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Terrified she might give in to the impulse to kiss him and humiliate herself, she got up from the couch. “Thank you. There should be a better way to tell you how I feel, but I can’t think what it is. Please get that arm examined.” Before she blubbered all over the place, she left the living room and hurried up the stairs.
She wished she could go with him, but that was ridiculous. He was a Ranger and had business to take care of. He’d just taken down one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals. Cy had done his job and needed to finish up.
Kellie sank down on the side of her bed. The trouble was, she’d come to look at him as someone much more than an officer of the law. They’d agreed to a fictional marriage to trap the killers, but tonight she didn’t feel like a fictional character.
You’d like to be his real wife. Admit it, Kellie.
Appalled by the admission, and shocked that her feelings could run this deep so quickly, she phoned her parents. They were thankful Cy seemed to have accomplished a miracle so fast, and both were overcome with emotions. After they hung up, she got into bed, hoping she could fall asleep. When the phone rang again, she was surprised to discover it was already seven thirty.
She glanced at the screen on her cell, but there was no accompanying ID.
It was the stalker. He’d left a message. She listened to it.
“You’re still lying about having a husband. I saw the police drag my brother out of your garage to their van. You’re all going to be so sorry for what you’ve done. Just wait and see what I’ve got planned.”
He’d been watching the whole time.
She phoned Cy immediately, but it went to his voice mail. She told him about the stalker’s message before hanging up.
At this point she was wide-awake. The man who’d invaded her space in Pendleton was still out there, and now it was Cy who wouldn’t be safe. Her fear for him was greater than ever.
While she waited for him to call back, she showered and washed her hair. After a quick blow-dry, she put on jeans and a plum-colored cotton sweater. Once she’d pulled on her cowboy boots, she was ready for the day.
As she went downstairs, her phone rang. She checked the caller ID. It was Cy!
With a racing pulse, Kellie clicked on and heard “Good morning.”
“The same to you. Did you get any sleep?”
“A little. How about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. I heard your message. It means he was hiding behind the fence. Don’t leave the town house. I’ll be over as soon as I can.” She heard the click.
Kellie put the phone on the counter. She needed something to do and started to fix breakfast. In case he hadn’t eaten yet, she made enough for both of them. Before long she heard the garage door lifting and ran to open the kitchen door for him.
He levered himself from his car wearing a brown Western shirt and jeans. Kellie had a hard time keeping her eyes off his hard-muscled physique. As he came inside, she could smell his soap from the shower and noticed he was clean shaven. Those deep blue eyes zeroed in on her. His piercing gaze sent warmth through her body. “Something smells good.”
Yes, it does. That’s you.
“It was my turn to fix breakfast for us. Sit down at the table and I’ll serve you.”
“I won’t say no. I’m starving.”
“Since I know you haven’t had any sleep in twenty-four hours, you need food to keep you going.” She got them started on eggs and bacon, topping it off with toast and coffee.
“This is delicious. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Let me look at the bite on your arm.”
He flashed her a lazy smile before rolling up his sleeve. She was relieved to see a dressing had covered it. “I told you I watch out for myself.”
“I’m glad you had a doctor look at it.”
He rolled the sleeve back down. They were both being polite, but it was like trying to avoid the elephant in the room. He eyed her over the rim of his coffee mug. The gold wedding band on his ring finger gleamed in the overhead light, bringing her straight to the point.
“Cy? We have to talk about our situation.”
“Agreed. You go first.”
She took a deep breath. “That call this morning made me realize that you and I don’t have to pretend to be married any longer. The whole point was to flush out the stalker. Now that he’s been arrested and his brother watched what went on—probably from behind the fence—there’s no more need for you to stay here.
“Last night my dad said he’s going to hire some bodyguards for me as soon as tomorrow. In the meantime I’ll let the landlord know I’m moving to my parents’ ranch, so my condo will be available for a new renter. That will free you to get on with other Ranger work. We have no idea when the stalker will strike again, let alone when he’ll be caught. It could take a long time and you’re needed for other important cases.”
When Cy didn’t say anything, she drank more of her coffee. “It’s fortunate that no one knows your name, so no explanations are necessary. After the second brother is arrested, then I’ll post the truth about the twin brothers on my blog and explain that the fake marriage was announced to lay a trap that worked brilliantly.”
Starting to get unnerved by his silence, she took the rings off her finger and put them on the table. “Take these back to headquarters along with any equipment you’ve left here. And please thank the other men in your crew for protecting me. They’ll never know how grateful I am.”
He went on drinking his coffee. Why didn’t he say something?
Since they’d finished eating, she got up and cleared the table before putting the dishes in the dishwasher.
“Kellie? If you’ve said everything you wanted to say, come and sit down while I tell you what I’d prefer to see happen, but it’s up to you.”
What did he mean? The hairs on her neck started to prickle as she did his bidding.
“I was in a meeting early this morning with the captain. I’m still assigned to your case until it’s solved. There’s no work more important for the department than for me to put away another killer on the list of America’s most wanted. Though we’ve caught one killer, his twin is on the loose and more dangerous to you than ever.
“Since he knows his brother has been arrested, he’s angrier than ever. Until he makes his move, and I expect it will be sooner than later, it’ll make my job easier if we stay married so I can be your bodyguard. At this point I want us to be visible like any married couple. It will taunt him so much, he’ll make a mistake. That’s what I’ll be waiting for. But if you’d rather your father hired bodyguards who would take turns living here, our department will provide backup. The decision is yours.”
Kellie didn’t need to think. His suggestion thrilled her so much she could hardly find words. But how to tell him without giving herself away?
“Since you already have a plan, let’s not deviate from it now.”
She struggled for breath. “Only if you’re sure.”
“Give me your hand.” When she extended her arm, he put the rings in her palm. “Put these back on.”
Her heart started to run away with her. Not only because of his touch, but because it meant she wouldn’t have to say goodbye to him. Not yet anyway...
“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to stretch out on the hide-a-bed and get some sleep. To put your mind at ease, Lyle and the crew are outside and will remain on watch until tomorrow.”
He got up from the table. “Later today we’ll drive out to your parents’ ranch and go riding together. I want to watch the famous Kellie Parrish in action. When our stalker phones again, and I know he will, let him leave messages and I’ll listen to them later.”
And with that, she watched him leave the kitchen, feeling more comforted than ever that her Texas Ranger was here.
Chapter Six (#uad94e372-a267-56c2-801d-4b5cb3f10f14)
Cy walked into the living room, where he took off his cowboy boots. When he’d proposed that Kellie announce their marriage on her blog, he’d thought she would never agree to it. But she went along with the plan and had her parents’ blessing.
Just now he’d assumed she’d put the brakes on this latest strategy. To his astonishment, it didn’t happen.
Who knew how long the case might go on. Cy did know exactly how his family was going to react when he told them that he and Kellie were pretending to be man and wife. They were worried he’d never get married and continually tried to line him up with a promising match. The party for his sister coming up on Sunday was another excuse for his parents to introduce him to a new woman.
Because of his undercover role as Kellie’s husband, any matchmaking on their part would have to be put on hold. They’d be forced to give up trying to manage his love life while he was still working on her case. Nothing would frustrate them more. Or please him more.In fact he was tempted to take her to the party with him on Sunday.
What was today? Thursday? Was it only last Friday when they’d collided outside the radio station in Bandera? Since she’d come into his world, he’d lost track of time. How could it be that already he couldn’t comprehend his life without her?
With a relieved sigh, he stretched out on the bed and turned on his side facing the wall. His body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, but the capture of Denny Denham had done a lot to lighten his mood. He could actually go to sleep knowing that when he woke up, he’d be with Kellie, who wasn’t going anywhere without him. Later today they’d go riding together. He could hardly wait.
The next time he was cognizant of his surroundings, it was four thirty in the afternoon. He’d been sleeping on his stomach. When he turned over, there she was on the couch across from him, curled up with a book. Their eyes met. Hers were smiling.
Uh-oh. “If I snored, don’t tell me about it.”
“It will be my secret. But I want to know who Sylvia is.”
Cy started to chuckle and sat up. “I don’t believe it.”
“Believe what?” She smiled broadly, illuminating his world. “It seems you’ve been carrying around a secret. A little while ago you muttered something like, ‘Dammit. Where are you, Sylvia?’”
He couldn’t hold back his laughter and moved his pillow so she could see his gun. “That is Sylvia.”
She put the book down. “You call your gun Sylvia?”
“Yup. She goes everywhere I go, but sometimes when I’m dreaming, I find myself looking for her.”
Laughter burst out of Kellie. “You gave it a woman’s name. Why not a man’s?”
“That’s an interesting question. I really don’t know.”
“Was Sylvia an old girlfriend?”
“No such luck,” he teased. “When I was a little boy, my father took me to the barbershop in Dripping Springs for my haircuts. The older man had a picture of his wife, who’d died, on the wall. He called her Sylvia. I guess it stuck in my mind to come out later. Some of my colleagues give their weapons a name.”
She nodded. “Just like some pilots name their planes. My grandfather had an old car he called Elvira.”
Curious, he asked, “Did you name all your horses?”
Kellie let out a sigh. “No, but one day I’d love it if Trixie gave birth to a little filly I could name and raise.”
She could have been talking with the same kind of love she would have for her own baby. He wondered what plans she had for the future. “How long do you intend to compete?”
“After the Finals in December, I’m quitting the circuit. It’s a demanding life and I’ve already been in it so long.”
That was news to him. “What will you do?”
“This is a low-cost rental. I’ve been saving all my earnings and plan to buy a small ranch where I can run my own business of training future barrel racers. I have my eye on several properties that have been put out on the market. That way I can be involved with the rodeo, but on the other end.”
He sucked in his breath, marveling over her ambition. “From the amount of fans who flood your website for training tips, I have no doubt you’ll be so busy you’ll have to turn some away.”
“All in good time, I hope.”
Enjoying this too much, Cy sat up and pulled on his cowboy boots before he got to his feet. He stared down at her. “Speaking of your website, I happened to look at your schedule before Montana and noticed you competed in rodeos back east.”
“Yes. As I told you, Sally’s husband, Manny, is a bull rider and we decided to enter those rodeos for points. It was also a fun vacation.”
Cy rubbed the side of his jaw. “Since the stalkers were operating in the East, it occurred to me one of them would have seen you perform, possibly in Virginia or more likely in South Carolina. We know Charleston was one of the murder scenes. Since Walterboro is only forty minutes away, I’m thinking he might have gone to that rodeo and decided you were his next victim.”
“I had the best time in the ratings that night,” she murmured.
“The spotlight was on you. It makes perfect sense. We hope to pinpoint the exact location of their births in one of those two areas. It’s possible they maintained a home there.”
A delicate frown marred her brows. “To think they might have been following me since January...”
“While Dan tracked you all the way until he showed up in Oregon, his brother broke into the files at the WPRA and obtained your cell-phone number. But remember that there’s only one of them now and I’m going to catch him. Excuse me for a minute while I freshen up, then we’ll leave for your parents’ ranch.”
He put the gun in his side-waist holster. After making the bed, he left the living room and went upstairs to the guest bedroom. He shut the door and phoned Vic, who picked up on the second ring. “I wondered when I’d hear from you.”
“I was catching up on some sleep.”
“Which plan did Kellie go with?” Vic had been in on the meeting with TJ.
Cy stopped pacing. “I gave her a choice.”
“And?”
“We’re going to carry on as we have been.”
“In other words she doesn’t want anyone else being her bodyguard. Between you and me, the captain’s worried you’re going to lose your focus.”
His jaw hardened. “Is that what you think, too?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”
“The hell it doesn’t!”
“Honestly?” Vic questioned. “I’ve worked with you for three years and trust you with my life. If you think your plan is the best way to keep her safe and catch this predator, I back you all the way.”
“Thanks, Vic. I’m going to need your help.”
“You’ve got it.”
“We’re leaving for her parents’ ranch in a few minutes so she can exercise her horses. The crew will be watching the condo while we’re gone.”
“While you do that I’m going to see if I can get any information out of our prisoner.”
“If he talks, it’ll be lies.”
“Yup. But coming down off his latest fix, he might make a mistake that could be valuable. I’ll catch up with you later. Watch your back, Cy.”
