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Buzz squinted out the window, running his tongue across his teeth. If only he’d had time to pack a bag with a toothbrush. And if he felt that way, Raven must be itching for a shower and some clean clothes. Of course she wouldn’t be able to buy any designer duds in White Cloud, and they needed to get that little girl something to eat first.
Malika opened her big brown eyes with a flash of fear, until her gaze settled on Raven and the anxiety melted away.
“Are you hungry?” Raven tweaked one of Malika’s pigtails. “Buzz, we’re going to need something to eat before anything else.”
Buzz raised his brows. Who had stolen his tough-as-nails Raven and left this squishy marshmallow in her place? “Sure. I was thinking the same thing. After I check in with the ground crew, we’ll hitch a ride into town. I doubt there’s anything to eat at the ranch.”
They disembarked, and Buzz bundled Raven and Malika inside the hangar while he secured the plane. One of the guys at the airport agreed to loan Buzz his truck.
As Buzz squeezed Malika between himself and Raven in the front seat of the truck, Raven’s jaw dropped. “You mean this guy who’s a stranger is letting you take off in his truck? How does he know we’re not going to hit the highway and steal it?”
Buzz chuckled as he threw the beat-up truck in Reverse. “He has my Jetstream. I’d say that’s a fair trade.”
“How does he know you didn’t steal that plane?”
“It’s called trust. There’s a lot of that in a small town. Besides, there are no strangers in White Cloud. That guy is cousins with my best friend’s ex-girlfriend.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “If you say so.”
They bumped along in the truck for a few miles before they careened into town. The streets were mostly empty at this time of morning, except for a couple of trucks parked in front of the Arapaho Café. Retired ranchers up at their customary time and looking for a little company.
And Buzz probably knew all of them.
Scratching his chin, he shot a glance at Raven and Malika. He couldn’t exactly tell the good people of White Cloud that he was hiding an African president’s daughter in their midst. The assassination attempt at the U.N. had been splashed all over the news, but Malika’s picture hadn’t been splashed anywhere. The government had suppressed any news of her attempted abduction and Raven’s role in her rescue.
He blew out a breath and squared his shoulders. The plan came to him in a flash and Raven might even laugh about it…someday.
He pulled up to the curb and pointed to the restaurant. “I hope you ladies are hungry.”
Buzz yanked his coat around his wrinkled suit and opened the door of the truck for Raven. She hopped out and scooped Malika from the seat. “Ahh, I can smell the bacon from here.”
“Bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy. The Arapaho has it all.” Buzz pushed open the door and several pairs of eyes turned in their direction.
“Well, if it isn’t Buzz Richardson.”
“Must’ve dropped out of the sky.”
“It’s Steve’s boy.”
Raven stiffened beside him as he raised his hand in greeting. “Hey, guys. It’s good to be back.”
“Whatcha doing here, Buzz? You gonna take up residence at the ranch?”
Buzz shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the rack by the front door. “Just thought it was time to bring my wife and our new daughter home to White Cloud.”
Chapter Four
Raven squeezed Malika’s hand so tightly the girl whimpered. She immediately loosened her hold, but still had a death grip on the back of the chair with her other hand. If she squeezed any harder she’d snap the wood.
Raven’s stiff face formed a wooden smile as she met the curious gazes of the old men seated around a red Formica table. She peeled her fingers from the chair and waved like a queen from her motorcade.
She’d kill Buzz.
Buzz winked at her and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the group. He performed a round of introductions, but the names whirred through her brain, replaced by the surprise at the warmth of their greeting. After each introduction, the men jumped to their feet and pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek, their gray whiskers tickling her chin.
Then they turned their attentions to Malika. They tugged lightly on her pigtails and chucked her beneath the chin. She seemed to take it much more in stride than Raven. At the end of the introductions, the old guys had Malika grinning and giggling as though she’d just discovered a roomful of doting grandfathers.
Buzz held up his hands. “That’s enough socializing. My girls are tired and hungry.”
The men grumbled but went back to talking about…whatever old men talk about in a diner in the wee morning hours.
Raven glared at Buzz as he pulled out her chair. She even flared her nostrils for added effect. He grinned at her and lifted Malika into her seat.
After the waitress took their order, Raven folded her hands on top of the plastic menu. “Why did you tell them we were married?”
“It was the best cover I could think of on short notice.” He slid a blue crayon toward Malika, who had her head bent over a children’s menu, ready for coloring. “Until I saw that bunch sitting at the table, it didn’t occur to me how suspicious I’d look marching into town with a woman and a little girl from Africa at my side.”
Raven snapped her brows over her nose. “I thought it was your job to think of things like that. You had an entire seven-hour plane ride to think of a story.”
“It’s a good story, Raven.” He shrugged. “Nobody in White Cloud needs to know we’re hiding some African president’s daughter. The world at large doesn’t even know she’s missing. Most people in diplomatic circles don’t even know President Okeke brought her.”
“Have you had contact with the president?”
“On his orders, no. He doesn’t want her location to be compromised at all. We’re supposed so stay here with her until further notice.”
Malika glanced up from her coloring through dark lashes. “My father does not want me to talk of him.”
Buzz patted her hand. “We know that, Malika. You’re a smart girl.”
Raven’s nose tingled. How easily this little girl adapted to subterfuge. She shouldn’t have to live her young life like that.
“Do you understand our game, Malika?” Raven tucked a stray curl behind Malika’s ear. “While we’re here in White Cloud, we’re going to pretend we’re a family. Just until we can get you safely back to your father.”
Malika lodged the tip of her tongue in the corner of her mouth while she colored in a tiny bird. Then she looked up. “I understand…Mama.”
The tingling in Raven’s nose spread to her eyes, which flooded with tears. She scrabbled for a napkin from the dispenser on the table and pressed it to her eyelids. Then she blew her nose.
Avoiding Buzz’s gaze, Raven rapped her knuckles on the table in front of Malika. “Our food’s going to be here in a minute. Let’s wash our hands.”
Malika dropped her crayons and hopped from her chair. Raven crossed the small dining room to the restroom, her high heels clicking on the floor. If they were going to stay here for a while, and it looked as if they were, she’d have to buy some clothes for her and Malika. High heels and silk suits wouldn’t cut it in this little backwater town.
They finished washing up and pushed out of the ladies’ room. As they passed the old men, one called out. “So where’d you meet Buzz, Raven?”
“Umm, at work.” Might as well keep this as close to the truth as possible.
“What are you, a stewardess?”
“Ah, I meant at his previous job.”
The man’s shaggy gray brows shot up. “You were in the military?”
Oh boy. Nothing was going to be simple. Of course, Buzz could never be open and honest about what he did. He was in covert ops. He was a spy. He’d lived his life in the shadows with secrets that could topple governments.
And she’d helped him. She’d been a member of Prospero. Translating, teaching, training.
Falling in love.
“Oh, on the civilian end. I’m a translator.” She waved her hands as if to brush off his question and stumbled back to the table toward the heavenly scent of bacon.
Buzz waved a knife at the old ranchers. “Giving you the third-degree back there?”
Raven spread a napkin on her lap and pointed to Malika’s lap. “Asked where we met. I said we met at work, where I was in a civilian capacity.”
“That’ll do.” He slid a basket of biscuits toward her. “Biscuits and gravy?”
She gave a slight shudder and plucked a biscuit from the basket. “No on the gravy, but I might try one with honey.”
She pulled the biscuit in half and drizzled a little honey on one side. She bit into the biscuit and closed her eyes as it melted into her mouth. “I may have to shop for one size up if I stay here and keep eating like this.”
Buzz held his fork suspended over his plate. “That means you’re staying?”
“You pretty much sealed my fate back there.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the table of gossiping men.
“You could always find an excuse to leave, Raven.” He dropped his fork and handed a napkin to Malika. “You did before.”
Heat flashed across Raven’s cheeks. He was the one who’d changed the rules. She slid a glance toward Malika, who was clutching her fork between coiled fingers. Could she sense the tension at the table? Hadn’t Raven always been able to sense the tension in her family?
“Nope.” Raven brushed the biscuit flour from her fingertips. “No excuses. We’re in this together. This is our make-believe, right, Malika?”
Malika smiled, nodded and shoveled some scrambled eggs into her mouth.
When they finished their breakfast, they said goodbye to the men still nursing their coffee in the corner. As Buzz swung open the door, a short, stocky man barreled through it, almost colliding with Buzz.
“Sorry…” The man trailed off and his eyes narrowed beneath his cowboy hat. “Buzz Richardson, hotshot pilot.”
His sharp tone cut across the café and Raven took a step back. Guess not everyone in White Cloud was friendly.
“Lance, how have you been?” Buzz stuck out his hand but the smaller man ignored it.
“Could be better, Buzz. Could be better.” He turned on his heel and stalked to an empty table.
With his jaw tight, Buzz ushered Raven through the door. They stepped into the chilly Oklahoma morning, and Raven pulled her coat around her body.
“What was that all about? I thought everyone in White Cloud was your best friend.”
“That’s Lance Cooper.”
“So?” She circled one finger in the air. “I’m supposed to know him?”
“He’s the brother of Josh Cooper, the man who was flying my parents in my plane when it crashed.”
Raven gasped. “Buzz…”
He shook his head and opened the passenger door of the truck. She understood that signal.
Raven cleared her throat. “When do the stores open? We’re going to have to get some basics and Malika and I need some clothes.”
His shoulders relaxed. “It’s Saturday. The stores open around nine. We’ll head out to the ranch first and make the place livable for the next few weeks.”
“Few weeks?” Raven buckled Malika into the seat between them. “Is that how long you think this is going to take?”
Buzz cranked on the engine of the old truck. “I’m not sure, Raven. We’ll see how things work out.”
In less than five minutes, they hit open road. Raven gazed across the flat landscape with a few low hills in the distance. The sky was wide open and looked as if it could gulp up everything in its sphere. The rising sun gleamed on the dusky browns and golds and then shimmered across an expanse of aqua blue, the color of Buzz’s eyes.
She tapped her window. “What’s that?”
“That’s Lake Unega. There’s a lot of activity around the lake during the summer—fishing, waterskiing, boating. Luckily this isn’t summer.”
Raven shivered and tucked her arm around Malika. “No kidding. It’s not going to snow while we’re here, is it?”
“We don’t usually get much snow, maybe a light dusting.” He tweaked the folds of her cashmere coat. “That old rag should do you just fine.”
“Don’t pull that down-home crap with me, Richardson. You’re the best-dressed cowboy I’ve ever seen.” His gloom after running into Lance Cooper seemed to have lifted, and she was happy to give it the heave-ho. This sadness was a new side of Buzz she’d never seen before.
“See many cowboys in New York City, do you?”
Malika bounced on the seat between them, enjoying the lighter mood. “Where is your hat? Where is your hat?”
Buzz laughed and the sound warmed up the car. “I have one at home, and I’m going to get you one, too. Would you like that?”
“Yes, and those, please.” Malika pointed to Raven’s high heels planted on the plastic mat of the truck.
“You’ll have plenty of time for those.” Grinning, Buzz met Raven’s eyes over the top of Malika’s head.
His smile encased her in warmth and she suddenly felt as if she had been locked in a deep freeze for a long time. Two years and eight months, to be exact. Since the day she’d left him.
Her bottom lip trembled, and she turned and pressed her forehead against the cold glass of the window. She hadn’t even been there for him when he’d lost his parents. “Almost there?”
“Willow Road Ranch is just around the next bend.”
“It has a name and everything?”
“Thought I told you all about it.”
His clipped words made her bite her lip. He’d told her all about the ranch where he’d grown up. The more he’d talked about it, the more evident it had become that he planned to stash her there after their marriage. So the more she’d tuned him out.
“Did you tell me why it was called Willow Road Ranch?”
