Under the Cowboy's Protection

by Delores Fossen

  “Raleigh!” Alma shouted. “Don’t let those bullets hit you.”

  Easier said than done. Three more shots came, one right behind the other.

  While she positioned her body over Alma’s to keep the woman on the ground, Thea lifted her head enough to glance at the direction of the shots. And she groaned. Because there were way too many trees and even some large rocks. The shooter could be behind any one of them.

  “I swear, I didn’t see a gunman,” Alma insisted. “Where did he come from?”

  Thea figured he’d parked on a ranch trail just off the pasture and then used the rocks and trees for cover to get into position. Maybe he’d even been following Alma because it would have been easier to get to the older woman than it was Raleigh and her. With Alma’s state of mind, she might not have even noticed if a stranger was behind her vehicle.

  The next bullet slammed into Alma’s car, shattering the window on the rear-passenger’s side, and it sent glass flying at Dalton. He moved even farther back, but it wasn’t enough. Dalton, and the rest of them, could still be hit.

  Thea glanced behind them to try to figure out what to do. Now that Warren’s truck was gone, there was an open space between the car and the cruiser. It was plenty big enough for them to be easy targets if they went running out there. But there might be another way around this.

  “I can get to the cruiser and pull it up in front of you,” Thea suggested.

  Raleigh looked back at her, and even though he didn’t give her a flat look, it was close. “You’re not going there. And if you ignore my order and try it, I will go after you. That means, we’d both get shot.”

  Thea wanted to believe he was bluffing, but she doubted that he was. No way could she risk something like that. She couldn’t lose Raleigh.

  Even if he wasn’t hers to lose.

  “Stay down,” Raleigh told her. “And make sure my mom stays put, too.”

  Thea was trying to do just that, but Alma kept calling out to Raleigh to be careful, and she was squirming so she could look at him, probably to make sure he was okay. Thea couldn’t fault the woman for that. Raleigh was her only son, but she needed Alma to cooperate so she could help Raleigh return fire—if they got a chance to do that.

  “Raleigh’s a good cop,” Thea reminded Alma. “Please stay down so I can help him.”

  Alma looked up at her, their gazes connecting, and even though it seemed to be the last thing the woman wanted to do, she nodded and quit struggling. She practically went limp on the ground.

  Thea pivoted, still staying close to Alma but moving to the side so she stood a chance of having a clean shot. She tried again to pinpoint the shooter.

  And she did.

  Just as Raleigh and Dalton did, too—thanks to the sunlight glinting off the shooter’s gun. He was in the center of the pasture, behind one of the big rocks. The rock was the perfect cover, but he had to lean out to shoot at them.

  She waited, her heart pounding and her breath so thin that her chest was hurting. But Thea reminded herself that she’d been trained for this, and the stakes were too high for her to fail.

  Dalton and Raleigh were obviously waiting, too, and both had their guns pointed in the direction of the shooter. The seconds crawled by, maybe because the guy was reloading, but Thea finally saw him. He moved out from behind the rock, already taking aim at them.

  But Dalton, Raleigh and Thea all fired, their shots blending into a loud, thick blast that was deafening. They each fired several more times before she saw a man wearing a ski mask tumble out onto the ground.

  They waited with the silence closing in around them. Raleigh was no doubt waiting to make sure the guy was actually dead and that he didn’t have a partner waiting in the wings to gun them down when they moved.

  She heard the sirens and glanced at the road to see the cruiser flying toward them. Alice, probably. Dalton verified that with a call to his fellow deputy, and Alice pulled to a stop directly in front of them.

  Raleigh moved fast to get Alma into the cruiser. “Stay with her,” he added to Thea. “I need to see if this guy is alive. If he is, we might finally know who’s been trying to kill us.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Raleigh stood at his kitchen counter and tossed back the shot of straight whiskey. It wasn’t enough alcohol to cloud his head, but he hoped it would take off the edge. The adrenaline from the attack hadn’t zapped nearly enough of this raw energy he was feeling.

  Along with the frustration.

  Because the shooter, Buck Tanner, was dead.

  And that meant he hadn’t been able to tell them who’d hired him. Not that he necessarily would have wanted to do that, but Raleigh would have figured out a way to get him to talk.

  But now that option was gone, and they were back to square one. Well, with the exception that the two men who’d killed Sonya and kidnapped the baby were dead. That would have felt like some kind of justice if they’d managed to catch the hired thugs’ boss, too.

  “Did it help?” he heard Thea ask. He glanced over his shoulder to see Thea walking into the living room.

  She was in his pj’s again.

  Obviously, she’d just gotten out of the shower because she was using a towel to dry her wet hair, and she tipped her head to the glass he was still holding.

  “The jury’s out on that,” he said. He lifted the bottle. “You want a shot?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll probably just grab something to eat and crash. Unless you think we’ll need to go back into your office tonight.”

  He shook his head. With the exception of the DNA on the second baby, they weren’t waiting on any lab results, and there were no reports from SAPD on the fires at the security company and fertility clinic.

  But there was some bad news he needed to tell Thea.

  Since there was no easy way to put this, Raleigh just turned to face her and blurted it out. “Dan Shaw’s body turned up about a mile from the security company.” The very one the man had owned. “He died from two gunshots to the head.”

  Thea’s breath hitched, and her shoulders dropped. Even though she hadn’t personally known him, that didn’t matter. Dan Shaw was dead because someone, probably Buck Tanner, had taken him hostage so he could escape.

  “I think I’ll have that drink now,” she said, her voice shaky. She didn’t look too steady, either.

  Raleigh grabbed another glass from the cabinet, poured her a shot, and when she reached for it, that’s when he noticed the bandage on the palm of her hand. She quickly tried to hide it beneath the sleeve of the bulky pj’s, but he caught on to her wrist and had a better look.

  “It’s nothing.” She pulled back her hand. “I just cut it on a rock or something when I fell. I didn’t even notice it until we were away from the scene.”

  Even though Raleigh knew it could have been much worse, it twisted his stomach to know she’d been hurt. He’d seen the blood on her clothes, of course. That’s why she’d taken a shower and put her clothes in the washer as soon as they’d gotten to his house, but he’d thought the blood was his mom’s—from the scrape she gotten when he’d pushed them to the ground.

  “It’s nothing,” Thea repeated. She had a sip of the whiskey and grimaced, but that bad reaction didn’t stop her from finishing off the rest of the shot.

  Since looking at that bandage wasn’t helping with that raw energy bubbling inside him, he opened the bag of takeout he’d gotten from the diner. Burgers and fries. It smelled good, but Raleigh doubted it would sit well with the knots in his stomach. Still, he wanted Thea to eat, so he put the food on some plates and set them on the table.

  Thea glanced at the food and made another face. Not quite a grimace this time, but it was close. But she sat down and picked up one of the fries.

  “Did you call your mom while I was in the shower?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Like you,
she’s insisting she’s okay. I doubt it’s true in either your case or hers.”

  Thea lifted her shoulder. “My offer still stands. If you want to stay the night with her, I can go to my brother’s.”

  She had indeed made that offer, but Sonya’s baby was with Griff, Rachel and a Texas Ranger for extra protection. There’d been no attacks directed at the newborn, and Raleigh wanted to keep it that way. If Thea went there or to the McCall Ranch, the danger might go with her.

  Of course, an attack could happen here, too, and that’s why Raleigh had closed the gate that led to his house. He’d also alerted the hands who worked with his horses to report anything suspicious to him. Added to that, he’d turned on his security system.

  Because the killer was still out there.

  Raleigh didn’t believe for a second that Marco and Buck had put this together themselves. No. Their boss was probably gathering another team of hired guns, and Raleigh had to be ready for whatever the snake threw at them.

  “Alice is staying with my mom,” he added. “And the ranch hands there will keep watch.”

  She nodded, took a tiny bite of the french fry and put it back on the plate. “What will happen to Sonya’s baby?” she asked. “Both of her biological parents are dead, and Yvette and Nick don’t have a claim on her, thank goodness.”

  Yeah, that definitely qualified as a thank goodness. Both the O’Haras were suspects, and he didn’t want them getting anywhere near the baby.

  “Social services is contacting Sonya’s and Dr. Sheridan’s next of kin. Sonya has an aunt who she was close to, and she’s already asked about taking the baby.”

  Thea made a sound of approval but then frowned. Maybe because she’d gotten attached to the little girl when she’d been taking care of her. She tried the fry again, tossed it right back down and got up to go to the window. He’d closed all the blinds and curtains, but she lifted the edge of the blind and looked out.

  “We can’t live like this,” she said. There’d been weariness in her voice earlier, but it had gone up a notch. “We have to know who’s behind the attacks.” She stayed quiet a moment and then turned back to him. “Why don’t we set a trap, using me as bait.”

  Hell. Raleigh had figured this was coming, and Thea had to know he was going to nix it. He pushed back his plate and went to her. “I’m not going to watch you die so I can catch a killer.”

  “He or she wouldn’t be able to kill me if we did this right. Just hear me out,” she added when he opened his mouth to argue. “We could get the word out that I need to go see Warren, that it’s some kind of emergency. The killer would probably set up another attack somewhere on the road. But we’d be ready. We could have some of the deputies hiding in the cruiser.”

  That wouldn’t stop her from being killed. Heck, it could get the deputies killed, too.

  “This could work,” she went on, and he could tell that she wasn’t just going to give up on this.

  And that’s why Raleigh kissed her.

  It was playing dirty, but he couldn’t listen to Thea talk about sacrificing herself to put an end to this. He kept the kiss short, and he eased back, fully expecting her to yell or even push him away.

  She didn’t.

  Thea stared at him. A long time. And with their gazes locked, she caught on to the front of his shirt, wadding it up in her left hand as she dragged him back to her.

  It was Thea who continued the kiss.

  * * *

  FROM THE MOMENT Thea had seen Raleigh in the kitchen, she’d known this kiss was going to happen. There was just too much energy sizzling between them. Too much emotion.

  And too much frustration.

  Raleigh seemed to try to cure all of that with the kiss. In one quick motion, she was in his arms, and the urgency of his mouth on hers let her know that neither of them were going to stop this. Even if they regretted it. Which they would.

  Well, Raleigh would anyway.

  Thea wasn’t sure she could regret something like this that felt so right. Of course, it’d always felt right when she was with Raleigh. It’d been that way for her even when she’d been with him after learning the truth about Warren’s affair. Not telling Raleigh had caused her to lose him, and she’d thought she would never be with him like this again. But she was wrong. It was happening, and it was happening fast.

  The kiss became hotter, more intense, and it didn’t take minutes but rather mere seconds. Thea just let herself go with it when he pulled her deeper into his arms so that their bodies were touching. It was an incredible sensation with him touching her, but it soon wasn’t enough. She needed more.

  Thankfully, Raleigh didn’t have trouble giving her that.

  He popped open the buttons on the loose pajama top she was wearing, and he slipped his hand inside. She hadn’t put on a bra after her shower, and without the barrier of any clothes, Raleigh lowered his head and moved the kisses to her breasts.

  Yes, this was more.

  Raleigh kept on giving, too, when he pushed down the bottom of the pj’s. She was wearing panties, but he also slid them down her legs, leaving her practically naked. If she hadn’t been so desperate for him, that might have bothered her, but Raleigh didn’t give her a chance to remember who she was much less the fact that she was undressed, and he wasn’t.

  He kissed her. In many places. Touched her, too. And Thea let herself be swept up into the sensations that came wave after wave. Every inch of her wanted him more than her next breath, but despite the burning need, Raleigh just kept up with the maddening foreplay.

  When she could take no more, Thea did something about his clothes. It was hard to get his buttons undone while still kissing, but she managed it and got a very nice reward. Her hands on his bare chest.

  He wasn’t overly muscled, but he was toned and tight. Perfect. But then, she thought that “perfect” label applied to many things when it came to Raleigh. Thea kissed his neck and chest.

  She would have kept going as he’d done, but he pulled her back up to him, and when their eyes met, Thea recognized the look he gave her. He was giving her an out if she wanted to stop.

  She didn’t.

  So she went straight back to him. This time though, there was no more foreplay—something that her on-fire body was thankful for. Raleigh scooped her up and carried her straight to his room. The moment he had her on the bed, he took a condom from his nightstand drawer.

  He moved onto the bed with her, the mattress giving way to their combined weight, and she helped him slide off his boots and jeans. His boxers, too. Everything was frantic now, their movements feverish from the need. He didn’t waste a second after he put on the condom.

  Raleigh pushed into her.

  The pleasure raced through her, leaving her speechless. And breathless. But she could certainly feel, and the feelings soared when he started to move inside her.

  The memories came. No way to stop them. They’d been together like this many times, but each of those times had always had the same intensity as the first. This was no different. Except Thea knew that it might be their last. Once Raleigh came to his senses, he might regret this enough that it would never happen again.

  A heartbreaking thought.

  But it was a thought that quickly went out the window when his thrusts inside her got faster. Harder. Until the need and tension climbed higher and higher.

  When Thea couldn’t hang on any longer, when she could take no more, she let herself surrender to the pleasure. The climax rippled through her, and the only thing she could do was hold on and let it consume her.

  Moments later, as he whispered her name, Raleigh buried his face against her neck, and he finished what they’d started.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Raleigh closed his eyes and tried to sleep—something that usually happened easily after great sex. And this had indeed been great. But the sleep wouldn’t co
me because his mind wasn’t nearly as satisfied as the rest of him.

  Sex was going to complicate things between Thea and him. Of course, the kissing had already done that, but this would send it through the roof. If the timing had been better, he might have just gone back in for another round of sex and put his worries on the back burner. But the timing only added to the complication.

  He got up, but he tried to be as quiet as possible so that he wouldn’t wake Thea. However, when he glanced at her, she was wide-awake and staring at the ceiling. Judging from the expression on her face, she was having more than just doubts and regrets.

  “Was it that bad?” he joked, and because he was stupid, he brushed one of those complicating kisses on her mouth.

  “No.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “The frown is because it wasn’t bad.”

  Unfortunately, he understood that. If the old chemistry between them had gone cold, it would have made leaving the bed easier. The kiss she gave him back in return certainly didn’t help, either, but Raleigh forced himself to move away from her so he could get dressed.

  “I should be keeping watch,” he reminded her. “And checking for updates. You should try to get some sleep though.”

  But Raleigh knew that probably wasn’t going to happen, and he was right. Thea immediately got up, and she headed to the guest room. A few minutes later, when she came out, she had dressed. Not in pj’s, either, but her jeans and shirt.

  “I’ll make us a pot of coffee,” she said, heading for the kitchen.

  Raleigh considered asking Thea if she wanted to talk about what happened, but she was probably just as unsettled about this as he was. Plus, there wasn’t time to launch into a conversation because his phone rang.

  The call got Thea’s attention, and she turned away from the coffee maker to hurry toward him. She was probably expecting it to be bad news, and when Raleigh saw the name on the screen, he considered that, as well. That’s because it was Alice calling, and since she was staying with Alma, this could mean his mother was upset again. Maybe this time though, Alma hadn’t pulled a gun on the deputy.