The Undercover Cowboy

by Lori Wilde

  Allie put the gun on the ground, raised her hands over her head, feeling both badass and bushwhacked. Every cell in her body tingled, fully alive.

  It took the FBI a bit to sort out who was who. They arrested Thorn and Ennui and the ambulance arrived to take Kade away.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Allie asked, hugging herself.

  “He took a licking,” said one of the FBI agents. “But he’ll keep on ticking.”

  “Can I talk to him?”

  “Not now,” the agent said.

  “When?” She knitted her fingers together.

  “I need to take your statement first. You can go see him at the hospital after.”

  “He saved my life,” Allie whispered.

  “Lady,” said the agent, “from where I’m standing, you saved his. If you hadn’t gotten the upper hand when you did, who knows what would have happened? Now, have a seat, and let the paramedics check you out too before we get to the interview.”

  It took precisely an hour, and by the time they’d finished, Allie had gleaned a few details about the case. She learned Thorn had been under FBI investigation for months, and hacker Daphne, who turned out to be his niece, had been helping him by shutting down the electrical grids and causing the rolling blackouts, during which time, Thorn would switch out his forgeries for the works of art. Thorn was motivated by his ego and the narcissistic belief that he was a better painter than the masters. He took joy in knowing his paintings hung in galleries in place of the originals and that no one had been the wiser.

  That didn’t make much sense to Allie. No one but Thorn and Ennui knew they were his paintings hanging in the galleries until the last theft, and the forged George Rodrigue in New Orleans had prompted the Feds to dig into the popup art galleries around the country and they discovered the other forgeries.

  Daphne, on the other hand, had been in it purely for the money. Thorn gave her the real works of art, which she in turn sold on the deep web.

  Allie notified her boss at the Visitors Center that she was taking the day off and headed for the hospital. But by the time she got there, Kade had already been treated and released. That was a relief. If he’d been seriously injured, they would have admitted him.

  Feeling nervous, she went home, only to find reporters hanging around her apartment complex. She ducked her head and pushed past them as they threw questions at her. How had they gotten here so fast?

  “You were working for Dr. Thorn. Did you have any idea he was a thief?”

  “Do you know where the real Remington is?”

  “Weren’t you the one who spotted the fake?”

  “What’s your relationship to Detective Kade Richmond?”

  Mindy held the door open. “Pack of jackals,” she hollered at the reporters. To Allie she said, “Get in here, kid.”

  “Wow, that’s intimidating,” Allie said.

  “No worries.” Mindy waved a hand. “They’ll be off when more interesting news breaks.”

  “I hope that’s soon.”

  “You’re a hero.” Mindy laughed. “Enjoy fame while it’s happening. How’s Kade?”

  “I don’t know.” Allie fidgeted, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “He got beat up pretty badly. I tried to see him at the hospital, but he was already gone.”

  “Probably went to recuperate at his mom’s.”

  Speaking of moms, Allie’s cell phone was pinging with texts from her mother. “I better go call my mom. Let her know I’m okay.”

  “Sure, sure.” Mindy waved her away.

  Allie let herself into her apartment, dropped her purse down on the floor, and rested her back against the door, her legs still left loose and unreliable from the spent adrenaline. She slid down until her butt hit the cool tile floor, drew her legs to her chest, rested her head on her knees, and let the cleansing tears flow.

  A loud knock sounded against the door. Allie startled, jumped to her feet, swiped at her face. Probably some sneaky reporter who’d gotten past Mindy. She put her eye to the peephole.

  There stood Ric—Kade. His western shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a chest swathed in bandages, supporting broken ribs. His face was battered, bruised and cut. His right eye was swollen partially shut.

  Allie winced and opened the door.

  “Hey,” he said, giving her a crooked smile that immediately turned into a grimace of pain.

  Her heart did a crazy hop-skip and she tried not to let her joy at seeing him show. “Hi.”

  “Can I come in?” His eyes darkened, tone lowered.

  Without saying a word, she stepped aside, motioned him into the sitting area, but he didn’t sit. They stood staring at each other. She couldn’t get a read on him.

  “Have you been crying?”

  “Yes,” she said, done forever with lying.

  “Over me?” He gulped so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed.

  Oh, the ego on this one. “Stress release,” she said. “You might be used to violent confrontations, but I’m not.”

  “I’m sorry I dragged you into all this.”

  “How are you?” she asked, not addressing that comment.

  “Not dead, thanks to you.” His grin was shallow as he avoided smiling too wide.

  “You saved me a couple of times.” She shrugged like she didn’t care. “It was my turn to save you.”

  “We make a good team.”

  Allie bit her bottom lip, determined not to let him charm her. It would be so easy to forgive him everything, but she wasn’t so gullible anymore, not so easily swayed by a sexy grin and handsome face. She crossed her arms over her chest, waited to hear what he had to say.

  “Listen,” he said. “I’m sorry I lied to you about who I was.”

  “I get it. You’re an undercover cop.” She kept her voice steady.

  “I wanted to tell you—”

  “But I was a suspect.”

  He nodded, looked contrite.

  “That’s why you started hanging out with me?” She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth to stave off emotions she didn’t want to feel.

  “It was,” he said, his honesty a battering ram, knocking her hard in the gut. “But I was attracted to you right from the start.”

  “You used me to get information on Thorn.”

  “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Allie, I wanted . . . What happened between us wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did. I have feelings for you.”

  “I have . . . had . . . feelings for you too but I can’t trust those feelings because they were based on a lie.”

  His nod was slower, sadder this time. “I get it.”

  “I don’t even know who you are.”

  His eyes glinted in the light, and his bloodied, puffy bottom lip trembled oh so slightly. Or maybe it was just her imagination. “I’d like to start over. Get to know you properly. Go on a real date—”

  “Ri—Kade, I can’t. I can’t even remember your real name.”

  “You could forgive me,” he said.

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t trust my feelings anymore. It’s like you told me. I have to stop trusting so easily, be more discerning.”

  His laugh was rugged and rueful. “When I said that, I never thought it would come back to bite me in the ass.”

  “I never thought I’d be in a position to take that advice, but because of you, I am.”

  “There’s nothing I can do to make this right?” he murmured.

  “Goodbye, Kade,” she said, wanting him out of the apartment before she burst into tears again. She moved to the front door, held it open.

  Without another word, he plunked his Stetson down on his head and walked away.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kade had no more strolled out the door than Allie’s mother called. She answered, “Hi, Mom.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I saw you on the news. Are you okay?”

  “Fine, fine.” She lifted a hand to her bruised neck. No need to bring that up now.

  “They’re saying you’re a her
o. Saving a cop who was being assaulted by an art thief. My goodness, I didn’t know your profession was so dangerous.”

  Allie grinned. Ah, so this was where she got her naivety. “It’s not, Mom. This was a fluke occurrence.”

  “But art thieves are a real threat.”

  “Not really. I can take care of myself.”

  “Yes, but maybe you should go back to school, get a safer career.”

  It dawned on her that the reason her mother was so overprotective wasn’t because she feared Allie couldn’t take care of herself, but that she would no longer have a purpose if her daughter didn’t need her.

  “I’ll always need you, Mom,” she said gently. “Just not for every little thing.”

  “You call tussling with a criminal little?”

  “I did what I had to do, and I came out ahead.”

  Her mother sighed softly. “You really are all grown up, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, but that’s how it should be. Remember when I was first diagnosed with cancer and you were scared you’d never get to see me grow up?”

  “Those were horrible days.”

  “We got through them.”

  “Your belief in healing made your cancer disappear.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. I just got lucky that I was the one in a hundred thousand that had a spontaneous remission.”

  “We got a miracle, and I still couldn’t trust it . . . but you did. Here I was, thinking I was protecting you from the world, when all along you were instinctively taking care of yourself.” Her mother’s voice held an incredulous note, as if she’d just had a big epiphany. “I don’t have to worry about you anymore.”

  “You’re my mom, you’ll always worry.”

  Her mother laughed, a sound of joy and relief. “That’s true, but I can stop smothering you.”

  “I know you were always coming from a place of love.”

  “My bright little daughter,” she whispered. “My shining star.”

  “Love you, Mom.”

  “Love you too, sweetheart. Can you come to Sunday dinner now that the whole popup museum thing is kaput?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “See you then, darling.”

  Allie switched off her phone, and for the first time in her life, felt free. This whole experience, taxing as it might have been, had changed her for life. She was a brand-new person, and she could handle anything and still keep her heart open.

  In the span of a week, Kade had taught her so many life lessons, and she was grateful for that, but she still didn’t know if she could find her way back to trusting him.

  But she wanted to try.

  “Damn fine police work, Richmond,” Kade’s boss, Captain Finn, told him a week after Thorn’s arrest.

  One week, seven long days, without seeing or hearing from Allie. It was killing Kade to stay away from her, but she’d made it clear that she didn’t trust her feelings because of his lie, and he had to respect her wishes.

  “The Feds are happy, I’m happy. You’re getting kicked upstairs if you still want the promotion.”

  Except Kade wasn’t happy. Yes, he wanted the promotion, but in the pursuit of it, he’d lost Allie.

  Finn eyed him speculatively. “You sure you want to leave vice? You’re our best undercover detective.”

  “Yeah,” Kade said, thinking of Allie. “And that’s the problem. Undercover changes you. I’ve lost myself in the deception. It’s time to reclaim my identity.”

  Finn nodded, understanding. “That thing with the stripper really got to you.”

  “Angi,” Kade murmured. “Her name was Angi.”

  “You weren’t responsible for her death.”

  “Logically, I know that . . . but in here . . .” He tapped his heart with a fist. “I’m guilty. I need a fresh start.”

  “I get it.” Captain Finn thrust out his palm. “We’re going to miss your ugly mug.”

  Kade shook his hand. “I’ll drop by now and again, just to annoy you.”

  “I’m counting on it.” Finn grinned. “Now get the hell out of my office.”

  Kade walked out of the police station feeling lighter, freer, released from the prison that his undercover assignment had become. Thorn was going to pay for his crimes, Kade had gotten his promotion, and the only thing missing was Allie.

  He’d blown it. So what if he was so crazy about her that he couldn’t think straight? She didn’t trust him, and without trust, how could they ever have a functional relationship?

  Head down, he took the steps two at a time, headed for the curb where he’d parallel parked. He reached the last step, glanced up, and that was when he saw her standing by his truck.

  His Allie.

  Their eyes met. She smiled that unicorn smile of hers. His heart softened, melted at the explosion of rainbows.

  What was she doing here?

  That smile was all Allie needed to see to know she’d made the right choice in hanging around the police station to wait for him after she’d completed a follow-up interview.

  Kade sauntered toward her, his grin growing bigger the closer he got, genuine happiness on that endearing face that was still healing from Thorn’s beating. Kade stopped a few feet away as if wanting to make sure she wasn’t pulling some kind of “gotcha” trick on him before coming closer.

  “Hi,” he said, his eyes searching hers.

  “Hey.”

  “Why are you here?” he asked.

  She waved a hand in the direction of the building. “Follow-up on the Thorn thing. They’re dotting their Is and crossing their Ts. He’s going down.”

  “Oh,” he said, the light dimming in his eyes.

  “But that interview was over half an hour ago. I stayed because I wanted to see you.”

  His helpless smile was back, joyful, infectious, and Allie returned it with an I’m-all-in grin.

  “I haven’t seen you around the apartment complex,” he said.

  “I’ve been staying with my parents in Fort Worth.”

  “To avoid me?”

  “Partially,” she admitted. “I needed some time to think things through.”

  “Are you moving back in with them permanently?”

  “No.”

  “Did you find another job?” he asked.

  She shook her head, enjoying the suspense of keeping him on tenterhooks. “No.”

  “Found another roommate?” He came closer until they were standing toe-to-toe.

  She peered up at him, feeling the hot sun on her skin, loving it. Loving this moment. “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “If he’s available to move in with me.”

  Kade’s eyes widened and his mouth thinned. “You’re moving in with another guy?”

  “No,” she laughed. “Silly man, I’m asking you to be my roommate.”

  “You mean . . .” His voice caught. “You want me to move in with you?”

  She nodded, suddenly unable to find her voice.

  “I can’t believe you’re actually suggesting we live together. I’m floored, I thought you didn’t trust me.”

  Allie giggled, an effervescent giddiness rising like bubbles into her throat. “My feelings were hurt,” she admitted. “I tried not to trust you, but my inner voice told me you were The One.”

  “Your inner voice,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer to him. “The one that never steers you wrong?”

  “That’d be the one,” she whispered.

  “I’ll need a little time to think about it,” he drawled.

  “How little?” she teased. She could tell from the way he was holding her and looking at her that he was joking.

  “With you,” he said, “no time at all.”

  “There’re a few things we need to iron out first. Leaving underwear on the bathroom floor could be a deal breaker.”

  “Aww,” he said. “I was looking forward to stripping off your skimpy panties and throwing them on the bathroom floor.”
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br />   “Okay,” she amended. “One-hour rule. Underwear can stay on the floor for up to an hour in the case of panty stripping.”

  “One hour?” he said. “What if our playtime goes longer?”

  She giggled, melded against him. “All right, two hours.”

  “Honey, the time that we were together, we were at it for hours and hours.”

  “Oh, hell,” she said. “Leave our underwear wherever you want.”

  “Going along to get along?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “I’m just anxious to get you back in bed.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say so, sweetheart? I can make that happen right now.” He cupped her chin between his palms, tipped her face up to meet his, his dark eyes peering into her as if he were jumping into a bottomless well and happy for the fall. “This is going to be magical.”

  “How can you be so sure? There are lots of ups and downs living with someone else.”

  “Because it’s you, Allie Grainger. Sure, there are lots of bumps in the road, but you’re what makes it worth the ride.”

  “So says the rodeo cowboy.”

  “And that means I ought to know.”

  “Ride ’em, cowboy.”

  He ducked his head, his mouth inches from hers. His hands on her cheeks. “That’s exactly what I intend on doing.”

  With that, he kissed her, and all doubts vanished in the heat of his sizzling-hot kiss.

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