Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) (3 page)

CHAPTER FOUR

The dark Montana sky gave way to lighter shades as the hour slipped by. Shane should still be in bed right now. Heaven knew he needed the rest. Instead, he was gripping the cool steering wheel in his truck, driving to the airport to pick up a total stranger.

Damn that nosey brother of his. And Reese – that sneaky little thing had grinned all too wide when she’d heard there was a girl waiting. A girl who needed protection. The stubborn side of him wanted to dislike this woman no matter what she was like. Show them how foolish they’d been. The other part of him, the part that longed for a woman’s closeness, scent, and touch, wanted desperately for her to somehow be the one for him. The way it had worked with Reese, and then with Jade, Gavin’s wife.

He shook his head in frustration. What kind of impression would he make once she found out he lived so dang close to his parents? He regretted staying at Grandpa Emerson’s place for so long. Why hadn’t he just built on his acre three miles down, like the others had done? The answer came quickly enough: he hadn’t the need. While Blake was busy chasing two mischievous boys, and Gavin helping care for that new baby girl, Shane had stayed back at the old place, found comfort in hanging out with the hired ranch hands, pretending to enjoy the single life. But the fact was, it was getting old.

He could barely fathom how different his life might be had Natasha said yes to his proposal. But that girl had been city-bound and there was no changing it; best she break free before they married and brought little ones into the picture. Could have been the biggest mistake of his life, marrying her. And it scared him; perhaps he had bad judgment when it came to women. Who knew? He was determined to not make that mistake again.

Reese had fallen in love with the country. Jade had too. With the ranch, and with the Emerson brother who’d stepped up as guardian. He only wondered how such a thing could happen more than once. Twice was hard enough to believe, but three times? Heck, that was damn near impossible.

~+~

“I hope they were able to get my cats okay,” Cassie said, staring out the small window. A sliver of sunlight peeked over the distant horizon, barely softening the bleak darkness behind them.

“Cats will be fine,” the detective assured.

“Can you tell me where we’re going yet?” So far all they had done is fly from one nearby state to the next. Either they were wandering aimlessly or trying really hard to throw off a pursuer.

“Maybe, but first let me explain all the backtracking,” he said. “Your original guardian, located in New Mexico, was unable to take you due to some health issues. Our backup, an older couple living in Nevada, were recently put in a retirement home and hadn’t notified us.” He glanced at her, a wry smile on his face. “Turns out they’re ten years older than our records indicate.”

“Oh.” A new knot of nerves tightened in her stomach.

Gonzalez pulled in a deep, proud breath, puffing out his chest. “We’ve got you covered now. Going to a real nice place.” He left it at that.

“In which state?” She was starting to wonder if they’d land back in Seattle where she’d find the whole thing was only a cruel prank.

The detective smiled at her like she was some helpless little kitten. “They announced where we were headed. You didn’t listen?”

Her defenses kicked in. “Well, you said we still had two more flights to go. So either you lied to me about that or you forgot how to count.”
That’s right;
this kitten has claws.

She wasn’t sure she liked the boisterous laugh coming from the man’s mouth. As he continued in his sudden amused state, Cassie shifted in her seat before tapping the passenger directly in front of her.  “Excuse me,” she said, voice firm and direct. “Could you tell me where we’re headed?”

That wiped the grin off Gonzalez’s face.

The older gentleman nodded before replying. “Certainly, sweetheart. We’re headed to the state of Oro y Plata. That’s Spanish for gold and silver.”

She tilted her head in confusion. He still hadn’t answered her question, which must be why the detective’s grin was back.

“So that’s…” Cassie prompted.

“The Treasure State.” After a long pause he added, “Big Sky Country?” The blank expression on Cassie’s face must have urged him to continue. “Montana, of course, girl. Sweet Montana. Home to the real American cowboy.”

She tested the word out for herself. “Montana?” Hmm. What did she know about the state? Nothing.
And cowboys?
Ann would have liked that.

“So are we going to talk about that overdue book yet?” The detective glanced at her with an unassuming glint of curiosity.

“How do you even know about that?” she asked.

“We do our best to tie up loose ends. Turns out you had only one.” He brought up a hand and began counting it out with his fingers. “You pay your bills on time. You’re not delinquent on any charges. No warrants out for your arrest.” He paused to give her a wry smile. “Yet I discover you have this book that your local library’s been hounding you about for a solid year.” He scratched at the back of his head. “I can’t decide if you have it, and just don’t want to give it back. And if that’s the case, why not just pay for the thing? But if you lost it, you should just pay for it and move on because clearly you owe more in late fees than the thing’s worth.” He paused there, looking her up and down. “Nothing about this overdue book matches the rest of you.”

Cassie smiled, enjoying how much thought he’d put into the mystery of her bland, uneventful (until now) life. But the reality of why she’d kept the book pulled the grin off her face. “It’s a stupid reason,” she said. “I’m not really dying to talk about it.”

“Come on, this is like training for me. Getting into people’s heads. Why they do what they do. It’s fascinating.”

She shook her head. “There’s nothing fascinating about it. Just uh…”
Pathetic.
Cassie turned to look out the window while she spoke. The sky was a sheet of empty, cloudless grey. A perfect reflection of how she felt in that moment. “My boyfriend, Griffin, was interested in this book, right?”

Gonzalez remained silent, probably afraid she’d clam up again if he uttered a word.

“Well, I got it from the library a week before he was scheduled to come back. But things were going so well for him that he couldn’t leave. Real estate was booming in India, so he wanted to prolong his stay to capitalize on it.”

When she remained quiet, the detective spoke up. “You thought the book would bring him back sooner?”

Cassie shrugged. “Not exactly. I just don’t want to do anything permanent. If the book’s late, it’s late. Griffin reads it. We return it.” Another sigh escaped her lips. “But if
I
return it, it’s like I’m admitting he may never come back. And if I pay it off, it’s got that same tone of finality. I want him to read it. I want to laugh about the way I kept it so long. We could take the thing back together, look for more books while we’re there.” The sky promised daylight ahead as a small strip of light grew on the horizon. “I don’t see him often, but I know he’s out there. Like I know my parents are. And I know they love me, they just don’t need me the way … the way some people need their kids or their girlfriends.”

“And you’re okay with that?” He sounded frustrated.

“Of course. I’m fine with the way things are.” She thought of her grandmother then. The one who’d raised her. And for the first time since the dear woman’s death, Cassie felt relieved that she was no longer living. Grandma would have probably died from the stress alone – worried over her granddaughter and the men out to kill her.

Just hearing the words in her head made Cassie woozy. Had her thinking back on what the detective had said about the two jurors who were found dead. He’d given her enough information to know that both Lisa and Pam, the two women Cassie had grown closest to, were safe. Gonzalez said that while he couldn’t yet reveal who’d been murdered, he could confirm who
hadn’t
, if she asked. After confirming that eighteen-year-old Ryan was safe, Cassie left it there. Didn’t want to dig into her memory of the other jurors and the few details she knew of their home, spouses, or children. It was simply too painful.

A group of savage men wanted her dead. Another stranger had offered to shelter her from the danger. And whether it would prove to be an older man, like the proud, grey-haired cowboy sitting up front, or a kind married couple willing to take in a girl in need, she was grateful for their help. She only hoped she’d be able to carry her own weight. Do them more good than harm during her stay, however long that stay might be.

CHAPTER FIVE

Shane was crankier than a bull kept from the heifer’s pasture. Any sliver of hope he may have carried on the ride to the airport was long gone. This was bound to be one fine mess. He leaned against his truck and folded his arms, eyes set on the airport exit.

When his cell phone buzzed, it took him four solid rings to even look at the thing. Maybe it was the girl’s chaperone, letting him know they’d arrived. Perhaps if he didn’t pick up, they’d turn around and ship her some place else.

He glanced down to see who he’d missed a call from. The small screen, glowing bright in the twilight hour, showed two names:
Betty and Grant.
“Aw, Blake. Why’d you have to go pulling them into this?” The phone beeped to let him know there’d been a message left, but Shane skipped straight to the call instead.

Betty was bound to be all worked up over the idea of her bachelor son getting hitched to the next damsel in distress. Barely half-a-ring through and she picked up.

“Have ya got her yet?” Boy, did she sound anxious.

“No, Ma, not yet.”

“Well, we’re getting the entire house ready.” Clanks and bangs sounded in the background. “When was the last time you cleaned this place?”

Shane groaned. “It’s a house full of men, Ma. We’re out the door before the sun’s up. Give me a break.”

“Mm, hmmm. Anyway, we’re giving her the room right across from yours.” She paused for a moment, grunting. “You better tell those boys if they can’t manage to flush a dang toilet around here they’re going to have to build an outhouse in the yard and use that instead.”

“Why are you downstairs?” Shane asked, running a hand over his whiskered jaw.

“I’m not about to let the girl move into some pig sty. Reese and Jade said the extra room hadn’t been dusted in ages.”

“They’re probably right.” He didn’t bother asking about what they’d done with the things he’d moved into it. Not much of it mattered. Just a bunch of junk. “What about all the interns and ranch hands? Are they still going to stay with her living there?”

“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You know how things went with Reese,” she said. “And I know it’s just ‘cuz we weren’t expecting a girl. But with all the hands around here hootin’ and hollerin’ and causin’ a fuss, I thought it best that we just…” She broke off there.

“Just what?” Shane hadn’t thought of it before, but as his mother paused in finishing her sentence, he saw the light.

“It just worked out so much better with Gavin and Jade when they just told everyone they were, you know...”

“Married.” The word barely escaped Shane’s gritted teeth.

“It’s the safest way to do it, you’ve gotta admit. Protects her from whatever dangers are out there – her past life or other – plus it shields her from the ugly gossip in town about a gal movin’ into a ranch full of men. None of it bodes well for the girl, especially with her lack of experience and all; can’t exactly say you hired her to help on the ranch.”

A rush of angry heat fired up in his chest. “I’ve got a reputation too. I’m supposed to cart this woman around like I’m married for … who knows how long only to look like the town fool when she up and leaves. Is that it?”

“Oh, Shane, it’ll be fine,” Betty said. “Still, if you do decide to go the husband and wife route, you’d best plan on staying at a hotel there in the city for a night or two. Make it look real legit. So long as you keep your hands off that girl, Shane, and I mean it.”

He rolled his eyes. “There’s no way I can spare more time away from the ranch this close to calving. We were set to herd them to the west pasture today.” He eyed the dawn-lit sky. “They getting a start on that?”

“Yep. The men set out to the far pasture an hour ago. And the women are getting this place all cleaned up and ready for the new girl.”

Shane took comfort in knowing life at the ranch had been disrupted too. No reason for Reese and all her excitement to go sleeping in at a time like this, not that she ever did much anyway with those two boys of hers.

Still, the whole thing made him uneasy. There was no way in hell he’d pretend he was married to this gal. It was ridiculous. “You know, it’s not going to look so much like we’re married, is it?” he said. “She’s in her room. I’m in mine. Don’t you think the guys will notice?”

“Heavens, no. All the ranch hands will be downstairs. Plus the bathroom joins your room and hers. We’ll keep her room locked at all times. Not with one of them pic locks but the real outdoor thing. She just needs to enter and exit through your room. Problem solved.”

As Betty continued to prattle about everything from bedding to blinds, two words stuck in Shane’s mind:
Problem solved.
Those words couldn’t have been further from the truth. Even if he didn’t tell the whole town they were married, he’d still have to lie about who she was and why she was there. He never could tell a good lie; whether the cause was saving his own hide or one of his brothers, untrue words always seemed to get caught up in his throat.

And what if the woman wasn’t game? He chuckled at the thought of her meeting his loud and overbearing family.
Poor thing will wish she’d have stayed home instead.
She’d probably as soon take her chances than play house with a bitter old cowboy who was afraid to love again.

It was in that moment he spotted the odd couple walking toward the airport exit. Odd, due to the obvious difference in height and age. “I’ll call you back, Mom.” He wasn’t sure Betty had heard him, but he clicked the button to end the call anyway and tucked the phone into his pocket.