Authors: Paige Cameron
Cameron, Paige - Commando Cowboys Seduce Their Woman [Wyoming Warriors 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Polyromance) (2 page)
“Thank you for helping my dog and watching over me.”
“I intend to watch over you for a very long time.”
Ellen turned away from the intense expression on his face. He was making her body come to life, feel again in ways she didn’t want. “Oh, I don’t think I’ll have to stay at the ranch that long.” When he didn’t reply she glanced over her shoulder. He was gone. She heard him speaking with someone.
She found him in the hall on his phone. He clicked the cell shut.
“It’s time. One of our men is coming up to the apartment. I’ll get Montlief. You follow me. Our guy will be right behind you carrying your suitcases.” The orders came fast as he walked toward the door and waited for the knock.
A tall man dressed all in black came inside. She showed him her bags. Sahale lifted Montlief into his arms and led the way out. The man with the suitcases stopped for a second and locked her door while Sahale got the elevator.
At the front door, Sahale spoke softly, “Remember, keep right behind me. Now.”
They walked quickly to the large, black SUV. Sahale and Montlief were pulled inside as other hands grabbed her. The man with her suitcases followed. It was done in silence and perfect coordination. Two men stood at either side of the vehicle holding rifles.
“They’ve seen us. Let’s go,” one of the men said as they jumped in and slammed the door shut.
The SUV charged out of the parking spot, swerved, and moved fast along the street. Ellen couldn’t see anything, but thought she heard a bullet hit the metal side. She looked around. The SUV had been redesigned with no seats, and a wall had been placed in the front between the driver and the back. Various equipment was fastened along the inside walls.
Montlief had been put down on a blanket. She watched as Sahale hooked up an IV to her dog, took a syringe, and put medicine into the IV drip.
“Are you all always so prepared?” The men around her grinned.
Sahale glanced at her. “We try to be. I’d asked them to bring some of the supplies I keep on the plane.”
Suddenly the SUV turned left, throwing Ellen to the side. One of the men had started to catch her, but Sahale was there first. He pulled her into his arms and sat against the front wall of the vehicle. “Hold on. I think your
friends
are trying to stop us.” She jerked in his arms. “Don’t worry. They won’t. Ethan’s driving, and no one beats him.”
“I’m all right.” Ellen tried to sit up away from his hard, enticing body.
His strong arms pulled her back. His legs surrounded her. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Relax, little one. I’m not letting go.”
Heat from his warm breath and his words set a fire running through her. She was so hot, and her breasts were tight in her bra. Part of her wanted to run far, far away, and part of her never wanted to leave his side.
She wasn’t certain which she was more afraid of—the men coming after them, or the man holding her in his arms.
Chapter Two
They’d lost the men in the van, and the SUV had slowed down a fraction. When they arrived at the airport, the plane was ready for takeoff.
Two of the men gently carried Montlief aboard. Ellen and Sahale followed close behind. Once all the men were inside, the door was shut and the plane taxied down the runway. As soon as the light came on to release seat belts, Sahale and his assistant started to walk to the back of the plane to work on Montlief. Ellen stood to go with them.
“Stay here. I’ll let you know how he is doing after I’ve checked him over. On this plane we’re equipped to handle any type of medical emergency. He’ll be well taken care of, believe me.”
She frowned, but reluctantly sat back in her seat. Daren crossed to sit by her.
“Are you all right? Sara’s been worried.”
“I’m fine. Why did you all think these men would come after me?”
“They see you as an extension of us now. Whoever wants you taken expected he’d get valuable information out of you.”
“But”—she started to say she didn’t know anything about them. But on her last visit with Sara and Morgan, with their husbands’ permission, they had shared some information. Ellen now knew they were both married to two men, which Ellen had begun to suspect. They also told her about the men having unusually well-developed senses and strength. “Would the little I know harm you all?”
“Maybe not, but they’d keep trying to get more out of you. They wouldn’t have believed that’s all you knew.”
She shivered. “I’m glad Sara and Morgan are so happy. Still, when you and your men came into our lives it turned them upside down.”
“True, and right now you feel like the last man out.”
“I’m not jealous. I just miss them.”
Daren nodded. “Maybe we can find a job for you on the ranch. If Mitch agrees, we might make an exception and let you stay. If you’d like to live there.”
“I don’t know what I want, except I want Montlief to be all right.”
“Fair enough. You can give me an answer anytime.” He stood and walked down the hall in the direction Sahale had taken.
Sahale and Daren returned shortly before the time to land. Sahale sat beside her. “Montlief is doing much better. I did some blood work and gave him more medicine. By tomorrow we’ll know if he’s going to make it.”
She nodded and looked out the window. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she hated for people to see her cry. Sahale’s hand wrapped around hers.
“When things settle down, I want to show you some of the ranch you haven’t seen. I think you’d like to see some of the bluffs and the wild horses.” He talked quietly to her as she fought to get her composure. He didn’t ask questions or try to comfort her other than holding her hand. He was just there, a solid, warm wall blocking her from the others’ view.
How did he know just what she needed? If he’d said words trying to comfort her, she’d have lost it. Instead, his voice, as he talked of the ranch, rolled over her like a warm blanket. Her body gradually relaxed, the tears went away, and her strength returned.
After the landing, the door was opened and the men hurried down the steps to their cars. The night was dark and cool.
Daren came to her side at the bottom of the steps. “Sahale is going with Montlief to our animal hospital. You’re coming with me. Sara will have a cup of hot chocolate waiting for you.”
“Thank you for everything.”
Daren put his arm across her shoulders and guided her to his truck. “That’s what family is supposed to do, take care of each other.”
* * * *
Jack Talisman walked across the yard and down a dusty lane to the back of the animal hospital. He’d heard Sahale was back, and knew he’d be there. Jack had wanted to go straight to the main ranch house where Daren had taken Ellen, but it was too late for a visit. He’d have to be patient and wait for morning. He opened the door and went into the first exam area.
“Sahale, how’s her dog doing?”
“Better. I’m running some more tests to try and determine what he ingested.”
“How’d they get to him locked inside Ellen’s apartment?” Jack stood beside Sahale watching him work.
Sahale raised his head. “That’s what I’d like to know. But they had to have had a key made. The same as me. There was no evidence of a break-in.”
“I’m glad it was decided to send you to keep an eye on her.”
“Yes. They’d have taken her tonight. While she was packing I slipped into her guest bedroom. It faces the street. They’d started to cross over to her apartment. I turned on the light and let them see my shadow. They turned and went back to the van.” Sahale looked across at his assistant. “You stay with Montlief tonight. I’ll have someone relieve you in a few hours.” He turned, took off his gloves, washed his hands, and led Jack to his office. “I think they called whoever the boss is, and he must have told them to wait it out, expecting me to leave.” Sahale sank into his chair.
Jack poured them both a cup of coffee, closed the door, and sat across from him. “What do you think?”
“You were absolutely right. She’s the one for us. As soon as she opened the door, her scent floored me, strong and sweet.”
“That’s what I noticed when I went to take care of Morgan. She came in with the lab results, and thankfully Morgan had all her attention. I almost leaned over to sniff her hair. My reaction felt like the description I’d heard from friends when they met the right woman. I wasn’t certain, because I had little time with her.
“She’s not going to be easy to convince that we’re the men she should marry. I did have time to notice she had protective walls up high.”
“We can break them down. I had the advantage of having her alone when she couldn’t leave. I invaded her space a few times as an experiment to see how she’d respond. I kissed her. As far as I’m concerned, she’s going to be our wife. We just have to slowly seduce her around to our way of thinking.”
Jack grinned. “That should be fun. I’m going to the ranch house first thing in the morning to renew our acquaintance. You going with me?”
“I’m going to get some sleep on my cot over there and stay here until her dog is out of danger. I’ll let you have the fun in the morning. She’ll come to me soon enough. In fact, why don’t you bring her for a visit in the morning? She’s going to want to see Montlief.”
“What a name for a dog.”
“Yeah, funny. She loves him. Which shows she has the capability to love. Right now, for some reason, she’s directed it all on him. I’m going to find out who or what sent her into her protective shell.”
“See you in the morning.” Jack put his empty cup down and left the facility. He took long strides back to the large cabin he and Sahale shared. Well, usually one of them was gone, so it wasn’t often they were home at the same time.
He lay on his bed and closed his eyes, remembering when he’d last seen Ellen. He’d told her he’d see her again. She’d gone all frosty on him and said she doubted it. He wasn’t going to sleep anymore tonight. His thoughts were too much on her and how she’d look when he greeted her in the morning.
* * * *
Surprisingly, Ellen had slept. When she opened her eyes, sunlight was coming around the sides of the drawn curtain. Wow, after she drank the hot chocolate and ate the sandwich Sara had given her, she’d gone to bed and straight to sleep.
Montlief? She jumped out of bed. She had to check on him. She’d shower, dress, and get Sara to take her to him.
She hurried, and it was barely seven thirty when she came out of her room and walked toward the living room. Sara had pointed out the kitchen and told her, if she was up first, to go there for breakfast.
Ellen took long strides into the big, sunny kitchen. A woman was stirring something in a large pot.
“Come in. I’m Tessa, the cook. Have a seat at the table by the window. You can join Jack for breakfast.”
Jack? Ellen glanced around the woman at a small table set in an alcove surrounded by windows.
“Good morning, Ellen.” Jack had stood. “I told you we’d meet again.”
Ellen hesitated before walking across the room to the table. The doctor she’d met briefly when Morgan had been drugged was standing by the table. Something about him had bothered her. She hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind. When he’d stepped up to her at the door that day she’d been annoyed. He’d warned her not to speak of what she’d seen. Like she was a gossip and would go out and tell everyone.
But more than that had worried her. Her heart rate had sped up at his nearness, and when she looked into his eyes she’d felt a response in her body. She’d almost run out of the building.