He’ll protect his child at any cost.

After discovering an intruder in his home, Deputy Owen Slater is terrified when he can’t find his infant daughter. He soon discovers his ranch manager is keeping her safe, leading him to realize Laney Martin is more than she seems. For the usually professional investigator, this case is extremely personal, and it leads right to Owen’s family. To get to the truth, they’ll need to work as a team, relying on every weapon in their arsenal—and sharing secrets they buried long ago.

DELORES FOSSEN, a USA TODAY bestselling author, has written over one hundred novels, with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received a Booksellers’ Best Award and an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. She was also a finalist for a prestigious RITA® Award. You can contact the author through her website at www.deloresfossen.com

Also by Delores Fossen

Safety Breach

Cowboy Above the Law

Finger on the Trigger

Lawman with a Cause

Under the Cowboy’s Protection

Always a Lawman

Gunfire on the Ranch

Lawman from Her Past

Roughshod Justice

Those Texas Nights

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

A Threat to His Family

Delores Fossen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90479-1

A THREAT TO HIS FAMILY

© 2019 Delores Fossen

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Deputy Owen Slater knew something was wrong the moment he stopped his truck in front of his house.

There were no lights on, not even the ones on the porch or in the upstairs window of the nursery. It was just a little past eight and that meant it was his daughter Addie’s bedtime, but she always slept with the lamp on.

If the electricity had gone off, the nanny, Francine Landry, would have almost certainly texted Owen to let him know. Besides, Owen had already spotted a light in the barn. That wasn’t unusual since the light was often left on there, but it meant the power definitely wasn’t out.

Because he was both a father and a cop, the bad thoughts came and his pulse kicked up hard and fast. Something had maybe gone wrong. Over the years, he’d made plenty of arrests, and it could be that someone wanted to get back at him. A surefire way to do that was to come here to his home, to a place where he thought he and his child were safe.

The panic came, shooting through him when he thought of his daughter being in danger. Addie was only eighteen months old, just a baby. He’d already lost her mother in childbirth and he couldn’t lose Addie, too.

That got Owen drawing his gun as he started running. He fired glances all around him in case this was an ambush, but no one came at him as he barreled up the porch steps.

Hell.

The front door was slightly ajar. That was another indication that something wasn’t right. Francine always kept things locked up tight now that Addie was walking and had developed some escape skills.

Owen didn’t call out to Francine, something he desperately wanted to do with the hope he’d hear her say that everything was okay. But if he called out, it could alert someone other than the nanny. Still, he prayed that she would come rushing in to give him some account for what was happening. But no good explanation came to mind.

Owen tried to rein in his heartbeat and breathing. Hard to do, though, when the stakes were this high, but he forced himself to remember his training and experience. That meant requesting backup before he started a search of the area. He quickly texted his brother Kellan to get there ASAP so he’d have some help if needed.

The tight knot in Owen’s gut told him it would be needed.

And Kellan was the best backup Owen could ask for. Not only was he the sheriff of their hometown of Longview Ridge, he lived just two miles away. Kellan could be there in no time.

Using his elbow, Owen nudged the door open all the way and glanced around. His house had an open floor plan, so with a single sweeping glance, he could take in the living room, kitchen and dining area. Or at least he could have done that had it not been so blasted dark. There were way too many shadows. Too many places for someone to hide.

Owen flipped the light switch. Nothing. That snowballed the wildfire concerns because it meant someone could have cut off the power to the house. He doubted this was some kind of electric malfunction because if it had been, Francine would have gotten out the candles and flashlights since she was well aware of Addie’s fear of the dark.

Even though his brother would be here in minutes, Owen didn’t want to wait for him. The thought of his baby hurt and scared got him moving. With a two-handed grip on his gun, he checked behind the sofa, making sure he continued to keep watch. No one was there, so he moved to the dining room. Still no one.

But he heard something.

There were footsteps upstairs. Not Addie’s toddling feet, either. These were heavy and slow, probably the way his own steps would sound if he were up there looking around. Owen turned to head in that direction in case it was Francine, but that was when he noticed the back door was open, too. And there were sounds coming from the yard.

“Shh,” someone whispered. “We need to play the quiet game.”

Because the voice was so ragged, it took Owen a moment to realize it was Laney Martin, his ranch manager. That sent him hurrying straight to the door, and he saw Laney running toward the barn. She had Addie clutched to her chest, her hand cupping the back of the baby’s head.

Owen didn’t call out to them, but he did catch a glimpse of Laney’s face as they ducked into the barn. She was terrified. He hadn’t needed anything to up his own level of fear, but that did it. He ran across the yard and went straight into the barn. He heard another sound. Laney’s sharp gasp.

“It’s me,” Owen whispered just in case she thought it was someone else who’d followed them in there.

Laney had already moved to the far corner of the barn next to a stack of hay bales. When she shifted her position, Owen could see his baby’s face. Addie was smiling as if this were indeed a fun game. It was good that she was too young to realize the danger they were in.

“Where’s Francine?” he asked. “Is she in the house?”

Laney shook her head. “The nursing home called about her mom a half hour ago.” While her voice was level enough for him to understand her, each word had come through her panting breaths. “Francine asked me to watch Addie while she went over there to check on her.”

Francine’s mom had dementia so it wasn’t unusual for the nanny to get calls about her. However, this was the first time she’d left Addie with Laney. Maybe, though, Francine had done that because she’d known Owen would soon be home.

An intruder who’d been watching the place would have known that, too.

“Who’s in the house?” he asked.

Another head shake from Laney. “A man.”

Not that he needed it, but Owen had more confirmation of the danger. He saw that Laney had a gun, a small snub-nosed .38. It didn’t belong to him, nor was it one that he’d ever seen in the guesthouse where Laney was staying. Later, he’d ask her about it, about why she hadn’t mentioned that she had a weapon, but for now they obviously had a much bigger problem.

Owen texted this brother again, to warn him about the intruder so that Kellan didn’t walk into a situation that could turn deadly. He also asked Kellan to call in more backup. If the person upstairs started shooting, Owen wanted all the help he could get.

“What happened?” Owen whispered to Laney.

She opened her mouth, paused and then closed it as if she’d changed her mind about what to say. “About ten minutes ago, I was in the kitchen with Addie when the power went off. A few seconds later, a man came in through the front door and I hid in the pantry with her until he went upstairs.”

Smart thinking on Laney’s part to hide instead of panicking or confronting the guy. But it gave Owen an uneasy feeling that Laney could think that fast under such pressure. And then there was the gun again. Where had she gotten it? The guesthouse was on the other side of the backyard, much farther away than the barn. If she’d gone to the guesthouse to get the gun, why hadn’t she just stayed there with Addie? It would have been safer than running across the yard with the baby.

“Did you get a good look at the man?” Owen prompted.

Laney again shook her head. “But I heard him. When he stepped into the house, I knew it wasn’t you, so I guessed it must be trouble.”

Again, quick thinking on her part. He wasn’t sure why, though, that gave him a very uneasy feeling.

“I didn’t hear or see a vehicle,” Laney added.

Owen hadn’t seen one, either, which meant the guy must have come on foot. Not impossible, but Owen’s ranch was a good half mile from the main road. If this was a thief, he wasn’t going to get away with much. Plus, it would be damn brazen of some idiot to break into a cop’s home just to commit a robbery.

So what was really going on?

Owen glanced around the barn, also keeping watch on the yard in case the intruder followed them out here. Part of him wanted that to happen so he could make the piece of dirt pay for putting Addie and Laney through this.

There were no ranch hands around that he could see. Not a surprise. He ran a small operation and only had three full-time hands and Laney, who managed the place. Other than Laney, none of the others lived on the grounds. Not even Francine, since she had her own house only a couple of miles away.

He glanced at the light switch and considered turning it off, but that might only make things worse. If the intruder saw it, he would know they were in the barn, and he might come out there with guns blazing.

Owen’s phone dinged with a text message from Kellan.

I’m here, parked just up the road from your truck. Where is he?

Owen texted back.

Still in the house, I think.

But the moment he fired off the message, Owen saw something in the back doorway of the house. The moonlight glinted off metal and he caught a glimpse of the gun. That confirmed his worst fears, though he couldn’t actually see the person holding the weapon. That was because he was likely dressed in all black and staying in the shadows.

Owen ducked back to avoid the barn light. That light probably helped Addie since she wasn’t fretting as she usually did in the dark, but it might seem like a beacon to some thug looking to start trouble.

“Stay down,” Owen instructed Laney. “I’ll see if I can draw this guy out into the open—”

“You could be shot,” she said before he even finished, her voice shaking.

Yeah, he could be, but if anyone was going to become a target, Owen wanted it to be him. He didn’t want any shots fired into the barn or anywhere near Addie.

He texted Kellan to let him know that he was about to head out the back of the barn. He could then use the corral fence and nearby shrubs for cover to circle around the house.

Keep watch of the front, Owen added to the text.

He didn’t intend to let this joker get away. He wanted to know who he was and why he’d broken in.

Owen eased the barn door shut and moved a saddle in front of it to block it. It wouldn’t stop anyone for long, which was why he had to hurry. He ran to the back of the barn and climbed out through the opening sometimes used to push hay into the corral. When his feet hit the ground, he took a quick look around him.

No one.

No sounds, either. If the intruder was coming their way, he was being quiet about it. Owen tried to do the same as he made his way to the front side of the barn to take a look at the back porch.

Owen cursed.

The guy with the gun was no longer in sight, but the door was still open. Maybe he’d stepped back into the shadows to look for them. But that didn’t make sense, either. By now, the intruder must have spotted Owen’s truck, which was rigged with a police siren, and would have known that he had called for backup. That meant he possibly could have already fled the scene.

His phone dinged again with a text message. Owen was about to look down at the screen when he heard a sound he didn’t want to hear.

A gunshot cracked through the air.

It didn’t go into the part of the barn where Laney and Addie were, thank God, but it did slam into the wood right next to where Owen was standing. That forced him to move back. And to wait. He didn’t have to wait long. However, this time it wasn’t another shot. It was a man’s voice.

“Elaine?” a man yelled. “I know you’re out there.”

Owen had no idea who this Elaine was, so maybe this was a case of the thug showing up at the wrong place.

Except, wasn’t Laney a nickname for Elaine?

Was this man someone from Laney’s past? Maybe an old boyfriend who’d come to settle a score?

If so, she’d never mentioned it and nothing had shown up about relationship issues in the background check he’d run on her, and he’d been pretty darn thorough since Laney would be living so close to Addie and him. While he continued to volley glances all around him, Owen checked his phone screen and saw the text from Kellan.

I’m moving to the right side of your house.

Good. There was a door there, just off the playroom. Maybe Kellan would be able to slip into the house and get a look at this guy. Or, better yet, arrest him.

“I’m Deputy Owen Slater,” Owen called out. “Put down your weapon and come out with your hands up.”

It was something that, as a cop, Owen needed to say. He had to identify himself in the hope it would cause the idiot to surrender. Of course, it was just as likely to cause him to fire more shots. If he did, Owen would be justified in using deadly force.

But no other shots. Just another shout.

“Elaine?” the man yelled again.

Owen used the sound of the man’s voice to try to pinpoint his location. He was definitely no longer by the back door. Nowhere near it. This guy was in the guesthouse, where Laney lived. How he’d gotten there, Owen didn’t know, but it was possible that he’d climbed through a window.

Since the intruder was now on the same side of the yard as Owen, it made him an easy target, and that was why he hurried back into the barn. He glanced at Laney. Or rather, where he’d last seen Addie and her, but Laney had moved a few feet. She had positioned herself behind the hay bales and was using one as support for her shooting hand.

“Where’s the baby?” Owen immediately asked.

“On the floor behind me. She’s playing with my necklace. I wanted to be between the door and her in case... Well, just in case,” Laney added.

Just in case wasn’t looking very good right now. But at least they were all still safe. He heard Addie then, and she wasn’t fussing. It was more of a cooing babble, so the necklace must have been holding her attention.

“Elaine?” the man called out. He had moved since his last shout, but Owen wasn’t sure to where. He also wasn’t sure of Laney’s reaction.

The color had blanched from her face and he didn’t think it was because of the danger. Owen didn’t have to be a cop to figure out what that meant.

“You know this guy,” he said.

She didn’t deny it, causing Owen to curse under his breath.

“What does he want with you?” Owen demanded.

She didn’t get a chance to answer him because the man shouted again. “Elaine, let’s do this the easy way. Come out now and leave with me, and no one will get hurt.”

Hell. There was a good bit of anger now mixed with fear for his daughter. Anger that this thug would try to bargain like this. No way was Owen going to let Laney leave with a man who’d just fired a shot at him.

“Watch out!” someone yelled. Not the thug this time. It was Kellan. “He’s coming right at you.”

That wasn’t the only thing that came, either. There was a gunshot, quickly followed by another one. From the sound of it, the second shot had come from a different weapon.

Maybe Kellan’s.

Owen hoped it had anyway. Because he didn’t like the odds if this intruder had brought his own version of backup with him.

He debated opening the barn door so he could help his brother, but since this guy was likely coming for them, Owen’s top priority was to make sure that Addie was protected. He hurried to Laney and Addie, standing guard in front of them and waiting for whatever was about to happen.

Owen didn’t have to wait long. Someone kicked the barn door hard, and bits of wood went flying. The saddle shifted, too, and Owen steeled himself to fire. He was about to do that when he got a glimpse of the person who’d just broken down the door. The man, dressed in black, took aim at them. However, before Owen could pull the trigger, shots blasted through the barn.

Laney had fired.

And she hadn’t missed.

The bullets, first one and then the other, slammed into the man’s chest and he dropped to the ground like a stone. If he wasn’t dead, he soon would be, because he was already bleeding out.

Addie started to cry so Owen hurried to her. The relief came flooding through him because his baby was okay. She hadn’t been hurt.

He didn’t scoop her up into his arms, something he desperately wanted to do. First, he had to wait for the all clear from Kellan, and that might take a couple of minutes. In the meantime, Owen would need to hold his position. However, that didn’t stop him from asking one critical question.

Owen’s eyes narrowed when he looked at Laney. “Start talking. Who the heck are you?”

Chapter Two

From the moment this nightmare had started, Laney had known that question—and many more—would come from Owen.

Who the heck are you?

No way would Owen Slater just let something like this go. Of course, he probably thought her answer would help him understand this mess. It wouldn’t. In fact, it was going to make things even worse.

At least he and Addie hadn’t been hurt. And the toddler was so young that she hopefully wouldn’t remember anything about this attack. However, the assault would stay with Owen for the rest of his life, and Laney was never going to be able to forgive herself for allowing things to come to this.

Sweet heaven. She could have gotten them killed.

With his scalpel-sharp glare, Owen reminded her that he was well aware of that, too. In fact, the only reason he likely didn’t take Addie from Laney when she picked up the baby was that he needed to keep his shooting hand free in case someone else fired at them.

She glanced at the man she’d just shot. Who the heck was he? How had he known who she was? And why had he done this? He hadn’t given her any choice, but it still twisted away at her. A man was dying or already dead because of her. And worse, this wasn’t over. If she’d managed to somehow keep him alive, he might have been coerced into telling her who’d put him up to this, but she’d had no choice but to take that shot.

“Who are you?” Owen repeated.

Judging from the tone and his intense glare, he no longer trusted her. Good. Because Laney didn’t trust herself.

It crushed her to have it all come to this. She’d thought she was safe, that Addie and Owen would be safe, too. Obviously she’d brought her fight right to their doorstep.

“I was Elaine Pearce,” she said, speaking around the lump in her throat, “but I changed my name to Laney Martin.”

Of course, that explanation was just the tip of the iceberg. Owen would demand to know about not only the name change, but also how it connected to the dead man. And how it connected to this attack.

Owen sent a text to someone. Probably to one of his fellow deputies to do a quick background check on Elaine Pearce. It was what Laney would have done had their positions been reversed.

“I want you to put your gun on the hay bale,” he instructed. He sounded like a cop now, and he looked at her as if she were a criminal.

Laney did exactly as he said, knowing the gun would be taken as part as of the evidence in what was now a crime scene. An investigation would quickly follow, which meant she’d be questioned and requestioned. Soon, everyone in town would know who she was, and she’d be in more danger than she already was. That was why she had to figure a way out of here—fast.

“Elaine Pearce,” he repeated. “And you didn’t think that was something I should know?” Owen grumbled. “You didn’t bother to mention that you weren’t who you were claiming to be?”

“No.” Laney took another deep breath. “I thought I’d find the info that I needed and be out of here before anything could happen.”

“You were obviously wrong about that.” He gave a disapproving grunt and went to the man, kicking his gun farther away from where it had fallen from the shooter’s hand. Owen then touched his fingers to the guy’s neck.

“Dead,” Owen relayed as he did a quick search of the guy’s pockets. Nothing. Of course, he hadn’t expected a hired gun to bring an actual ID with him.

“You recognize him?” Owen asked.

Laney somehow managed to stand upright, though every part of her was trembling. She also moved closer to Owen and then made another quick check on Addie. The little girl’s cries were already starting to taper off, but she’d obviously been frightened by the noise of the gunshots.

A muscle tightened in Owen’s jaw and, though Laney hadn’t thought it possible, his steel-gray eyes narrowed even more when he glared at her. He made a circling motion with his index finger for her to continue, but before Laney even had the chance to do that, his phone rang. She saw his brother’s name on the screen. In the months that she’d been working for Owen, she’d met Kellan several times and knew he lived close by. She had figured Owen had called him or their other brothers for backup.

“This conversation isn’t over,” Owen assured her as he hit the answer button on his phone. He didn’t put the call on speaker, but Laney was close enough to hear Kellan’s voice.

“There’s a second intruder,” Kellan blurted out, causing a chill to ripple through her.

Laney hurried back to Addie and pulled the little girl into her arms. Because of her position, she could no longer hear what Kellan was saying. But judging from the way Owen’s gaze fired around, he, too, was bracing himself for another attack. He didn’t stay on the phone long and, once he was finished with his conversation, maneuvered himself in front of them.

“The second guy was in the guesthouse,” Owen told her. “He ran into the woods across the road. Kellan and Gunnar are searching for him now and they’ve called Dispatch for more backup.”

Gunnar was Deputy Gunnar Pullam, someone else that Laney had seen around town. Like Owen, he was an experienced lawman. Something they needed right now. Maybe they’d find the second man and stop him from circling back to try to kill them again. The thought didn’t help with her heartbeat, which was already thudding out of control. Addie must have picked up on that, too, because she started to whimper again. Laney began to rock her.

“Kellan said the second man had something with him when he ran out of the guesthouse,” Owen went on. “A bag, maybe.” His back was to her now, but she didn’t need to see his face to know he was still glaring. “Any idea what he took?”

Laney’s thoughts were all over the place as she tried to fight off the panic, but it didn’t take her long to come up with an answer. “Maybe my toothbrush or something else with my DNA on it. Something to prove who I am.”

Other than changing her hair and wearing colored contacts, she hadn’t altered her appearance that much. If they’d looked closely enough, whoever was after her could have recognized her from old photos she was certain were still out there on the web. But a hired gun would have wanted some kind of proof to give to his boss and DNA would have done it.

That didn’t feel right, though.

She fought through the whirlwind of thoughts and spiked adrenaline, and remembered that one of the intruders had called her by her real name. Elaine. And the one she’d killed had come into the barn to either take her with him or gun her down. So maybe they hadn’t been looking for someone to prove who she was. Maybe they’d been after something else in the guesthouse and the man she’d shot had been just a distraction for his partner.

“My laptop,” she added on a rise of breath. Though everything on it was password protected or stored on a cloud with several layers of security, a good hacker would be able to find what she had there.

“Keep talking,” Owen ordered her while he continued volleying glances between the front door and the window at the back. “Why’d you lie to me about who you were?”

Again, this would only lead to more questions, but she doubted that she could stall Owen, especially since the sense of danger was still so thick around them.

“I lied because I didn’t want anyone, including you, to know my real identity.” Laney paused when her breath suddenly became very thin. “I’m working on an investigation, and the clues led me here to Longview Ridge.”

Owen pulled back his shoulders. “Are you a cop?”

“A private investigator.”

Owen growled out some profanity under his breath and looked as if he wanted to do more than growl it. He’d kept it quiet, no doubt because his daughter was right there, but thankfully Addie was falling asleep, her head now resting on Laney’s shoulder.

“So, you’re a PI and a liar,” Owen rumbled. Obviously he didn’t think much of either. “I obviously missed way too much about you when I did your background check. And now you’ve put my little girl, me and now Gunner and my brother in danger.”

Yes. She’d done all of those things and more. “I’m investigating Emerson Keaton.”

She saw the brief moment of surprise, followed by a new round of silent profanity that went through his eyes. “My brother-in-law. Addie’s uncle.”

Laney could add another mental yes to that. Emerson was indeed both of those things, along with being the town’s district attorney. She was also convinced that he had a fourth label.

Killer.

Of course, there was no way Owen would believe that, and she wasn’t going to be able to convince him of it now. Laney couldn’t blame him for his doubts. Nearly everything she’d told him had been a lie, including the résumé and references she’d manufactured to get this job.

Owen’s intense stare demanded that she continue even though they obviously still had to keep watch.

“Seven months ago, my half sister was murdered. Hadley Odom.” Laney had said Hadley’s name around the thick lump in her throat. “We were close.”

Not a lie. They had been, despite the different ways they’d chosen to live their lives.

“What the heck does your half sister’s murder have to do with Emerson?” Owen snapped.

“Everything,” Laney managed to say, and she repeated it to give herself some extra time to gather her words and her breath. “Hadley and Emerson had an affair.”

“Emerson?” Owen challenged when she paused. There was a bucket of skepticism in his tone. With good reason. Emerson was the golden boy of Longview Ridge. He had a beautiful wife, two young kids and a spotless reputation. “I’ve known Emerson my whole life, and there’s never been a hint of him having an affair.”

“He and Hadley kept it secret. Not just for Emerson’s sake but for Hadley’s. Hadley and I had the same mother, but her father, my stepfather, wouldn’t have approved.” Actually, Laney hadn’t approved, either, but it was impossible to sway Hadley once she’d had her mind set on something.

Owen stayed quiet for a moment, his expression hard, ice-cold. “You have proof of this?”

“I heard Hadley talking to him on the phone, and I saw them together once when they were at a restaurant.”

Of course, that wasn’t proof she thought Owen was just going to accept. And she was right. Owen’s scowl only worsened.

“Hadley told me they were having an affair.” She spelled it out for him. “She also told me that she got very upset when he broke things off with her. In anger, Hadley threatened to tell his wife and, less than twelve hours later, she was dead.”

“And you think Emerson killed her.” It wasn’t a question.

Owen wasn’t believing any of this. Neither had anyone else she’d told, but Laney had plenty of proof that she was pushing the wrong buttons with her investigation.

She tipped her head to the dead man. “He came here after me. Why else would he do that if I weren’t getting close to proving what Emerson did?”

Owen didn’t roll his eyes, but it was close. Then he huffed, “If you’re really a PI as you say you are, then I suspect you’ve riled some people. You’ve certainly done that to me.”

“Yes, but you don’t want me dead. Emerson does.”

However, she had to mentally shake her head. Someone wanted to kill her and the most obvious suspect was the one she was investigating. But there was someone else and her expression must have let Owen know that.

“Remembering something else?” Owen snapped.

No way did she want to lie to him again, but before Laney could even begin to answer him, she heard footsteps outside the barn. That gave her another shot of adrenaline and she crouched again with Addie.

“It’s me,” someone said.

Kellan.

Not the threat her body had been geared up to face. However, like Owen, Kellan was scowling when he came into the barn. He glanced at his brother and niece. Then at the dead man. Then at Laney. She didn’t think it was her imagination that she got the brunt of the scowl he was doling out.

“We got the second intruder,” Kellan explained. “He’s alive.”

Laney released the breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding. “Who is he?” she blurted. “Has he said anything?”

“Oh, he’s talking a lot,” Kellan grumbled. “He’s demanding to see you. He says he’s a friend of yours, that you’re the one who hired him.”

“No.” Laney couldn’t deny that fast enough. “He’s lying.”

Judging from the flat look Kellan gave her, he wasn’t buying it. Apparently, neither was Owen because he walked closer and took Addie from her. He immediately moved next to his brother.

“There’s more,” Kellan added a moment later. “The intruder says that you hired him to kill Owen.”

Chapter Three

Owen hadn’t wanted to spend half the night in the sheriff’s office, where he spent most of his days, but he hadn’t had a choice. This was not just a simple B and E, and with the shooting death of one of the intruders, it was a tangled mess.

One not likely to be resolved before morning.

That was because Laney had denied hiring the intruder, and the intruder was insisting he was telling the truth. That put them at a temporary stalemate. Or at least it would have if Owen had any faith in the intruder. Hard to trust someone who’d come to his home and broken in while his baby daughter had been there. Of course, the reason the intruder had come was Laney.

That meant this was another stalemate.

One that he hoped to break soon.

There was an entire CSI team going through his place, which meant he wouldn’t be going home tonight. The only silver lining was that Francine had taken Addie to her place. Not alone, either. Owen had sent Gunnar with them just case this “mess” got another layer to it with a second attack.

In the meantime, Owen had been in the mind-set of collecting as much information as he could through phone conversations and emails. He hadn’t done all of that under Laney’s watchful eyes and alert ears, either. He’d left her in his office for some of those calls and was now trying to process everything he’d learned.

Laney hadn’t been idle, either. She’d made a call, too. With a cheap, disposable cell phone, he’d noticed. And Owen had made sure he kept his ears alert during her conversation. She’d spoken to someone she called Joe and told him to be careful.

That was it.

The chat had lasted less than five seconds and then Laney had immediately surrendered the phone to Owen. Not that it had been of any use to him since Joe hadn’t answered when Owen had tried to call him. Laney had briefly—very briefly—explained that Joe Henshaw was her assistant, and that she didn’t know where he was. Neither did Owen or the San Antonio cops helping him look for the guy.

“I didn’t hire that man to kill you,” Laney repeated when Owen finished his latest call, this one to the medical examiner.

Declaring and redeclaring her innocence was something Laney had been going on about during the entire five hours they’d been there. He suspected she would continue to go on about it until the intruder either recanted or Kellan and he were indeed able to prove that he was lying.

Owen figured proving it wouldn’t be that hard.

However, they couldn’t even start doing that because the guy had lawyered up and they now had to wait for the attorney to arrive from San Antonio. Until then, they were holding not only the intruder but also Laney. Owen had not yet decided if she was a suspect, but he was pretty sure Laney—or rather Elaine—was going to be the key to them figuring out what the hell was going on.

“The guy you shot and killed was Harvey Dayton,” Owen told her. He’d just gotten the ID during his call with the ME. “Ring any bells?”

“No,” she answered without hesitation. “And I’m sure I’ve never seen him before, either. His prints were in the system,” Laney added in a mutter. “That’s how you got the ID this fast?”

He nodded. “Dayton had a record,” Owen settled for saying.

What he didn’t spell out for her was that the rap sheet was a mile long, and yeah, it included a couple of assault charges with a pattern of escalating violence. Along with a history of drug use, which made him a prime candidate for becoming a hired gun for people who wanted cheap help.

“Did Dayton say what he took from the guesthouse?” Laney asked.

Good question because, other than a gun, Dayton hadn’t had anything on him when Kellan and Gunnar had found him. The CSIs would search the area, but Dayton had been captured by the road, a good quarter mile from Owen’s ranch. There was no telling where he’d put whatever it was he’d taken.

“Your laptop is missing,” Owen added, and he instantly saw the frustration and anger in her eyes.

“I keep copies of my files in online storage,” she said with a heavy sigh. “But everything was also on my hard drive. It means whoever took it won’t have trouble accessing everything.”

Later, he’d want to know more about exactly what was on it. For now, Owen went with giving her more info that would then lead to more questions. Hopefully, more answers, too. “Your toothbrush was there, so that axes your DNA theory. Your purse was open, and your wallet and cell phone were gone. No jewelry around, either, so if you had any—”

“The only jewelry I have is this.” Laney touched her fingers to the gold dragonfly necklace that she’d gotten back from Addie. There was also a small key on the chain. “It was a gift from my sister.” She paused. “You really think the motive for this was robbery?”

“No.” Owen didn’t have to think about that.

The gunman had called her by name and come to the barn. Plus, nothing was missing from his house. If this had been a robbery, they would have taken his wallet and anything else of value. They also would have had a vehicle stashed nearby, and so far, one hadn’t turned up.

“And the second man, the one who’s lying about me, any ID on him yet?” she queried.

“Rohan Gilley.” Owen watched for any signs of recognition.

She repeated the name several times, the way a person would when they were trying to jog their memory. But then Laney shook her head. “He had a record, too?”

Owen settled for a nod. Gilley’s rap sheet was almost identical to Dayton’s, just slightly shorter. They’d even served time together.

“Gilley’s lying to save his hide,” Laney grumbled. “Or because someone put him up to it.” She added some muttered profanity to go along with that.

The last five hours hadn’t improved her mood much. She was just as wired as she had been during the attack. At least, though, she wasn’t trembling now. For reasons he didn’t want to explore, the trembling got to Owen, and right now the only thing he wanted to feel for this woman was the cool indifference he felt toward anyone who’d been involved in any way with a crime.

But indifference was impossible.

If she was telling the truth about not hiring Gilley—and he believed that she was—then that meant she was a victim, one who’d saved his daughter by getting her out of harm’s way. Hard for something that big not to be on the proverbial table.

Laney’s tough exterior, or rather the front she’d tried to put on for him, cracked a little. She didn’t go back to trembling, but it was close, and before she could gather her composure, he caught another glimpse of nerves.

Big ones.

She was a PI—he’d confirmed that—but this could have been the first time she’d actually been in the middle of an attack. Maybe the first time she had been a target, too.

Along with having a good aim, she had an athletic build and was on the petite side, only about five-three.

And attractive.

Something he hated that he noticed, but it was impossible to miss. Being a widower hadn’t made him blind. However, he still had plenty of common sense that reminded him that Laney had way too many secrets behind those cool blue eyes.

“The CSIs found a jammer,” Owen went on a moment later. “That’s how Dayton and or Gilley cut off the electricity.”

She stayed quiet for a moment. “That proves I’m innocent. I wouldn’t have needed to jam the power since I was already in the house.” Her eyes widened. “Did you check to make sure Francine really had an emergency? Those men wanted me there, and they could have tricked Francine into leaving.”

At least Laney wasn’t accusing the nanny of any wrongdoing, but it was a clever observation. An accurate one, too. “The call from the nursing home was bogus.” Of course, Francine hadn’t learned that until she’d gotten there to check on her mom. By then, the attack at the ranch had already been in progress.

“More proof,” Laney said under her breath. She looked up, her eyes meeting his. “If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have kept Addie there. I would have told Francine I couldn’t watch the girl so that Francine would have had to take Addie with her.”

That was the way Owen had it figured, too, which was why he was leaning toward the conclusion that Laney was innocent. Of the attack anyway. But there was a boatload of other troubling concerns here. Not just the lies that she’d told him about her identity and work résumé, but there was also the problem with the accusation about Emerson.

“Go back over what you told me in the barn,” Owen insisted. “Tell me about your half sister’s murder.”

This would be a third round of Laney doing that, but thanks to an emailed report he’d gotten from the San Antonio PD in the past hour, Owen knew that Hadley’s death had indeed been ruled a murder. She’d died from blunt-force trauma to the head. No eyewitnesses, no suspects. Well, no official suspects for SAPD. Laney clearly felt differently about that.

“Hadley and Emerson had an affair.” Laney stared at him. “I’m not going to change my story, no matter how many times you have me repeat it.”

That was what he figured, but this was another square filler, like calling out his identity to the intruder. It was especially necessary because she’d lied to him about who she was.

Something that still riled him to the core.

Hell, here he was a cop, and he hadn’t known one of his employees was living under an alias. Of course, there was no way he would have hired her had he known who she was and what she was after. That got Owen thinking—exactly what was she after anyway?

“Did you think I was covering up about my brother-in-law?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her answer came quickly, causing him to huff. If she truly believed Emerson had murdered her sister, then she’d just accused Owen of assorted felonies by not reporting the crime and obstructing justice. An accusation she must have realized because her gaze darted away. “I know you’re close to him.”

Yeah, he was. Emerson had helped him get through Naomi’s death. Those days had been so dark, Owen would have slid right down into the deepest, darkest hole if it hadn’t been for Addie and Emerson.

Of course, Emerson had been grieving, too, since he’d lost his only sister that day. Naomi and Emerson had been close, and while Owen didn’t have the deep connection with Emerson that Naomi had, Owen respected the man, especially after Naomi’s death when Emerson and he had been drawn together in grief. Maybe “misery loves company” had worked for both of them. Though there were times when Owen wondered if anything had actually worked. The grief could still slice through him.

“Tell me why you think Emerson killed Hadley,” Owen demanded. “And stick to only what you can prove. Gut feelings don’t count here.”

Her mouth tightened a little. “Hadley told me it got ugly when her relationship with Emerson was over. Like I said, she threatened to tell his wife, and then Emerson threatened her. He said he’d hurt her if she didn’t keep her mouth shut.”

Emerson could have a hot head. Owen had even been on the receiving end of one of his punches in high school when they’d disagreed over the score in a pick-up basketball game. But it was a big stretch to go from a punch to hurting a woman, much less killing her.

“That isn’t proof,” Owen quickly pointed out. “It’s hearsay.”

Laney didn’t dodge his gaze this time. “I have pictures.”

That got his attention. There’d been nothing about that in the police report. “Pictures?” he challenged.

She nodded. “Of Emerson and Hadley together.” Another pause, then she mumbled something he didn’t catch. “Hadley told me about them and said she kept them in a safe-deposit box.”

Owen wasn’t sure what to react to first. That there could be pictures or that this was the first he was hearing about it. “And you didn’t bother to tell the cops that?” he snarled.

“I did tell them, but I didn’t know where they were. Hadley hadn’t given me the name of the bank where she had the box.” Her forehead bunched up. “I didn’t ask, either, because I didn’t know how important those pictures were going to become.”

“They still might not be important. If the photos exist, they could possibly be proof of an affair and nothing more.” Though it twisted at his insides to think Emerson could have cheated on his wife.

Laney made a sound of disagreement. “They’re important. Because they’re the first step in proving that Emerson carried through on his threat to hurt her.”

Owen glanced at the key on the chain around her neck and groaned. “That’s for the safe-deposit box?”

Her response wasn’t so quick this time. “Yes, I believe it is. And I’ll give it to the cops when I find out which bank has the photos. By cops, I mean the San Antonio Police, not anyone who has a personal connection to Emerson.”

Of course. Laney wouldn’t trust him with the key because she believed he would tip off Emerson. Or destroy the pictures.

He wouldn’t.

If Owen did find something like that, he would do his job. But he doubted he could convince Laney of that. Doubted, too, that he could convince her of anything else right now.

“If there are photos and a safe-deposit box, they could be anywhere,” he pointed out. “You need help finding them... Joe Henshaw’s helping you with that.”

She nodded. “He’s a PI, too, and we became friends in a grief support group. He lost both his parents when they were murdered. Sorry,” Laney added.

The apology was no doubt because his father had been murdered, too, about a year ago, not long after Owen had lost his wife. His father had been gunned down by an unknown perp who was still out there. Owen had hope, though, that the case would be solved since they had an eyewitness. Too bad the witness had received a head injury and couldn’t remember squat about what had happened. But maybe one day she would remember.

One day.

Even though it had nearly killed Owen to lose Naomi, it was a deeper cut to lose his father. Naomi’s death had been a medical problem. A blood clot that had formed during delivery. But his dad’s life had been purposely taken. Murdered. And all of Owen’s skills learned in training as a cop hadn’t been able to stop it. Or bring the killer to justice.

Owen pushed that all aside, as he usually did when it came to his father, and went to the next item he needed to discuss with Laney.

“Tell me about Terrance McCoy.”

She raked her finger over her eyebrow and shifted her posture a little. “SAPD told you about the restraining order.” That was all she said for several moments. But yes, they had. “Then you also know that Terrance was a former client who wasn’t happy with the outcome of an investigation I did for him.”

That was a lukewarm explanation of a situation that had gotten pretty intense. Apparently, Terrance had hired Laney to do a thorough background check on a woman he’d met on an online dating site. When Laney hadn’t turned up any red flags, Terrance had continued to see the woman, who ultimately swindled him out of a sizable chunk of his trust fund. He blamed Laney for that and had even accused her of being in cahoots with the swindler. No proof of that, though.

“Terrance assaulted you,” Owen reminded her, letting her know what info he’d been given about the restraining order. “And he’s been out of jail for weeks now. He could have hired those men who came after you tonight.”

She looked him in the eyes again when she agreed with him. “Yes, and Joe is looking for Terrance now.”

Apparently that had come up in the short conversation she’d had with Joe. Or maybe Joe agreed that Terrance was definitely a person of interest here.

“The San Antonio cops are looking for Terrance, too,” Owen added.

After what had just happened, Terrance was at the top of their list of suspects. Ditto for anyone else Laney might have rubbed the wrong way. There were maybe other former clients out there. Dangerous ones. And because of the danger to Laney, Owen wasn’t going to forget that Addie had been put in danger, too.

“I hate to ask, because I know it’s just going to rile you even more than you already are,” Laney said, “but could this be about your father?”

Yes, he’d considered it. Briefly. And then he’d dismissed it, and Owen was pretty sure the dismissal had been objective. Hard to be completely objective when it came to that kind of raw grief, but he thought he’d managed it.

“I’ll be investigating all angles,” Owen assured her. But he’d be looking especially hard at any of those directly connected to Laney.

Laney and Owen both glanced up when there was movement in the doorway of his office. She practically jumped to her feet when she saw their visitor.

Emerson.

The man was wearing a rumpled suit, sporting some dark stubble and equally dark circles beneath his eyes. Emerson looked about as happy to be there as Owen was.

It probably wasn’t a surprise to Laney that Owen had called his brother-in-law. Nor was it a surprise that Emerson had come. It’d taken him a couple of hours to get there because he’d had to drive in from Austin where he’d been away on a business trip.

Emerson frowned at Laney after sparing her only a glance, and then he looked at Owen. “Please tell me you have her accusations cleared up by now so I can go home and get some sleep.”

“He hasn’t cleared it up.” Laney jumped in to answer before Owen could respond.

Emerson gave a weary sigh and rubbed his hand over his face. “Has she given you any proof whatsoever?” he asked.

Owen went still. It was a simple enough question, but it didn’t feel like the right thing to say. He would have preferred to hear Emerson belt out a denial, tacking on some outrage that anyone was accusing him of cheating on his wife. There was something else that bothered him, too.

“You know Laney?” Owen asked him. “Elaine,” he corrected. He waited because he had already seen the recognition in Emerson’s eyes.

“I know her,” Emerson stormed. “She’s the PI who pestered me with calls about her sister. I told her to back off or I’d get a restraining order.”

Arching his eyebrow, Owen shifted his attention to Laney and she acknowledged that with a nod. So, before tonight, Emerson had known about Laney’s accusations, but he hadn’t said a word about it to Owen. Something he should have done. Then again, maybe Emerson hadn’t considered Laney enough of a credible threat.

“Emerson?” a woman called out, causing the man to groan.

Owen wasn’t pleased, either, or especially surprised when Emerson’s wife, Nettie, came hurrying through the front door, heading straight for them. “When you didn’t answer your cell, I called the house, looking for you,” Owen explained to Emerson. “Nettie answered, but I didn’t tell her about Laney or the attack.”

Emerson nodded and gave a resigned sigh. “Something like this won’t stay quiet for long.”

No. It wouldn’t. And Nettie’s expression was sporting a lot of concern. Ditto for the rest of her. Nettie was usually dressed to the nines, but tonight she was in yoga pants and a T-shirt. Her blond hair hadn’t been combed and her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying.

“God, you’re all right.” Nettie threw herself into Emerson’s arms. “I was so worried.”

Owen glanced at Laney, and as expected, she was studying the couple. There was a different kind of worry and concern on her face. She was looking at them the way a cop would. No doubt to see if there were any signs that this was a marriage on the rocks because of a cheating husband. No signs, though. Emerson brushed a loving kiss on Nettie’s forehead before he eased her away from him.

“Could you give Owen and me a minute alone?” Emerson asked his wife. “I won’t be long. It’s business.”

Nettie studied him a moment and nodded before her attention went to Owen. Then Laney. There was no recognition in Nettie’s icy gray eyes.

“I’ll wait by the reception desk,” Nettie said. She whispered something to Emerson, kissed him and then walked out of the office.

Emerson didn’t do or say anything until his wife was out of earshot and then he tipped his head to Laney. “Anything she tells you about me is a lie, and I’ve wasted enough of my time dealing with her. Are you okay?” Emerson added to Owen. “Is Addie okay?”

Again, that bothered Owen. As Addie’s uncle, it should have been the first thing for Emerson to ask. Of course, Owen had verified the okay status when he’d had a quick chat with Emerson earlier, so maybe Emerson thought that was enough.

But it wasn’t. At least it didn’t feel like it was.

Owen silently cursed. He hated that Laney had given him any doubts about Emerson. Especially since there was no proof.

“Addie’s fine,” Owen answered. “Francine said she would text me if Addie has any nightmares or such.” Owen cursed that, too, but this time it wasn’t silent. Because there could indeed be nightmares.

“I’ll check on her first thing in the morning,” Emerson volunteered. “Anything else you need or want me to do?”

Owen muttered his thanks and then nodded. “You’ll have to make a statement about Laney’s accusations.”

Emerson gave another of those weary sighs. “I’ll come by in the morning to do that, too.”

Owen was about to ask him to go ahead and do it now. That way, Laney couldn’t say that he’d given Emerson preferential treatment. Of course, she’d likely say that anyway. However, he didn’t even get a chance to bring it up because Kellan appeared in the doorway. One look at his brother’s face and Owen knew that something else was wrong.

“I just got off the phone with San Antonio PD,” Kellan said, looking not at Emerson or Owen but at Laney. “They found your assistant, Joe Henshaw.” Kellan paused. “He’s dead.”

Chapter Four

The shock felt to Laney like arctic ice covering her body. She blinked repeatedly—hoping she had misunderstood Kellan, that this was some kind of cop trick to unnerve her. But she knew from the look in his eyes that it was the truth.

“Oh, God.” That was all she managed to say. There wasn’t enough breath for her to add more, but the questions came immediately and started fighting their way through the veil of grief.

“How?” she mouthed.

Kellan’s forehead bunched up, but he spoke the words fast. “He was murdered. Two gunshot wounds to the chest. That’s all we know at this point because the ME has just started his examination.”

Murdered. Joe had been murdered. The grief came, washing over her and going bone-deep.

“Joe’s apartment had been ransacked,” Kellan added a moment later. “Someone was obviously looking for something.”

“Terrance,” Laney rasped, though first, she had to swallow hard. “Joe was looking for him, and Terrance could have done this.”

Since neither Owen or Kellan seemed surprised by that, she guessed they’d already come to the same conclusion. Good. If that snake was responsible, she wanted him to pay. But then if Terrance had killed Joe, he’d done it to get back at her.

She was responsible.

This time she wasn’t able to choke back the sob and Laney clamped onto her bottom lip to make sure there wasn’t another one. Sobs and tears wouldn’t help now. Not when she needed answers. Later, when Owen and Kellan weren’t around, she could fall apart.

“The San Antonio cops found him in his apartment,” Kellan went on. “It appears someone broke in and killed him when he stepped from the shower. No defensive wounds, so it happened fast.”

That last part was probably meant to comfort her. To let her know that Joe hadn’t suffered. But in that instant, he would have seen his attacker and known he was about to die.

And all because of her.

Joe had not only been looking for Terrance, he’d also been looking for the safe-deposit box with those pictures. Someone had killed him because he’d been following her orders.

Laney groped around behind her to locate the chair because she was afraid her legs were about to give way. Owen helped with that by taking hold of her arm to help her sit. He was studying her, maybe to gauge her reaction. That was when she glanced at Emerson, who was doing the same thing.

“I suppose you’ll say I had something to do with this, too?” Emerson snapped, his words ripe with anger.

Laney didn’t have a comeback. Couldn’t even manage a glare for taking a swipe at her when she’d been dealt such a hard blow. But then the swipe only confirmed for her exactly what kind of person Emerson was. Not the sterling, upstanding DA of Longview Ridge. A man who was capable of striking out like that could be capable of doing other things, too. Like cheating on his wife. Of course, it was a huge leap to go from that to murder, but Laney wasn’t taking him off her very short suspect list.

“Emerson,” Owen said, no anger in his voice, though there seemed to be a low warning, “come back tomorrow and I’ll take your statement.”

Owen got a slight jab, too, when Emerson flicked him an annoyed glance. However, the man finally turned and walked out. Kellan looked at Emerson. Then at Owen. Finally at her.

She had no idea what Kellan was thinking, but something passed between him and Owen. One of those unspoken conversations that siblings could have. Or rather, she supposed that was what it was. She’d never quite managed to have a relationship like that with Hadley.

“SAPD will want to talk to Laney tomorrow,” Kellan said to Owen. He checked his watch. “But it’s late. Why don’t you go ahead and take Laney to the ranch so you two can try to get some rest?”

Laney practically jumped to her feet. “No. I can’t go there. It could put Addie in danger.”

“We’re taking precautions,” Kellan assured her. “And I didn’t say to take you to Owen’s but rather the ranch. You can’t go back to Owen’s place because the CSIs are there processing the scene, but our grandparents’ house is in the center of the property. No one lives there on a regular basis, so it’s been kept up for company, seasonal ranch hands and such. Plus, it has a good security system. Addie, Francine, Gunnar and Jack are headed there now.”

Jack was Kellan and Owen’s brother. And he was also a marshal. Another lawman. But that didn’t mean Laney could trust him.

“What about your fiancée?” she asked Kellan. Laney knew her name was Gemma, and she’d met her several times. “She shouldn’t be alone at your place.”

“She won’t be. She’ll be going to my grandparents’ house, too. Eli’s taking her there.”

Eli was yet another brother and a Texas Ranger. So, she would be surrounded by Slater lawmen. Not exactly a comforting thought, but it could be worse. As Addie’s uncles, they’d do whatever it took to protect the baby.

“I’ll have two reserve deputies drive Owen and you, and once Eli and Jack are in place at the ranch, I can have them come back here to help with the investigation,” Kellan told them. “With Owen at our grandparents’ house, Addie won’t have to be away from her dad.”

Until he’d added that last part, Laney had been ready to outright refuse. She hadn’t wanted to do anything to put the child in more danger, or to separate father from child. Still, this was dangerous.

“There’s a gunman at large,” she reminded him. “If he comes after me again, I shouldn’t be anywhere near Addie, Gemma or Francine.”

Owen stared at her a moment. “Whoever sent that gunman could try to use Addie to get to you. They would have seen the way you reacted, the way you tried to protect her. They would know she’s your weak spot.”

Addie was indeed that. It had crushed Laney to think of the baby being hurt.

Owen dragged in a weary breath before he continued, “It’ll be easier to protect you both at the same time, and it’ll tie up fewer resources for Kellan. He needs all the help he can get here in the office to work the investigation and try to get a confession out of Rohan Gilley.”

She mentally went through what he was saying and hated that it made sense. Hated even more that she didn’t have a reasonable counterargument. She was exhausted, and it felt as if someone had clamped a fist around her heart. Still, Laney didn’t want to do anything else to hurt Owen’s precious little girl.

“I’m a PI,” Laney reminded Owen. Reminded herself, too. “I can arrange for my own security. I’ll be okay.”

She saw the anger flash in Owen’s eyes, which were the color of a fierce storm cloud. “I don’t need to remind you that your assistant is dead. Or that you’re in danger. So I’d rather you not add to this miserable night by lying to yourself. Or to me—again. When it comes to me, you’ve already met your quota of lies.”

This was more than a swipe like the one Emerson had given her. Much more. Not just because it was true but especially because it was coming from Owen. It drained what little fight she had left in her and that was why Laney didn’t argue any more when Owen gathered up his things and led her out the front door to a waiting cruiser.

Obviously, Kellan and Owen had been certain they could talk her into this. Which they had.

“This is Manuel Garcia and Amos Turner, the reserve deputies,” Owen said when he hurried Laney into the back seat with him. The deputies were in the front.

Laney recognized both of them. That was because whenever she was in town or dealing with the other ranchers, she’d kept her eyes and ears open. For all the good it’d done. Owen’s ranch had been attacked, Joe was dead and she was no closer to the truth than she had been when she’d lied her way into getting a job with Owen.

It would have been so easy to slip right into the grief, fear and regret. The trifecta of raw emotions was like a perfect storm closing in on her. But giving in to it would only lead to tears and a pity party, neither of which would help.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Owen. That might not help, either, but she had to start somewhere. “Believe me when I say I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

The interior of the cruiser was dimly lit, yet she could clearly see Owen’s eyes when he looked at her. Still storm gray. It was a different kind of intensity than what was usually there. When he’d looked at her before—before he’d known who she was and the lies she’d told him—there’d been...well, heat. Though he might not admit it, she’d certainly seen it.

And felt it.

Laney had dismissed it. Or rather she had just accepted it. After all, Owen was from the superior Slater gene pool, and the DNA had given him a face that hadn’t skimped on the good looks. The thick black hair, those piercing eyes, that mouth that looked capable of doing many pleasurable things.

She dismissed those looks again now and silently cursed herself for allowing them to even play into this. She had no right to see him as anything but a former boss who had zero trust in her. Maybe if she mentally repeated that enough, her body would start to accept it.

“Believe me when I say I’m sorry,” she repeated in a whisper, forcing her attention away from him and to the window.

Some long moments crawled by before he said anything. “You were close to your assistant, Joe Henshaw?”

The question threw her. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten about Joe, but she’d figured that learning more about the man hadn’t been on the top of Owen’s to-do list. Plus, he hadn’t even mentioned whether or not he would start to accept her apology.

“We were close enough, I suppose,” she answered. “He worked for me about a year, and I trusted him to do the jobs I assigned him to do.”

“Did he ever come to my ranch?” Owen fired back as soon as she’d answered.

Oh, she got it then. Laney knew the reason he’d brought up the subject. He wanted to measure the depth of her lies. “No. I only had phone contact with Joe when I worked for you. I didn’t bring anyone to the ranch,” she added.

From his reflection in the mirror, she could see that he was staring at her as if waiting for her to say more. Exactly what, she didn’t know. When she turned back to him, Laney still didn’t have a clue.

“I just want to know who and what I’m dealing with,” Owen clarified. “Joe was your lover?”

“No.” She couldn’t say that fast enough and shook her head, not able to connect the dots on this one. “He worked for me, period.”

Now it was Owen who looked away. “Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dealing with something more personal here.”

“You mean like a lover’s spat gone wrong,” she muttered. The fact he had even considered that twisted away at her almost as much as the regret over lying to him.

“No. Like Terrance McCoy killing your assistant as a way of getting back at you.”

Everything inside Laney stilled. Only for a moment, though. Before the chill came again. Mercy. She hadn’t even considered that. But she should have. She was so tied up in knots over Emerson having killed Hadley that she hadn’t looked at this through a cop’s eyes. Something she’d always prided herself on being able to do. She’d never quite managed it with Hadley, though.

“Hadley’s my blind spot.” Laney groaned softly and pushed her hair away from her face.

She steeled herself to have Owen jump down her throat about that, to give her a lecture about loss of objectivity and such. But he didn’t say anything. Laney waited, staring at him. Or rather, staring at the back of his head because his attention was on the window.

“Addie’s my blind spot,” he said several long moments later. “I didn’t want her in the middle of whatever this hell this is, but she’s there.”

Laney had to speak around the lump in her throat. “Because of me.”

“No. Because of whoever hired those men to come to my house and go after you.” He paused, turning so they were facing each other. Their gazes met. Held. “Don’t ever lie to me again.”

Not trusting her voice, Laney nodded and felt something settle between them. A truce. Not a complete one, but it was a start. If she was going to get to the bottom of what was going on, she needed Owen’s help and, until a few seconds ago, she hadn’t been sure she would get it.

The deputy took the turn off the main road to the Slater Ranch, which sprawled through a good chunk of the county. Kellan ran the main operation, just as six generations of his family had done, but Owen and his brothers Jack and Eli helped as well, along with running their own smaller ranches.

Separate but still family, all the way to the core.

It occurred to her that she might have to go up against all those Slater lawmen if it did indeed come down to pinning this on Emerson. But Laney was too exhausted to think about that particular battle right now.

“For the record,” she said, “I told you the truth about most things. I grew up with horses, so I know how to train them. And every minute I spent with Addie—that was genuine. I enjoyed being with her. Francine, too,” she added because the part about Addie sounded...personal.

A muscle flickered in Owen’s jaw. “What about the day in the barn?” He immediately cursed and waved that off.

When he turned back to the window, she knew the subject was off-limits, but it wasn’t out of mind. Not out of her mind anyway. And she did not need him to clarify which barn, which day. It’d been about a month earlier after he’d just finished riding his favorite gelding, Alamo. Owen had been tired and sweaty, and he’d peeled off his shirt to wash off with the hose. She’d walked in on him just as the water had been sluicing down his bare chest.

Laney had frozen. Then her mouth had gone dry.

Owen had looked at her and it had seemed as if time had stopped. It had been the only thing that had stopped, though. Laney had always known her boss was a hot cowboy, but she’d gotten a full dose of it that day. A kicked-up pulse. That slide of heat through her body.

The physical need she felt for him.

She hadn’t done a good job of hiding it, either. Laney had seen it on his face and, for just a second—before he’d been able to rein it in—she had seen the same thing in Owen’s eyes.

Neither had said anything. Laney had calmly dropped off the saddle she’d been carrying and walked out. But she’d known that if she hadn’t been lying to him, that if they’d been sitting here now, with no secrets between them, she would have gone to him. She would have welcomed the body-to-body contact when he pulled her into his arms. And she would have let Owen have her.

Owen knew that, too.

Just as they had done that day in the barn, their gazes connected now. They didn’t speak, and his attention shifted away from her just as his phone dinged with a text message.

“Jack’s got Francine and Addie all settled in,” Owen relayed. He showed her the picture that his brother had included with the text. It was of Addie, who was sound asleep.

Laney smiled. Addie looked so peaceful and, while it didn’t lessen her guilt over the attack, at least the little girl didn’t seem to be showing any signs of stress.

Laney was still smiling when she looked up at Owen and realized he had noticed her reaction. And perhaps didn’t approve.

Despite that shared “barn memory” moment, he probably didn’t want her feeling close to his daughter. Laney certainly couldn’t blame him. She was about to bring up the subject again about her making other arrangements for a place to stay, but Owen’s phone rang.

It was Kellan and, while Owen didn’t put the call on speaker, it was easy for Laney to hear the sheriff’s voice in an otherwise quiet cruiser.

“Just got a call from the CSI out at your place,” Kellan said. “They found something.”

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