He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, arms stiff and tense. His face showed signs of distress as well, a deep crease pulling at the side of his brow.
“We brought another girl out to the ranch too.” He followed the statement with an exasperated burst of air, like he’d been holding it in while swimming laps beneath the surface.
She glanced over at him. “How did that one go?”
Shane tilted his head to one side, then the next. “Pretty much the same. Only they started out by telling everyone that uh…” The sentence died there as he flicked off his hat and tossed it onto the dash. He ran a hand through that amazing hair again as he finished. “Well, they just told everyone they were married. Her and my brother, that is.”
“But not the one who married Reese,” she said.
“Right.”
“Hmm,” she managed. “And how long ago was that?”
He moved one large hand to rub at the stubble along his jaw. “Let’s see… Kate’s set to turn one in November, so that means...”
“Wait. Who’s Kate?”
“Their little girl.”
“Whose girl?”
Shane tipped his head back. “Sorry, I got ahead of myself. They uh… they got married too, if you can believe it. My brother and the other gal – her name’s Jade.” His face scrunched up like he’d just taken a bitter bite.
When she didn’t respond, Shane reached for his hat and placed it back onto his head, tugging it at the front. Cassie was sure she should say something, but for the life of her she couldn’t think of what. Was this a witness protection program or a dating service? What, they just send these poor, helpless women out to the middle of nowhere and suddenly they fall in love with the next available Emerson brother?
“So when did it go from the whole ‘pretending they were married thing’ to an actual marriage where they were having babies and all that?”
It seemed as if Shane was hiding his face from her as he looked over his other shoulder. “Just somewhere along the way.”
Cassie didn’t ask any more questions. Only considered what he’d said as a mean dose of fatigue overtook her. She remained quiet long enough to doze off. A moment passed where she could swear she’d heard the cowboy speaking to her, only she was too far gone. Whatever he’d been trying to say, it would have to wait.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Shane must look like the biggest damn fool the girl ever met. Why’d he have to ramble on about every darned detail from Blake’s bride to present day? The answer was simple enough. He didn’t want to keep anything from her. Wanted her to know just what she was getting herself into – a nice trap set by the meddling folks at Emerson Ranch. A nicely baited trap, perhaps, at least from his perspective, but he’d be damned before he gave them the satisfaction they were after.
He shook his head in disgust. Less than twenty minutes and he’d already scared the tarnation out of her. His gaze drifted from the road to the girl. Woman, was more accurate. And a pretty one at that. Reese would be wearing a grin bigger than Texas at the sight of her. She’d be rubbing her little palms together, thinking up all sorts of ways to get the two of them matched up for good. Heaven forbid they let fate take its course. Those women hardly knew the meaning of the word. Yet a small voice in the back of his head told him those girls knew the meaning better than most. Through unforeseeable twists of fate, both ladies had been shipped off to Emerson Ranch only to find the love of their lives. He should be flattered the two saw something in him worth offering to the next gal in grief.
Still, he didn’t like people in his business. Not more than a year had gone by since Natasha had left him. And though the wounds were all but healed, he didn’t plan to go making new ones anytime soon.
As the gas station approached, Shane recalled the slip of paper the detective had discreetly passed to him. Maybe this was the best time to read it, while the girl was asleep and all. He let off the gas and began to coast, easing into the station. Once he pulled up to the pump, he let the thing idle while he retrieved the note; turning off the engine may wake her.
The full page, folded several times, had only a few words jotted on it. Another juror found dead. Was killed en route. Be sure to watch your back.
Shane straightened up after reading it. “Dang,” he muttered under his breath. He glared at the rearview before checking over his shoulder. Not one car had followed them out of the lot. He’d made note of that; they were in the clear for now. His eyes rested back on his passenger. She had slumped toward the opposite side of the truck, head resting against the seatbelt strap. A dark strand of hair had strayed from the others, was tangled in those lashes of hers. Though her skin was light, her cheeks had flushed a soft shade of pink. Perhaps she was overly warm. Her round lips were free of lipstick or gloss, just plain and simple. They looked plump. And kissable. At the thought alone, his mouth watered.
It was enough to make him shut off the engine quick, wake them both to their senses. He needed to protect this girl. Woman. And he couldn’t do that if he let her beauty turn him to mush.
At the absence of the engine’s purr, Cassie startled awake. He watched as she came to awareness. Looking down at her shirt, straightening it. Then glancing at her purse on the seat. Her eyes shot to him, wide and frightened.
“Sorry I can’t say it was all a bad dream, sugar.” Sugar? How did that slip out?
Her dark lashes fluttered over her pretty blue eyes as she shook her head. One small hand reached up to rub at the corner of her eye. “No, I know.” She covered a yawn. “I think even in my sleep I knew it wasn’t. I just … thought I was still on the airplane for a minute.”
Something about the innocent look in her eyes made him feel like a villain after the way he’d been eyeing her just then. He gave her a nod before turning to crank open the door. It wasn’t until he had his feet on the asphalt that she spoke up once more.
“Shane?”
The sound of his name on her lips was honey; smooth and sweet. He lowered his head to look into the cab. “Yeah?”
“Where are you going?” She looked scared. Like she wanted his protection. And heaven help him, he wanted to give it.
“I’m just going to fill up the tank. I’ll be right here.” He waited for her to nod in reply.
“Okay,” she said.
Shane gulped before straightening up once more. “Okay.” What had this woman gone through? Perhaps he should ask. But first, maybe he should figure out whether she was up for playing the newlywed couple. He’d been dead set against it before, but all he could do is picture those rowdy ranch hands once they caught sight of her. Trey and Randy would be on her like gravy on taters. And anyway, why shouldn’t she have a say? If this woman was willing to pretend they were married, that would be enough for him. ‘Course then they’d have to stay some place for the night.
As he filled up the tank, Shane glanced beyond the station at the small cluster of hotels along the frontage road. The time to decide was now. No use in backtracking if they could just come to an agreement. His mind raced through all the different ways he could say it. He’d already scared her near to death with the truth of the Emerson Brides. How could he go about this without sounding like he was expecting the same thing?
A strong whiff of gasoline wafted through the air as a sudden breeze picked up. That same burst of wind carried a lovely noise to his ears. A cooing of some sort. He strode back to the cab to find Cassie turned ‘round, knees on the seat, talking to the fluffy things in the kennel. Only now did Shane recall stuffing the carrier into the backseat. His gaze fell to the shoes she’d tossed onto the floor of the truck.
“I’m so, so glad I was able to bring my cats,” she said, looking up to him. “Thank you for that.”
Shane only nodded as he settled in behind the wheel. “We’ve ummm… got to make a decision here.” He twisted in the seat to face her. “I want to make this whole thing as smooth as possible. Already you’ve been stripped of your family and friends, your job, a
nd everything you know.” He paused while realization began to sink in. The truth of his own words. His desire to protect melded with a strong and sudden urgency to comfort her too.
She’d spun back around in her seat, legs folded beneath her.
He worked to gather his thoughts. “You know how I told you about the second girl, Jade, and how she and my brother told everyone they were married, right up front?”
She nodded. Sure, she looked uncomfortable, a little paler than she had a second ago, but she’d given him the nod.
“Well, we were thinking we should probably do the same thing with you.”
Her lips tightened. Her head tilted. “Who’s we?”
He wasn’t about to say him and his mommy. “Everyone back at the ranch, actually. I’m not so sure about it myself, to be honest, but I do think you’ll be better protected. The guys after you are looking for a single woman. Not a newlywed bride. It’d be a real good way to disguise you.”
She bit at that plump bottom lip of hers and glanced back at her cats. “I hate the idea of you having to like, tell everyone you’re getting a divorce when I leave.”
He hated that too. “Yeah, but let’s put that aside for a minute and think about your safety. I need to explain why you’re there. I can’t likely say I hired you as a ranch hand, seeing that you don’t have any experience.”
She nodded wordlessly in agreement.
“Now we do take on interns – mostly wannabe cowboys in my opinion, who don’t know a thing about ranching. They work for free to get some experience, see if it’s something they’d like to do one day.” He paused while he eyed her up and down. “With you being a woman and all, I don’t think we’d pull that off either, no offense.”
She shook her head. “None taken.”
“What I’m saying is, bringing a pretty little thing onto the ranch will raise brows and get people talking; that can’t be good. Plus the guys at the house – they’re alright people and everything – but I’m afraid they’ll be all over you. The town will talk.” Shane exhaled a heavy breath, knowing he was rambling. He’d probably done a better job of convincing himself than he had her.
Cassie’s eyes narrowed. She was biting at those pretty lips again. Just the bottom corner, there on her right side. “You would really do that? Say you married me, just out of the blue?”
“For your safety – yes.” He gulped back the lump of fear rising in his throat.
“I don’t know if I can let you do that,” she said.
“Is that your only reservation? My reputation back home?”
She nodded her head. “Pretty much.”
“Then it’s decided. I’m the one who has to worry about that, and to be honest, it’ll be nice not having those ladies in town nagging me about finding a wife.” Boy was that true. If they weren’t hitting on him themselves, they were trying to hook him up with their sister or their cousin or their daughter or their aunt.
“So, what do you say, Cassie? Ready to play my new bride?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The moment felt surreal.
One of the best-looking men Cassie had ever laid eyes on was asking if she wanted to play husband and wife. She pulled in a jittery breath and blurted, “Okay.”
A smile spread over his handsome face, the dimple sinking into that stubbled cheek. She’d seen forest leaves flutter in a fast-blowing wind, and imagined her heart was doing a similar dance.
“Alright.” He looked satisfied with their new direction. “Did I mention we’d need to spend a night away in order to pull that off?”
The heart dance stopped. “Like in a hotel?”
He nodded.
She gulped. “Just the two of us?”
This caused that grin to return. “And your cats, yes.”
“I’m not sure they have any food.”
“We can get ‘em some.”
Cassie eyed her cats. Oscar’s orange paws sprawled out against the thin metal bars. “Separate rooms?”
He raised a dark brow. “For the cats?”
“For us.” She fought back a smile.
“Of course.” Shane turned to face the wheel and roared up the truck. “We’ll check in at the hotel, give you time to go through your things and see what you need, and then we can hit a local market and stock up. We’ve got another three or more hours to go before we reach the ranch, so we’ll head out sometime tomorrow morning.”
The sky seemed bluer than it had only moments ago. The sun was in full shine, and though she’d gone through an awful lot since yesterday, and missed an entire night’s sleep, Cassie felt revived. Something about the wide, open space before them and the crisp air pooling from the vents told her today was going to be a good day.
~+~
Cassie frowned as she pulled the clothes from her suitcase. How many dress suits did she own, anyway? And what good were they going to do her at some ranch in Montana. She hung them in the closet to keep them from wrinkling further and rummaged through the rest of her things. More heels. Nylons. Bras and panties. She tried her best not to get hung up on the idea that some total stranger had been touching all of her things. She was grateful to have them and she’d leave it at that.
A container of cat food had been lodged into the kennel, along with their small, plastic dishes. Thank heavens the little things had used the dirt outside to take care of business; they should be good for the rest of the day. She gave each one a good rub down before setting their food up in the bathroom, and then plopped onto the hotel bed.
“Cassie?” A knock sounded at the door.
“Shane?” It sounded dumb, since she already knew it was him.
“Yep.”
She smoothed a hand over her hair, working to slip the stragglers back in place while climbing off the bed. She checked through the peephole first, curious to see what he looked like through it, but he wasn’t there.
“Where are you?”
“At the other door,” he said.
Cassie spun around and eyed the door by the nightstand. “The closet?” she squeaked.
“What?” He sounded confused.
“Nothing,” she said, hurrying to the door. Once she swung it open, Cassie nearly lost her breath. There was no preparing herself for the look of that creature. Dark lashes lined his hazel eyes, a hint of liquid gold lingering in their depths. The short stubble along his jaw accented the strong, masculine shape while framing a set of perfectly sculpted lips. He was stunning. “Hi,” she squeaked.
“Hey, I’m going to leave my side of this door open the entire time. If you get nervous or hear somebody out in the hallway, you can step inside and let me know.”
Cassie had only caught parts of what he’d said, mostly because she was trying to figure out what looked different about him. She glanced into his room. On the queen-sized bed rested a cowboy hat. That was it – he wasn’t wearing it. She gave Shane a second glance. His dark, almost black hair was longer than she’d realized, and the slight wave it held made him appear almost boyish and innocent. Though she figured he was anything but.
Averting her gaze, Cassie noticed something else on his bed – a long, leather case she hadn’t seen him bring in. “What’s that?”
He followed her gaze and lifted his brows in surprise. “The bed?”
Whoa. What was this guy doing to her? The playful look in his eyes. The way those two words sounded in his deep, smoldering voice.
“You’re welcome to try mine out if you’d like. I’m real good at sharing.” One side of his mouth quirked up, revealing that dimple of his.
She hid a smile. “No. I mean that case.”
Shane tipped his head back. “Ah. My rifle.”
“Like, a gun?” She was sounding dumber by the minute.
“Yep. Scored some prize elk with that thing.”
Cassie nodded as if she appreciated the elk statement. “Hmm. That’s good.” More nodding.
“Well, I’m going to let you get showered and changed. Then we can head out. Tha
t is, unless you’d like to catch up on sleep first. Safe to say we could both use it.”
“I’m kind of wound up right now,” she admitted. “If it’s okay with you, maybe we should venture out while I’ve got it in me.”
Shane backed away from the door. “Fine with me,” he said.
Her eyes widened as he positioned himself on the bed. With one elbow propping him upright, he reached for a magazine on the nightstand.
“You going to leave that thing open while you shower?” he asked, peeking up from the pages.
Her jaw dropped as she fumbled to close the door. Slam was more like it, but at least she’d answered his question. What a tease. And a flirt. She ran a hand along the back of her neck, wonderfully disturbed by the exchange. The shower would be a nice distraction. And perhaps a chance to reflect on what had taken place. She’d barely had time to mourn the loss of the two jurors before she’d found out about Ryan. And though she wasn’t sure which ones they were, she planned to think of each person on that jury. Force herself to remember the names and faces of those she hadn’t really gotten to know.
While the great heat poured over her body, Cassie let out the tears she’d been holding back. From the loss of the young friend she’d made on jury and the lives affected from that case, to the distance between her, Zoe, and Ann. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d communicated with her parents, but who knew how long it would be now before they sent another update? And Griffin – did he have any idea what she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours? Would he even care?
It was just too much to consider all at once. And though she had hope for the weeks ahead, an optimism that seemed to press her onward, Cassie wept for what she’d left behind.
~+~
Shane paced in front of the door, waiting for it to open. He’d killed as much time as he could without falling asleep, but at any moment now he felt like he could slip into a stupor that would take him clear through the night and into the next morning.
He shook his head in frustration as he recalled the sound of her weeping while in the shower. Two doors might have better kept the sound out; as it was, he’d heard the sadness she held in her heart. The despair she felt at what lay ahead. Summoned to life on a ranch with a guy she’s never met and his loud, pushy family. She had a good right to cry about such a fate.
Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) Page 4