Kade Read online

  “I don’t have a normal life,” Bree blurted out. “I’m always deep undercover. Always living a lie.”

  That didn’t ease his scowl.

  “Besides, I’m no good with kids.” Even though looking at that tiny face made her wish that she was. There was something about that face that made her want to do what Kade had done—brush a kiss on her cheek.

  Kade’s scowl ended only because Leah made a sound. Not a cry exactly, more like a whimper. And he began to rock her gently as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  “I was raised in foster care,” she added. Heaven knows why she’d volunteered that. Maybe to stop him from scowling at her again. Yes, it was true, and it was also true that her childhood had been so nightmarish that she’d vowed never to have children of her own.

  And technically she hadn’t broken that vow.

  But someone had overridden her decision, and Kade was holding the proof in his arms.

  Kade kissed the baby again, stood and placed her in a white carrier seat that was on the coffee table just inches away. Leah stirred a little, but she didn’t wake up. He put his hands on his hips and stared at Bree.

  “It’s all right.” His jaw was tight again, and his gray eyes had turned frosty. “I don’t expect anything from you.”

  It felt as if he’d slugged her, and it took Bree several moments to recover and gather her breath. “What the heck does that mean?”

  Kade shrugged. Not easily. The muscles were obviously locked tight there, too. “It’s clear you’re not comfortable with this.”

  “And you were?” Bree fired back.

  “I am now. She’s my daughter, and I’ll raise her.” He started to turn away, but Bree caught his arm and whirled him back around to face her.

  “Now, just a minute. I didn’t say I wouldn’t raise her. I just need time. You’ve had seven weeks to adjust to being a dad,” she reminded him. “I’ve had an hour, and for a good part of that time we’ve been ducking bullets and nearly getting killed.”

  The mini tirade drained her, but Bree stayed on her feet so she could face him. They weren’t exactly eye to eye since she was a good seven inches shorter than he was, but she held his gaze.

  And she saw the exact moment he backed down.

  Kade mumbled some profanity and scrubbed his hand over his face. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I love Leah, and I figured you’d feel the same.”

  “I do!” The words came flying out of her, and so did the heart-stopping realization that followed.

  Bree looked at that tiny face again. Her daughter. The baby she’d carried for all those months while being held captive. She felt the tears burn her eyes, and Bree cursed them and tried to blink them back.

  “I tried not to think of her as a real baby,” Bree said, her voice barely a whisper. “Because I wasn’t sure we would make it out of that place alive.”

  Oh, mercy. The confession brought on more blasted tears. Bree hated them because she wasn’t a whiner, and she darn sure didn’t want Kade to think she was trying to milk some sympathy from him.

  Kade cursed again and called himself a bad name before he moved toward her. Bree wanted to tell him it wasn’t a good time to offer her a shoulder to cry on. She was too weak and vulnerable. But Kade pulled her into his arms before she could protest.

  And then she was glad he had.

  Bree dropped her head on Kade’s shoulder and let his strong arms support her. She felt that strength, and the equally strong attraction.

  Good grief.

  Didn’t she have enough on her plate without adding lust to the mix? Of course, maybe it was a little more than lust since Kade and she had this whole parenthood bond going on.

  She pulled back, looked up at him. “This holding is nice, but it’s not a good idea.”

  His left eyebrow cocked. “Considering what you’ve been through, you’ve earned the right to lean on somebody.”

  But not you.

  She kept that to herself, but it was best if she kept Kade out of this emotionally charged equation. There was still so much to figure out. So many questions…

  First though, she wanted to get acquainted with her daughter.

  Bree eased out of Kade’s grip and walked to the carrier seat that was lined with pale pink fabric and frilly lace. She touched her finger to Leah’s cheek, and Bree was more than a little surprised when the baby’s eyes opened.

  Yes, they were green like hers.

  Leah stared at her. Studying Bree, as if trying to figure out who she was.

  “I’m your mother, little one,” Bree whispered. “Your mom,” she corrected. Less formal. Even though both felt foreign to Bree’s vocabulary. “And you’re the one who kicked me all those months. With all those hard kicks, I thought you’d be a lot bigger.”

  The corner of Leah’s mouth lifted. A smile! It warmed Bree from head to toe. Yes. Now she knew what Kade meant when he said he loved this baby. How could he not? It was something so strong, so deep that if Bree had been standing, she wouldn’t have managed to stay on her feet for long.

  “This is potent stuff,” she mumbled.

  “Oh, yeah,” Kade agreed. “Wait until she coos.”

  Bree wasn’t sure she could wait. She stood, reached into the basket and brought her baby back into her arms. Bree drew in her scent. Something that stirred feelings she thought she’d never have.

  Magic. Pure magic.

  It hit Bree then. This was the only person she had ever truly loved. Someone she would die to protect.

  Of course, that brought back on the blasted tears, but rather than curse them, Bree sank down on the sofa and gave her daughter a good looking over. She pulled back the blanket.

  “Ten fingers, ten toes,” Bree mumbled.

  “And a strong set of lungs,” Kade supplied. He sank down next to her. “You’ll hear just how loud she can be when she wants her bottle at 2:00 a.m.”

  Bree turned to him. “Will I be here at 2:00 a.m.?”

  Kade nodded, but it wasn’t exactly a wholehearted one. Yes, he’d given her that hug and some much-needed empathy, but he was holding back. And Bree didn’t blame him. She was holding back, too. The problem was she didn’t want to be separated from Leah.

  Correction: she couldn’t be.

  Yes, she’d just laid eyes on her for the first time, but Bree felt like something she’d thought she would never feel.

  She felt like a mother.

  An incompetent one but a mother nonetheless.

  “You can stay while we sort things out,” Kade finally said.

  Again, it wasn’t a resounding yes, but Bree would take it. At this point, she would take anything she could get that would allow her to stay with this precious child.

  “Things,” she repeated. A lot fell under that umbrella. The danger. And the custody, of course. Living arrangements, too. She probably no longer had an apartment since she’d been gone all this time and hadn’t paid rent.

  Heck, did she even have a job?

  “Take one thing at a time,” Kade said, his Texas drawl dancing off each word.

  She returned the nod. “So, what’s first?”

  But Kade didn’t get a chance to answer. That’s because Bree and he turned toward the footsteps. A moment later, Mason appeared in the doorway.

  One look at his face, and Bree knew something was wrong. No. Not again. She automatically pulled Leah closer to her.

  “We got trouble,” Mason announced, and he drew his gun.

  Chapter Five

  Trouble. Kade was positive they’d already had enough of their share of that today.

  “What’s wrong?” Kade asked his brother.

  Mason tipped his head toward the front of the house. “About a minute ago, a strange car turned onto the ranch road, and Dade ran the plates. The vehicle is registered to none other than Hector McClendon.”

  Beside him, Bree gasped. Kade knew how she felt because McClendon shouldn’t be here at the ranch. After all, he was their lead sus
pect in too many crimes to list—including Bree’s own kidnapping that had led to Leah’s birth.

  That stirred some strong conflicting feelings in Kade.

  He loved Leah so much that he couldn’t imagine life without her, but someone would pay for what had happened. His baby didn’t deserve the rough start she’d gotten in life.

  Kade got to his feet, the questions already forming in his head. He hadn’t wanted this meeting with McClendon, but maybe they could learn something from it. Right now, he’d take any answers he could get—as long as he got them while keeping Leah safe.

  Bree, too, he mentally added.

  Yes, she was a trained federal agent, but she was in no shape right now to face down a snake like McClendon.

  “Wait here,” he told Bree. “I’ll deal with this.”

  But she stood, anyway, and eased Leah back into the carrier. “You’re not letting him near the baby.”

  “Not a chance. I’m not letting him in the house, period. But I do want to talk to him and see why he came. He’s never been out here to see me before now, and I don’t like the timing.”

  It was past being suspicious since it’d been less than an hour and a half since Kade had rescued Bree from that motel. Was McClendon here to finish off the job that the hired gunman had failed to do?

  Kade drew his gun and headed toward the front door.

  Of course, Bree didn’t stay put as he’d ordered. She was right behind him.

  “Have Dade keep monitoring the security feed,” Kade instructed Mason. This could be a ruse that someone could use to get gunmen onto the ranch, but Mason probably already knew that. “And take Leah to Grace. I want them to stay at the back of the house until McClendon is off the grounds.”

  Mason hesitated, glancing first at Leah in her carrier seat and then out the front window at the approaching silver Jaguar. His brother was probably trying to decide if he should stay and play backup, but Mason thankfully picked up the carrier and hurried out of the room.

  Good. That was one less thing to worry about. One less big thing.

  Kade gave Bree one last try so he could take another worrisome issue off his list. “McClendon could be dangerous, and you’re still feeling the effects of that drug.”

  Her chin came up, and even though he didn’t know her that well, Kade recognized the attitude. Bree wouldn’t back down. Something he understood since he would have reacted the same in her position. However, because she wasn’t duty ready, he eased her behind him when he headed for the door.

  Kade paused at the security system so he could open the door without setting off the alarms. By the time he’d done that, McClendon was already out of his car and walking up the porch steps. His driver—aka his armed goon bodyguard, no doubt—stayed by the open car door.

  Even though it’d been months since Kade had seen the man, he hadn’t changed much. The same salt-and-pepper hair styled to perfection. A pricey foreign suit. Pricey shoes, too. The man was all flash. Or rather all facade. McClendon appeared to be a highly successful businessman, but at the moment he was basically unemployed and living off the millions he’d inherited from parents. Old money.

  The man was also old slime.

  And Kade was going to have to hang on to every bit of his composure to keep from ripping McClendon’s face off. If this arrogant SOB was behind Bree’s kidnapping and the insemination, then he would pay for it.

  Kade positioned himself in the center of the door, blocking the way so that McClendon couldn’t enter. He also blocked Bree so she couldn’t get any closer. She was already way too close for Kade’s comfort.

  “Why are you here?” Kade demanded.

  McClendon ignored the question and looked past Kade. His attention went directly to Bree, who was on her tiptoes and peering over Kade’s shoulder.

  “I got a call about her.” McClendon jabbed his index finger in Bree’s direction. “I thought I was rid of you. Guess not. But if you’re back to make more accusations about me, then you’d better think twice.”

  Despite Kade’s attempts to block her, Bree worked her way around him, stepping to his side, and she faced McClendon head-on. “Who called you?”

  McClendon’s face stayed tight with anger, but he shook his head. “It was an anonymous tipster. The person used some kind of machine to alter his voice so I couldn’t tell who it was. I couldn’t even tell if it was a he. Could have been anybody for all I know.”

  Like the call Kade had gotten about Bree. “This person told you Bree was here? Because I only found her myself a little while ago.”

  “No, the person didn’t say she was here, only that she was with you. I figured out the ranch part all by myself since this, after all, is your family home,” McClendon smugly added.

  “It’s a long drive out here just to talk to Bree,” Kade remarked.

  The man made a sound of agreement. “Let’s just say the anonymous caller piqued my interest. Plus, I wanted to make sure Agent Winston here wasn’t trying to pin more bogus charges on me.”

  Kade wished he had a charge, any charge, he could pin on the man. Maybe he could arrest him for trespassing, but that wouldn’t get him behind bars.

  “So, why do you look like death warmed over?” McClendon asked Bree.

  “Because I’ve had a bad day. A bad year,” she corrected in a snarl. “Someone kidnapped me. Maybe you? Or maybe someone working for you? Maybe even the Neanderthal standing by your car.” Bree aimed her own finger at him, though unlike McClendon’s, hers was shaky. “And that someone had me inseminated. What do you know about that, huh?”

  McClendon flexed his eyebrows. Maybe from surprise, but Kade seriously doubted it. In fact, McClendon might have personal knowledge of every detail of this investigation.

  “I know nothing about it,” the man insisted. “And it’s accusations like that I’m here to warn you against. I have plans to open a new clinic in the next few months. One that will help infertile couples. Real couples. Not FBI agents hell-bent on trying to ruin me and my reputation.”

  “Your own shady dealings ruined you,” Kade fired back. “You used illegal immigrants as gestational carriers and surrogates. Hell, you didn’t even pay them. Just room, board and minimal medical care.” And for each of those women, McClendon and the clinic had collected plenty of money.

  “Prove it,” McClendon challenged.

  “Give me time and I will. And while you’re here, you could just go ahead and make a confession.” Though Kade knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  McClendon looked ready to jump in with a smug answer, but instead, he pulled in a long breath. “I knew nothing about the illegal activity that went on.” No more flexed eyebrows or surprise, feigned or otherwise. Fire went through McClendon’s dust-gray eyes. “That was my son’s doing and that idiot nurse, Jamie Greer. They’ll be tried, and both will pay for their wrongdoings.”

  “Yes, they will,” Kade assured him. “But that doesn’t mean there won’t be more charges. Ones that involve you spending a lot time in jail.”

  Now, the venom returned. “I’m not responsible for those two losers’ actions, and I refuse to have any of Anthony and Jamie’s mud slung on me. Got that?”

  McClendon didn’t wait for Kade or Bree to respond to that. He turned and started off the porch.

  “If you did this to Bree…to us,” Kade corrected, calling out to the man. “I’ll bring you down the hard way.”

  McClendon stopped and spared them a glance from over his shoulder. “Careful, Agent Ryland. You just might bite off more than you can chew. Trying to bring me down will be hazardous to your health. And anyone else who happens to get in my way.”

  Bree started after him, probably to rip him to shreds as Kade had wanted to do, but Kade caught her arm. She wasn’t in any shape to take on a man like McClendon, and besides, assaulting an unarmed civilian wouldn’t be good for the investigation.

  And there would be an investigation.

  That’s how Kade could wipe that smug look off thi
s rat’s face. He didn’t believe for one second that McClendon had stayed clean from all the illegal junk that went on at the clinic.

  “An anonymous tipster,” Bree mumbled. Her mind, too, was obviously on the investigation. Good. Because they needed answers and they needed them fast. That was the only way to make sure Leah remained safe.

  Bree, too.

  Even though Kade doubted she’d agree to let him protect her. Still, he had to do something to make things as safe as he could. McClendon had just thrown down the gauntlet, and it could be the start of another round of danger.

  Kade’s phone buzzed, and on the screen he could see it was from his brother, Dade. “Make sure McClendon leaves the grounds,” Kade said to him as he watched the Jaguar speed away.

  “I will,” Dade assured. “But someone else is coming up the driveway. It’s Dr. Mickelson, and he should be there any minute. Who’s sick?”

  Kade looked at Bree, who was still glaring at McClendon’s retreating Jag, and he hoped that she didn’t fall into that sick category. Heaven knows what her kidnappers had done to her these past ten and a half months. Hopefully nothing permanent, but he doubted they’d had her health and best interest at heart. There were a lot of nasty addictive drugs they could have used to force her to cooperate.

  “The doc’s here for Bree,” Kade told his brother, and he ended the call just as he saw the doctor’s vehicle approaching. Not a sleek luxury car. Dr. Mickelson was driving a blue pickup truck.

  “This checkup is just for starters,” Kade reminded Bree, just in case she planned to fight it. “Once we’re sure Leah is safe, I want you at the hospital for a thorough exam.”

  She opened her mouth, probably to argue like he’d anticipated, but her fight was somewhat diminished by the dizzy glaze that came over her eyes. No doubt a residual effect of the drugs, or maybe crashing from the adrenaline that kept her going through the gunfight.

  Kade caught her to keep her from falling. When she wobbled again, Kade cursed, holstered his gun and scooped her up in his arms.

  Of course, she tried to wiggle out of his grip. “I’m not weak,” Bree mumbled.