Protector's Instinct

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She’d needed gentleness for the first few months as her body had healed from the attack. But then she’d needed her life to get back to normal. Nobody seemed to understand that. Zane definitely hadn’t understood it.

Their relationship had always been so tumultuous, almost emotionally violent. It was just how both of them were wired: live hard, fight hard, love hard. But when Caroline had been ready to get back to the fighting and the yelling and, yes, the lovemaking, Zane had already programmed himself to be something else. Something she didn’t recognize. Didn’t want.

And he’d quit the force. She’d been unable to fathom that. When she’d gone to his house, ready to fight him about it—honestly looking forward to the screaming match and whatever would come after it—he’d refused to engage. At all.

He’d offered iced tea and told her they should maybe talk later when they were both calm.

She could fully admit that she hadn’t handled the situation well. That she’d told him she didn’t want to be around him like that. That she didn’t even recognize him. Didn’t want to recognize him. To stay away from her until he could figure out who they were.

She didn’t think he’d take it to mean she didn’t want to ever be around him at all. But that had been the last time they’d been close to each other. Until a couple of days ago at the Silver Eagle.

She’d been such a fool thinking he’d seen the light, first when he came to talk to her and then when he’d kissed her. Zane Wales wasn’t ever going to see the light when it came to her. So she wasn’t going to pine for him any longer.

Instead, she was going to celebrate being out here by herself. Celebrate the development of another coping strategy. Celebrate being alive.

Trumpold had been escalating, and based on what Sherry and Jon had told her, he’d definitely planned to move on to killing.

Caroline knew, deep in her bones, she was lucky to be alive. That Trumpold hadn’t been able to decide whether to kill her or not.

She was alive. She looked around at the stark landscape of the Big Bend. She loved it here. Loved the open, loved the vast skies, loved being alone in the late-afternoon sun.

She turned, annoyed at the sound of a plane flying relatively low overhead. A small plane, probably a flyby for tourists. Caroline just went back to gathering what she needed to build a small fire tonight for coffee and to warm up some of the food she’d hiked in with her. She also needed to check in with the park rangers. She did that every eight to twelve hours out of courtesy for her colleagues back in Corpus Christi. They’d get the report too and not worry.

She was tempted to tell them all to just bug off and leave her alone, but she couldn’t. These were people who loved her. She wished they wouldn’t smother her with that love, but she couldn’t fault them for it.

The plane came back by again and Caroline rolled her eyes. Big Bend was beautiful, but there wasn’t enough to see for a double flyby. Then she realized the plane was landing not even half a mile from where she was camped.

Caroline grabbed her radio. She believed strongly in her independence, but she believed more strongly in not being stupid.

“Ranger station, this is Caroline Gill.” She gave them her GPS coordinates. “I’ve just heard a plane land about a half mile south of me. Small aircraft.”

“Yeah, we received a call from a Captain Timothy Harris in Corpus Christi.”

“Captain Harris, yeah, I know him. Is there some sort of emergency?” She couldn’t think of any reason Captain Harris would be on his way or have someone on their way if it wasn’t an emergency.

“No, no emergency. He was clear about that. He was letting us know that a detective from his precinct was coming in via small aircraft. He said you wouldn’t mind. Or that you probably would, but you’d get over it.”

Damn it, Captain Harris was sending a babysitter. She wondered if her parents had gotten word of this trip. She wouldn’t put it past them to browbeat Uncle Tim into sending someone to watch over her.

Well, whoever it was, she was sending them right back home.

She continued organizing her little camp, refusing to let anything get in the way of the peace she had found over the past two days. One of the things she’d worked very hard on with Dr. Parker was accepting what she had control over and what she didn’t. Certain circumstances she had no regulation over. But how she responded to them was up to her.

She left her little camp and made her way the few hundred yards to the jagged edge of one of the cliffs Big Bend was known for with a stunning view of the Rio Grande river. She could feel her babysitter’s eyes on her as he or she got off the plane and walked toward her, but she didn’t pay any attention. Instead, she continued to stare out at the river as the sun began to dip in the sky.

Finally, she knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer and turned back around.

And found Zane standing about twenty yards behind her. She froze.

“What are you doing here?” she stammered. Captain Harris had sent Zane to babysit her?

And what’s more, Zane had actually agreed?

“I didn’t mean to startle you. The ranger station was supposed to let you know I was coming.” He took a few steps toward her.

“They did. I mean, they said Harris had called and told them someone was coming out here and to let me know. But I didn’t know it would be you. What are you doing here?” she couldn’t help but ask again.

“Right now? Enjoying the beautiful view.”

Caroline turned back out toward the river. “Yeah, amazing, isn’t it? The sun has set on the river this way for thousands and thousands of years. Makes you feel part of something much bigger than yourself.”

Zane didn’t say anything, simply absorbed. They stood in silence watching the sun drop farther, casting a purple hue throughout the entire area. Caroline just took it in with him. She had to admit, there was no one else in the world she’d rather share this moment with than Zane. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the setting sun on her face.

When she opened them again, she found him studying her.

“What?”

“Nothing. You look good. Peaceful, capable. Being here, at this place, obviously agrees with you. I was wrong to tell you not to come.”

“You got that straight. I still don’t know why you’re here.”

“I needed to make sure you were all right.”

He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets just like he always did when he wasn’t telling the full truth. She’d never told him she knew that tell because she’d never wanted to give up the upper hand.

“You know I’ve been checking in with the rangers every few hours. You could’ve just asked them. I’m sure some of the CCPD have, including Captain Harris.”

He shrugged. “I needed to see it with my own eyes.”

He still wasn’t telling her everything, but she trusted him enough to know that if there was some true emergency he would’ve already hustled her off to the plane and gotten her out of here.

A thought struck her. “My parents didn’t call you and make you come, did they?”

He chuckled. “No. I just wanted to see you for myself.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You flew a long way just to look at me, Wales. You might want to consider taking a picture. It would be a lot cheaper.”

“A picture of you, here, in this light couldn’t possibly do this moment justice.”

Damn it if the man didn’t still know how to make her insides go gooey.

“Are you here to try to get me to leave?”

Zane looked around, taking in the vastness surrounding them. “No. I don’t think there’s any place else you ought to be than here right now. Like I said, it obviously agrees with you.”