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Jonas pulled up a chair near his aunt, shrugged at his cousins. “If I had a dime for every time someone tried to figure out the chief, I’d be a wealthy man.”
Fiona sniffed. “You are a wealthy man, don’t be an ass. Now,” she said, staring straight at Sloan, “wouldn’t you rather stay here than out in the cold?”
He gulped his coffee. “Ma’am, I’m just following orders.”
Fiona frowned. “Good soldier.”
Kendall met his gaze, blinking. A good soldier probably wouldn’t keep staring at the pretty ranch employee.
“It’s okay,” Ashlyn said hurriedly. “We’re used to surviving in remote locations. We wouldn’t feel right staying here. It’s not our assignment.”
“Assignment!” Fiona glanced around the table. “You’re family! Burke’s never going to rest knowing you’re all out there sleeping on the hard ground. He’s going to think he needs to join you.”
With an under-her-breath murmur, Fiona cracked more eggs into a bowl. Sloan tried not to shovel food into his mouth. He was hungrier than he wanted to let on, and this was the best food he’d had in a long time.
Kendall brought a basket of muffins to the table, sliding in next to him.
“Chocolate chip or blueberry? Fresh-baked, so take your pick. Then pass the basket.”
He did exactly as she told him, although with Kendall sitting next to him, his attention was on her instead of the muffins.
Okay, so she was hot. He’d seen hot before. The worst thing he could do was mess up a mission by thinking the woman next to him was hotter than the muffin he’d just deposited on his plate. He passed the basket, gulped some orange juice. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me, thank Fiona. She was suffering last night, worrying about your family out there in the cold.” Kendall didn’t look at him. “We baked muffins this morning to take her mind off things. It was the only way I could calm her down. Anyway, we had no idea you were coming here until the chief showed up, so please feel free to share any details you’d like to.”
Fiona stopped stirring to listen. Jonas glanced over with curiosity. Sam, Rafe, Creed, Pete and Judah had draped themselves over different spots in the kitchen, surreptitiously eyeing their new cousins. Sloan felt the men looking at them, trying not to stare, but the tension was thick as canyon dust.
“Sure,” Ashlyn said. “I’m the youngest. I’d like to say it was hard being the youngest, and the only girl in a family of men, but I’m harder on them than they are on me.” She smiled. “I’ll do the other introductions, because my big brothers are modest and you won’t get much out of them.”
Polite laughter from the other Callahans met his
sister’s words. Sloan was just glad for the chance to eat, if Ashlyn was going to do the chatting. Kendall picked at a biscuit and sipped some water, and Sloan thought she seemed anxious about something. Then again, maybe she was one of those women who didn’t eat much and ran on nervous energy. He gazed at her, trying to define her aura. She glanced at him, and he realized she’d thought he was staring at her. Which he was, but not because he was attracted to her or anything. Definitely not.
Although she was quite beautiful, in a polished, cosmopolitan sort of way. Silver water to his family’s rough stone darkness.
“That’s Galen over there,” Ashlyn said. “He’s the oldest, thirty-five. He’s a hard-ass and a daredevil at times, but he’s a great guy to have at your back.”
“Easy, sis,” Galen said. “They don’t want a bio on us.”
“It’s not name, rank and serial number,” Ashlyn retorted. “This is long-lost family.”
Silence met Ashlyn’s comment. Sloan cleared his throat.
“Jonas is eldest at Rancho Diablo,” Kendall said. “He’s my direct boss, and something of a nerd. He has a darling wife named Sabrina, whom he worked very hard to win.”
Sloan examined the eldest Callahan, a little surprised when Jonas laughed easily at Kendall’s words. The tension in the room evaporated just a bit.
“I don’t know if I’ve won Sabrina yet,” Jonas said, “but I’m trying.”
Sloan thought that was an amazing sentiment. He hadn’t had a serious relationship in so many years that he felt a little pang at the difference in their circumstances. What must it be like to live in this mansion, on this enormous ranch, with a wife and kids you adored?
“Falcon’s thirty-three,” Ashlyn continued. The brother in question inclined his head to Kendall, then looked around at his new cousins. “Falcon’s a bit wacky. He’s smart as hell. Can wear you out with minutia. Loves puzzles. Will go off for days when he’s thinking about something.” She grinned at him. “Isn’t that right, Falcon?”
Falcon grunted at his sister, who was delighted with her teasing. Sloan squirmed a bit, knowing he was up next on the roll call. No one could ever be certain what Ashlyn was going to say.
“Sloan’s my hero,” Ashlyn told Kendall. “He’s third in the family tree, thirty-one years of loner tough guy. Can go for months without talking, can’t you, Sloan?” she asked, winking at him.
“Not months,” Sloan said.
“Okay, he’ll allot himself a word a day.” Ashlyn shot him a gleeful look. “He’s picked up a few decorations, is a really good shot with just about any gun on the planet—”
“That’s enough,” Sloan said. “They don’t want to hear everything about me.”
Beside him, he could feel Kendall’s eyes on him. “I don’t know,” she said. “It can’t hurt to know more about the family I’m in charge of. Every detail helps.”
He looked at her. “In charge of?”
Kendall nodded. “Jonas has assigned me to seeing to your family’s comfort. ‘Liaison’ really means ‘take care of.’”
“Here’s the thing,” Sloan said, addressing his remarks to Jonas, but looking at Kendall, since he just couldn’t seem to help himself. “We don’t need anyone assigned to us for our comfort. No offense, Kendall.”
“None taken,” Kendall said. “I’m just following orders.”
He recognized his own words coming back to him. “We can survive no matter the terrain, and you wouldn’t see us for six months.”
“That’s kind of creepy, though a great talent,” Kendall said. “Jonas, this is your call.”
Sloan wasn’t certain how he felt about the tiny doll calling him creepy. He glanced around at his brothers and sister, puzzled.
“It is creepy,” Falcon said. “I mean, when you think about it, on the surface.”
Ashlyn laughed. “Actually, it’s not creepy to Sloan. He likes roughing it. When we were kids—”
Sloan put down his napkin and pushed back his chair. “Fiona, thank you kindly for breakfast. It was delicious.”
His brothers nodded in agreement.
“Jonas, can I talk to you? Privately?” Sloan asked.
“Sure,” Jonas said.
Kendall watched the two big men go off together. “Well,” she said, “Mr. Stoic certainly wants to talk now.”
Ashlyn craned her head to stare after Sloan, who’d cornered Jonas in the den. “He’s going to be hard to drag in from the cold. Me, I’m never going to pass up delicious food.”
Fiona smiled at her. “I’ll put some meat on your bones.”
Kendall laughed at Ashlyn’s perplexed expression. “Fiona wants to put meat on everyone’s bones.”
“Okay,” Ashlyn said. “If you think you can, I won’t say no.”
“I won’t, either.” One of the Callahans who hadn’t gotten an introduction yet reached across the table to shake Kendall’s hand. “I’m Jace. Sorry about my brother’s rudeness. He’s pretty much the lone wolf in the family.”
Kendall sneaked a peek into the den at the lone wolf. As wolves went, Sloan wasn’t all that feral. In fact, he was darn handsome, even better than she’d originally realized, now that she could see him in good light. “Hi, Jace. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Jace is our earth soul,” Ashlyn said. “He’s about to hit the big three-o, so he spends a fair amount of time with the ladies.”
“Ash,” Jace said, “it’s all friendly. Although, if you have a sister, Kendall...”
Everyone laughed at Jace’s obvious hint to Kendall. She felt herself blush a bit.
“No sister. Sorry. It’s just me and three brothers. You’ll meet them soon enough.”
“Your twin, Xavier, came out to our campsite with you this morning,” Ashlyn said.
Kendall nodded. “And then there’s Gage and Shaman. They’re around here somewhere, probably out feeding the horses at this hour.”
“Don’t mind Sloan.” Another Callahan reached over to offer his hand. “He’s a little harder to get to know than the rest of us. I’m Tighe, by the way, and Dante here is my twin.”
Hot as the dickens, both of them. Kendall shook their hands, ignoring the words about not minding Sloan. Why should she? She didn’t know any of them. Getting bent out of shape about Sloan’s obvious prickliness would be unprofessional.
“Wild at heart,” Ashlyn said, pointing her fork at Tighe, “will never settle down. A shame, because he’d make a great husband for some lucky woman, and that’s not just a sister’s pride talking.”
Kendall smiled at Tighe. “Be warned that men seem to drop like flies around here, if you’re really determined to hang on to your bachelor status. Fiona has a major matchmaking streak going.”
Tighe went a little pale. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And Dante,” Ashlyn said, “let’s just say that he’s the head of mischief in our family. Great to have at your side in a fight, but isn’t above letting you sweat it out, either. And if you don’t like snakes or other creepy-crawlies, don’t tell him. He’ll put them in your bed just to give you a little fright.”
Kendall leveled round eyes on Dante. “Remember I hold the key to the breakfasts, Dante.”
He laughed. “You’re safe.”
Sloan slid back into the seat next to her.
“Get it all worked out?” Kendall asked.
He looked at her. “Jonas has pointed out a few things I was overlooking.”
Kendall smiled. “So you’re stuck with me.”
His lips twisted. “It appears that way.”
“I won’t wear any more white skirts around you.” Kendall sipped her coffee, her expression innocent.
“You’ll stay in good enough condition as long as you don’t sneak up on me,” Sloan said.
“I’ll wear a bell around my neck,” Kendall said, and Ashlyn said, “That won’t be necessary. Now that you’ve caught Sloan napping, you’ll never get within a hundred feet of him again without him knowing.”
Annoyance crossed Sloan’s face. “I wasn’t expecting a woman to sneak into camp.”
His brothers stared at him. Sloan looked a bit edgy. Kendall went back to picking at her food, not certain why Sloan didn’t seem to like her. But he didn’t, that was clear as day. Jonas glanced her way, shrugging.
There was nothing that could be done about it. They were all going to have to get along, one big happy family, until whatever reason these new Callahans had been sent here no longer existed.
“It’s so nice to meet all of you,” Kendall said politely. “Welcome to Rancho Diablo.” She went to help Fiona clean the kitchen. This was just a job, and if she was a pain in Sloan’s hiney for some reason, then the feeling was certainly mutual.
Chapter Three
Two days later, Kendall stood at the far end of Rancho Diablo, snapping photos of the location where Jonas wanted his new bunkhouse. It was to be a big one, with almost twenty rooms. Two stories high. It would be built well away from the main house, to give everyone a bit more space. With five thousand acres, Jonas had the land to spread out, but this project was big, even by Callahan standards. It was almost an apartment complex, and Kendall looked forward to helping decorate the abode.
Gazing to the west, she noticed something strange—seven stones placed in a circle near the same location where the bunkhouse was planned. She checked her notes again, making certain she had the correct aerial photographs and surveyor’s map, before realizing that this was exactly where Sloan had been sleeping. The large gray-white rocks were about fifty yards away.
A shadow crossed her, briefly blocking the sun on the already cold November day. A tingle touched her skin. She put the camera back up to her face to snap another photo, feeling suddenly nervous about being this far from the main house. She knew the Callahan cousins might be around here somewhere. Still, something made her feel...uncomfortable.
She heard a noise that sounded much like a rock dropping behind her. But the area where she stood was dotted with little more than the odd cactus. Possibly a bird had landed and then flown away.
No. The shadow had been too large to be a cloud or even a bird. Goose pimples rose on her arms, and she began to walk quickly toward the jeep. Something jumped out of nowhere, ramming the jeep as she got in. It slashed at her calf and Kendall shrieked, tossing her camera into the passenger seat and jamming her keys into the ignition. Gunning the engine, she shot away from the stone ring, spraying sand and dirt in her retreat, her only thought to get back to the ranch.
“Whoa!” Sloan shouted. She’d nearly run him over as he was leaving the main house. Kendall jammed the jeep into Park and jumped out into his arms.
“Uh, Barbie,” Sloan said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Kendall shivered, laying her head against his chest for just a second as she caught her breath. “I don’t know.”
“Good,” Sloan said. He rubbed her back. “Nice to know you’re not just trying to run me down.”
She pulled away, his joke fortifying her. “If you ever call me Barbie again, I will stab you with the nearest sharp object. And you won’t like it.”
“I know.” He laughed, setting her away from him. “I’ve got to go, beautiful. Are you going to be all right?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look like you’re fine.” He gazed at her closely. “What the hell happened?”
“There was something there.” Kendall tried to remember, forcing herself to think beyond her panic. “I don’t know. There was a shadow, and then...something attacked the jeep.” She glanced down at her leg.
Sloan knelt to look at her calf, squinting as he ran a gentle hand along her bare skin. “Let’s get you inside where I can see it better.”
Kendall’s teeth began a nervous staccato chatter. “You’re not supposed to be here in daylight. You’d better go.”
“We’re not bats,” he said wryly. “Besides, apparently Fiona worked her magic on the chief. We’re staying in the bunkhouse now.”
“Here?” Kendall blinked. “You’re not going to be the secret Callahans anymore?”
He nodded. “Come on. More walking, less chat. I’ll explain everything when we get inside.”
“You’re bossy.” She followed until he scooped her into his arms, which she started to protest, until she realized she was shaking and had lost a shoe. “I’m not helpless.”
“I know. Humor me.”
He was just like Jonas. “I don’t understand. What could Fiona possibly have said that changed things with Running Bear?” Kendall tried not to focus on how strong Sloan was, and the fact that she could feel impressive muscles in the arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Let’s worry about your leg.” He took her inside the house, and she didn’t complain anymore, feeling a bit woozy.
“What happened?” Fiona asked, coming over with Jonas to look at her leg.
“I don’t know exactly.” Kendall leaned in to see what everyone was staring at as Sloan laid her carefully on the sofa. He tried to lean her back against the pillows and she waved him away. “Oh, my. That is not pretty.”
“What got you?” Sloan asked, peering closely at her skin.
She wasn’t sure she liked being the object of so much of his attention. “I’m not sure. It happened so fast.”
Sloan looked up at Jonas. “Can you call my brother Galen? We might as well let the doctor take a look at this.” He smiled. “He’s actually a pretty good medicine man.”
There was a good deal of blood running down her leg. Kendall glanced at Fiona. “May I borrow a towel, please? I don’t want to bleed on the sofa.”
“You poor thing!” Fiona exclaimed, running to fetch one as Jonas went to yell for Galen.
“Jonas is a doctor. He can figure out if anything is wrong.” Kendall looked closely at her leg, and felt a little faint seeing her own blood. There was so much. She’d thought perhaps it was a scratch, but now realized the tear was long and angry.
“Jonas is a cardiac guy,” Sloan said. “Galen is an internist. And a spirit healer, by the way.”
Kendall sniffed. “There is nothing wrong with my spirit. Just my pride. I must have scraped myself when I jumped in the jeep.”
Jonas came back with Galen, and Fiona handed him a thick fluffy towel and some antiseptic. Galen smiled reassuringly at Kendall before bending to examine her leg.
“Sloan,” Galen said, peering at the wound.
Sloan looked at Kendall, who frowned back at him with some suspicion. “I don’t think so,” he said to Galen.
Galen looked at Kendall’s leg again. “Do it.”
Sloan squatted, placed his palms on either side of the wound.
“What’s he doing?” Kendall demanded, glancing at Jonas, who shrugged.
“Energy transfer,” Galen said helpfully, as if she’d know what that meant. “A little touch therapy in this case. It won’t take long.”
She wasn’t sure she liked having Sloan’s slightly rough palms on her calf and knee. His big hands surrounded the injury without touching it. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.
“It’s really not that big a deal,” Kendall said. “A bandage ought to do the trick. Maybe a little iodine or something.” She looked at Fiona helplessly, suddenly afraid. For whatever reason, the two brothers acted as if her injury was so serious. “Could have been a wolf, I guess,” she said slowly, knowing very well that something huge had hit the jeep. Something that had meant to harm her.
A little of the shock began to wear off as Sloan cupped her ankle, sliding his hands back up her calf, his eyes still closed. “Whatever it was, it was big, though I’m not trying to exaggerate.” Sloan’s palms warmed her, and she could have sworn she felt pulses of electricity emitting from him into her skin. Even deeper, into her muscles.
His eyes opened, and she found herself gazing into them. “What is it?” she asked.
“Not a thing,” Sloan said. “Everything is fine. A little rest will make you feel a lot better. Rest. You will wake up soon, and all will be well.” He slowly moved his hand in a circular motion in front of her face, and that was the last thing Kendall remembered.
* * *
“I KNOW IT’S A HUMAN attack, but what else can you discern?” Galen asked as Sloan carefully eased Kendall’s head back onto a pillow so she could sleep comfortably. He estimated that between the shock and the blood loss, the hypnosis might keep her out for an hour—hopefully long enough to get her to the hospital.
“This is a knife injury.” Sloan pointed to specific areas of Kendall’s leg. “As Galen said, this wasn’t done by an animal or even by Kendall scraping herself on something on the jeep. You can sense the dark power radiating here and here,” he said, pointing for Jonas’s and Fiona’s benefit. “My guess is that they were planning to take her hostage.”
It bothered him to say that. Kendall was a free spirit. And delicate. Maybe too delicate to survive on this ranch now.
“How can you tell all that just from looking at her leg?” Jonas demanded.
Sloan shrugged. “It’s in between what she said and what she didn’t say happened. What she remembers and what her subconscious recalls. Put your hands here,” he told Jonas, “and you can feel more. Notice the smooth cut in the skin, which indicates a sharp edge of some kind. Very likely a knife. But here, where her skin is torn, you’ll note a slashing and tearing effect. Jagged. As you probably know, that has the markings of a military weapon. Something a commando might carry.”
Jonas looked at him. “And the rest of the oogie-
boogie?”
Sloan smiled. “Close your eyes. See what you see.”
Though he appeared doubtful, Jonas placed his hands where Sloan had, and closed his eyes.
He opened them after a moment, shaking his head. “I don’t see anything. I feel warmth in her skin, like infection might be threatening.”
Sloan nodded. “That, too. You’ll need to ascertain when she had her last tetanus shot. Galen can handle the stitch-up and bandaging.”
He stood, not wanting any part of stitching up Kendall. A woman like her who wore figure-hugging suits and sky-high, parrot-colored heels probably wouldn’t be pleased with the cosmetic results, though Galen was very good with a needle.
Galen wrapped Kendall’s leg efficiently. “I don’t want to do it,” he said. “She’s not going to thank whoever does the surgery.”
Sloan nodded. “Wise decision.” He looked at Jonas. “You should take her to your local hospital, but be prepared to answer questions, based on the severity of the injury.”
Jonas nodded. “I can take her.”
“Oh, my,” Fiona said. “I don’t think anyone knew that the danger was this close. Poor Kendall!”
Sloan looked at the sleeping woman and her now-bandaged leg. Blood would soak through fast enough. Kendall would likely be annoyed when she awakened; it didn’t take someone skilled in touch therapy to sense the general impatience and suffer-no-fools sentiment in her personality. And she was brave as hell for going through what had happened without panicking.
“I’ll come with you,” Sloan told his cousin. “Just in case.”
“Just in case what?” Jonas said. “This is Kendall. She’s gentle as a summer day.”
Sloan smiled. “You want to be the only one around when she wakes up at a hospital with stitches in her pretty leg?”
Jonas looked a bit unhappy. “I guess not.”
“Neither would I.” Sloan picked Kendall up gently, placing her against his chest and carrying her outside. He settled her carefully in the seat of the sedan Jonas had brought around. They got in and shut the doors.
“So you’re really riding along to make sure nothing else happens to her,” Jonas said. “You’re certain of your kidnapping theory, aren’t you?”
He was surprised his cousin had picked up more than he said. “I think she’s an easy target.”
“You don’t know Kendall very well.”
This was true. “Her size, her general innocence, lends your employee a vulnerable air.”
Jonas sped onto the main road. “She’s not very vulnerable.”
But she wasn’t prepared for whatever was determined to get to the Callahans, either. “She’s vulnerable,” Sloan said, “and she’s not as sweet as you’re painting her. I didn’t see you raising your hand to stitch her up.”
Jonas smiled. “True.”
“So don’t try to sell me on your employee,” Sloan said, “because I’m not buying.”
“Just checking,” Jonas said.
Sloan was glad to see that they were soon pulling into a community hospital parking lot. “I’ll stay outside.”
Jonas got out, indicating he needed a wheelchair and assistance from the emergency staff. “You sure?”
“Yeah.” Sloan looked at Kendall as she was gently placed into the wheelchair. “Good luck.”
Jonas grimaced and went off. Sloan glanced around the hospital grounds, looking for shadows. He figured one would be there somewhere. Whoever attacked Kendall knew they’d gotten in a good hit; they’d be expecting her to show up at the E.R. It was another reason he hadn’t pressed Galen to do the stitch-up. Sloan wanted to get a look at whoever was planted at the ranch, before they realized the Diablo Callahans had reinforcements. He hoped to get the jump on them.
He pulled his hat down low and tugged his bandanna up a little more around his neck, and waited.
Chapter Four
Kendall woke up, not happy with Callahans in general, whether Rancho Diablo Callahans or the Callahan cousins. Jonas and Sloan were both on her bad list. “Ouch.”
“Only nine stitches,” Jonas told her.
“Nine?” She lifted her knee to peer at her calf. “Guess I’m lucky.” Fear seeped back into her as she remembered the rush of something dark and sinister coming at her...