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“I can see why,” Gabriel said as he pushed his plate aside and crossed his arms on the table. “So what have you been up to tonight?”
“I was out at the barn taking care of a few chores. Seems like there’s always something needing to be done.”
Gabriel chuckled and nodded. “I remember how it was when I was growing up on a ranch. Sometimes I think about getting a little piece of land and a few horses. I guess that won’t ever happen, though. In my job it’s possible I could be transferred at any time, so I’m afraid to put down any roots that I might have to leave behind.”
Dean studied him for a moment before he glanced over his shoulder and scanned the room. When he didn’t see anyone, he leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about your job since you arrived earlier, but we’re alone now.”
Gabriel nodded his agreement. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to see you tonight. Especially after what happened today.”
Dean’s eyes grew large. “What are you talking about?”
“The attack on Liz.”
“Attack?” Dean’s voice seemed to bounce off the wall, and Gabriel leaned in farther.
Gabriel raised his index finger to his lips to quiet Dean. “I thought your wife had told you about it.”
“No. When did you tell Gwen?”
“Not too long before you came in. But you can relax. Everything turned out all right.”
For the next few minutes Dean didn’t move as Gabriel recounted what had happened in the theater parking lot. When he finished, Dean’s eyebrows drew together as he stared across the table at Gabriel.
“I’ve been afraid something like this might happen. When I got a call from my old friend Bill Diamond in the Memphis FBI office wanting me to offer Liz a safe place to stay, I was uncertain what to do. I didn’t want to endanger my family. Bill promised me that wouldn’t happen, that you are one of his top agents.”
“I don’t know about being one of the top agents, but I’m dedicated to my job, Dean. I’ve been with the FBI for five years now, and I really like my work. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure nothing bad happens to anybody at Little Pigeon while I’m here. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here when Liz first came, but I was finishing up another case. Bill assured me that since you are a former police officer, you would be able to protect Liz until I could get here.”
“There haven’t been any threats until today. I’m glad you arrived before she left and could follow her to the movie. It might have turned out differently if you hadn’t.”
“Maybe so.”
Dean sat back in his chair and cast a quizzical look at him. “Why was the decision made for you to go undercover while you’re here? Maybe Liz would feel more at ease if she knew she had an FBI agent here to protect her.”
Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Daniel Shaw’s trial has all of us on edge. She’s the first witness who has agreed to testify who can directly connect him to a crime. If we can put him away, we have a better chance of taking down the rest of his gang. We’ve got to make sure Liz testifies. One of our snitches passed us some information that Shaw’s gang isn’t happy about his arrest and they’re going to try to keep Liz from testifying.” Gabriel paused, wondering if he should share the next part, then pressed on. “There’s a price on her head—a fairly high one. There’s some concern in the office that she might decide to take off if she found out. She has no family, no ties. If she decides to run, our whole case goes out the window. Bill decided we had to have agents here protecting her.”
Dean nodded. “Bill didn’t tell me the name of the other agent. What is it?”
“Her name is Andrea Cauthorn. She’s arriving tomorrow. Bill didn’t want there to be anything to tie us together, so he wanted her to arrive a day after I did. She’ll help me keep an eye on Liz. Then when the trial date arrives, we’ll escort her back to Memphis.”
A look of concern flashed in Dean’s eyes, and he tilted his head to one side. “Do you think the guy who attacked her today could have ties to Shaw’s gang? Or maybe have heard about the price on her head?”
“I don’t know. He had no identification on him, but Ben’s going to check it out. He’ll let us know if he finds out anything.”
Dean frowned. “I don’t like this. If that guy was specifically after Liz, that means they know where she is.”
“I don’t see how they could have that information. The only ones at our office who know Liz’s whereabouts are Bill, Andrea and myself. We’ll be on our guard all the time.” He paused for a moment. “Don’t worry, Dean. We don’t intend for any harm to come to your family or anybody else at Little Pigeon.”
Dean nodded. “Thanks, Gabriel, but you know I’ll also be on guard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
A smile pulled at Gabriel’s mouth. “I guess once a cop, always a cop.”
“Yeah,” Dean said. “I was a cop, and a good one. But that’s not as important to me now as being a husband and a father. I don’t want anything to happen to my family, or to my employees and guests either.”
“Neither do we.”
Gwen walked out of the kitchen at that moment. When she saw Dean sitting at the table, she smiled and crossed the room to where they sat. She stopped beside Dean and placed her arms around his shoulders. “I didn’t know you were back inside.”
Dean stared up at his wife, and Gabriel’s stomach twisted. The love they had for each other shone in their eyes so bright that it almost blinded him. Every time he saw that look between a man and a woman, he felt as if his heart had been broken once again.
He scooted his chair away from the table and stood up. His abrupt movement startled Gwen and Dean, and they both jerked their attention to him. “Is something wrong?” Dean asked.
Gabriel shook his head. “No. It’s just been a long day. I think I’ll head up to my room. I’ll see you both in the morning. Good night.”
“Good night,” they called out, but he was already halfway to the stairs.
He hurried up the steps and strode down the upstairs hallway to his room. Once inside, he closed the door and stood there shaking all over. Seeing Gwen and Dean together tonight had brought back memories he thought he’d overcome. But when he least expected it, they resurfaced and kicked him in the gut.
He staggered across the room, sat down on the side of his bed and buried his face in his hands as the images he’d tried to repress came flooding back over him like a tidal wave.
No one could have asked for a more perfect day when he arrived at the church that afternoon ready to say the words that would make the woman he loved his wife. The pristine blue of the sky and the white clouds floating along only served to enhance the happiness he felt. Soon he and Lana would be married and ready to start their life on the ranch his father had left him.
As the time grew nearer for the ceremony, he waited in a small room behind the church’s choir loft. The first inkling he had that something wasn’t right was when the appointed time arrived for the bridal march and nothing happened. A few minutes later the best man, who’d been his friend since childhood, walked into the room with a letter that had been delivered for him.
He opened it with shaking fingers, and the words on the page blurred as he began to read. She was sorry, she said, but she couldn’t go through with the wedding. It would be unfair to him when she’d realized that she didn’t love him. She apologized for the embarrassment and ended by saying that her parents would take care of letting the guests know and that she had left for New York.
At first he thought there was some mistake, but there wasn’t. She was gone, and he’d lost the woman he loved. A few months later she returned to Texas to quietly marry his friend, the best man who’d delivered her letter. It seemed they’d been in love all along and had fought their attraction because of their respect for him. In the end, though, they couldn’t overcome it. Soon after, he’d sold the ranch and applied to the FBI.
So here he was five years later, an agent with the FBI who lived out of an apartment in Memphis that he rarely saw. Lana and his former best friend had two children. Sometimes it didn’t seem fair how his life had worked out. He hadn’t done anything wrong, hadn’t betrayed anyone’s trust, and yet they were happy, while he was just going through the motions each day.
He didn’t want to ever place himself in the position of being hurt like that again. He doubted if he would survive it a second time. Now he put all his energy into his job. There was nothing and no one else in his life, and he liked that just fine.
The only sad thing was that he would never have a woman look at him like Gwen Harwell looked at her husband tonight. The thought made his heart ache, but he shoved the feeling aside, refocusing on his assignment—taking care of Elizabeth Madison Kennedy, or Liz Madison, as she was calling herself. He would do everything to protect her, and in a few months he would take her safely back to Memphis to deliver testimony that would bring down a drug operation. Then he’d move on to the next assignment.
That was the only thing he needed to think about at the moment.
THREE (#u3c55be48-cd8e-522f-aeb6-f82860aa69b1)
The morning sunshine felt warm on Liz’s skin as she pushed the wheelbarrow out of the stable and headed toward the compost pile. She’d gone only a few feet when a voice behind her startled her.
“Good morning. I see you’re already hard at work.”
Her body stiffened in shock as she halted and jerked her head around to stare at Gabriel Decker, who was walking toward her. The big smile on his face turned to a frown when he saw her reaction. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Liz took a deep breath to try to calm her racing heart and attempted a smile. “It’s okay,” she said. “I was preoccupied and didn’t hear you walk up.”
His frown deepened, and he took a step closer. “Are you sure you’re all right? You looked terrified when you turned around.”
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
His gaze moved over her face, and she had the feeling that he was uncertain whether she had been honest with him or not. There was no way she was going to tell him that she was used to being terrified. She’d lived that way in a safe house under protective custody for months until the FBI told her they were sending her to stay with a former police officer and his family at the other end of the state. After all she’d been through, she wasn’t sure life would ever return to normal for her.
As she stared at Gabriel, she was once again struck by how handsome the man was, and this morning he looked especially so. Today he wore faded jeans and a chocolate-colored T-shirt that brought out the rich color of his eyes. He still had that bit of stubble on his face that made him blend in easily with the mountain men she’d met since arriving at Little Pigeon. She reminded herself that no matter how good-looking he was and how friendly he seemed, she had to be careful. She knew nothing about him, and she couldn’t risk getting to know him.
She turned back to the wheelbarrow and gripped the handles. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m mucking out the stalls, and I still have a lot of work to do.”
“I’ll help if you’d like,” he said as she started to go.
She stopped again and turned back to him, her eyebrows lifted. “You’re a paying guest, Mr. Decker. I don’t think Dean would want you to be cleaning out stalls. It’s hard work, and you’re on vacation.”
He grinned and speared her with his dark gaze. “I’m used to hard work, Liz, and I’ve cleaned out my share of stalls in the past. I’d be glad to help.”
She hesitated for a moment and studied him. He seemed like a nice man, and although she didn’t want to admit it, she had been lonely since she arrived. Dean and Gwen had been wonderful, but they had their own lives. She had tried not to interfere with that, which meant she’d kept to herself as much as possible. And really, what was the harm in letting him help? They were on the ranch property, with Dean and his employees all around. Even if Gabriel wasn’t someone she could trust, surely he wouldn’t be so blatant as to try to hurt her here.
After a moment, she smiled. “All right, Mr. Decker, I’d be happy to have the help.”
His grin widened, and his eyes twinkled. “Gabriel, please. I thought we were on a first-name basis after I came to your aid yesterday.”
She swallowed at the memory of the gun pressed to her head. “I appreciate what you did, more than I can ever tell you. But I’m trying to put that behind me, so I’d rather not talk about it anymore.”
His eyes grew soft, and he tilted his head to one side. “I understand that. I won’t bring it up again. Even though it wasn’t an ideal meeting, I hope it will only be the beginning of our friendship.”
Liz’s face grew warm, and she looked down at her feet. “That sounds nice. I could use a friend. I haven’t made any outside Gwen and Dean since I’ve been here.”
“Then consider me the first.”
She bit down on her lip and turned to put her hands back on the wheelbarrow. “Just let me dump this load at the compost pile, and I’ll show you what needs to be done in the barn.”
Before she could move, he was edging her out of the way so he could wrap his fingers around the wheelbarrow handles. “I’ll dump it. This looks like a heavy load.”
Without waiting for her to respond, he pushed the wheelbarrow toward the compost pile and left her staring after him. She watched as he heaved the manure and stall shavings onto the rubbish heap and then walked back to her.
“That wasn’t so bad.”
She shook her head and laughed as she turned and headed back toward the barn. They’d taken only a few steps when Gabriel spoke again. “What’s that building over there?”
Her gaze followed the direction he was pointing. “That’s an old bunkhouse. I’ve been told that Dean’s grandfather used it years ago when he had a lot of itinerant workers. It’s been deserted for years. Dean turned it into a workshop and a supply shed for medicinal supplies for the horses. He keeps it locked all the time, but he’s given me a key to it in case I need to get anything.”
“I’d think he’d keep the medicines in the tack room where they’d be handy.”
She shook her head. “No, the temperature can’t be regulated in the barn.”
“I see.” By this time, they’d arrived back at the barn. “Okay, boss,” he said, “show me what to do.”
Once inside, she pointed out the stalls that still needed to be cleaned and motioned toward a room at the end of the barn alleyway. “Pitchforks are in there. Muck buckets are, too, but feel free to use the wheelbarrow.”
He nodded. “I will.”
She studied him as he turned and walked to the room where the tools were kept. His graceful movements told her that he was a man who was confident and relaxed in who he was. It also said something about him that he was a paying guest who didn’t hesitate to offer his help with a job that most wouldn’t consider doing. Still, there was something about him that she couldn’t figure out. There were several young women staying at the ranch right now. They were much prettier than she was and wealthier, if their designer outfits were any indication. But for some reason he seemed to have singled her out for his attention. She couldn’t understand why.
Shaking the thought from her head, she turned back to the stall in front of her and began to clean it. From time to time she and Gabriel crossed paths in the alleyway as they completed cleaning a stall and went to another. Each time their eyes met, he smiled, and she found herself responding to his friendly nature.
When they’d completed the job and put away the tools, they walked outside the barn and stared at the trail that led toward the mountains. Dean and Emmett, his foreman, rode toward them with a line of riders behind them.
“That’s the early-morning trail ride coming back,” Liz said. “They’ll be hungry. I need to go get cleaned up so I can help Gwen and Shorty with lunch. Thanks for helping with the stalls.”
She started to turn away, but he reached out and touched her arm. “It was my pleasure, Liz. I enjoyed the morning. What are you doing this afternoon?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. There are some more guests arriving. I might have to help Gwen get the rooms ready. Why?”
“I picked up a brochure in the den and saw a picture of a creek near here. I think it’s called Rattlesnake Creek. I was thinking that I might ride out there this afternoon. I wondered if you’d like to ride with me.”
Liz paused for a moment before she replied. Her earlier concerns about Gabriel’s attention to her returned, but they battled with her desire to make a friend and feel a little less lonely. “I don’t know,” she said. “Can I let you know after lunch?”
“Sure,” he replied. “I talked to Dean before he left this morning, and he told me I could have Buttermilk about two o’clock. If you decide to go, meet me at the barn.”
“I will.”
She headed off toward the house but slowed down when she heard Gabriel call after her. “I really hope you’ll decide to come.”
Liz gave a small nod and continued walking. Right now she didn’t know if she would go or not, but if she was really honest with herself, she’d admit that she wanted to. She wanted to find out more about Gabriel Decker and why he seemed interested in being with her. Maybe she’d take him up on the invitation after all.
By one o’clock the last guest had left the dining room, and Liz, Gwen and Shorty had the kitchen cleaned up. With the last pot stored away, Shorty took off the apron he wore and hung it on a peg beside the back door. “I need to pick up some things at the supermarket for the chuck wagon meal tomorrow night. Does either one of you need anything while I’m in town?”
Gwen and Liz both shook their heads.
“Be careful,” Gwen said as the cook turned and walked toward the back door. “Those hairpin curves on the way into town scare me.”
He grinned at her and nodded. “I’ll watch out, Gwen. Don’t you worry about me.”
When he’d closed the door behind him, Gwen turned back to Liz. “Shorty worked for Dean’s grandfather for years. So he’s really like a member of the family, and I tend to worry about our family.”
The concern on Gwen’s face sent a warm glow through Liz. With both her parents dead, it had been a long time since she’d known what family really was about. Then she’d come to Little Pigeon Ranch and had seen it in the way Gwen and Dean treated each other, their daughter, Maggie, and all the people who worked for them. They had opened their home to her also and given her a safe haven during a traumatic time in her life.
She swallowed the lump she felt in her throat. “You make me feel like family, too, Gwen.”
Gwen’s eyes softened, and she grasped Liz’s hand. “That’s how we want you to feel, Liz. We’re honored to have you in our home.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she wiped at them. “Not many people would have done what you have for me. You didn’t even know me, and yet you welcomed me with open arms, all the time knowing that you might be opening yourselves up to danger.”
Gwen stared at her for a moment before she motioned toward a chair at the kitchen table. “Sit down, Liz, and let’s have a glass of iced tea. I think you need a bit of cheering up after the busy day you’ve had.”
Liz nodded and dropped down in the chair while Gwen poured their tea. When she’d filled the glasses, she set them on the table and took a seat. “Are you sleeping any better than you were when you first came?”
Liz shrugged. “Some nights I do, but last night wasn’t very good.”
“I’m sorry, but I guess that was to be expected after what happened. Have you thought about seeing a doctor? You could probably get a prescription for something to help you sleep.”
She shook her head. “The doctor I saw in Memphis wanted to do that, but I don’t want to be induced into sleep. I want to get back to the point that my mind is relaxed and I can drift off into peaceful dreams instead of the nightmares I have.”
