Protecting Kate: Dark Horse, Inc: Book 1

by Amy J. Hawthorn

  He ran a finger over her. Silken dampness and fire. Her limbs tightened signaling him that she neared climax. He bit down on the tight nub and grazed a light touch over her clit. When she arched harder and gasped he smiled. Her body bucked and her low cry sounded in his ear.

  One down.

  He released her breast and looked into her dark glittering eyes. Spreading her legs wider, he pinned her in place, demanding her sole focus. “Kate, you’re mine. From here on out, you belong to me every bit as much as I belong to you. I love you. I’m keeping you now, when this is finished, and for the rest of my days.”

  “Trent.” His name wasn’t much more than a sigh on her kiss-swollen lips, and he’d never heard a more beautiful sound. “I’m not going anywhere. I love you more than I can ever say.”

  “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page, because you’ve already been kidnapped once. I’d hate to have to kidnap you myself.” He moved down her body and took her into his mouth. Luscious and musky, she was pure perfection as he licked over and into her. He entered her tight little body with one finger and was rewarded with her cry of pleasure. Taking the hard button of her clit into his mouth, he hummed and began a ruthless siege.

  With his hands and mouth, he worked her until she panted and writhed under his care. Sweat dampened and glorious in the pinkening light of a new day, she humbled him even as his swollen cock and heavy sac throbbed, impatiently waiting its own release.

  He pulled a condom from the nightstand, slipped it on and met her eyes. Trusting, flushed with desire and filled with love, he’d never forget the sight of her glittering eyes locked with his. He touched the tip of his cock to her sex and slammed home in one straight push. Encased in her taught grip, he lost his breath. His chest heaved, fighting to regain air and control.

  When those small hands tangled once again in the long ends of his hair and her mouth met his, he lost the battle. He reared back and entered her again with a powerful thrust. Her wide, blissed-out eyes gave him the only sign he needed. He pumped into her, a steady, ruthless pace, shaking them both on the physical and mental planes.

  He wrapped an arm tight around her, pulling them ever tighter together and tilted her hips into his. Mere breaths separated them as they raced, getting closer and closer to the final ledge.

  Lost, knowing he couldn’t hold back much longer, he brushed his thumb over her clit and held it in a light touch. She whimpered into his kiss as he felt where their bodies connected. Losing control, he increased his rhythm, pounding into her. She tightened around him on a cry. Her hips bucked and she pulled his hair, urging him onward until she shook with the force of her release.

  Lost to her beauty and touch, he followed her over. His body tightened as his sac squeezed, emptying into her. He pumped with each pulse, holding her close and thanking the stars she was his.

  Cursing the loss of her tight hold, he pulled out and tended to business. He pulled her into his arms and held her as the sun broke over the horizon. “Sleep, beauty.” He’d keep the demons away if it was the last thing he ever did.

  Boyd looked down at the caller ID on his burner phone and swore. There was no way his batshit crazy uncle’s call could be good news.

  He continued to pack his bag as he answered. It was past time he left this shithole hotel. Just outside of Riley Creek, it had become way too close for comfort. Even though he’d changed locations several times, he had the itch at the base of his neck that meant someone had him under their sights.

  “Campbell.” He shoved the last of his clothes into his bag and headed to the bathroom.

  “She’s been gone two days and time is wasting. I need her at home where she belongs.” How could the man sound both petulant and commanding at the same time? It defied logic

  “You do realize what we did and what you’re asking me to do again is called kidnapping? It’s a crime. Dawson may dress like a dumb country boy, but I promise you he’s not. You’re buying trouble.”

  “I know what I’m doing. I give the orders and you’ll follow them.”

  Not exactly. Yes, Bailey wrote the paychecks, but he wasn’t in control.

  He would never allow anyone that kind of power over his life, even if they had more money than God. But he wasn’t dumb, and he wasn’t above taking advantage of any situation presented to him.

  “Fine. Make the transfer and I’ll do this one last job. If you’re not careful, you’ll get caught. Not even your position or friends in the right places will be enough to keep you from prison.”

  Jesus, his uncle was sliding down the slippery slope of sanity even faster than he’d thought.

  “Don’t talk down to me, boy. I know what I’m doing. Just get me what I want.” There was a near desperate edge to Bailey’s words. A sickening twist in his gut warned it was past time to get out. He would have to bail before reaching his goal. It shit him to cut and run, but he battled his disappointment with logic. He’d have to make adjustments to his plan, but he’d rather be free than locked up, any day.

  “Just make the transfer. Once I confirm the money is there, I’ll put something in motion. You’ll hear from me then and not a minute before.” He disconnected and threw the phone on the bed. He scrubbed his face with his palms.

  He couldn’t let greed get the best of him. Freedom before money. He repeated those three words again and again.

  How did he finish the job and keep his own ass out of the line of fire?

  Freedom before money.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lightning flashed and thunder shook the house, but she knew better than to be fooled by the threat. This pitiful excuse for a storm did nothing aside from making noise and pushing the humidity through the roof.

  Kate removed another of jelly jar from the boiling water, set it on the towel beside the already sanitized lids and wiped her brow. The last of her strawberries had been turned into jam. It was a bittersweet feeling to know she’d taken something so simple and turned it into something she could use to help start her shelter. She could see it in her mind, and her heart swelled with the potential that lay before her.

  Riley Creek Animal Rescue would take a ton of sweat and work, but that only made obtaining a dream that much sweeter. No, the four-legged critters wouldn’t care where the money came from, but it meant something to her to know that she’d done it. Realistically, the money from her sales wouldn’t do much more than buy food for the first few months, but she’d also begun making a list of contacts and people willing to donate funds or time.

  I am doing this.

  The knowledge brought tears of satisfaction to her eyes. She’d received a call from the attorney who’d taken care of her father’s affairs for her years ago. He’d agreed to help Riley Creek Animal Rescue with both paperwork and a donation for startup costs. He’d filed the application for 501c3 status that morning. And the bonus? She’d received a call from Preston’s attorney. Preston had never changed the beneficiary on his life insurance policy or his will. When they cleared up his murder investigation, she’d receive that and the majority of their prior belongings.

  She was one enormous step closer to making her dream a reality.

  The door busted open and, thinking it was the wind pushing it from Trent’s grasp, she smiled and carefully set another jar on the towel. She wanted to launch herself in his arms, knowing he’d catch her, but she’d have to get the last of her jars out first.

  “Hey, handsome. I have news. Listen, Dad’s—”

  He reached around her to turn off the stove.

  “Grab your shoes. Lets’ go.” He’d never used such a harsh tone with her, even when he’d been his maddest.

  “What’s wrong?” Her stomach knotted.

  “Fucking stable’s on fire. You’re going to stay up at the big house with Sandy and Harlan.”

  Oh dear God. No. No, no, no.

  Gripping his shirt, she rushed her words. “I can help with the horses. Bonnie. I need to get Bonnie out. Oh. God. Trent.”

  �
��No, baby. All the stable hands are there now. I don’t like this. The sprinkler system failed, and it was just inspected on the first. My gut is screaming at me, but damn it.” He ran a shaking hand over his face.

  Her heart sank to her toes. The horses were his everything.

  He grabbed her hand as they ran out to his truck where he all but pushed her inside.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to help? You know I can.” Her heart raced, beating against her sternum.

  “I do, Kate. You have as gentle a hand with them as anyone I’ve ever met, but I can’t have both you and my horses in the same danger. I just can’t do it. If you’re at the big house with Harlan, I’ll know you’re safe and then I can focus on the horses. Fuck, me, they’ll be half-wild with fear. Just promise me you’ll stay inside. I need to know you’re okay.”

  His truck tore down the driveway and across the seemingly endless acres.

  “Okay. I promise. Just call me as soon as everyone is safe.”

  “I will.” He pulled up directly to the house and ran her to the door where Harlan and Sandy waited with worry in their eyes.

  “Son, I’ll go help. They’ll be mad with fear,” Harlan offered.

  “I know. Just stay here with Kate and Sandy. You, these two women and the horses are all I have. Keep them safe. I don’t like this.”

  Her belly twisted with nausea. Tears tracked down her face.

  “Come on, sweetheart. Trent knows what he’s doing. All we can do is let him have this so he can concentrate.” Sandy wrapped her arms around Kate and hugged her close. She met the woman’s gaze and saw fear and worry to match her own in tear-filled green eyes.

  “I know. It doesn’t make it hurt any less, does it?”

  “No it doesn’t, but it’s what a farmer does, sweetheart.” Deep and low, Harlan’s quiet words boomed through her all the same.

  “True enough.” They pulled her into the house as smoke began to rise in the distance.

  “Trent tells me you’ve been working hard on your charity. Have you chosen a name yet?” Always so very sweet, Sandy was one of those people who should have been gifted with a houseful of children.

  “I think so.” Suddenly even her favorite topic had lost its sparkle.

  His tires squealed to a stop and he threw the truck into park so abruptly it was a wonder he didn’t break the shifter. He jumped out just as Shannon led a skittish Tallahassee out and into the open.

  “We’re taking them down to the south paddock, okay, boss?”

  “Good. Little Bonnie?”

  “Dick’s already gotten her out. He took her and Scarlet to the foaling barn.”

  “How many are left?”

  “Four.” Shannon passed the visibly nervous Tallahassee off to another hand who murmured and jogged with her in the direction of the paddock.

  Trent went inside and headed straight for Willow, a two-year-old filly who was full of sass on a calm day. Today? She’d likely put the devil to shame.

  She and Sandy sat at the bar in her kitchen with Sandy’s cell phone between them. The kind woman had opened the notepad app and they were making a list of supplies she’d need before she could open the rescue. For the third time, she wondered why. It was a poor attempt at distraction. She’d already made a half dozen lists and she would probably make ten more before she opened her doors.

  What was the point of listing bridles, leads, cat litter, newspaper, leashes, collars, and soap when the only thing she could think of was Trent?

  She pushed back from the bar and paced. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she stopped at the window but it did her no good. The beautiful view faced east and the stable was on the house’s west side. Even still, on a farm this big, the gently rolling distance made watching impossible, which was just as well. There was nothing she could do from here.

  Sirens wailed in the distance.

  Damn, how she prayed this was some sort of false alarm even when she knew it couldn’t be.

  “Katherine? Let’s go. Your visit with the Walkers is over. We have work to do.” That voice. As long as she lived, she’d never forget it. Nausea bubbled and chills raced through her. Dreading what she’d find, she turned to see Phillip Bailey standing in the kitchen’s large doorway with a nasty looking pistol aimed her way.

  “Bailey, what’s wrong with you? You’re not welcome here.” Harlan stepped in front of Sandy.

  “Harlan, good to see you again, but Katherine and I must take our leave. Let’s go, dear.”

  She was so over being told what to do. No. More.

  “My name is Kate. My friends and family sometimes call me Katie or Katie Marie, but never Katherine. Get lost, Bailey, before the police find you. Your time is limited. Trent will have the horses out and safe in no time then he’ll come for me. If you have a single brain cell left, you’ll realize you do not want to be here when he comes back for me.”

  “He’ll be occupied for some time. I’ve made sure of it.”

  Of course. She should have known he was behind the fire. Trent’s horses were his everything. He ran a topnotch operation. Sabotage was the only way something as serious as a fire and the sprinkler system failing could happen on the same day.

  Her sweet Bonnie.

  All of Trent’s horses. His world. It was all in danger because of this selfish bastard.

  Enough was enough.

  She stepped forward, ready to end things on her own. He wanted her to be his perfect polished First Lady. He wouldn’t hurt her.

  Bailery shifted his aim to Harlan’s chest.

  “That’s the last one, boss. They’re nervous as can be, but they’re safe now. They probably won’t settle until the smell of the smoke is gone and the thunder quits rumbling but other than a couple a minor scrapes they’re all accounted for and good.” He heard Shannon’s words come from behind him and the meaning registered but he focused straight ahead. The sight made his blood boil.

  “Count again.” It didn’t matter that he’d already counted them twice himself.

  “Will do.”

  He looked over the mess they’d found. Someone was fired. He didn’t have proof yet, but every one of his staff showed to help except one, Ray. He never would have expected trouble from the old farrier, but things weren’t looking good.

  He looked up at the sprinklers and the security cameras in the stable. His anger morphed into something else altogether. Suspicion. It looked as though they’d been outright disconnected. What the fuck?

  His phone buzzed again in his back pocket. It had vibrated several times, but hadn’t bothered to check it. Everyone knew he was busy.

  Everyone but Rick, who’d gone out to Riley Creek. What if he’d found something on Bailey?

  He pulled it out and opened the messages. He had one from Sandy.

  Bailey’s in the house. Has a gun. We’re all in kitchen. HURRY. Come in quiet.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  How could he have been so fucking stupid? It was so obvious! What better way to get him away from Kate than to use his horses as a distraction.

  He tore out of the barn and called out to Shannon. “Call the police! Trouble at the house.”

  The sixty seconds it took to make the drive crept by until finally the Walker home came into view.

  The kitchen. Sandy’s text said they were in the kitchen. That had been a full five minutes ago. Were they still there? A town car sat parked at the front steps, waiting and empty. There was no way he was waiting. What did he do?

  He grabbed his pistol from the fingerprint coded lockbox beneath his seat and removed it from the holster. He ran for the porch and paused. Panicked, his heart screamed at him to hurry. Light speed couldn’t get him to Kate fast enough. Twice so far, he’d failed her when nothing could have been more important than her life. If anything happened to her, he’d never, ever forgive himself.

  He came to the wraparound porch, ready to blast through the door. At the first step, he stopped on a dime. His gut yanked him to a hard stop.
He heard Sandy in a long ago memory chiding them for thundering across her porch. She’d said she’d never understand how two small boys sounded like a heard of buffalo when they ran.

  He grasped a stranglehold on his impatience and stepped on the outer edge of the steps. Standing to the side of the wide front window he quickly peered in, thankful Sandy loved summer storms and always opened the curtains to watch them roll through. Both the large entryway and front room were empty. But the front door was the obvious entrance and Bailey had only one thing on his mind, Kate. If he watched anything at all, it’d be the obvious route. He continued around the house, peering in each window until he heard voices. They were in the kitchen. He ducked under the wide window and moved around the corner of the house to the mudroom door. He eased it open and his blood chilled when he heard Kate. The voice he loved so much was all wrong, tight and strained.

  Then he heard her words he understood and was both proud and furious with her.

  Kate saw Sandy’s fingers quietly tapping away on her phone while Harlan blocked her from view. How did she get them out of this? She had to stall for time and get Bailey to aim the gun somewhere other than Harlan. Stubborn and all-male, she’d bet that everything Trent learned about being a man had come from Harlan Walker. She owed him so much for taking in and raising the boy who’d become the man she loved with all her heart.

  The world needed more people like the Walkers.

  She wanted to spend the next fifty years of her life with Trent. The love that she’d seen shining so brightly between the Walkers at the auction was hers for the taking. There was no way she’d let one creep bastard take that dream from her.

  What had he said she was allowed to call him? Dearest? She’d do him one better and knock him for a loop.

  “All right, my love. I apologize for my tardiness. We were discussing…wedding dresses. Even if you and I do have a short, private ceremony, I think we still need to have pictures, don’t you? You never know when they’ll come in handy.” She poured pure, southern sweetness into her words.