The Deputy's Redemption Page 18

  That caused Cooper to curse some more, and Colt heard the soft shudder that left Elise’s mouth. He slid his hand over hers and wished he could do more to soothe those frayed nerves. Of course, it was going to take a lot more than hand-holding and hugging to do that.

  “Well, Meredith wasn’t working with Joplin,” Cooper continued. “Joplin’s at the sheriff’s office right now. Apparently, Meredith tried to kidnap him first so she could set him up, but Joplin got away. That’s when she went after Dad.”

  “Is Joplin okay?” Colt asked.

  “He’s shaken up, but he’ll be fine. He’s already talking about getting ready for the trial.”

  “Good,” Elise and Colt said in unison. Despite how they felt about Joplin and Jewell’s upcoming trial, they already had enough injured people and dead bodies without adding more.

  “I shouldn’t have slept with you,” Colt mumbled.

  Oh, man.

  He definitely hadn’t intended to say that aloud. Especially not with his brother still listening.

  “Uh, I guess this is a good time for me to hang up,” Cooper said. “I’ll be at Elise’s place in a couple of minutes. I’ll see you there.”

  “Yeah,” Colt assured him, and he hung up, glancing at Elise to give her a real apology instead of that ill-timed mumble.

  “Don’t you dare,” she warned him before he could say a word. She sounded a whole lot stronger than she had just several moments earlier. “You can regret sleeping with me if you want, but for the record, I don’t regret it one bit.”

  “Well, you should. If I hadn’t been on that floor with you, I might have seen the gunman coming sooner.”

  “Really? Even though the dogs hadn’t seen him yet?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Sex didn’t cause the attack, and it didn’t obligate you to anything, so I darn sure don’t want an apology.”

  All right. She was clearly mad at him or something he’d said, but Colt wasn’t sure why. Added to that, he really didn’t have the time to figure it out. They were just a couple of miles from her place, and he needed to establish some ground rules before they arrived.

  “We’ll table the apology for now,” he said. “But when we get to your house, I don’t want you out of my sight until I know it’s safe. You’ve already dodged enough bullets tonight.”

  “So have you.” That was the same argumentative tone. And she gave a heavy sigh afterward. “Whatever you do, just stay safe.”

  Oh, he would, and he’d keep her safe, too. Even if Meredith had planned some surprises for them.

  Turning off his headlights, Colt made the turn to her ranch and then slowed so he could check out their surroundings. He immediately spotted Cooper’s truck.

  Headlights off, too.

  And it was parked a good twenty yards from the house, the truck hidden in some trees. He didn’t see his brother right away and the men he’d brought with him, but Colt figured they were making their way to the house where they would find his father alive and well.

  He refused to believe differently.

  Colt pulled to a stop near his brother’s truck and reached to open the door. But then he stopped. With the sick plans that Meredith had put in place, it was best not to risk leaving her alone in case Meredith had another goon standing by, ready to grab her.

  The woman sure had done some stupid things to protect herself. And her brother. Meredith had also done those stupid things in the name of love.

  Yeah, love could do that to a person sometimes.

  Even though he’d meant that thought for Meredith, Colt couldn’t help but realize that he wasn’t immune to that, either. Maybe not love exactly...

  Or maybe that was exactly what it was.

  “What’s wrong now?” Elise asked.

  “Nothing.” He got his thoughts back on track and tipped his head to the house. “Stay behind me when we get out, and once we’re closer, I’ll have Pete and the ranch hand stay with you.”

  She nodded, looking a little uncertain. Maybe because she didn’t want to jump back in the path of danger. Or maybe it was because of his nothing answer. Once his father was safe, he needed to clear his head and figure out how to finish this conversation.

  They got out, Elise following behind him as he’d ordered, and they made their way to Cooper’s truck. His brother and the others weren’t there, but he quickly located them thanks to the milky-white light spearing from the front window and into the darkness.

  Pete was on the left side of the house. The ranch hand, Zeke Mercer, on the right. And Cooper was on the porch standing next to the door and peering into the window.

  Cooper must have seen something inside because he motioned for Colt and the others to stay quiet. Colt did, and he hurried Elise to the house and put her on the side next to Pete so he could join his brother. One look in the window and Colt’s heart went to his knees.

  His father was on the floor, not moving.

  Colt had to fight through the punch of fear and dread, but he finally saw why his dad wasn’t moving. His hands and feet were tied. Trussed up like an animal with his mouth taped shut, and Leo was seated at Elise’s table while he chowed down on a bag of fast food. Meredith’s brother didn’t appear to have any backup with him.

  Probably because he’d trusted that his sister’s plan would work.

  Big mistake.

  Colt kicked in the door and rushed inside, with Cooper right behind him. Leo reached for his gun.

  “Go head,” Colt warned him. “See how fast you die.”

  And he meant it. He was sick and tired of all these idiots Meredith had used to try to destroy their lives.

  Leo thought about it. Colt could see the debate on his face, but he also glanced at the two guns pointed right at him. Cursing, Leo stood and lifted his hands in surrender.

  Colt made a quick check of his father. He didn’t appear to be harmed, so while Cooper dealt with Leo, Colt checked out the rest of the house. Room by room.

  It was empty, thank God.

  By the time Colt made it back into the living room, Cooper had handcuffed Leo, and Pete and Elise had rushed in to help untie his father.

  Later, Colt would fuss at her for not staying back until he’d made sure the house was clear. But for now, he was just thankful to have Elise, his family and the others alive and safe.

  He hugged his father. Cooper joined in. And his father surprised him a little by hooking his arm around Elise and drawing her into the family embrace.

  “You got Meredith?” his father asked.

  Colt nodded. “We got her.”

  Roy looked at Elise, pushing her hair from her face so he could examine the stitches on her forehead. A fresh bruise was just below it, and the sight of it turned Colt’s stomach.

  He’d come way too close to losing her tonight.

  It was that reminder that had Colt pulling her into his arms when his father and Cooper stepped away. His brother didn’t miss the close contact between Elise and him, and Colt only deepened the contact when he brushed a kiss on her cheek.

  Cooper handed off the prisoner to Pete, and his brother’s eyebrow lifted. “That’s the best you can do?” Cooper asked him.

  Colt was sure he scowled. This was about that slip of the tongue he’d made to Elise while still on the phone with Cooper.

  I shouldn’t have slept with you.

  Heck, how many times would Cooper use that to taunt him? Judging from the glimmer in his eye, often.

  “Pete and I need to take this guy to jail,” Cooper added, a hint of a smile bending his mouth. “Zeke can take Dad to the hospital—”

  “Not a chance,” Roy interrupted. “I’m fine, but Elise might need to go.”

  She shook her head. “I’m okay, really.”

  But she wasn’t okay. Far from it. She was shaking so hard Colt pulled her deeper into his arms. That’s when he realized she didn’t even have a coat, so he pulled a throw blanket from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her. He got her moving outside and toward
the SUV so he could take her and his dad out of there.

  “Talk to her,” Cooper whispered to Colt as they headed down the steps. “Grovel if necessary. Just don’t be an idiot and let her get away again.”

  Because it was a habit for him to disagree with his big brother, Colt opened his mouth to do that. Then he realized what a stupid mistake that would be.

  “I was wrong,” Colt said to Elise. She was in midstep but stopped and stared at him.

  “Yes, you were. It wasn’t a mistake to sleep with me.”

  Thankfully, his father and Zeke were wise enough to keep on walking toward the SUV so they’d have some privacy. Even Cooper cooperated. While on each side of their prisoner, they headed toward Cooper’s truck.

  Giving Colt some much-needed time to trip over whatever the heck he was about to say to make this right.

  But Elise spoke before he could.

  “I’m in love with you,” she blurted out. “Now, I know that doesn’t make things easier. Not for you, not for me. I still want to make a go of this place and turn it back into a working ranch. That means I’m not going anywhere, and you’ll have to learn to live with it.”

  “You’re right,” Colt said, giving that some thought. “It doesn’t make it easier. But it does make it better.”

  She blinked, but before she could say anything else, Colt decided to do what he did best. And it wasn’t talking.

  He hauled Elise to him and kissed her.

  Colt didn’t make it a quick peck, either. He kissed her long, hard and deep. Until she made a throaty sigh and melted against him. Then he kissed her again.

  “That’s better,” she repeated.

  “Yeah, I thought so.” And despite the bad night, he found himself smiling.

  Well, he smiled until Elise shook her head. She was no doubt about to launch into lots of things that were all minor now that he knew how things were between them.

  And things between them were definitely better.

  Colt wanted a whole lot more than that, though.

  “You will make a go of this ranch,” he assured her. “And I’ll help you. It’s a good thing you’re not going anywhere because I’m head over heels in love with you.”

  Elise froze, pulling in her breath, before a slow smile formed on her mouth. “You actually said it. I didn’t think you would.”

  “Well, obviously I’ll have to say it a lot more often.” And he did. “I love you, Elise. I really love you.”

  That earned him another smile. Another kiss, too, and Elise was just as good at it as he was. They made a great team.

  “You’ll marry me?” he asked.

  “Of course.” She nipped his bottom lip with her teeth. “You’ll share your bed with me tonight?”

  Colt couldn’t think of a better way to seal the deal. He scooped up Elise in his arms and kissed her.

  * * * * *

  USA TODAY bestselling author Delores Fossen’s SWEETWATER RANCH miniseries continues

  next month with REINING IN JUSTICE.

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  Prologue

  He’d rescued her from hell.

  Jennifer Wesley turned slightly, and her gaze fell on the man in bed beside her. Sleep made him look innocent, safe, but she knew that image was a lie.

  There was nothing safe about Brodie McGuire. The man was a SEAL. Dangerous. Deadly. A force to be reckoned with.

  She’d thought for certain that a rescue wasn’t going to happen for her. Her captors had sure been confident that she would never escape from them. Then Brodie had appeared.

  Her fingers brushed over his hard jaw, tracing the dark stubble there. His eyes opened at her touch, his green stare 100 percent awake and aware.

  He was naked. So was she. After the rescue, once they’d ditched her captors and made it to relative safety, the adrenaline and fear that she’d felt for so long had morphed into something else entirely. The power of her desire had taken Jennifer by surprise.

  He hadn’t seduced her. Hadn’t taken advantage—she’d been the one so intent on kissing him. On finding some pleasure to push away the nightmares and the terror.

  His gaze slowly slid over her face. She had the odd feeling that he was almost...almost trying to memorize her features.

  Only fair, really. She didn’t want to forget anything about him.

  “Thank you,” Jennifer whispered.

  His dark brows rose.

  “For saving me.” Not the lovemaking part. She felt her cheeks stain. “I thought I was going to die out there.” Her wrists were still red and raw from the rope burns. She tried to smile. “I sure am glad you were the navy SEAL assigned to my case.” She was more grateful than words would ever be able to express.

  I would have died without him.

  “Your father wasn’t going to let you vanish,” Brodie assured her. She caught the faintest hint of a Texas drawl in his voice. There one moment, gone the next. “He used all his pull to bring in my team.”

  “My...father?” She kept the emotion from her voice—she’d learned that trick long ago. For her, life was all about acting now. Hiding emotion was necessary for survival.

  “Yeah, the oil magnate. He’s the reason you were pulled into this mess.” Anger roughened his voice for a moment. “Your captors thought they could ransom you for a fortune.”

  No, they hadn’t. They’d just planned to kill her. But there was some information she couldn’t tell her rescuer. He didn’t have enough clearance to know everything.

  Jennifer leaned forward. Her lips brushed across his. “Thank you,” she said again.

  His arms curled around her as he pulled her up against his body. Powerful, hard, hot—those words perfectly described Brodie. She wanted to just stay there with him. To forget the rest of the world for a while.

  But forgetting wasn’t an option for her. Especially not when she could hear the pounding of footsteps right outside their safe house.

  Gasping, she tried to pull back from him.

  “Easy.” He let her go and rose to his feet. Brodie jerked on a pair of cargo pants and peered through the thin crack between the window and the long, dark curtain. “It’s my men.”

  His men. Okay, right, but his men could not see her naked. Jennifer grabbed for her clothes—bloody and dirty though they were—and she dressed as quickly as she could. When she whirled back around, Brodie was fully dressed, too—looking all crisp and in control, and not at all like a man who’d spent the hours of the night making passionate love to her.

  When he opened the door, Jennifer saw that his gun was tucked into the waistband of his pants. Men streamed into the safe house then, men who moved with the same controlled, soundless steps that Brodie used.

  “We have a chopper waiting for you, Ms. Wesley,” one of those men said. He was tall, with blond hair and bright blue eyes. “You’ll be on your way home in less than an hour.”

  Home. She didn’t really have one of those. Her gaze slid back to Brodie. She shouldn’t ask this, but Jennifer still heard herself say, “Will you be on the chopper with me?” Because Brodie made her feel safe. In a world of lies, he was a man that she trusted. Someone she could count on.

  It wasn’t every day that a man risked his life
to save her.

  But Brodie shook his head. “I have to stay for mission containment. That’s your flight to freedom, not mine.”

  The others were watching them. Did they know what had happened in that safe house? Jennifer felt as if the truth was stamped on her face. No, it isn’t. You never reveal what you feel.

  She closed the distance between them. She rose onto her tiptoes and, putting her mouth close to his ear, asked, “Will I ever see you again?”

  His body was so tense against hers. “Hopefully, you won’t need to see me.”

  She eased away from him.

  “Try not to get kidnapped again, and you won’t need me.”

  Not get kidnapped? No, she couldn’t make that promise. He didn’t understand the world she lived in.

  Her gaze swept over him. Lingered. He hadn’t been what she’d expected, and she wouldn’t be forgetting him anytime soon.

  Jennifer headed toward the door.

  “I’m...I’m sure your father will be glad to see you,” Brodie’s gruff voice followed her. “He moved heaven and hell to find you.”

  Glancing back, Jennifer gave him a faint smile. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when he sees me.”

  And that would be a miracle, actually, considering that her father had been dead for ten years.

  She followed her new guards and slipped out the door. The men with her were saying that she had to hurry, that her safety depended on a quick departure.

  So Jennifer didn’t glance back. She didn’t waste time on goodbyes with Brodie.

  Yes, he’d been unexpected...and Jennifer was quite sure that she’d never forget him.

  Too bad he had no clue who she really was.

  Chapter One

  Six years later...

  A ghost from his past had just walked right through his office door. Brodie McGuire shook his head, an instinctive response, because he could not be seeing that woman. There was no way she was standing there. No way.

  Usually she only appeared in his dreams.

  She couldn’t have just walked into his office at McGuire Securities. She was far away, some place safe and no doubt with—