fine. I’d rather my knee get a little messed up than you get hurt.” He turned back and opened the door.
“You don’t know they would have hurt me.”
Dos looked over his shoulder straight into her eyes. “Sweetheart, these guys were professionals. This was planned. You live in a remote area and they had guns. Trust me, you would have been hurt.”
“Do you always have to be right?”
“No,” he said trying for calm, but between pain and frustration having a hard time finding it. “I would have been thrilled if it were a couple of teenagers who wet their shorts when I drew down on them, but it wasn’t. These guys shot back and they were almost in your house.”
That reality still scared the hell out of him.
Oh but she’ll be real safe staying with you.
God, what had he been thinking? She had enough trouble already. She didn’t need to be mixed up with his mess of a life. From the Colonel’s news earlier it appeared someone was snooping around the base looking for information on where to find him. Worse, the Colonel believed they were on their way to Colorado, if not already here.
“Okay, I get it. It’s just been such an unbelievable day. I’m sorry I dragged you into it. I should have called the police instead. At least then you wouldn’t be hurt.”
“The police wouldn’t have gotten there in time. I’ll heal, but I do need to get some ice on this knee. So, can we continue this debate inside?”
Chapter Four
Once inside, Dos rearmed the cabin’s security system, grabbed his old crutches from the corner and led the way down the hall. Well, he led Copper. The dog took off once he got his feet under control on the hardwood floors.
Having someone walk behind him was unnerving. No one but his brothers had ever been inside. It irritated him that he cared if Copper liked it. She was little more than a stranger, he shouldn’t care.
“Wow, I guess cabin is kind of a misnomer,” she said.
See what happens when you let people into your world?
“Then again, a guy your size wouldn’t be comfortable in a tiny cabin. This fits you.”
Did that mean she liked it?
Do you care? Come on, man.
“And Kismet thinks it’s great,” Copper said, with a laugh.
Dos had to agree watching the dog run a circuit down the hall around the chairs in the living room and back down the hall. He had a feeling his door was going to have a dent in it the way the dog ran into it to stop before doing it all again.
“You can put your things in there,” he said pointing to the bedroom. “The bathroom has a door from the bedroom or the hall.”
“One bathroom?”
�
�There’s only me. I thought one would be enough.”
She laughed. “I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. It’s just so rare these days. It’s like people believe if they don’t have three or four bathrooms they’re paupers.”
He tried to relax and let go of his defensive attitude. “I guess you’re right. Anyway as to the rest of the tour, kitchen is straight ahead and this is the main room. Don’t open any windows or outside doors without checking with me first. The entire house is on a system. No one is getting in here without us knowing ahead of time.”
“Thanks.”
Dos glanced at her. She was nervous again. The softness of her voice and stillness of her body told him so more than anything else did. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just want you to know you’re safe here. You can relax.”
“Relaxing isn’t something I’m going to do anytime soon. Don’t let the odd jaunts of conversation fool you, I’m terrified,” she said. “Terrified and furious. Who do these people think they are? What in the world do they want?”
“I wish I knew. What I do know is we need to call the police and then your father. First I have got to take care of my leg. Why don’t you light the fire? It’s all setup. Matches are on the mantle. I’ll be out in a minute,” he said, crutching his way to his bedroom.
Copper watched him disappear behind the door. She wanted to argue about calling her father. It could wait until they got his leg taken care of. He was probably downing some major pain pills in the bathroom. He tried to hide it, but his agony was obvious. A man like him didn’t ask for help easily. He’d totally surprised her when he had asked back at her house.
She turned her attention to the fireplace. No doubt he figured the fire would help calm her down. Who wouldn’t feel safe in a beautiful cabin with a roaring fire? Okay, so she didn’t care why he’d mentioned it, she loved fireplaces and didn’t have one. She walked over and did as he’d asked.
“Must have been a boy scout,” she chuckled when it caught right away. After warming her hands for a minute she stood and gazed around the room.
There were three other doors he hadn’t mentioned. One before the bedroom he’d pointed to, and two near the kitchen. She figured one to be the back door. What the other two led to was up for grabs, obviously not her business since he hadn’t mentioned them. Not feeling comfortable nosing around much with him not there, she walked to one of the big leather chairs and sat down. There must have been a sale on the chairs, because they were identical to the ones in his office. Oversized and covered in soft, dark leather they suited his size as well as his personality. Kismet sniffed at the fire, then came over and sat beside her. Scratching his head, she looked around the room.
He didn’t have a lot of furniture cluttering the area. Another reason Kismet probably liked it so much. Three matching, oversized leather chairs and one huge ottoman faced the fireplace. A couple of odd chairs were set here and there against the walls. There were two tables, one on either side of the middle chair within reach of the other two. Little other furniture graced the room. She realized the leather chairs must be for him and his brothers. Not big on company, she thought and grinned.
The bedroom door opened. Copper turned and looked toward it. He stood there for a minute watching her. It was a little unnerving. Like someone staring at you and you find out later you had a piece of spinach stuck in your teeth. He had changed, but he wasn’t relaxed if the shoulder holster still strapped to him was any indication, not to mention the intensity of his gaze.
“That’s my chair,” he said, as he turned from her and walked to the kitchen.
Copper got up, wondering what difference it made since the chairs were identical. He didn’t even have a television in the room, so vantage point couldn’t be the issue. Realizing it didn’t matter, it was his house and his chair after all. He probably wasn’t accustomed to having people over. She picked up her bags and carried them into the bedroom.
She quickly returned.
“There’s only one bedroom, too?” she asked watching him carry something to the chair. She should have realized when he entered the room he’d pointed out earlier and come out in different clothes. She had been too distracted by the pain he was in.
“Only one,” he said maneuvering himself into the chair.
Copper rushed over to help. His coloring was worse than it had been a few minutes ago. Seeing his sock feet, she figured he’d nearly killed himself getting his boots off. Stubborn or not, he was in pain. She moved the ottoman closer, and with him glaring at her, gently lifted his leg onto it.
“Peas are my favorite ice pack, too,” she said, taking the two bags from his hand.
“Put one under my knee and one on top,” he said, glaring at her then added, “please.”
That much cooperation meant he was in bad shape. She should make sure he hadn’t broken it or something. “Let me take a look first.”
Before he could deny her request, Copper pulled up the leg of the flannel lounge pants he’d put on. Jagged scars covered much of his calf. They didn’t detract much from the bruised swollen knee. He grabbed her hand before she could touch his knee and see if there was a break.
“Don’t -- touch it.” He exhaled loudly.
“I’m a licensed nurse. I know what I’m doing. With this much swelling in such a short time it could be broken or dislocated.”
He shook his head. “It’s not. It just needs ice and aspirin.”
“Aspirin? That’s all you took?”
“It’ll help with the swelling.”
“But not much with the pain. I can’t believe you don’t have anything stronger.”
“Aspirin’s fine. Drop it. I forgot my cell on the dresser. If you get it we can make the calls.”
Copper held her tongue, again. If he wanted to be macho man, who was she to argue? Pulling the pant leg back down she placed the peas as he’d asked then went to get the phone.
“We can call the police, but I’m not calling my father.”
“You don’t, I will.”
Standing directly in front of him she met his gaze. “Look, you might be able to talk to your men that way, but I’m not under your command. Got it? I’ll call my father, when I feel like calling him. It’s late and he can’t do anything from Georgia anyway. There’s no need to ruin his night.”
“You getting killed wouldn’t ruin his night?”
“But I didn’t get killed. I’m safe, and it won’t hurt to wait until morning to tell him.”
Kismet had come over and laid his head on Dos’ other thigh while they argued. “Is she always this --"
“Sensible?” Copper offered. She enjoyed watching him interact with her dog. Kismet liked everyone, but he had really taken to Dos.
“Stubborn?” Dos asked. The dog thumped his tail.
Copper had a feeling she’d been replaced as the favorite human. “Traitor,” she said shaking her head.
“He knows we guys have to stick together. But trying to distract me won’t work. Your father needs to know. He needs to make arrangements for someone to protect you,” Dos said, looking up at her. “Can you sit if we’re going to debate?”
“Sure, which chair?”
“It doesn’t matter since no one else is here.”
“Then why did it matter which one you sit in?” she asked, sitting in the one to his right. It didn’t matter, she totally understood having a favorite spot, but it might tell her something about him.
“I’m the middle brother. I sit in the middle chair.”
So she’d been right. The other two were for his brothers. “What about other family? Where do they sit?”
“Only my brothers come up here. I go down to see the rest of the family.”
“Why? Are your parents ill?”
He shook his head. “No, I go there because it’s easier to leave than kick someone, especially my mother, out of my home.”
“I take it she mothers you,” Copper said, and received a raised eyebrow as if to ask, ya think?
“She’s just concerned. It’s obvious you were badly hurt.”
“She doesn’t know half of it, and I plan on keeping it that way. My mistakes are my problem. I’m thirty-six years old; I don’t need to be mothered.”
Mom off limits, Copper saluted her understanding. She also filed away for examination later, the blame for what she believed a mission gone horribly wrong. “Okay, what about--"
“Calling your father.”
“You’re a broken record.”
“And you’re in danger.”
“Why? Someone tried to break into my house. They probably thought about breaking in yours, but realized the security was too good. Mine was just the next house down the road.” Her attempt to lessen her fear failed when he met her gaze with a shaking head.
“There’s nothing above here but mountain, there’s no place for them to be coming from. They were at your place on purpose. Two break-ins, on property you own, is too coincidental. You have something they want, or considering you were home when they tried to break in there, it could be you they want. You’re in danger until they’re caught or they get whatever or whomever they are after.”
Copper could see his point. It did seem a little strange for someone to burgle her house the night after her office had been trashed. And they could clearly see her car was there. The thought frightened her, but she refused to let it show. She was the Colonel’s daughter after all.
“Well, I guess they’re just going to have to ask me for whatever it is, because I can’t imagine.”
Dos leaned toward her and stared into her eyes. “They get within ten feet of you and they’re as good as dead. I told you, these people are professionals. You need protection. Give me the phone.”
She held it up, but not close enough for him to get. “Not if you’re calling my father. I said I’ll take care of that in the morning.”
“I’ll probably get hell for it, but fine. I want to call a friend of mine on the police force.”
“You mean your brother.”
Her Master Defender (The Masters Men Series) Page 6