Sheltered by the Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

  “Are you hurt?” Brody asked. It was the only thing on his mind. He needed to make sure she hadn’t been harmed. “Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “No...no, I’m okay.” She looked at him, her face tear-streaked. “It was my brother, Brody. He drove me out here so that man could kill me. He...he was going to slit my throat.”

  Shock jolted through him. Graham? The man who had teared up only an hour before when he’d spoken about his beloved sister? “I need to call Dillon.” Brody grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and then took off his coat and draped it around her shivering shoulders.

  The man on the ground continued to curse, and then he gave Brody a sly smile. “I don’t know what she’s talking about. I wasn’t going to hurt her. We’re lovers and she contacted me and wanted to meet me out here. Go on, Mandy, confess. Tell him that we’ve been hooking up for the better part of a year.”

  “Shut up,” Brody replied and punched in Dillon’s number. He had no idea about the identity of the man he’d shot or what his relationship was to Graham. Mandy was alive and that was all that mattered.

  “Dillon, I found her,” he said into the phone when the lawman answered. “She’s okay. We’re out on the ranch in the pasture. There’s a man out here with us. I shot him and if you don’t get your men out here quickly I’m going to beat the hell out of him, as well.”

  “On our way,” Dillon replied.

  Mandy continued to shiver and cry. “I can’t believe you found me. I thought for sure I was going to die. He...he was going to kill me. He...he killed my father.”

  Once again Brody drew her closer to him as he glared at the man on the ground. “Graham made me do everything,” he said. “He told me he’d kill me if I didn’t carry out his orders.” The man’s voice took on a whining quality. “I didn’t want to do it, but he made me. He’s crazy.”

  “The victim card looks stupid on you,” Brody replied.

  “You didn’t even ask for a damned ambulance,” the man spat. “I could be bleeding to death.”

  “And neither of us will cry at your funeral.” Brody guided Mandy farther from the car. There was no way the man was going to get away from here with a blown right knee and no car keys.

  As they waited for Dillon to arrive, Mandy told him in choking sobs about the oil on the property, Graham’s hatred and Guy doing the dirty work to make Graham appear innocent.

  The sound of sirens was music to Brody’s ears. Within minutes Dillon arrived along with an ambulance and four officers.

  As Guy was loaded into the back of the ambulance, Mandy told Dillon everything she’d told Brody. “Where’s Graham now?” Brody asked when she was finished.

  “He called me and told me since he didn’t know the town well, he’d be at the Watering Hole, waiting for news,” Dillon replied.

  “The news that my body had been found,” Mandy said with a touch of bitterness. “Before you officially arrest him I want to see him.” She turned and looked at Brody. “Take me to the Watering Hole?”

  “With pleasure,” he said grimly.

  “You can both come with me,” Dillon said. “Once Graham is arrested I need to get a full statement from Mandy at the police station.”

  Minutes later Brody and Mandy were in the back seat of Dillon’s car and heading back into town. Officer Michael Goodall followed them in his patrol car.

  Mandy had finally stopped crying, but she leaned weakly against Brody’s side. She had to be exhausted. Besides being held against her will, she had the emotional trauma of believing she was going to be murdered. Hell, Brody was exhausted and he hadn’t even been the one whose life was on the line.

  As they reached Main Street, she sat up straighter, as if the idea of confronting her brother had given her a burst of adrenaline.

  Now that she was safe, an anger brewed inside Brody. A white-hot rage that tightened his chest. Damn Graham Wright for coming here with a killing mission. Damn him for his evil intent.

  As Dillon pulled up in front of the Watering Hole, Brody tried to tamp down the rage, but it was wild and free inside him.

  Mandy’s eyes blazed with a fire he’d never seen there before. It was the flame of betrayal, of rich and righteous anger. When they stepped inside the dimly lit bar, he saw Graham seated on one of the stools at the counter.

  The man was laughing, but the laughter halted abruptly when he saw them. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of his sister.

  “Oh, thank God you found her,” he said as he slid down from the stool. His gaze shot first right and then left, as if seeking escape.

  Before Brody even knew what he was going to do, he stepped up to Graham and slammed him in the face with his fist. The force of the blow threw Graham backward and his nose spurted a stream of blood. Damn, but his fist meeting Graham’s nose had felt good and had momentarily quieted the raging beast inside him.

  “Are you going to allow this?” Graham asked in outrage as he held his nose and glared at Dillon.

  “If he wouldn’t have hit you, I would have. You’re nothing but a creep. You can spend the rest of your life in prison thinking of me being filthy rich.” Tears glittered in Mandy’s eyes. “All I wanted was my brother back. I was so excited about building a relationship with you and all you wanted was me dead so you could get the ranch. You’re a real jerk, Graham.”

  She turned away from him and into Brody’s arms as Dillon handcuffed Graham and read him his rights. “It was all Guy’s fault,” Graham said. “He told me he’d kill me if I didn’t cooperate with him.”

  “We’ve already heard that story from your friend, Guy,” Brody said, his voice laced with disgust. “You two can blame each other all you want while you entertain each other behind bars.”

  “Officer Goodall, take this man and see that he’s locked up,” Dillon said.

  “With pleasure,” Michael replied.

  “Come on. I’ll drive you two to the office so I can get a full statement from Mandy,” Dillon said.

  For the first time since he’d heard that Mandy was missing, an overwhelming relief swept through Brody. She had survived, and hopefully in time she would be able to fully put this all behind her.

  The danger was finally over and all he had to do now was leave her.

  Chapter 15

  It was almost midnight when Dillon, Brody and Mandy got into Dillon’s car to head back to the apartment. Mandy had never been so exhausted. Her emotions had been all over the place since Graham had brought her out to meet her death.

  She leaned against Brody as the car traveled through the night. She’d gone through a terror like she’d never experienced before, a depth of sorrow for the life she wouldn’t get to live and the love she’d never be able to give.

  Graham’s twisted hatred of her, the horror of realizing he’d been behind their father’s murder and the attacks on her, had broken her heart.

  Going through it all again for Dillon had been utterly grueling. Remembering escaping the car and running for her life only to be caught once again by Guy, reliving the moment when she’d understood Graham wanted her dead—each and every moment had built up a weariness she knew only sleep without dreams and time could assuage.

  They drove silently through the night’s darkness, and it was only when they pulled up in front of the detached garage that a disheartening thought struck her.

  It was truly over, but that meant it was time for Brody to go back to his ranch. There was no reason for him to stay with her anymore.

  Dillon got out of the car with them. “Mandy, I’m so glad you got through this. I consider this one of my failures. Needless to say I took Graham off my suspect list way too soon.”

  “All’s well that ends well, right?” She forced a smile to her lips. “Don’t beat yourself up, Dillon. Graham fooled us all.”

&nbs
p; “He sure as hell fooled me,” Brody said.

  “All I know is I’m ready for sleep,” Mandy said wearily.

  “I’ll just tell you both good night. If I have any other questions for you, I’ll call.” With a small wave, Dillon got into his car and pulled away.

  “Brody, you aren’t going to leave tonight, are you?” she asked before they started up the stairs. Please not tonight. Not with the residual fear that still burned in her heart. She couldn’t stand the thought of being alone.

  “It’s late. Tomorrow is soon enough for me to head back to the ranch,” he replied.

  Tomorrow. When he left the apartment would he also tell her he was done being with her? She couldn’t let him go without telling him of her love. But tonight was not the time. She felt too fragile for that kind of conversation. Her heart had been bruised and battered enough for one day by Graham.

  The first thing she wanted to do when they got inside was take a long, hot shower. She needed to wash the ugliness of the day off her. She needed to erase the feel of Guy tackling her and of him grabbing her arm. Her knees were sore as were her elbows from the tackle, but it could have been so much worse.

  While she stood in the shower scrubbing herself, tears mingled with the water. They were the last residue of her fear and relief at being alive. The release felt good and left her even more ready for the healing power of sleep.

  When she left the bathroom, the lights were out, the candles by her bed were lit and Brody was on the sofa. She wanted to ask him to sleep with her, to warm her with his body heat and to wrap her in his arms. But she was afraid he’d deny her and she was just too fragile to take the chance.

  She crawled into bed and released a deep, tired sigh. She turned over on her side and stared toward the sofa, barely able to see his features.

  “Brody?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you for finding me.”

  “You can thank the sunshine. If it hadn’t reflected off Guy’s car, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it parked there.”

  “Yes, but I know you wouldn’t have stopped searching for me until you found me...or my body,” she replied.

  There was a moment of silence. “Thank God that didn’t happen,” he finally said. “Now...”

  “I know, it’s late and you’re about to tell me to go to sleep.”

  “Good night, Mandy.”

  “Good night, Brody.”

  She rolled to her back and stared up at the dancing candlelight on the ceiling. Her eyelids slowly drifted closed and the next time they opened, daylight drifted in through the windows.

  She sat up and looked around. Brody was at the table, drinking coffee, and he lowered his cup and smiled at her. “Good morning,” he said.

  “Good morning,” she replied. “What time is it?”

  “Just after nine. How do you feel?”

  “Pretty good.” She got out of bed, grabbed a pair of jeans, a coral T-shirt she knew looked good on her and her underclothes and then headed for the bathroom to dress for the day. “I’ll be out in just a few minutes,” she said.

  “Coffee is waiting for you.”

  It took her only minutes to dress and brush her teeth and her hair. She lingered over her makeup, putting on mascara and a little blush and then a light pink sheen over her lips.

  Today was the day she was going to tell Brody Booth how very much she loved him, and she wanted to look her best. And today was the day Brody would have to tell her what he felt about her.

  He truly was her prince, the man she’d been looking for all of her life. She’d dreamed of him since she was a child, cooking and cleaning for her father. It was like a fairy tale come true and she desperately hoped he finally confessed that he loved her as deeply as she did him.

  When she left the bathroom she couldn’t help but notice that his duffel bag was already packed and by the door. The sight of it shot a sharp pain through her heart. She ignored it, poured herself a cup of coffee and then joined him at the table.

  “Heck of a night,” he said.

  “Tell me about it. At least I didn’t have any nightmares. I slept like a baby. What about you?” She picked up her cup and eyed him over the rim as she took a sip.

  “I slept very well,” he replied. “So, do you believe this story about oil being on this land?”

  She frowned thoughtfully. “I’m not sure what to believe. Graham said he saw paperwork about it before my dad kicked him out. I need to go through all the papers we got from Dad’s bedroom and hire somebody who knows more about it than I do. I’ll tell you one thing I’ve decided. Whether there is oil here or not, I’ve decided not to sell.”

  He looked at her in surprise. “I thought this place held nothing but bad memories for you.”

  “It’s amazing the things you think about as you wait for a man to kill you. Yesterday while I was sitting in that car, I thought about the house and the past. You’re right—the house holds very few good memories for me—but I want to change all that. I want to fill that house with all the love I remember from when my mother was alive. I want those old walls to rock with laughter and love and dreams.” And I want you there with me, a voice whispered in the back of her head.

  “I hope you do that, Mandy. I hope no ghosts ever haunt you and you find the happiness you deserve,” he replied. “And now I should probably get going.”

  “Wait, you can’t go yet. I mean, I haven’t even finished drinking my coffee.” She drew in a deep breath. “And I haven’t had a chance to tell you how much I love you.”

  His eyes instantly shuttered and a nerve began to tick in his jawline. Not exactly the response she’d been hoping for. But she was going to speak her mind whether he wanted to hear it or not.

  “I love you, Brody. I’m madly, desperately in love with you. You are the prince I’ve been waiting for. You’re the man I want to live with in the house. I want to have your babies and live happily ever after with you.” The words tumbled from her mouth.

  She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “I know if you look in your heart you’ll realize you love me, too. Tell me you love me, Brody. Please tell me you’re in love with me.”

  He pulled his hand from hers. “It doesn’t matter whether I love you or not. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m not going to be a part of your future.”

  She stared at him in confusion. “So, you do love me.”

  He got up from the table and his eyes blazed with a sudden anger. “Okay, so I love you, Mandy. I love you more than I’ll probably ever love another woman for the rest of my life.”

  She also rose from the table as joy filled her. He loved her. “Oh, Brody, I knew it. I just knew you were in love with me.”

  “But this is the end of anything between us.” His jaw clinched tightly. “To be honest, I’m not even sure I can still be your friend.”

  She stared at him wordless as her heart began a frantic fluttering in her chest. “But why?” she finally managed to squeeze out.

  “It doesn’t matter why.” He took two steps toward the door.

  She quickly moved to stand between him and his duffel bag, a tinge of anger rising up inside her. “You can’t just leave here without telling me why,” she exclaimed. “I deserve at least that much from you.”

  Once again his jaw tightened and his lips thinned. If he thought he was going to walk out of here without telling her why they couldn’t be together, then he had another think coming. She’d ride his back all the way to his truck to get an answer. She’d leap into the bed of his truck when he drove away.

  He must have seen the determination on her face. He swiped a hand through his dark hair and heaved a huge sigh. “Mandy, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You think this isn’t hurting me?” she asked incredulously. “You’re ki
lling me right now.”

  He grimaced. “I know this hurts, but you’ll get over me. This hurt is only temporary, but it would be worse in the long run if I stayed.”

  “Tell me why, Brody, or I swear I’ll stalk you every day of your life until you make me understand what’s going on in that head of yours.”

  He released another sigh. “I don’t want to love you and then hurt you like my father hurt my mother. I’ve been seeing a psychologist—Ellie Miller—because I’m afraid I have a monster inside me and I never want you to see it.”

  She stared at his handsome, tortured features. “A monster? What are you talking about?”

  “My anger,” he said harshly.

  “What anger?” She honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

  “You saw it explode...you saw me smash Graham in the face. I refuse to take the chance that I’ll be just like my father.” His voice was laced with a pain so great it resonated inside her.

  “Oh, Brody.” She took a step toward him. “You will never be like your father. As far as you hitting Graham, I wanted to smash his face in... Does that make me a monster?”

  She took another step forward. “A monster would have let me remain lifeless on the floor of the kissing booth. A monster would have shot Guy a hundred times after he was already on the ground instead of waiting for Dillon to arrive to arrest him. I don’t know what mental loop is going off in your head, but you need to stop it. I couldn’t love a monster. I trust you with my heart, my soul and my life. You are not an abusive man. You are not your father, Brody.”

  His gaze held hers, and in the dark depths she saw love and desire and need. He grabbed her and pulled her tight against him and his mouth crashed down to hers.

  It was a kiss of unadulterated love. His arms roamed up and down her back as his tongue danced with hers. She leaned into him, her heart beating with his. In this single moment in time she felt that they were one.

  He broke the kiss and grabbed her by the shoulders. He gently moved her aside and then reached down and grabbed his duffel bag. “Goodbye, Mandy.”