Game On (The Morgan Brothers Book 4) (23 page)

A
spen didn’t remember
ever needing a run as much as she needed this one. The weather was perfect…cool enough to keep from overheating and warm enough she hadn’t needed a jacket. After a few stretches, she jogged to the barn and smiled at the precise distance and estimated times information the Morgans had posted by what she assumed was their starting line. Setting a decent pace, she ran the warm up track around the perimeter of what the sign referred to as the
yard
. Calling the area, she estimated at between thirty and forty acres, a
yard
seemed to be a fairly liberal application of the term, if you asked her.

Once she set out on the trail leading up the mountain, Aspen felt some of her earlier tension begin to drain away. She’d already felt responsible for their neighbor being assaulted, but seeing Sage’s anger emphasized the point. Aspen assumed she’d already managed to lose his friendship before they’d even really gotten to know each other. Oh sure, she knew he wouldn’t openly blame her, but that didn’t mean his subconscious wouldn’t always hold it against her. For months, she’d fantasized about how it would be to finally meet Phoenix Morgan and reunite with Mitch Ames. But the train wreck she’d experienced hadn’t been anything like her fantasy…and hearing Sage yelling at Kip earlier hadn’t helped.

It wasn’t long until the trail became so steep she found herself needing to concentrate on each step. She was grateful for the distraction because thinking about last night’s debacle wouldn’t solve anything. The tree-lined trail was going to test her aerobic limits, but she was grateful for the burn in her lungs.
Keep moving, don’t be a pansy-ass.
Her physical therapist’s words echoed in her head and made her push harder than she probably should since her rehab had all taken place at sea level.

Making an effort to control her breathing, Aspen continued up the steep trail until she started to see black creeping in at the edges of her vision. Leaning against a tree, she gave in to the need to gasp in great gulps of oxygen until she started to become light-headed. “It’s the altitude. You’ll get used to it eventually.” Aspen screamed and lurched forward.

Looking back, she saw Caila watching her, concern etched on her face. “Damn. That’s one hell of a set of lungs you’ve got for a woman who was panting for breath a few seconds ago. Good recovery. Wish my patients could bounce back that quickly.”
Patients?

“Holy hand bells, you scared the shit out of me. Were you standing there all along? Damn, no wonder I missed you in all that camo.”

Caila grinned. “Well, I try to avoid hot pink and orange when I’m hunting. Deer seem to be particularly averse to those colors, oddly enough.”

Aspen laughed at the younger woman’s sarcasm. The running shorts and shirt she wore were a psychedelic mix of swirling shades of pink and orange. One of the physical therapists she’d worked with had cursed her bland exercise attire and purchased several brightly colored sets for her.
Bright colors are motivating. Use any advantage you can, Aspen.
The young woman’s generosity had touched her and she’d promptly thrown out all of her drab workout clothing and replaced it with various obnoxiously bright combinations.

“Point taken, but the colors motivate me. Wearing something that deters wildlife from making me their afternoon snack is a side benefit.” Aspen was still reeling from the scare she’d gotten. Having someone speak right behind her when she’d believed herself alone had rattled her. She definitely needed to be more aware of her surroundings. Dammit, she knew better than to become so lost in thought she wasn’t cognizant of what was happening around her. Maybe she should consider spending a couple of weeks at Prairie Winds training with Kent and Kyle’s team.
And what message would that send?

Caila’s eyes lit with laughter as she giggled. “Well, as strange as it may seem, considering the fact you’ve only seen me in black and camo, I love bright colors. All of my scrubs are bright, even though my patients don’t seem to care one way or another.”

“Patients?” Aspen didn’t remember anyone mentioning what Caila did for a living, and now she was curious.

“I’m a vet. Well, more specifically I’m a veterinary reproductive specialist.” Aspen knew she must have looked lost when Caila laughed. When Aspen started to apologize, Caila waved her off. “No worries. I actually get that response a lot. It means, while I’m trained to care for all animals, I specialize in reproduction issues, particularly those related to cattle and horses. I always wanted to move back home, and I was pretty sure I’d never be able to make enough money to buy my own spread by taking care of the pets in town.”

“So you help infertile cows have babies?” Aspen felt like a dimwit asking questions, but she’d never met anyone claiming to be a reproductive specialist to cows and horses before. “Damn, I feel like such a city slicker.”

Caila chuckled. “Well, not exactly. It’s more about making sure all the cows in a herd
have
babies, and that they have them within a certain window of time. It’s also about collecting and freezing bull sperm.” Aspen felt her eyes widen in shock. “Damn, I’d love to have seen the picture that just went through your mind. But, whatever it was, the reality is probably worse.”

“Think I’ll just leave it there. My brain needs more oxygen before you tell me the gruesome details.” The two of them shared a laugh before changing the subject.

“Did Phoenix sort out who is stalking the two of you, yet?” When Aspen shook her head, Caila rolled her eyes. “What’s the hold up? The only other time I’ve known him to be baffled was when he couldn’t identify you.” Aspen found herself gaping at Caila, unsure what to say. “I play the games too, Athena. I’m Well-Bred Cowgirl.”

“Seriously? Damn, you’re a tough opponent. You’ve kicked my ass several times in Castle Charge.”

“Yeah, but you smoked me in the flying games. That’s how I figured out you were a pilot. I laughed when Phoenix and Mitch couldn’t figure it out. And they’re both Mensas…go figure.” Aspen felt like she and Caila had a special connection because of what happened the night before. It might not be the best foundation for a friendship, but suddenly it didn’t seem so important. Caila Cooper was remarkably easy to like.

“Obviously you didn’t clue them in, so thank you for that. Mitch might have started putting two and two together if he’d gotten that piece of the puzzle.”

Caila shrugged, but her eyes were suddenly downcast rather than sparkling with mischief like they had been earlier. “I think you give them too much credit. From my experience, men can be pretty clueless.”

Aspen studied her for several seconds before speaking. “I assume you are talking about Kip Morgan.” When Caila lifted her eyes, they were filled with something between embarrassment and pain. “He was definitely giving you mixed signals last night. But speaking as a woman whose three lifelong best friends are men, and who has worked almost exclusively with men in the Air Force, I can tell if you this. If you have to make a choice between believing their body language and their words, rely on what you
see
.”

“Maybe, but it was hard to discount the brush off I got after…well, after we spent some time together.” Oh yeah, Aspen knew exactly what
that
meant. The youngest Morgan had done a
touch and go
. The flight term referred to a training exercise where pilots take off, fly in a circle, touch down, then immediately take off again. But as with almost everything else, her fellow airmen had sexualized the term to suit their own needs. Aspen would bet the other branches of the military had their own version of the same thing. Oddly enough, most of the women she worked with were just as bad or worse when it came to their free and easy view of sex. Aspen had never been into one-night stands, and she felt sorry for Caila because she’d obviously read more into the evening than her partner had.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted it to. But I can tell you, he’ll be answering to his brothers if he’s hurt you.”

The other woman’s eyes shone with tears, but she valiantly held them back. “That will only make it worse. But, I’m sure you’re right. I’ve probably made a mistake moving back home. I had several lucrative offers, but like a lovesick puppy I came home.” Damn it, Aspen wanted to kick Kip’s ass herself now. If he really wasn’t interested, he should never have made love to Caila.

“Maybe you need to be the one who isn’t interested. Men are just like women, sometimes they want what’s most difficult to attain.” The sparkle returned to Caila’s eyes as she slowly nodded. Aspen wasn’t sure she’d really helped, but she was glad to see the sadness lift from the younger woman’s expression.

“I better get back to my run. Phoenix and Mitch are probably timing me.”

Caila rolled her eyes and laughed. “I totally understand. They’re an overprotective bunch. I don’t know Mitch as well, of course, but from what I can tell, he fits right in with the Morgan brothers. My tree stand is about a half mile down the trail, I’ll follow you, but I’m not running.”

“What? You don’t like to run? As slender as you are, I figured you for an athlete.”

“Nope, I just work hard. Believe me, if you see me running, you’d better follow because something big and mean is chasing me.” Caila shouldered her rifle and gave Aspen a mock salute.

Picking up her pace, Aspen made her way down the trail, admiring the markers clearly posted along the way. The men had done a great job with the trail, the steep incline was broken up with switchbacks making the whole thing challenging without being insurmountable. The real workout would come by increasing your speed…
and the damned altitude.

Barry Orman listened
to the women talk, the sound coming in loud and clear through his headset. The new listening device he used was still so new it hadn’t even been released to the military yet. Scoring one before he left Washington, D.C. had been a stroke of luck. The new gadget allowed the user to hear everything being said within a mile in any direction, it was going to be a soldier’s best friend.

Listening as the two women rattled on, he fought the urge to roll his eyes at their tedious chit-chat.
How can two women who just met last night share so much personal information?
He’d never mastered the finer points of chit-chat, quite frankly he’d never seen the point. Barry couldn’t see the second woman clearly through the trees, but it was obvious from their conversation she was a local.

By the time the two women separated, he’d been close to nodding off. What the hell possessed them to chatter about shit nobody cared about anyway? Brushing his thoughts aside, Barry refocused his attention on Aspen Andrews as she ran toward him. Cursing under his breath, he knew he should have taken the time to get a more appropriate weapon, but the mess at Mountain Mastery last night had accelerated his timeline.

The small Beretta pistol in his hand didn’t look particularly threatening, and it wasn’t effective at any significant distance, but he hoped it would pack enough punch to render his prey immobile long enough for him to transport her out of the area. As soon as he gained Phoenix Morgan’s compliance, he’d dispose of her body.

While he’d love to send Morgan bits and pieces, he’d decided it was too risky. Looking around him, he smiled. There were plenty of places nearby where he could stash her. Knowing she had to be getting close, he raised his small binoculars, bringing Aspen Andrews into focus as she rounded the corner on a switchback. She was nearing his position quickly, and he slid the mask over his face, adjusting it so his vision wasn’t obscured and settled in to wait.

Sage glanced at
his phone and smiled. He’d asked Caila to keep an eye out for Aspen, and evidently, the two women had spoken on the trail.
Located. Engaged. Watching.
The short text told him enough, and he leaned back against the warm leather of his office chair and wondered once again what the hell his youngest brother had been thinking last night.

Caila had been in love with Kip for as long as Sage could remember. The little girl with long braids shadowed all of the Morgan brothers, but Kip had always been the one she’d run to first. Unfortunately, he’d also been the least receptive. No doubt, the relentless teasing he’d been subjected to hadn’t helped, but young boys rarely think about the long term consequences of their actions, and rest of the Morgan brothers had tormented Kip relentlessly about her crush.