Ben’s breath stirred the tendrils of hair hanging loose from her ponytail.

Kate leaned her back against the solid wall of muscles that was her bodyguard cowboy. The warmth of his arms around her reassured and scared her all at once.

Her hands shook so badly, she thought she might drop the gun.

“Are you afraid?” he whispered.

Yes, yes, she was afraid. Afraid of falling in love with a stranger. Afraid of investing her emotions in someone who would leave as soon as the threat was neutralized. Afraid she would be heartbroken when the dust settled on the Flying K Ranch.

About the Author

A Golden Heart Award winner for Best Paranormal Romance in 2004, ELLE JAMES started writing when her sister issued a Y2K challenge to write a romance novel. She has managed a full-time job and raised three wonderful children, and she and her husband even tried their hands at ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas) in the Texas Hill Country. Ask her, and she’ll tell you what it’s like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-and-fifty-pound bird! After leaving her successful career in information technology management, Elle is now pursuing her writing fulltime. Elle loves to hear from fans. You can contact her at ellejames@earthlink.net or visit her website at www. ellejames.com.

Triggered
Elle James

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

This book is dedicated to cowboys

of all shapes, sizes and sexes.

These brave men and women work hard,

play hard and have a sense of loyalty,

decency and ethics we should all aspire to.

Chapter One

Necessity, burning curiosity and a Hummer limo brought him here, but as Ben Harding sat in the leather armchair surrounded by three other men, he wondered what the heck he’d gotten himself into. He glanced around the room again. The only thing he had in common with the others was that they each wore a cowboy hat, jeans and boots.

Beyond that, he knew nothing about the men gathered in billionaire Hank Derringer’s home. The Raging Bull Ranch lay in the heart of the back of beyond, South Texas, where men were tough, the drug runners were tougher and a property owner stood a good chance of getting killed riding across his own spread.

Ben had done his homework. Hank Derringer had become a recluse since he’d lost his family over a year ago in a botched kidnapping attempt. The man had made billions and continued to make more in the oil and gas industry. All facts that were easy enough to find. But why bring these men here? Why now?

Ben would have blown off the invitation to come if he’d had any other choice. His career at the Austin Police Department at an end, he’d been pounding the pavement looking for work and finding that no one, until now, wanted to hire a man who’d been kicked off the force for killing a man with his bare hands.

Did he regret what he’d done?

No.

And he’d do it again, given the same circumstances.

His gut clenched and he fought to push the rage and lingering images to the back of his mind as a tall, slightly older man joined them.

He wore a black Stetson and looked very much like the other men seated around the room. “Gentlemen, I’m Hank Derringer. Thank you all for coming to the Raging Bull Ranch.” He sat near the huge stone fireplace, facing them. “I brought you here because you are the best of the best.”

“Best of the best what, Hank?” The muscle-bound, blond-haired man across from Ben spoke first. He nodded toward Ben and the other two men. “And who are these guys?”

Hank tipped his head toward the man questioning him. “Patience, Thorn. I’m getting to that. For the rest of you, meet Thorn Drennan, the best sheriff Wild Oak Canyon ever had. A man the people could count on to fight for truth and justice.”

Thorn’s eyes narrowed. “You’re forgetting—I’m no longer the sheriff.”

“Precisely.” Hank turned to the man with brown hair, brown eyes and a wicked scar across his right cheek. “Chuck Bolton. Your friends call you Big Tex, born and raised on a ranch near Amarillo. You know how to ride, rope and build fences like the best of them. Served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan where you wiped out an entire Taliban stronghold against your commander’s orders.”

The man sat up straighter, his broad shoulders straining against the seams of his chambray shirt. “Got the boot and a bum leg for that.”

“A man with courage and determination to fight the good fight,” Hank said.

Big Tex shrugged. “I guess it depends on your definition of ‘the good fight.’”

Hank moved on to the next person, a man sitting back from the rest, dark circles beneath his eyes, an intense, haunted expression in his green eyes as he stared out the window. “Special Agent Zachary Adams, one of the FBI’s best undercover operatives working to stop the drug cartels along the border. Got caught in a bad situation on the wrong side of the border. Yet you survived.”

“For what it was worth.” The man’s gaze shifted from the window to Hank. “And, just for the record, former FBI. I quit.”

Hank nodded. “Right.”

Derringer turned to Ben, his smile warm, welcoming. “And then there’s Ben Harding, the most highly decorated officer on the Austin police force.”

“The Ben Harding?” Big Tex snorted. “Weren’t you the guy who was fired for strangling Frank Davis to death with your bare hands?”

Ben stiffened. He’d seen what the high-powered CEO had done to that young girl in a run-down warehouse on the seedier side of Austin. He’d watched him run from the scene of the crime with the child’s blood on his hands and clothing. Ben hadn’t cared who he was or what big company he ran. All he cared about was making the man pay for what he’d done to the girl.

Ben’s stomach roiled as he recalled the scene and the memories of another very similar crime involving the deaths of his wife and young daughter.

His fingers balled into fists and he rose halfway out of his seat, ready to take on the world. “Yeah, I killed a man, what’s it to you?”

Big Tex shrugged. “Just wondering.”

“I read about it. Davis was a sick bastard into hurting little girls. I’d have done the same,” the man called Zach said.

“You gave him what he deserved,” Thorn agreed. “Why waste money on a system that would have turned him loose to do it again?”

The starch taken out of his fight, Ben sat back against the soft brown leather of the wingback chair. He was disappointed he wouldn’t have a brawl to release all the tension balled up in his gut since he’d arrived. At least now he felt more of a kinship with the others in the room.

Hank’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. “You are all highly trained in your fields, and because of your various circumstances find yourselves unemployed.”

Ben snorted. “Unemployable.”

“Wrong.” Hank’s lips spread into a smile. “I’m here to offer you a position in a start-up corporation.”

“Doing what? Sweeping floors? Who wants a bunch of rejects?” Zach asked.

“I need you.” Hank rose from his chair. “Because you aren’t rejects, you’re just the type of men I’m looking for. Men who will fight for what you believe in, who were born or raised on a ranch, with the ethics and strength of character of a good cowboy. I’m inviting you to become a part of CCI, known only to those on the inside as Covert Cowboys, Inc., a specialized team of citizen soldiers, bodyguards, agents and ranch hands who will do whatever it takes to see justice served.”

“Whoa, back up a step there. Covert Cowboys, Inc.?” Big Tex slapped his hat against his thigh. “Sounds kind of corny to me. What’s the punch line?”

“No punch line.” Hank stood taller, his broad shoulders filling the room, the steel in his eyes indisputable. The man was on the up-and-up. “Let’s just say that I’m tired of justice being swept under the rug.”

Ben shook his head. “I’m not into vigilante justice, or circumventing the law.”

“I’m not asking you to. The purpose of Covert Cowboys, Inc. is to provide covert protection and investigation services where hired guns and the law aren’t enough.” Hank’s gaze swept over each of the men in the room. “I handpicked each of you because you are all highly skilled soldiers, cops and agents who know how to work hard, fire a gun and are familiar with living on the edge of danger. But mostly because of your high moral standards. You know right from wrong and aren’t afraid to right the wrongs. My plan is to inject you into situations where your own lives could be on the line to protect, rescue or ferret out the truth.”

Ben stood, his body tense, his first reaction to the older man’s words to leave and never look back. “I’m not a vigilante, despite what the news says.”

“I’m not hiring you to be one,” Hank said. “I’m asking you to join CCI as a protector, a man willing to fight for truth.”

“Truth, huh?” Zach said. “It’s hard to find people who care about truth anymore.”

Hank’s lips thinned. “My point, exactly.”

“Tell me, why should I work for you?” Ben asked.

The older man’s shoulders straightened and he looked directly into Ben’s eyes. “I care about truth and justice.” He walked to the desk in the corner and lifted four folders. The first he held out to Ben. “Are you in?”

What did he have to lose? Ben had nothing to go back to in Austin. No job, no family. Nothing. Against his better judgment, Ben nodded. “I’m in.”

Hank handed him the folder. “Your first assignment is on the other side of the county working undercover on the Flying K Ranch. As far as everyone else knows, you’re hiring on as a ranch hand. Your job is to help get the ranch operational, but most of all to protect the woman who just inherited it.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“Don’t count on it. This county is in need of cleanup. I’m hoping you gentlemen will be the men to help in that effort. It’s our first challenge for CCI.” Hank stared at the other men. “Who else chooses to take on the challenge?”

One by one the men threw their hats in the ring and grabbed a folder.

Ben opened the file and stared down at the image of a beautiful woman with long strawberry-blond hair, green eyes and skin as pale and smooth as porcelain. His gut told him he was stepping into waters way over his head. What did he know about providing protection to a woman? He’d been a street cop, not a bodyguard. Hell, he hadn’t been able to protect his own family. A knot of regret twisted in him, but he asked, “When do I start?”

“Tonight. Grab your gear and get on over there, she should have arrived today.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed. “You were sure I’d take the job?”

“If not you, I’d be out there doing it myself. Don’t get me wrong. I won’t ask any of you to do anything I wouldn’t be willing to do myself.”

Ben clapped his hat on his head and headed for the door. It was a job. He didn’t have to like it; he just had to do it until he found something else.

“‘THE COW DOG saved the little girl and became her very best friend. The end.’” Kate Langsdon closed the book and set it on Lily’s nightstand. “Now it’s time for little girls to go to sleep.” She leaned over and kissed her daughter’s forehead, her heart squeezing in her chest with the amount of love she felt for this pint-size person with the long, loose curls of silky, strawberry-blond hair, much like her own.

“Mommy?” Lily yawned and rubbed her emerald-green eyes. “Can I have a cow dog?”

“Sure, sweetie. Just as soon as we can find one as good as Jess the cow dog.” Kate switched the light off on the nightstand and straightened her aching back, got up and headed into the bathroom. The past few days had been strenuous and emotionally draining, the amount of work taking the spunk right out of her. She’d driven from Houston to Wild Oak Canyon, Texas, cleaned a house that had been standing empty for two months, emptied as much as she could of the moving van she’d rented and poked through the belongings of a man she’d never known and never would.

Her father.

Tears welled in Kate’s eyes. For years, she’d thought her father dead. All this time, the man had been living in South Texas on a ranch near Big Bend National Park.

Kate dug her hand in her pocket and thumbed the key she’d received a week ago in an envelope from an attorney, including a letter, last will and testament and one corrupt video disk. The day that package arrived everything in Kate’s life had changed.

She pulled the key from her pocket and tossed it into her makeup kit, stripped out of her dirty jeans and climbed into the shower. She stood for a long time as the warm spray washed down over her body, releasing the stiffness from her shoulders and tempering the ache in her lower back.

She wished all her worries could wash away with the water. As she stood in her father’s house, on the ranch he’d bequeathed to her, she wondered if she’d done the right thing bringing Lily here.

She’d come to start over and to find answers. For one, what did the key fit? The video had been all static and with a brief glimpse of her father, but it cut off before her father could tell her what the key belonged to. Her father’s letter left instructions for her to get help from the only man he trusted, Hank Derringer, the owner of the Raging Bull Ranch in Wild Oak Canyon. He’d help her with whatever she needed.

She hadn’t called Mr. Derringer at first, taking a day to digest the fact that her father hadn’t died when her mother had told her. The news had been so shocking that it took that long for it to sink in. Contacting his trusted friend was the furthest thing from her mind.

Until someone broke into her apartment in Houston while she had been at work and Lily had been at day care.

When she’d come home to find the apartment she and Lily had called home for four years looking as if the place had been tossed in a Texas-size salad bowl, she’d been angry and scared.

How dare someone break into her home? Kate knew she couldn’t stay in the apartment, not after it had been violated and especially not knowing the reason. Nothing had been taken, as far as she could tell.

She’d packed up her daughter, boxed their belongings and headed west to Wild Oak Canyon and the Flying K Ranch to find the answers. How permanent this move proved to be was up to what she found, but she’d quit her job and given up her lease before she left. Either way, she couldn’t go back and pick up where she’d left off.

Alone in the world except for Lily, Kate had turned to the phone number of the stranger her father had recommended.

Hank Derringer had answered on the first ring. He’d tried to talk her out of coming to Wild Oak Canyon. When she’d insisted, he’d promised to send a cowboy to her, one who could help her get the ranch back up and running and provide the protection she and Lily needed. Her cowboy would be there before they turned in for the night. Or so Hank had promised. Kate wondered what kind of protection she needed on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere.

She’d waited as long as she could to take her shower and still the cowboy hadn’t arrived and probably wouldn’t until morning.

When the water grew tepid, Kate turned it off and grabbed for the fluffy white towel she’d unearthed from one of the boxes she’d brought with her in the moving van. Bent over, her head upside down to wrap her long hair in the towel, her hands froze. Was that a sound downstairs?

She strained to listen.

Nothing.

Kate shrugged, worried her imagination was getting the better of her. She continued towel drying her hair when something crashed below and a low curse followed.

Her breath caught on a gasp and her pulse raced. She’d turned out the lights on the main floor and locked all the doors before she and Lily had come up for the night. Whoever was down there was moving around in the dark. Inside the house.

Kate wrapped the towel around her and ran into the master bedroom she’d planned to share with Lily the first night until she could prepare another room just for her daughter.

Lily lay sound asleep, oblivious to the danger, the only light in the room the glow from the open bathroom door.

With nowhere to run, Kate quietly gathered her daughter, blankets and all, and hurried to the closet where she’d hung all of the clothing she’d brought with her next to those of her father’s. Kate thanked her lucky stars that Lily slept soundly. The little girl didn’t stir as Kate laid her down in the back corner of the closet, tucking the blankets around her, blocking her from view.

Once she had her daughter hidden, Kate tiptoed back to the nightstand, slid the drawer open and removed the 9 mm Glock she’d brought with her.

A board creaked on the stairs, sending Kate scurrying toward the door where she eased it closed.

Her hands shook as she alternated between holding up her towel and balancing the pistol. She wished she’d had time to dress, wishing more that she’d loaded the weapon. She prayed that the sight of it would scare a trespasser into leaving without hurting her or Lily. On second thought, she turned the gun around and held it by the barrel. Hitting the man would be better than pointing an unloaded pistol.

The doors down the hallway opened one by one. Kate held her breath as the intruder made his way toward the room she and Lily occupied. What she wouldn’t give for cell phone reception.

Though, what good would it do when the sheriff wouldn’t reach her ranch for fifteen to twenty minutes? She was on her own.

Where was the cowboy? Why hadn’t he arrived already? Was the man moving down the hallway her cowboy? If he was, he had a lot of nerve barging in and sneaking around. He deserved the same as any thief and Kate would give it to him.

With Lily in the closet and her own hands shaking, Kate couldn’t chance it. She had to divert attention and get the attacker away from the room where her daughter lay sleeping.

Kate prayed the man would give up and go away.

As she watched in horror, the doorknob turned. She wished it had a lock on it she could twist to buy her a little more time. Maybe not having a lock would work out for the better. She raised her arms and waited, her breath caught and held.

A dark figure stepped through the door. The man wore a ski mask. Anyone in a ski mask meant trouble.

As soon as his head cleared the entrance, Kate slammed the butt of the pistol down on his skull so hard the gun bounced out of her hands and skittered across the floor.

The man lurched forward and dropped to his knees.

Kate flung the door wide and leaped past the intruder.

Before she could take two steps, a large hand snagged her ankle.

Her forward momentum brought her down hard, knocking the breath from her lungs. She clawed at the carpet, kicking with all her might with her free foot, landing a couple hard heels in the attacker’s face.

His grip loosened and Kate scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could for the stairs, thankful and terrified when she heard the intruder’s footsteps behind her.

She had to get the man as far away from Lily as possible. If he hurt Kate, maybe he’d leave her for dead and never find the little girl hiding in the closet.

Kate took the stairs two at a time, missing the last one, toppling to the floor and wasting precious seconds.

The man above her came crashing down the steps and leaped over the railing to land beside her.

Kate swallowed her scream, fearing she’d wake Lily. She rolled to the side, her fingers wrapping around the cord of a lamp.

She yanked the lamp toward her, grabbed the base and turned in time to see the man flying at her. He landed on top of her, knocking the wind from her.

With her hand still around the base of the lamp, Kate swung as hard as she could. The ceramic lamp made contact with the ski mask and bounced off, crashing to the wooden floor, shattering into a million fragments.

Out of options, Kate remembered the self-defense training she’d taken when Lily was little. She knew she was the only one there to defend her small daughter. With the desperation of a trapped mother bear, she freed one hand and jabbed her thumb into the man’s eye.

He yelled and punched her face.

Pain radiated across her cheekbone, her vision blurred and Kate knew she wasn’t going to last much longer. For Lily, she tried to hang in there, forcing the darkness back, struggling beneath the weight of her attacker.

As the intruder reeled back to hit her again, Kate squeezed shut her eyes.

Before the fist connected with her face, all the weight on top of her shifted backward.

Kate’s eyes popped open.

The man in the ski mask fought against another man wearing a black T-shirt and a cowboy hat. Fists flew, and bodies banged against the old furniture. The cowboy hat flew across the room, landing in a corner.

Kate sucked in air, filling her lungs and clearing her fuzzy thoughts. She scrambled to her feet, clutching the towel around her, searching for a weapon of any kind. Her hands wrapped around the legs of an end table. She lifted it high and waited for the right moment.

The two men tumbled and flew around the room, knocking over furniture. With the lights out, Kate could barely tell who was who.

Then her rescuer hit the floor on his back and the man in the ski mask pulled a knife from his belt, the metal glinting in a ray of moonlight shining through a gap in the curtained window.

Kate’s heart thudded against her rib cage.

The man in the ski mask closed in on Kate’s rescuer.

Without thinking past saving the man on the ground, Kate rushed for the one with the blade and slammed the end table down over his head with enough force to break the small table into several pieces.

The attacker dropped to his hands and knees. He swung his arm out, clipping Kate in the back of her legs.

She fell hard, her head hitting the corner of a coffee table. As she landed, she heard shuffling of feet and tried to rise to see what was going on. When she lifted her head, her vision swam.

No. She couldn’t give up now.

Pain radiated from the back of her head. She closed her eyes, praying for them to clear and let her get back into the fight. Lily depended on her.

Hands gripped her arms. Kate struggled, but the grasp was strong. Too strong for her to fight off.

“Shh. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” The voice was a deep rumble, the tone rich and warm, resonating from deep in his chest, wrapping her in a reassuring blanket.

“Bad guy?” she asked, without opening her eyes.

“He’s gone.” A hand brushed a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?” The same hand trailed softly over her cheekbone where the masked man had punched her.

Kate winced, and she opened her eyes to stare into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat, and not out of fear. “Who are you?”

“Ben Harding. Hank Derringer thought you could use my help.”

Thank God. The cavalry had arrived.

Chapter Two

Ben stared down at the woman, her long wavy strawberry-blond hair lying in damp ringlets against the wood floor. Wrapped only in a fluffy white towel, she looked like a fallen angel, her creamy smooth skin begging to be touched, the towel riding up her shapely thighs.

“You’re staring.” The woman blinked up at him, her fingers pulling the edges of the towel together over her chest. She tried to sit up, pressed a hand to the back of her head and sank back. “Must have hit harder than I thought.”

“I’ll call for an ambulance.”

She shook her head and winced. “No. I’ll be all right, just give me a minute.” One arm rose to cover her eyes. The top edge of the towel slipped lower over the swell of her breasts, capturing Ben’s attention.

He really needed to focus on the situation, not the female lying almost naked at his feet, which proved hard when the woman had a great figure and very touchable skin. A pang of guilt and sadness knotted his gut. He hadn’t felt like touching a woman in more than two years. Not since…“Any idea what the guy was after?”

“None,” she answered, the arm dropping to her side. “I’m just glad he’s gone and you’re here. I’m Kate Langsdon.” She held out a hand, a frown denting her pretty brow. “What took you so long?”

“I just got the assignment an hour ago.”

“Well, Mr. Harding, I’m glad you came when you did. Any later and…” She shrugged and tried to sit up again. “I have to get up.”

“You should stay put and let me call an ambulance.”

“No, I have to get upstairs.”

“Why the rush?”

“I just need to.” She sat up, swayed and started to fall back. “Damn it, I can’t be dizzy.”

“Pigheaded woman.” Ben caught her before her head hit the floor.

“Stubborn man,” she whispered.

He scooped her into his arms and lifted her off the floor.

She tensed, her arm automatically circling his shoulder. “You don’t have to carry me. I’m perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet.”

“Not with a knot on your head and a crazy determination to get upstairs.”

“Give me a minute and I’ll argue this point.” Her uninjured cheek lying against his chest belied her ability to put up much of a resistance. Her free hand struggled to keep the towel in place.

Ben ignored her protest and carried her up the stairs. “Which room?”

She sighed. “Last one on the landing. And really, I can get there on my own.”

“No need. From what Hank told me, I’m the hired hand, here to help rebuild a ranch and protect its owner.”

“Hank’s words?”

“Right.” His lips twisted, a frown creasing his forehead. “Let me do my job.”

She chuckled, a smile curling her lips, making her face shine even with the nasty bruise turning her cheek purple. “Somehow, I don’t think carrying a woman to her bedroom is part of the job description.” The smile faded. “But thanks.”

For a brief moment the sun had shone in the woman’s face, tugging at a place Ben thought buried for good with his wife and daughter. He shook the thought from his head and turned left on the landing.

When they crossed the threshold into the room, the woman twisted in his arms, her gaze darting toward the closet.

The door was open, blankets spilled from inside, some half-dragged out on the floor. “Let me down.” She pushed against his arm, her nails digging into his skin.

“I will, but I’m not dropping you.”

“Let me down.” She shoved harder.

He lowered her feet to the floor, his arm remaining around her waist.

She stood for a moment, swaying, and then lunged for the closet, her eyes wide, her face tense. “Lily?” Her voice was strained, desperate.

“Who’s Lily?” he asked.

Kate didn’t answer as she dove into the back of the closet, rifling through blankets. When her face appeared at the edge of the closet door, it was pale and pinched. “Lily?” She leaped to her feet and nearly fell on her face.

Ben was there to catch her, his arms crushing her against his chest. “Who’s Lily?”

“Mommy?” A tiny voice called out from the bathroom. “Mommy?”

Kate’s head came up and she fought her way out of Ben’s arms, dropping to her knees in front of a little girl with a mass of golden-red curls very much like her mother’s drying wispy locks. She stood silhouetted against the light streaming from the bathroom, like an angel descended from heaven.

“Oh, Lily.” Kate hugged the child to her.

Sweet Jesus. Hank hadn’t said anything about a little girl. Ben stood like stone, his feet rooted to the floor, unable to move, forgetting how to breathe.

The little girl was about the age of Sarah before she’d been murdered. Though his Sarah was as different from Lily as night and day, they were about the same size and age.

Before Sarah had been killed. She’d been four years old. She would have been six now, if a man Ben had captured and had subsequently been released on a technicality hadn’t targeted Ben and his family.

Ben hadn’t been home when his wife and daughter had been brutally stabbed to death. Had he been, he’d have killed the murderer with his bare hands, just like he’d killed the man who’d murdered fifteen-year-old Angelica Garza.

Seeing Kate Langsdon on the floor holding the little girl in her arms brought back too many painful memories. Ben’s feet moved one at a time as he backed toward the door. With his heart lodged in his throat, he couldn’t breathe or think. His gut told him to run as far from Kate and Lily Langsdon as he could get.

Before he reached the door, the curly-haired angel noticed him for the first time. “Mommy, who’s that man?”

Kate eased her hold on her daughter and looked up at Ben, the fear of a few moments ago still evident in her pale face. “That’s Mr. Harding. He’s the man who came to help us on the ranch.”

“Are you going to help my mommy?” she asked, her gaze open, direct, piercing the wall wrapped tightly around Ben’s heart.

He yearned to run and keep running until the child’s trusting eyes were erased from his mind. But he knew he couldn’t leave this little girl and her mother when the intruder he’d chased off earlier might return.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m here to help your mommy.” He nearly choked on mommy. His daughter had called his wife Mommy. His daughter had looked at him with complete trust, as if he could never let her down.

But he had. He hadn’t been there when she’d needed him most. He had been all about the job, bringing in the bad guys. He’d never taken into account that the ones that got off might come back to haunt him. Until it was too late.

Kate’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

No. Ben’s gaze went from Lily to Kate. For a tough cop, used to facing down danger on the streets of Austin, he was more terrified of these two women than any criminal he’d ever confronted. “I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll just bed down in the barn.”

“No.” Kate stood and swayed, her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

Before he could think through his actions, Ben was there, steadying her with a hand under her elbow, the other around her waist.

“Stay here. In the house.” She leaned into him for a moment. When she’d steadied, she pulled away and looked up into his face. “Please.”

Her green eyes pleaded with him, her hand on his arm burning a path through his defenses. How he wanted to leave, but couldn’t. Despite his vow to never care again, he’d proved over and over he just couldn’t honor that vow after all. Killing the high-powered child murderer was evidence. Damn Kate and Lily for making him care. “I’ll stay on two conditions.”

Her shoulders straightened. “Anything.”

He scooped up the gun she’d dropped earlier and handed it to her. “First, put this away, take it to a pawnshop or learn to use it.”

She took the gun from him, keeping her body between the gun and her daughter’s curious eyes. “Check. I’ll learn to use it.” Her chin tipped upward. “And the second one?”

His gaze swept over her, taking in the smooth lines of her shoulders, the gentle swell of her breasts and the curve of her thighs peeking out from under the terry cloth. If he had any hope of staying neutral in this situation, he had to put distance between himself and Kate. She was too damned attractive.

He forced an uninterested rise of his brows. “If I’m going to get any work done around here, you have to keep your clothes on around me.”

Kate gasped, hugging the towel closer, her cheeks flaming red.

“I’ll be on the couch downstairs.” He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door between them with a firm click.

Kate stared at the barrier between them for a long moment, stunned at the cowboy’s abrupt words and departure. “As if I planned to be standing in front of him in nothing but a towel,” she mumbled.

“Mommy, why was I in the closet?” Lily’s hand slipped into hers and tugged, dragging Kate’s mind back to what was important. Her daughter.

She scrambled for an answer that wouldn’t scare her small daughter. “I thought it might be fun to pretend to be camped in a cave in the mountains.”

Lily tipped her head to the side as if debating whether or not she believed Kate’s lie. Then she smiled and pulled Kate toward the closet. “Will you camp in the cave with me, Mommy?”

“Oh, baby, I don’t think so. I’m pretty tired and bed sounds more comfortable. You can sleep in the closet, if you want.”

Lily stared from the bed to the closet and yawned, her eyelids sagging. “No, I’m tired, too. Maybe tomorrow.”

Kate grabbed the blankets from the floor and flung them across the bed as best she could, tucking Lily in on the side away from the door.

As she pulled out a pair of pajamas that would fully cover her body, she thought of Ben Harding’s condition. A spark of defiance shot through her and she replaced the pajamas in the drawer, reaching for the filmy light blue baby-doll nightgown she’d bought one hot, impulsive day in Houston.

She slipped the silky garment over her head, letting the towel drop to the floor, and recalled the feeling of being held in Ben’s strong arms as he effortlessly carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. Her skin sizzled where his hands had been beneath her thighs and very nearly touching the side of her breast.

Now that she had time to think beyond defending her life, she realized the cowboy Hank had sent was everything a girl could dream of—tall, dark and handsome. Add a brooding, mysterious look in his blue eyes and he was devastatingly appealing.

She hadn’t felt like this since…before her husband, Troy, had been killed in Afghanistan, a month before she’d delivered Lily. Four years ago. A wave of guilt washed over her for thinking such thoughts about a man who wasn’t her husband. But, then, Troy had been dead a long time, she hadn’t. The man downstairs had triggered a strong physical response she thought she’d never feel again.

Kate sucked in a deep breath and let it out, the tips of her nipples tight little points poking at the sheer fabric of the nightgown. She reached for the hem, telling herself that wearing the gown was asking for trouble.

Her hands stopped before they could lift it over her head. Who was she kidding? The man wasn’t interested in her any more than she should be interested in him. He was there as the hired help. Hank had promised protection for her and Lily until they could figure out who was responsible for the break-in in Houston and now at the Flying K Ranch.

As she lay down on the sheets, her thoughts drifted to the man sleeping on the couch downstairs. He’d had a strange look in his eyes when he’d seen Lily. His brows had furrowed into a fierce frown, scary in its intensity. It hadn’t looked like an angry frown so much as one of great pain and sorrow. What would cause such a look on a man’s face?

She didn’t know. In fact, Kate didn’t know much of anything about her hired gun. Hell, she didn’t know anything about Hank Derringer for that matter. This area was rumored to have a big drug cartel influence. Had she asked for help from one of the local mafia?

Kate lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what she’d done by bringing Lily here. Not that she’d been any safer in Houston. Not after her apartment had been ransacked.

A yawn nearly dislocated her jaw, forcing Kate to give up trying to make sense of all that had happened. Tomorrow she’d ask the questions burning in her mind. Who the hell was Ben Harding and what kind of hired hands did Hank Derringer provide? Even more importantly, did he have any hired hands that were a little older and less attractive?

Kate rolled over and punched her pillow before settling down. Her bruised cheek reminded her of the intruder and her near miss with death. She reached out and looped her arm over her daughter, pulling her close. If anything happened to Lily, she’d never forgive herself.

Tomorrow she’d start her search for answers.

Chapter Three

A knock on the door brought Ben off the couch and up on his bare feet in seconds. He must have fallen asleep after tossing and turning on the narrow couch. Every noise had kept him awake until way into the wee hours.

The sun shone through the filmy curtains, lighting his path through the boxes and furniture. From what he could see of the front porch, two men stood there in tan uniforms.

The local law enforcement.

As he pulled the door half-open, footsteps sounded on the stairs behind him.

“Who is it?” Kate descended the flight of stairs in a light blue baby-doll nightgown, pulling a robe over her shoulders that only came down to midthigh. Her creamy legs and the glimpse of her breasts through the thin material of the gown had Ben’s jeans tightening.

With the door gaping, he had no choice but to open it the rest of the way.

The two men in tan uniforms stared at him, then their eyes drifted to the woman on the stairs behind him.

A flash of anger burned through his bloodstream and Ben moved to block their view as much as he could. “Can I help you?”

The bigger man stepped forward. “I’m Sheriff Fulmer, this is Deputy Schillinger. We’re here to see Katherine Langsdon.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed. “For what reason?”

The sheriff’s lips pulled up on one side in a sneer. “Now, I guess that’s between me and the lady.”

“It’s okay, Ben.” Kate laid a hand on Ben’s arm and stepped up beside him. “I wanted to call on them this morning anyway. We had a break-in last night.”

“Sorry to hear that. Can you describe the perp?”

She shook her head. “No, he was wearing all black and a black ski mask.”

“Not much I can do to help without a detailed description.”

She tipped her head to the side. “Then why did you come out?”

“Ms. Langsdon, as the only living relative of the late Kyle Kendrick, you have been served.” The sheriff handed her a thick envelope, his face poker-straight.

“What?” She took the packet, her cheeks blanching, making the bruise stand out even more.

“What’s this all about?” Ben slipped an arm around Kate as she opened the envelope, every protective instinct on alert in the face of the sheriff and his deputy.

“Back taxes? The will said nothing about back taxes.” She looked up at the sheriff.

“Sorry, Ms. Langsdon, I only deliver the bad news, I don’t create it. Your father was the one who didn’t pay. Since he left the ranch to you, you’re responsible now.”

Ben didn’t like the sheriff’s tone or the way the man hit her with the notice so soon after coming to her father’s ranch.

“Twenty-seven thousand?” She snorted softly. “I can’t afford twenty-seven hundred.” Kate stared at the paper in her hands. “That would completely wipe me out and then some.”

The sheriff shrugged. “You might consider selling this dump. Pretty young woman like you will find it difficult to manage a place this size all alone.”

It was all Ben could do to keep from punching the sheriff for his patronizing words. Ben barely knew Kate, but any woman would resent the sheriff’s inference that a woman couldn’t run a ranch.

“I’m not alone.” Kate clutched the envelope to her chest, her chin rising. “I have Ben.” She edged nearer to Ben.

His chest swelled, his arm automatically tightening around her middle, pulling her closer to him.

The sheriff’s brows rose. “Hired hands don’t always stick around.”

“He’s not the hired hand. He’s…” Kate’s hand waved, in search of the right word.

Afraid she’d say he was her bodyguard, Ben finished for her, “I’m her fiancé. We will be working the ranch together.”

The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say your last name was?”

Ben’s lips twisted. “I didn’t. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” He moved to shut the door.

The sheriff shoved his foot in the way. “Don’t cross me, cowboy.”

Ben’s brows rose and he stared down at the boot in the doorway. “Did you have more business to discuss?”

The sheriff stared at Ben for a long moment, then replied, “No.”

“Then have a nice day.” Ben glanced down at the boot and back up at the sheriff. Ben’s free hand clenched into a fist, ready to take on the arrogant sheriff if the need arose. He’d seen law enforcement officers who let the power of their position go to their heads. This sheriff appeared to be one of them. He made a mental note to watch the man. He could cause trouble for himself and for Kate.

The sheriff finally moved his foot. “I’ll be seeing you around Wild Oak Canyon.”

Ben shut the door, muttering, “Not if I can help it.”

Kate turned away, her gaze on the legal document the sheriff had given her. “Twenty-seven thousand dollars.” She looked up at Ben, her eyes glazed. “That’s more than I have in every savings account.”

“Surely you have a thirty-day notice on it.”

“Thirty days until they seize the property for back taxes owed.” She shook her head. “I don’t believe this. I should never have come.”

“Can’t you go back where you came from?” As he made the suggestion, his gut clenched. If Kate left, he wouldn’t have to be around her. He could forget the way she made his body hum to life.

Kate shook her head. “No. I quit my job. They’ve already leased the apartment we lived in. Not that I’d go back. It’s no safer in Houston than here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I left Houston after my apartment was broken into and ransacked.”

“In Houston?”

“Last week. The day after my father’s will was read.”

Ben didn’t like it. Hell, she wasn’t any safer in Houston than in Wild Oak Canyon. Ben resigned himself to being her protector until he could convince Hank he had the wrong man for the job. “Was your Houston apartment in a bad neighborhood?”

Kate shook her head. “I hadn’t had any problems in the four years I lived there. Whoever did it tore everything apart.”

“Any writing on the walls or threats?” Ben asked.

“No. They even ripped the cushions on my sofa. Every drawer was tossed, even the contents of the refrigerator.”

“They’re looking for something,” Ben stated. “The day after your father’s reading, you say? Did your father leave you anything besides this ranch?”

Kate’s eyes widened. “Yes.” Before Ben could question her, she ran up the stairs.

The blood racing through Ben’s veins had nothing to do with whatever item she might have received from her father and more to do with the way her bottom swayed side to side and the vision of smooth, creamy skin visible along the curves of her legs. “More clothes. She damn well better wear more clothes,” he muttered.

Kate paused at the top of the stairs, glancing down at Ben, her brows dipping. “Did you say something?”

“I’ll get my clothes on.” He strode back to the couch he’d spent the better part of the night lying awake on, thinking of the sexy legs on a woman he had no business looking at that way.

Hank Derringer was paying him to provide protection from a problem, not to become the problem or one more thing Kate had to be protected from.

He pulled his T-shirt on over his head, calling himself every kind of fool. If he had any cell phone reception at all, he’d be calling Hank and asking for a different assignment. One with a less attractive woman and…no kids.

“Hi.”

Speak of the devil.

Ben’s head poked through the neck of his T-shirt and he stared down at the pint-size version of Kate. Light reddishblond curls lay in bright disarray around the child’s shoulders.

She held out a brush. “Mommy told me to brush my hair.”

Without thinking, Ben took the brush from the girl. He’d brushed Sarah’s hair so many times he could have done it with his eyes closed. He knew just how to ease the tangles free without making her cry.

His throat closed as an image of his dark-haired daughter flashed into his memories. God, he missed her.

Lily looked up at him, her green eyes so like her mother’s. “Please?” She turned her back to Ben and fluffed her mane of red-gold hair out behind her, waiting expectantly.

Just like Sarah had.

All of the air left Ben’s lungs as if he’d been kicked hard in the gut. Yet his hand moved, reaching out to lift a lock of silky red-blond curls. He dropped to his haunches and ran the brush along the strand, picking out the knots with care.

He hadn’t felt this emotionally wrung out since Sarah and Julia had died. But the more he brushed Lily’s hair, the more his shoulders relaxed and the tightness in his chest loosened.

By the time he finished working the tangles out of the child’s hair, he could swallow again. “All done,” he said just like he had when he’d brushed Sarah’s hair.

“Thank you.” Lily turned and hugged him tight, her fresh, baby-shampoo scent filling Ben’s senses.

Over the top of Lily’s head he spied Kate standing on the bottom step, her eyes round. Was that a tear trickling down her cheek?

Kate ducked her head, a hand swiping at the moisture. Seeing Ben brushing Lily’s hair had hit her like a Mack truck. Lily’s father had died before she was born. Kate had been a single parent from day one. Seeing someone else, especially a man, brushing her daughter’s hair sent a flood of longing through her, for Lily and herself.

Lily didn’t know what it was to have a daddy. Just like Kate. Kate swallowed hard on the lump forming in her throat. “Lily, sweetie, go get dressed.”

Her daughter’s face lit. “Are we going outside to play?”

Kate smiled and patted her daughter’s head. “You can play, but I have work to do outside.”

“Yay!” Lily darted up the stairs, her bright curls bouncing as she went.

Kate descended from the last step and held out her hand. “My father left this key for me and a video disk.”

She dropped the key and the disk into Ben’s hand.

“What does the key go to?” Ben turned it over in his fingers.

“I don’t know. I’ve tried to watch the disk, but I couldn’t get it to work. The letter from the attorney had a note from my father to contact Hank Derringer for help.”

“Maybe Hank can get someone to look at the disk and see if they can pull the information off.”

Lily was down the stairs again, wearing shorts, cowboy boots and pulling a shirt over her head.

“Stop, young lady,” Kate ordered, afraid her daughter would miss a step and tumble the rest of the way down the stairs. “You can’t go out without me, and I’m not dressed.”

“Please, Mommy.” Lily looked up at Kate with a slight pout on her pretty pink lips.

“I’ll take her,” Ben offered. “We can discuss the key later.” He handed it back to her, setting the disk on an end table.

Kate curled her fingers around the key. “I’ll be ready in a minute. I need to finish unloading the rental van and get it back to town.”

Ben smiled and raised his hands palms upward. “I’m here to help.”

Kate’s heart skipped several beats as the man’s smile transformed his face from frowning, brooding darkness to sunshine. “You should smile more often,” she said without thinking.

Immediately, his face changed back into the brooding cowboy, his forehead creasing. “I find little to smile about these days.”

Kate wondered what made him so sullen and sad but didn’t want to push the issue, not when he’d thrown up a no-trespassing sign in the way his body stiffened and he turned away. He took Lily’s hand in his. “Ready?”

The two left through the front door.

Yes, sir, the cowboy had issues. Hell, didn’t everyone?

Kate climbed the stairs, her footsteps slow at first and speeding up as she neared the top. For the first time in months, she wanted to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. She refused to believe the hired hand had anything to do with her sudden surge of energy.

A pair of jeans, a snug-fitting ribbed T-shirt and tennis shoes completed her outfit. After she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and settled a baseball cap over her head, she hurried out to join Lily and Ben, her steps light, eager to finish unloading and settle into her new life.

Ben and Lily squatted beside the moving van, pointing at something on the ground.

“That’s a scorpion, Lily,” Ben was explaining. “Don’t try to touch or pick one up, they have a really bad sting.”

Lily hunched over, staring at the insect crawling across the ground. She looked up and spied Kate. “Mommy, come see the scorpion.”

Kate smiled and squatted beside her. With the three of them all gathered in a circle so close, her stomach knotted. This must be what it would feel like to be a family unit. Mommy, daughter and…daddy. Troy would have been a good father to Lily. He’d been so excited about the arrival of his firstborn, only to be robbed of ever seeing her.

Lily was a beautiful baby and an even prettier little girl with a grown-up sense of responsibility and a child’s joy of exploring.

“The day’s not getting any longer. I guess we better get this van unloaded so that I can return it to the rental center in town.” Kate stood, pulled the padlock key from her pocket and unlocked the back of the van.

For the next twenty minutes, Kate and Ben worked in silence, carrying boxes and furniture into the house. Lily helped a little, then lost interest and wandered around the yard, picking flowers and investigating her new home.

Kate kept a close eye on her. After last night’s break-in, she wasn’t feeling exactly trusting of her new environment.

Lily had strayed to the corner of the house when Kate and Ben hauled out the sofa with the repaired cushions she’d brought with her from her apartment.

Getting the sofa through the door took them several tries, tipping it in multiple directions, before they finally shoved the item through. When the sofa cleared the door frame, Kate tripped over a throw rug and landed on her bottom, the edge of the sofa coming down hard on her ankle. “Ouch!”

“Are you all right in there?” Ben called out over the top of the sofa.

“Yes, just not very graceful.” Kate stood and put pressure on her ankle and felt pain shooting up her leg. She swallowed a yelp and lifted her end again. There was no time for injuries. The van needed to be back before three o’clock or she’d have to pay for another day’s rental.

Once they got the sofa settled into the living room, Kate headed toward the door, trying to hide her limp.

Ben shook his head and pointed to the sofa they’d just placed. “Sit.”

“I’m fine, just a little sore. It’ll work itself out.” When she tried to walk past him, he grabbed her arms and made her stop.

“Let me see.” His grip was firm but gentle and his tone the same.

The warmth of his hands on her arms sent shivers of awareness throughout her body. “Really, it’s fine,” she said, even as she let him maneuver her to sit on the arm of the couch.

Ben squatted, pulled the tennis shoe off her foot and removed her sock. “I had training as a first responder on the Austin police force. Let me be the judge.”

Kate held her breath as he lifted her foot and turned it to inspect the ankle, his fingers slipping over her skin.

“See? Just bumped it. It’ll be fine in a minute.” She cursed inwardly at her breathlessness. A man’s hands on her ankle shouldn’t send her into a tailspin.

Ben Harding was a trained professional. Touching a woman’s ankle meant nothing other than a concern for health and safety. Nothing more.

Then why was she having a hard time breathing, like a teenager on her first date? Kate bent to slip her foot back into her shoe, biting hard on her lip to keep from crying out at the pain. Her head came very close to Ben’s. When she turned toward him she could feel the warmth of his breath fan across her cheek.

“You should put a little ice on that,” he said, his tone as smooth as warm syrup sliding over her.

Ice was exactly what she needed. To chill her natural reaction to a handsome man paid to help and protect her, not touch, hold or kiss her.

Whoa, there, girl. Kate jumped up and moved away from Ben and his gentle fingers, warm breath and shoulders so broad they could turn a girl’s head. “I should get back outside. No telling what Lily is up to.”

Ben caught her arm as she passed him. “You felt it, too, didn’t you?”

Kate fought the urge to lean into him and sniff the musky scent of male. Four years was a long time to go without a man. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ben held her arm a moment longer, then let go. “You’re right. We should check on Lily.”

Kate hurried, no, ran for the open door, her heart racing, her breathing ragged. Just as she crossed the threshold into the open breezy, South Texas sunshine, a frightened scream made her racing heart stop.

“Lily!” Kate burst out onto the porch.

The sound of engines racing up the gravel driveway greeted her. A man wearing a do-rag over his head with a bandanna pulled up over his mouth and nose straddled a huge motorcycle in the middle of the yard, holding a doll by its hair. He laughed, the sound so evil it made Kate’s skin crawl.

“That’s Lily’s doll.” Kate flew off the porch and would have scratched the man’s eyes out if an arm hadn’t circled her waist and yanked her back.

“Go back to the house. Now,” Ben said into her ear, his voice tight around the command.

“But Lily—”

“Go.” He shoved her back behind him.

Kate hesitated.

The roar of engines rose to a crescendo. An army of bikes swarmed into the yard, stirring up dust where the grass had long since died.

Kate ran for the house. Before she could reach the porch, a motorcycle cut her off. There must have been twenty bikes racing around the yard in a tight circle, trapping Ben and Kate in the center. The dust rose in a cloud, choking visibility to everything beyond.

Beyond panic, long past frightened, Kate screamed into the smoke screen, “Where’s my child?”

Chapter Four

Ben had left his Glock on top of the refrigerator inside the house while they’d been working to unload the trailer. Now he wished he had it. Two unarmed people against a biker gang weren’t good odds in anyone’s experience.

A rider broke the ring, circled the pair and then swerved toward Kate.

Fear for her spiked his adrenaline and he lunged toward the motorcyclist. Grabbing the closest handlebar, Ben twisted it hard toward the man astride. The sharp turn on the forward-moving bike caused the bike to flip over, rider and all.

Ben snagged Kate’s hand and pulled her closer to him into the center of the circle.

The man he’d toppled pulled himself out of the dirt, his face bleeding from where he’d crashed into the gravel drive. He glared at Ben and Kate and roared, veins popping out on his forehead.

Kate shrank against Ben. “Oh, God.”

They had nowhere to go; the ring of motorcycles tightened. The man with the doll eased toward them, dark eyes glaring through the slit between his do-rag and bandanna. “You need to leave, lady, before it’s too late.” He ripped the head off the doll and flung it at Kate’s feet.

Kate reached for the doll, but Ben held her back. “When I make my move…run toward the house,” he said into her ear. Anger surged and Ben threw himself at the lead man, knocking him out of his seat.

Kate ran.

Ben got one good, hard punch at the man’s face before two goons ditched their rides and jerked him off their leader. Caught between two beefy Hispanic men, Ben struggled, twisting and kicking, determined to keep their attention long enough for Kate to escape.

Ben jabbed an elbow into the gut of the guy on his right.

The man loosened his hold.

Ben ducked beneath his arm. No sooner had he shaken free from his captors’ hold than he was slammed to the ground from behind, a bull of a man hitting him low and hard.

The wind knocked from his lungs, Ben lay facedown in the dirt, willing his body to move. A foot in the middle of his back kept him from doing anything, especially refilling his starving lungs.

Kate screamed.

A shot of determination rocketed through Ben. He rolled onto his back; at the same time he grabbed the man’s leg who’d planted his heavy boot into his back. With a hard twist, he sent the thug flying backward, landing hard on his butt.

Two more men grabbed him, hauled him up and yanked his arms behind him, hard enough that spasms of pain ripped through his shoulders.

The leader lumbered to his feet and stalked toward Ben. He hit him with a hard-knuckled fist, square in the jaw. Ben’s head jerked back, hazy gray fog encroaching on his vision. Another punch to his gut would have had him doubling over, if he didn’t have two big guys holding him up.

Through the torture, his gaze panned the yard, searching for Kate and Lily.

The bikers had broken the circle and raced around the yard, running over bushes, ramming into a rose trellis. One drove up onto the porch and ripped the porch swing from its hooks.

Another cut off Kate’s attempt to get to the house.

Kate shot a glance over her shoulder and dodged to the left.

The biker sped past her and spun to renew his attack.

Ben planted his feet in the dirt and struggled, twisting and turning in an attempt to go to Kate’s rescue, his mind conjuring his wife’s last minutes on the earth, fighting to protect their daughter.

Then, he hadn’t been there to help Julia. His job now was to protect Kate. If only he’d been more vigilant and not lulled into believing danger wouldn’t strike during the daylight hours.

Hell, the fight wasn’t over.

The gang leader swung again.

Ben jerked to the side hard enough that the guy on his left tripped. The leader’s blow hit his own man in the cheekbone. The man yelled and grabbed his face with both hands, letting go of Ben.

Using the weight of the other man’s body, Ben rolled into him and sent him flying over his shoulder.

Kate ran toward the road.

The biker who’d missed her straightened his bike and hit the gas. The back tire spun, then gripped the ground and shot forward.

Ben came at him sideways, plowing into the biker.

The bike and rider rolled over to the side, the rider moving sluggishly in the dirt.

One down, nineteen to go.

Kate ran on, but another bike raced after her.

Ben wouldn’t catch up before the biker reached her.

A loud air horn broke through the roar of racing motorcycle engines, followed by a cloud of dust storming toward them on the gravel drive leading to the highway. Another air horn burst and a truck swerved around Kate, aiming straight for the biker in pursuit of the fleeing woman.

A shotgun’s nose poked out of the passenger window and blasted a hole in the ground in front of the bike tire. As a result, the biker spun so fast, the back wheel whirled all the way around and out from under the rider.

The gang members Ben had thrown off caught up to him and knocked him to the ground. He came up spitting dirt and ready to tear into them. He swung again and again, pummeling one man in the face. When that one went down, he kicked out and sent the other sprawling on his backside.

Another shot rang out, peppering bird shot at the gang members.

One man yelped and sent his bike skittering out of the shooter’s range.

The leader of the gang yelled something and circled his hand in the air, then pointed to the road.

All of the bikers revved their engines and rode out, leaving a lung-choking cloud in their wake.

Their leader left the yard, shouting, “Dejar o te vas a morir!”

As the dust cleared, the driver and passenger of the truck dropped to the ground.

Ben laughed, the effort making his split lip and sore rib cage hurt. He leaned against the gnarled trunk of a live oak tree, his knuckles bleeding and every muscle in his body screaming.

The driver was an older Hispanic man with a decided limp. The passenger, the one holding the shotgun, was a woman who could only be described as grandmotherly. Thank the lord for help in all shapes and sizes.

Ben’s next thought went to Kate and Lily.

Kate rounded the back of the pickup and ran back into the yard, tears making muddy tracks down her cheeks. “Lily!” she cried out.

A whimper sounded from the tree branches over Ben’s head.

Hidden between the leaves was a little girl with a curly halo of hair, clutching a ball of fur to her chest, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Mommy?”

“Lily?” Kate skidded to a halt beneath the tree. “Oh, baby. I’m so glad you’re okay.” Kate grabbed a branch and started up the tree.

Ben snagged her arm. “Let me.”

“I can do this.”

“It would be better if I could hand her down to someone she knows.”

Kate backed away and let Ben take the lead.

He ducked beneath the low-hanging branches and climbed upward. “Hey, Lily. How’d you get all the way up here?”

She hiccuped, her bottom lip trembling as she clutched the fuzz ball to the curve of her neck. “I followed Jazzy.”

“Is Jazzy one of your toys?” He spoke in calm, soothing tones, careful not to grimace when a shard of pain rippled across his hands or ribs.

Lily shook her head. “No, Jazzy’s not a toy.”

A soft mewling erupted from the fur ball and little paws reached out to latch onto Lily’s shirt.

“Jazzy’s a kitten.” Lily’s eyes rounded as she stared down into Ben’s eyes. “Can I keep her?”

Ben chuckled, his body hurting with every breath. He wanted to crush the little girl and the kitten to his chest and hold them there for as long as he could. He couldn’t tell if the pain he was feeling stemmed from sore ribs, bruises or heartbreak. “You’ll have to ask your mommy.”

“Will you ask her for me?”

“You bet.” Ben settled on a thick branch and wrapped his legs around it before he reached out. “Come on. I think your mother wants to fix you lunch or something.”

“I’m scared.” She glanced around at the ground below her. “Are the bad men gone?”

Rage burned in Ben’s throat as hot as acid but he fought to keep it from his face and voice. “Yes, baby. They’re gone.” This child should not have been exposed to the violence of those men.

She leaned toward him and stopped, her arm around the kitten that clung to her, its blue eyes as big around as Lily’s. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt, just a little cut.”

“I want my mommy,” Lily whimpered.

“I’m going to hand you down to her. Come on. You’re so brave to save that kitten. Now let me be brave and save you from falling out of the tree.”

Lily smiled. “Silly, I’m not falling out of the tree.”

“Your mother thinks you will.” He winked. “But I know better. You’re good at climbing trees, aren’t you?”

She nodded, then let him grab her around the waist and lift her onto the branch he sat on. He hugged her to him, relief washing over him in such a rush that his eyes glazed over and he couldn’t see.

“Give her to me, please,” Kate cried.

Ben blinked several times before he loosened his hold on the little girl and handed her down into Kate’s outstretched arms.

Kate gathered Lily into a hug so tight, Lily grunted. She sat on the ground in the dirt and hugged her some more, tears trickling from the corners of her eyes.

“I’m okay, Mommy.” Lily patted Kate’s face. “See?” Her empty hand pressed against Kate’s face, urging her to look into her eyes. “I saved the kitten.” Her smile broadened. “Can I keep her? Her name is Jazzy.”

“Sure, honey. You can keep her.” Kate dashed the tears from her cheeks and hugged Lily again. Then she climbed to her feet, lifting Lily to perch on her hip. “Come on, let’s clean up.”

Ben slid out of the tree and dropped to the ground beside the two, his hand going around Kate’s waist. “You two going to be all right?”

“I hope so.” Kate’s eyes widened. “You’re bleeding.”

Lily grinned at Ben. “Told you.”

Kate cupped Ben’s cheek. “Come in the house and let me take care of your cuts before they get infected.”

The light touch sent fire through his veins. Ben pushed her hand aside. “I’m fine. I’ll just stay out here and see what I can do to clean up the mess they made.” Anything rather than being close to Kate. She brought out too many feelings in him, feelings he’d thought long dead, emotions that made a man vulnerable.

The woman holding the shotgun waved her hands at them. “You three go get cleaned up and let us take care of the mess. Eddy and I can set things to rights in no time. Can’t we, Eddy?”

The short Hispanic man had wandered off, picking up broken bush branches. “Sí, señora.”

Ben stepped between the woman and Kate. “Could we at least know the names of our rescuers?” He tried to smile, his lip hurting with the effort. “I’m Ben Harding, Kate’s my…fiancée.”

“Oh, goodness, yes.” The woman shifted the shotgun into her other hand and gripped Ben’s hand in a firm, capable grasp. “Margaret Henderson. But most folks ’round here call me Ma or Marge. This here’s Eddy.”

“Mrs. Henderson, Eddy, glad to meet you.” Ben nodded at the gun. “Good shootin’.”

“No boys in my family, so my daddy taught all his girls to squirrel hunt.” She grinned. “And I make a mean squirrel soup.”

“I’ll bet you do.” Ben let go of her hand. “Thank you for showing up when you did. I think they were about to get the best of us.”

“I don’t know. You were holdin’ yer own pretty well.”

Ben didn’t want to argue with the woman. He’d gotten his butt whipped and Kate would be in a world of hurt had Margaret and Eddy not come along when they did. Guilt with a hint of heartrending regret tugged at his empty belly. What made Hank think a washed-up cop was the right man for this job? It had taken an old woman with a shotgun to chase off the latest threat. Some bodyguard he’d turned out to be.

Margaret smacked Ben on the back. “Twenty-to-one odds needs a little more encouragement than bare fists. Don’t let it get ya down. Question is why they were here in the first place.”

Eddy stuck a long blade of grass between his lips and rocked back on his heels. “Their leader shouted ‘Dejar o te vas a morir’ as he left.” The man had a decided Mexican accent.

Kate shook her head. “I don’t know Spanish. What does it mean?”

Eddy’s gaze captured Kate’s, his lips tightening for a moment before he spoke. “Leave or you will die.”

KATE’S HEART SANK into her belly. Holy smokes, what the hell had she done to the bikers to warrant a death threat?

“Well, now, isn’t that a nice way to welcome the new neighbors.” Marge turned to face Kate, the stiff, tough persona fading with the softening of her eyes. “You must be Kate.”

Kate held on to Lily, refusing to let her child out of her sight for even a moment. Her legs still shook and she couldn’t keep her hand from trembling when she held it out to Margaret. “Should I know you?”

“Kate Kendrick—” the woman folded Kate’s hand in both of hers “—you’re the spittin’ image of your father.”

Kate shook her head. “I go by Kate Langsdon.” She gripped the woman’s hand with her free one. “Did you know my…Kyle Kendrick?” She still couldn’t manage to refer to him as her father. Throughout her life, her mother had told her that her father had died in a car wreck. Growing up without a father hadn’t given her any practice saying the word. And for the past four years, Lily had been without a father of her own.

“Know him? I worked for him until the day he was m—” The older woman’s eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.” Her glance moved to Lily, and her hand fell to her side. “I worked for Mr. Kendrick until he passed. He was a good man.”

Kate bit her lip, wanting to refute Mrs. Henderson’s statement. What man would willingly walk away from his daughter and never have contact with her? In Kate’s mind, that didn’t make a good man.

“Thank you for coming to our rescue.” Kate smiled and turned to Ben. “Now, let’s get you inside and doctored up.”

The kitten Lily had been holding mewed.

An answering meow came from beneath the porch and a brightly colored calico cat stepped out of the shadows.

The kitten clawed at Lily.

“Ouch.” Lily held the kitten away from her shirt.

Kate pointed to the cat. “That must be the kitten’s mother.”

Lily hugged the fur ball to her, her brows pulling together in a mutinous frown. “Jazzy is my kitty.”

“Honey, you have to let her go to her mama.”

“But I want a kitten.”

“Jazzy will be your kitten, but you’ll have to let her be with her mama until she gets bigger.”

“I want her to come in the house and sleep in my bed.”

“When she doesn’t need her mother anymore. You can come and play with her outside until then.”

The kitten dug her claws into Lily, scrambling to get to her mother.

“See, she misses her mother.” Kate leaned Lily away from her. “How would you feel if someone wouldn’t let you come to your mother?”

Lily stared at the kitten and the calico mother cat, meowing over and over. “I’d feel sad.”

“And the kitten is sad because you won’t let her go to her mother.”

Lily wiggled in Kate’s arms, so she set her daughter on the ground.

Plucking the kitten’s claws from her shirt, Lily settled the animal on the ground.

As soon as she was loose, the kitten ran for her mother, curling in and around the cat’s long, sleek legs.

“See how happy Jazzy is?” Kate knelt beside her daughter.

“Can I play with her after lunch?”

“You sure can.” If the bikers weren’t back or an intruder wasn’t rummaging through the only home they had to go to. Kate’s chest tightened. “We’ll bring food out for Jazzy and her mother.”

Lily slipped her hand into Ben’s and one into her mother’s. “I’m hungry. Can we eat now?”

Kate almost laughed at how quickly Lily forgot the bad men on motorcycles, all her concentration on eating and getting back outside to play with her kitten. How simple to be a child and forget about all the horrible things adults could do to each other.

Ben glanced over the top of Lily’s head. “She’ll be all right.”

The biker’s warning echoed in Kate’s mind. “I hope so.”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.