Mountain Rescue, page 12
“I know you’re worried about him, honey, but our son is a kickass SEAL. I think he’s capable of taking care of himself.”
“I don’t care how kickass our son is, he needs to be with his family after his ordeal so we can take care of him.”
“He’ll come home when he’s ready. What’s for dinner?”
“Broiled chicken and a salad. It’s a new recipe I found on Google.”
Dallas grinned. His mother loved Google. Ever since she’d discovered the search engine, she spent hours looking up things.
His dad groaned. “Come on, Bonnie. Enough of this broiled chicken shit. We’re cattle ranchers. We eat beef, big fat juicy steaks.”
And there they went. Dallas chuckled because this was often how a three-way conversation went with his mom and dad, whether they had him on the phone or one of his siblings. At least the attention was off him. He’d give them a minute or two, then he’d say a quick goodbye and quickly disconnect before they remembered he hadn’t answered any of their questions.
“Dallas? Oh, there you are.”
He put a finger to his lips to hush Rachel, but it was too late.
“Who’s that?” his mother—who could hear better than a bat when you least wanted her to—said.
“Just a friend. Gotta go.”
“Dallas Manning, don’t you hang up.”
He hung up. “That was my parents. My mother seems to think I’m still her little boy, needing her to take care of me.”
She looked him over from his head on down, pausing on the zipper of his jeans, then lower, and then back up. “There is nothing little boy about you.”
“Glad you noticed.” He gave up on his resolve to not touch her, stepped in front of her, and wrapped a lock of her hair around his fingers. “How locked down are you on us never kissing again?”
“I was going to talk to you about that tonight.”
“Yeah? And what—” His phone rang again, and he rolled his eyes at seeing his mother’s name on the screen. He hadn’t answered any of her questions, and now there was a mystery woman to investigate. She wasn’t one to easily give up.
“Do you need to answer that?”
“Nope.” Cheyenne had all the information and had already told their mother all she needed to know. “My mama’s worse than an old hound with a bone. Now, back to kissing.” And whatever that might lead to.
Before coming here, the last thing he had on his mind or wanted was to find himself interested in a woman. For one thing, his body was a roadmap of his torture, not a thing any woman would want to see. But there hadn’t been any disgust in Rachel’s eyes when she’d come into his room and found him close to naked. Unless he was completely off base, and he didn’t think he was, he’d seen desire in those golden-brown eyes when her gaze had roamed over him.
“You’re supposed to meet Noah soon.” She put her hand on his waist. “We’ll talk about kissing tonight.” She frowned. “What’s this?” She lifted his shirt. “A gun?”
“Yes, that would be a gun.” He pulled his shirt back over the holster.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Yes. Let’s have some lunch.”
Chapter Twelve
“Guess it’s just you and me, Bella Boo,” Rachel said after Dallas left to meet up with Noah. He’d wanted her to go with him, but she needed some time by herself. Bella walked to the front door and stared at it.
“You miss him, huh?” As much as Rachel wanted some alone time, she missed him, too. “He’ll be back in a little while. What should we do?” He’d made her promise that she’d stay inside with the door locked, so she couldn’t go for a run. Bummer that. She did some of her best thinking when she ran.
That Dallas had a gun on him really bothered her. She’d tried to hide how much, but it had hit home how dangerous her situation was. It wasn’t the gun itself that bothered her as much as the reminder that she’d brought danger to her friends.
Maybe she should let the police or even better, the FBI, hide her away somewhere. Bella sighed, then padded to the sofa and peered at her with her sad brown eyes. Rachel patted the cushion. “Why don’t you come up here and snuggle with me.”
Bella gave another doggy sigh, sounding as if Rachel was a poor substitute for her favorite man, then jumped onto the sofa. Rachel combed her fingers through the dog’s soft fur. “Hey, pretty girl. What do you want to talk about? Dallas, huh?”
She pulled Bella’s legs over her lap. “There. That’s better. So, if we’re going to talk about your best guy, I have a question. Should I stick to the no-kissing rule or not?” Bella didn’t seem to have an opinion.
If she dropped the rule, they wouldn’t stop at just kissing. Not that she would want to stop. It was that having an affair wasn’t her. But how many times in her life would she get a chance to meet someone like Dallas?
She wasn’t worried about risking her heart. They both had lives they’d return to in different parts of the country. She’d go home with some great memories with an honest-to-God SEAL cowboy in the starring role.
Carpe diem, right?
Now, if only Dallas was here so she could jump his bones before she talked herself out of it. Since he wasn’t, and she was bored, she turned on the TV, flipped through the channels, and stopped at seeing the movie Arsenic and Old Lace.
“This movie’s hilarious,” she told Bella. “Let’s watch it.” Never mind she’d seen it a dozen times, at least it would be something to do.
“Now what, Bella?” she said when the movie was over. What she really needed was a run and she couldn’t even do that. The dog had fallen asleep during the movie, and she opened her eyes, yawned, then closed them again. “Humph. You’re a lousy conversationalist.” Maybe she should find something to make for dinner.
When she was halfway to the kitchen, her phone rang, and her heart skipped a beat before she considered that Carter wouldn’t put through a call from Robert. Returning to the living room, she picked it up from the coffee table, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing Carter’s name on the screen.
“It makes me nervous when this phone rings,” she said.
“Just me, darlin’. Your grandmother’s a hoot.”
“I could have told you that, but you talked to her? She’s safe?”
“She’s in Montana and on the phone waiting to talk to you. She thinks I have a sexy voice and wanted me to send her a selfie without my shirt on.”
“Okay, that’s embarrassing.”
“Nah, she’s funny.”
She heard the amusement in his voice. “Just how long did you talk to my grandmother?”
“Oh, we’re besties now. I’m putting her through.”
“Rachel? Are you there?”
“I am. You’re in Montana now, right?” It was so good to hear her grandmother’s voice.
“Yes. It was so exciting, like being in a spy movie. That nice couple sneaked me out of the ranch in Wyoming in the back of a utility truck. Then when we were miles away, we switched cars to a black SUV, and would you believe we changed that car for a bread company van to sneak me into the dude ranch. This place is amazing, even better than the last ranch. And my goodness, the cowboys here are right off the cover of a romance book. Except they have their shirts on. Do you think they might take them off when—”
“Please don’t ask them to take their shirts off. I mean it, June.”
“Aw, you’re no fun. I was thinking you should come here so I don’t have to worry about you. We could find you a smoking hot cowboy.”
She had one of those, thank you very much. “I’m fine. I’ve got a team of highly skilled men watching over me. Just promise to stay on the ranch until this is over, okay?”
“I promise. The lady who owns this dude ranch is beautiful, so I’m glad she’s married, or she’d be competition. Did you know she and her husband are on the cover of a romance novel?”
“No, I didn’t know that.” She smiled as June gushed about Cheyenne and her husband, how awesome the dude ranch was, and how beautiful Montana was. When June finally took a breath, Rachel said, “Listen, I need to go. You have fun, and I’ll talk to you in a few days.”
“Okay. I love you, honey pie.”
“Love you, too.”
She chuckled after disconnecting. Maybe she should tell Dallas to warn the men on his ranch to keep an eye on their shirts. She wouldn’t put it past June to steal them.
* * *
“What you and Jack have planned here is pretty impressive,” Dallas said after Noah had taken him on a tour of the site. The location was in a valley surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. A forest of trees, each a different shade of green—reminding him of a patchwork quilt—rose up behind the one cabin already built, and where others were planned. A river snaked its way through the land, and on the other side, a mama deer and her fawn were grazing. It was an idyllic spot, peaceful and perfect for a retreat.
Noah nodded. “The kennels will be finished next week. Jack will move the dogs over then so he can be onsite. We’re aiming for the lodge and cabins to be done before winter sets in. We’re pretty much on top of everything except for the equestrian center. We know jack shit about horses.”
“I might be slow, brother, but I do eventually catch on.” He narrowed his eyes at Noah. “The equestrian center is why I’m here.”
“No, you’re here because when Jack talked to you, he picked up on the fact you needed some downtime with people who’d understand what you’re dealing with even if you don’t want to talk about it. However, since you’re here, might as well make yourself useful.”
“Jack’s a sneaky bastard. This how he got you to work for him? Had you roped in before you knew what he was up to?”
Noah laughed. “More or less. Pretty sure he had a plan for me from day one.” He stared at the mountains for a moment, then turned his gaze to Dallas. “I thought I’d be a SEAL until they ran me off when I couldn’t pass the physical, but after what happened, I just couldn’t go back. What if I messed up again and...” He shook his head. “I try not to go there.”
“Yeah, same here,” Dallas quietly said. Noah was thinking of the mistake he’d made. No one on the team blamed him, but Dallas understood why Noah did. Truthfully, although he’d been brutally tortured, he wouldn’t trade places because he’d feel the same guilt as Noah did.
“I was drowning my guilt in the bottom of a bottle, no idea how to climb out, and facing a bleak future. Jack saved me.” He swung an arm out, taking in their surroundings. “To be involved in something that will help people like us is more satisfying than I can explain.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. Then he grinned. “And because Jack brought me here, I met Peyton, and that, brother, is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“How the mighty have fallen.”
“’Cause I’m a man in love,” Noah sang.
Dallas rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous, is what you are.” And amusing. Noah had kept them entertained on deployments with his ability to come up with a song that fit any situation.
The man actually had an amazing voice and could play a guitar as well as any rock star, could have been a rock star himself, he had that much talent. Dallas had asked him once why he hadn’t pursued a career in music. Noah claimed he had no desire to be famous and have to deal with all that came with that.
“Credit for that one goes to Eric Clapton, if you’re wondering.”
He wasn’t. He did, however, envy the peace and happiness both Jack and Noah had managed to find. Maybe there was hope for him. A girl with whiskey brown eyes popped into his mind. He pushed the image away. He had to figure out his future before he brought a woman into his life. “So, where are you thinking of putting the equestrian center?”
“Haven’t a clue. That’s what we’re hoping you can help us with. Like, how many horses do we need, what kind of staff, what kind of building, and any other questions we don’t know to ask.”
Dallas surveyed the site again. “I’d suggest starting with a dozen or so horses but build a barn with at least two dozen stalls so you’ll have room to grow if need be. You want horses that are mature, steady, and calm. You’ll want some paddocks so a horse can’t run away if it spooks. Map out two or three riding trails for those more experienced. The barn and paddocks need to be on flat land. As for staffing—”
“Whoa, I’ve already forgotten half of what you just said.”
“Bullshit.” He tapped Noah’s head. “Your mind is a steel trap, but I see what you’re doing here. So, how about, to quote you, I make myself useful while I’m here and work up a business plan for an equestrian center?”
“Jack said you’d come around.” Noah slapped him on the back. “Welcome to Operation Warriors Center.”
“All I’m doing is creating a working plan for the equestrian part, so don’t go getting any ideas.”
“I said close to the same thing and look at me now.” Noah’s laugh sounded a bit like you don’t stand a chance against Jack.
“Yeah, well, I’m a Montana boy, so I won’t be sticking around.”
Noah’s only answer was a sly smile, which Dallas ignored.
“You got anything planned for that level spot off to the right?” Dallas pointed to an area in the distance.
“Nope. That look like a good place for your barn and paddocks?”
“Not my barn. Not my paddocks, but yeah, it does.”
“Then that’s where we’ll put it. Let’s take a ride over there.”
“Yeah, I’d like to walk the area.” They got in Noah’s four-wheel-drive truck and were halfway to the spot when his phone rang, TG’s name coming up.
“You got some news for me?” Dallas said.
“Good and bad news. Rachel’s grandmother arrived at your ranch and is settling in. The bad news, the body has been identified as Henrietta’s. I imagine the police will be calling Rachel soon to tell her.”
“She’s not going to take that well.” It would hurt her to know how her friend’s body was disposed of.
“It would be a good idea for her to hear it from you. Still no sign of Hargrove. His men, the two my people are following, haven’t made contact with him yet. By contact, I mean they haven’t led us to him. I’m sure they’ve been talking to him. The car they’re driving is registered to Hargrove’s company, so we don’t have an ID on the two so I can’t tap into their phones. It’s only a matter of time, though, before we figure out who they are.”
“Hopefully that will happen soon. Thanks for the heads-up on Rachel’s friend. I’m going to head to the cabin now. It’ll take me about fifteen minutes to get there. If her detective calls before that, don’t put him through.”
“Copy that.”
Noah started singing “Secret Agent Man.”
“Is that Alba sounding like a cat in heat?”
Dallas laughed as he put his phone on speaker. “How’d you guess?” TG and his team had worked one of the most dangerous operations Dallas had ever been on with his SEAL team two years ago. He glanced at Noah. “Dude’s dissing your singing.”
“Hey, asshole,” Noah said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you the one who told that bartender in South America that if he could get me to sing, he’d go home with pockets full of pesos?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Double D.”
As was typical of the man, he disconnected without another word. Dallas glanced at Noah. “I need to get back to the cabin.”
“I figured.” Noah turned his truck around. “What’s going on?”
“The police have identified Henrietta’s body and will probably be calling Rachel soon to tell her. She needs to hear about that from me first.”
“She definitely does.”
“You still carry those dice?” he asked as Noah drove him back to the Jeep. The team called him Double D because of the pair of dice he always had in his pocket.
“Nope. Don’t need them anymore.”
“You ever going to tell me why you were always fondling them?”
Noah stopped his truck next to the Jeep. “I might tell you and Jack together if the two of you get me drunk enough.”
“That bad, huh?”
“The worst. Go take care of your girl.”
“She’s not my girl.”
“Uh-huh.”
* * *
Dallas parked in his usual spot, and before he went inside, he walked around the cabin, checking for footprints and anything suspicious. When he reached the main bedroom window, he stopped and studied it. If Hargrove or his men found the cabin, they’d cover the front and back doors, intending to trap Rachel inside. He returned to the Jeep and parked it next to the bedroom window instead. If they had to escape, they could go right out the window and jump in the Jeep.
“Honey, I’m home,” he called out when he entered the cabin.
Chapter Thirteen
From her corner in the kitchen, Bella scrambled to get her feet under her, then took off for the door. “I see where I rate,” Rachel muttered. She ignored the way her heart fluttered at hearing Dallas’s voice. Well, she tried to, anyway.
Dallas walked into the kitchen with Bella at his side, stopped mid-stride, and said as his gaze roamed over her body, “You’re killing me, sugar.”
She hadn’t been expecting him back this early and had planned to change before he returned. The denim shorts barely covered her butt cheeks, and the midriff top was a little snug, not to mention she wasn’t wearing a bra under it, so no surprise his eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets. Although she hadn’t intended him to see her dressed like this, she liked the appreciation in his eyes. A lot.
