The Rancher’s Royal Bride (BBW Romance - Billionaire Brothers 4) (2 page)

“What did your father tell you?” His eyes were watchful.

“Not much,” she admitted. “Only that he’s worried about my safety.”

“That’s the same thing he told me,” Logan confirmed. “And I’m not to let you out of my sight.”

They stared
at each other for a second.

He grimaced. “If I’m to do my job properly, I need as much information as I can get. Why would your dad think you’re in danger?”

“I don’t know.” She racked her brains, but her life was an open book.

“What do you do in Virginia?”

“I’m a cover designer and illustrator for a small publishing company.”

He frowned. “What kind of books do they publish?”

“Cookbooks and kids’ books. Nothing that would make Dad think I need protecting.”

“What about friends, acquaintances?”

She shrugged. “I have a few close girlfriends I see regularly.”

“Has your father met them?”

“Yes.” She sighed inwardly.  Logan sounded a lot like Dad right now.

“How do you get to work?”

“I drive.”

“Any roommates, past or present?”

“No.” She enjoyed living on her own, being able to do whatever she wanted in her spare time, like paint.

“Boyfriends?” He gazed at her speculatively.

“No.” Her tone grew shorter. She’d had a couple of boyfriends in the past, but that had been a while ago. Sometimes she suspected the relationships had fizzled out because of her curves, not that anything had been said at the time. And if she was in danger from someone in her life, wouldn’t she be the first to know about it instead of her father?

“What about your father’s job?”

Ellie furrowed her brow. “Dad doesn’t talk about his work. All he said was that somehow my safety was connected with his job.” She looked at him. “Did he mention anything when he contacted you?”

“No.” Logan shook his head. “Are you sure that’s all he told you? That this is somehow connected to his job?”

She nodded.

He muttered something under his breath.

Ellie rose. “Maybe Dad is wrong about this.” She glanced at her watch. “If I can catch a plane back to Virginia, I’ll be able to make the flight to Hawaii.”

“Hold it.” Logan stood, frowning at her. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“But--”

“I promised your father I’d keep you safe. Once he’s allowed to have phone calls I’ll contact him and find out exactly what’s going on. Until then, you’re staying here.”

She sank down, twining her feet around the wooden legs of the chair. She hadn’t been allowed to see her father since his heart attack yesterday.

“Do you think - do you think you’ll be able to talk to him?” A speck of moisture trembled at the corners of her eyes.

“Your father’s tough. He’s got a good chance of pulling through.” His tone sounded reassuring.

She tried to smile. “That’s what my uncle said. But--” The whole situation suddenly hit her.

“Don‘t cry.” He looked panicked.

She blinked fiercely. “I’m not.” Ellie injected some backbone into her tone and straightened up in the chair. “It’s just been me and Dad my whole life. And Grandma. Uncle Mark worked overseas until recently so I didn’t see him much.” A smile wobbled on her lips.

“Do you want to call your grandmother? The landline’s over there.” He gestured to a wall phone next to the kitchen counter.

“She died three years ago.”

“Hell.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He hesitated. “What happened to your mother?”

“She died in childbirth. Having me.” Ellie bit her lip. When she was young, she used to ask her father questions all the time about her mother, but after a while, she realized it seemed to upset him, so she gradually gave up asking. All she had of her mother was a faded photo.

“Oh, geez,” he muttered, looking like he could have kicked himself.

“It’s okay.” She tried to reassure him. “Grandma was great, and so was Dad. But sometimes he worries about me when doesn’t need to. I thought he was okay about me going to Hawaii with my friends but …”

“You think he made up the threat to stop you going on vacation?”

“When you put it like that, it sounds crazy.” She was silent for a moment, thinking the idea through, then shook her head. “No, Dad isn’t like that. If he didn’t want me to go, he would have explained exactly why, not pretend he was okay about it and then make up something like this and send me here.”

“Then we need to find out why he thinks you’re in danger. And why he asked an ex-SEAL to protect you.”

Ellie stared at him. “You’re a SEAL?”

“Retired,” he reminded her. He walked over to the phone. “I’ll ring the hospital now and see if I can speak to your father.”

A couple of minutes later, he hung up the receiver. “I guess you heard most of it.”

She nodded. “Not allowed visitors yet, in person or on the phone. And when he is, immediate family only.”

Logan rubbed the back of his neck. “Call every day until you can get through to him. In the meantime, we better take your father’s concern for your safety seriously.”

“So what should we do now?”

“Find another way to get the information,” he replied. “What about close friends of your father? Or your uncle?”

Ellie shook her head. “I already asked Uncle Mark on the flight and he refused to tell me anything. And even if I could get hold of Dad’s friends, they’re either not going to know what I’m talking about, or won’t tell me anything, either.”

“There’s got to be some way of finding out.” Logan frowned.

An image of her father’s safe flashed in her mind. She’d been so annoyed at his request to cancel her Hawaiian vacation, and then, last night when she’d received the phone call from the hospital, so concerned about him, that she hadn’t even though that the answer might be in there. But now …

“There is my father’s safe,” she said slowly.

His gaze snapped to her face. “That’s a possibility?

She shrugged. “I can’t think how else I could find out what’s going on.”

“You mean
I
could find out.”

“What?” She stared at him.

“I’m responsible for your safety. If there’s any investigating going on, I’ll be the one to do it.”

She suddenly became of how his lean, muscled frame filled out his jeans and shirt. Swallowing, she tried to ignore the fluttering in her belly. She would
not
let him boss her around.

“But do you know the combination to the safe?” She arched an eyebrow. “I do.”

“And that’s why you’re going to give it to me.”

“Not unless I’m coming with you.” She held her breath.

“I can’t leave you here on your own.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Hell.”

A cow mooed, breaking the tense silence. A second cow mooed, then another.

“I’ve got to finish my chores and feed the livestock. Stay inside until I get back.”

Resisting the temptation to salute him, Ellie watched him stride out the back door, trying to ignore the way her pulse pounded. Her thoughts ran on a loop. Dad was worried about her safety. So worried the stress contributed to his heart attack? So worried he sent her to stay with a complete stranger who happened to be a retired SEAL?

Even her uncle was concerned enough to accompany her on the plane to Wyoming. Both her dad and her uncle were pretty high up in their government jobs. It was only when she was a teenager that she discovered her dad worked for the Secret Service.

Her father had impressed upon her that she shouldn’t tell anyone. If anyone asked, he worked for the government doing something incredibly boring. Since she didn’t have a clue what he actually did, apart from wondering if he did exciting stuff like in the movies, it was easy to accede to his wishes. Over the years she’d come to the conclusion that his job probably was
extremely
boring which was another reason why he didn’t talk about it. But now …

She looked out the kitchen window, but all she saw was cows and sky. No Logan. The rural scenery made her fingers itch to sketch and paint it, but she had more important things to think about. Like discovering the real reason she was here.

An image of her father’s safe accessed through the walk-in pantry in his house, flashed through her mind again. One day she’d surprised him by arriving early for lunch. She’d noted the combination as he hurriedly closed it, and she silently memorized the numbers. Her father had always drummed into her the importance of being vigilant, and now that advice had come in handy.

She only hoped he hadn’t changed the combination. It had been two years, but she’d made herself remember the combination, in case she ever needed to access the safe in an emergency. But she never imagined she’d be in this kind of situation. Now it looked like her diligence might pay off.

Ellie picked up her purse and checked how much cash was in her wallet. Enough to last her until she arrived home. She’d sneak out of here, borrow Logan’s SUV, and drive back to the airport.

She had to find out what was going on, and checking her father’s safe seemed to be the best way to do so.

At the back door, she paused. Should she write him a note? Although, he’d probably be glad when he found out she’d left. Somehow, she didn’t think babysitting her was one of his favorite things to do.

She hastily scrawled a short note and left it on the kitchen table. Grabbing the car keys off the hook on the wall, she opened the back door, wincing at the squeaking hinges. Would he hear?

Her ears strained for footsteps, a movement in the yard, but only silence greeted her. She tiptoed into the yard, spying the garage a short distance away. Ellie peered around, but she couldn’t see Logan anywhere. Cows munched in a field nearby, but apart from a bird trilling a pretty tune, the ranch seemed deserted.

Power walking to the garage, painted white like the house, she prayed it wasn’t locked. Her fingers gripped the key ring, careful not to let the keys jangle. She didn’t know what the second key was for, but right now she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was jump into the SUV, make her way home, and find out what was going on.

Ellie tested the garage door before carefully easing it open. It barely made a sound as it slid up on well-oiled hinges. She pulled at the car door, but it was locked. Damn. Now she would have to click the key to unlock it. Wincing at the tiny beep,
she wrenched open the door and clambered into the driver’s seat.

“Not so fast.” An iron grip descended on her arm.

She jerked her head around
.
Logan’s hand was wrapped around her arm.

“But--”

“We agreed you weren’t to leave the ranch without me.” His eyes narrowed.

“I need to go home.”

“No.” His expression was implacable.

She could feel the corded strength in his grip. He wasn’t hurting her, but his hand on her arm was a subtle reminder that he was taller and stronger than her.

He pulled the key out of the ignition. “We better go inside.”

“Logan--”

“We’ll talk about it inside.”

He practically marched her back into the house. He wasn’t touching her any longer, but she knew if she made a run for it, he’d stop her instantly. And where would she run to? She wasn’t fit, and unless she wanted to hop onto the back of a cow, she was stuck on the ranch. Right now, knowing how to hot wire a car would come in handy. Unfortunately, she was too law abiding to possess that skill.

Logan pulled out a chair for her in the kitchen. “Want to tell me what’s going on?” He loomed over her.

“Could you sit down?” She didn’t know whether it was his ferocious scowl or the fact that he stood while she sat, but she felt at a disadvantage.

He yanked out the chair next to her. “Now talk.”

How much should she tell him? All of it? “I just want to get to the bottom of things,” she confessed.

“So do I, Ellie.” His eyes never left her face. “Why were you trying to steal my car?”

Her cheeks flooded with heat. “I wasn’t stealing it! I left you a note.” She gestured to the piece of paper in the middle of the table.

Logan picked it up and read it. “At least you were going to leave it at the airport.” He exhaled. “I don’t like this situation any better than you, but I promised your father I’d keep you safe.”

“Do you really think I’m in danger?” She gazed at him speculatively.

“Hell, I don’t know.” He speared his fingers through his hair. “What exactly were your plans?”

“I was going to catch a flight home. See if I could find any information in Dad’s safe.”

“We were going to discuss that matter further.”

She bit her lip. “I thought it might be easier if I just went ahead and found out if there was anything in the safe or not.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Easier for …?”

She tried to ignore how attractive he was. How her pulse ratcheted up a notch when she was around him. Now was not the time to have
those
kinds of thoughts.

When she didn’t reply, he said, “I thought about checking out the safe when I was outside, and I’ve decided it’s too risky. We don’t know what we’re dealing with if we go to Virginia. It’s safer to stay put here.”

“But--”

“I don’t like it any more than you do, but that’s my decision.”

“Then how are we going to find out why Dad thinks I’m in danger?”

He expelled a breath. “We might just have to wait until you can talk to him.”

“His heart attack was a total shock. He’s only fifty-seven and keeps himself in good shape. I couldn’t believe it when the hospital called and said he was in coronary care.” She willed her lower lip not to tremble. “I can’t help thinking it might have been stress-related.”

“You think worry over this situation is one of the reasons he’s in hospital?” He gave her a thoughtful look.

“As far as I know, heart disease doesn’t run in the family. He doesn’t smoke and only drinks socially. What else could it be?”

“You’ve got me.” Logan frowned. “But the one thing that’s guaranteed to make him feel worse is knowing you’re out there on your own. We’re going to sit tight and wait until he recovers. Then we’ll find out exactly what’s going on and how we can deal with it.”

Ellie hesitated, then nodded reluctantly, unable to stop frustration and helplessness creasing her face.

***

Maybe he’d pegged her wrong. He studied the blonde thoughtfully. “Borrowing” his car was something he hadn’t expected her to do. Nor was arguing with him. He was used to his team members respecting his decisions.

Hell. He wasn’t a SEAL anymore.

He had to remember that Ellie had never been in the military. She was an
artist.
His brief relationships in the past hadn’t brought him into contact with one of those before. But she wasn’t a flighty, wispy girl.

She was real. And curvy. His groin tightened momentarily. He’d never dated a woman with real curves before.
Why hadn’t he?

And she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, apart from her bone-headed decision to sneak home. A muscle pulsed in his jaw. He was going to make sure she was safe - with him.