Cowboy's Vow to Protect

by Carla Cassidy

  “Flint, I need you to be completely honest with me. Are you tired of my presence here?”

  “Not at all,” he replied instantly. “What would even make you think that?”

  “You’ve been...distant for the past week. Something has changed between us and I need to know if I did or said anything wrong.” Even just sitting next to him, her senses came alive in a way she’d never known before.

  Not only was she captivated by his scent, but she could look at his handsome face for hours at a time, too. She would never forget the feel of his work-rough hands on her breasts, against her skin as he had stroked and caressed her.

  When he’d claimed her baby as his own in the doctor’s office, her love for him had flown off the charts. He was her dream man, but she was so afraid to tell him, so afraid that she would be rejected by him.

  “Believe me, you have done nothing or said anything wrong,” he replied.

  “Then why have you been so distant with me? It’s like you don’t want to spend any time with me or talk to me.” To her horror tears filled her eyes.

  “Hey, don’t get upset,” he said and scooted closer to her. He reached out to swipe away the tears that escaped and fell to her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” she said with an embarrassed half laugh. She managed to get herself under control. “I just feel like something has changed and I don’t know why. I... I need to understand what’s going on.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment. “I have been distant with you,” he admitted.

  “But why?” she asked beseechingly.

  His eyes darkened and flashed with a wild light that half stole her breath away. “Oh, woman, because you tempt me.” His voice was a husky half growl. He leaned back from her and raked a hand through his still-dampened hair. “Sitting next to you on the sofa torments me. The scent of you makes my head dizzy with desire for you. And that’s why I’ve been distant from you, because every minute we’re together I want you.”

  “Oh, Flint.” His words filled her with a sweet longing for him. She scooted closer and leaned into him. “I feel the same way about you, only my feelings for you make me want to be closer, not farther away from you.”

  She drew even nearer to him...so close she could feel his breath on her face; so close that her lips were mere inches from his. Their gazes locked for several long moments and then with a groan he covered her mouth with his.

  Instantly, she was on fire and her heartbeat raced. She opened her mouth and their tongues swirled together in a heated dance. His arms circled around her, engulfing her in his scent and his sweet warmth.

  “Madison,” he groaned her name as his mouth left hers and blazed a trail down the side of her throat.

  “I love the sound of my name when you say it,” she replied as she leaned in as closely as she could get to him.

  “Madison... Madison... Madison,” he whispered along her jawline and then his lips crashed down on hers once again.

  Although she wanted this moment of him kissing her with such desire to go on and on, what she didn’t want was the two of them groping each other on the sofa like a couple of teenagers.

  She pulled away from him. “Flint, I want you in bed,” she said breathlessly. “Let’s go into your bedroom.” She stood and held out her hand to him.

  He stared up at her, his eyes glazed with a wild hunger that thrilled her. He stood and took her hand and together they went into his bedroom. The minute they crossed the threshold he pulled her to him and kissed her once again.

  Their bodies were so intimately close she could tell that he was fully aroused. She pressed her hips against him, her own desire rising so high she was half-mindless.

  They tumbled to the bed and she grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt, wanting it off him so she could feel his beautiful, strong chest muscles. He finished the act, yanking his shirt off and tossing it to the nearby chair.

  She ran her hands over his beautiful sculptured chest as he fumbled with the zipper at the back of her dress. His skin was so warm and inviting and at the moment all she wanted was to be naked with him.

  He’d just managed to get her zipper down when a loud, firm knock sounded on the front door. He snapped up off the bed and drew several audible deep breaths before he grabbed his T-shirt and pulled it back on.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, his voice deeper than usual.

  Madison remained on the bed for several long moments, hoping Flint would, indeed, come right back to the bedroom and they could resume what had been started.

  Then she heard Dillon’s deep voice and she knew there was no way Flint would return to finish what they had started. Reluctantly, she got up and reached behind her to zip her dress back up.

  She drew in and released several deep breaths and then went into the living room where the two men were seated and visiting, obviously waiting for her to join them.

  “Hi, Dillon,” she said as she sat on the sofa next to Flint. She was interested in why Dillon was here, but she’d really much rather be in the bedroom making love with Flint.

  “What’s going on?” She looked at Dillon curiously.

  “I wanted to let you know I’ve turned your case over to the District Attorney, but he still hasn’t agreed to move forward on this.”

  “Is it possible Ainsworth money has played a part in the DA’s reluctance?” Flint asked.

  Dillon frowned. “I suppose anything is possible,” he admitted slowly.

  Madison sat up straighter on the sofa. “Have you been conducting interviews around town? Have you been able to identify another victim?”

  Dillon hesitated for a long moment and then shook his head. “My deputies and I have been conducting interviews with all the young women in town. There are two women who I think maybe something happened to them with Brad, but they insisted they had had no interactions with him.”

  “So what made you believe something might have happened?” Flint asked.

  “They were both slightly evasive in their answers to me and I got several nonverbal tells that they were not telling me the truth. I also believe they were both afraid to even mention Brad’s name.”

  “Who are they? Maybe I can talk to them and get them to be more forthcoming,” Madison said. “Surely that would help my case immensely.”

  Dillon shook his head once again. “I’m sorry, but I have to respect their privacy.”

  “So it’s still really just a he said-she said case and it’s possible the DA has been bought off.” Madison frowned. “There should be a way to catch Brad in the act of showing his monster face.”

  Her brain began to spin, trying to figure out a way to get additional evidence that would help her case. There had to be a way...there had to be something that could be done to catch a predator.

  She’d watched shows on television about police setting up in a house to catch men who wanted sex with a minor. There had to be a way something like that could be done now. Her brain finally settled on a single truth.

  What did a predator need to act?

  He needed prey...

  Chapter 12

  “Absolutely not.” Flint stared at Madison, wondering if the stress had finally sent her over the edge. She’d obviously lost her mind considering what she’d just offered Flint as a reasonable solution to the problem. Dillon had left only a few minutes ago and that was when Madison had sprung her hare-brained idea on him.

  “Why not? It would be the perfect plan to catch him.” She got up from the sofa and began to pace in front of Flint.

  “Madison, there is no way in hell I want you using yourself as bait with that man,” Flint said in protest. “He is dangerous and you could be seriously hurt.”

  “I know.” She wrapped her arms around herself and for a moment her eyes appeared dark and haunted. “He is a dangerous predator and that’s why he needs to be stopped here and
now.”

  “Madison, for God’s sake let the court take care of it.” Flint was absolutely appalled by her idea.

  “I don’t trust the court to get it right. Who knows who the Ainsworths are paying off to keep their baby boy out of jail.”

  She started pacing once again. She walked back and forth in front of him and all he could think of was how small, how utterly defenseless, she appeared.

  A rage surged up inside him at the thought of Brad hurting her...violating her. He wanted to kill the bastard, but he knew that wasn’t really the answer, either.

  “If this goes to court, Brad will paint me as a whore. He’ll have everyone believing I’m the lowest of the low and he’ll get other people to say the same things about me,” she said.

  “And I’ll be glad to testify on your behalf. I’ll tell people who you really are. I’ll tell them that you’re warm and giving and wonderful,” he replied.

  Her long hair rippled with the vehement shake of her head. “That’s not enough. I appreciate that, but my idea is much better.”

  “Your idea is damned dangerous,” he protested.

  “Not if we all do it right.” She walked around the coffee table and plopped back down next to him.

  “Really think about it, Flint. All we have to do is spread the word around town that you’re going to be out of town on a particular night. Then you and Dillon hide out in the woods. I know Brad probably believes that if I go away, this whole thing will go away. He’ll come for me. You know he’ll come for me.”

  “Look at yourself, Madison. You’re shaking just talking about it.” Flint pulled her close against his side, wanting to protect her from danger and now needing to somehow protect her from herself. “I’m sorry, Madison, but there is no way I can support a plan that in any way puts you in danger.”

  “But I wouldn’t be,” she protested and pulled away from him. “I want this to be over and done with, and this is an excellent plan and I intend to talk to Dillon about it first thing in the morning.” She stood. “I hope you will support me in this...and now I’m going to take a little nap.”

  As she went into her bedroom Flint released a deep sigh. He had a feeling she’d decided to take a nap to escape his protests about her crazy plan.

  He hoped that after she took her nap she would rethink her idea. There was no way he wanted her alone in the presence of Brad for a single minute, a single second.

  However, he believed, like her, that if Brad thought she was here all alone, then Brad would come after her. Flint believed that the man wouldn’t be able to help himself.

  Deciding that he wasn’t going to entertain the idea any longer he turned on the television. He would have liked to go outside and do a little work, but he was hurting today. His hands were swollen and red and his hips burned with pain. It was definitely not a day to do any physical kind of work.

  Except make love to Madison. His mind suddenly filled with what had been about to happen before Dillon had knocked on the door.

  He and Madison had been about to make love again, and he was grateful that Dillon had interrupted them. While there was nothing he’d love more than to have Madison naked in his bed, it would have been a big mistake on his part.

  But he admitted that Madison was definitely his weakness. When she leaned into him with a fire in her eyes, he found it hard to deny her, hard to not give in to his intense desire for her.

  He had to be at a place to tell her goodbye when this was all over, and continuing to have any kind of a physical relationship with her would only make it more difficult.

  Already the idea of not having her in his life created a dark pool of loneliness inside him. He couldn’t believe how much he’d allowed her to get under his skin, into the very center of his heart.

  He’d thought it was bad when big Cass had been killed by a large tree branch during a tornado, but that loss couldn’t rival the loss in his life when Madison moved on.

  And the idea of her using herself as bait to catch Brad absolutely terrified him. He could never condone any situation that put her life in any kind of risk.

  Despite his protests to the contrary for the remainder of the night, he found himself the next morning sitting on the sofa and facing Dillon as Madison told the lawman her plan.

  “Tell her it’s a crazy plan, Dillon,” he said once Madison had laid out her thoughts.

  Dillon frowned and looked at Madison for a long moment. “Maybe crazy like a fox,” he replied slowly. “Do you really think Brad would come after you if he thought you were alone here?”

  “Without a doubt,” she replied. “He’d come after me in a hot minute.” Once again she had that stunning strength shining in her beautiful eyes.

  “Dillon, the man already tried to kill her once by shooting at her. Surely you aren’t really considering this,” Flint exclaimed. “It’s a crazy idea that shouldn’t be considered for a minute.”

  Dillon turned his gaze to him. “But I’ve got to admit that I am considering Madison’s plan. Let’s be honest here, as she said, this kind of case can go either way and we all know that Brad and his family have friends in high places.”

  “All the more reason to do things my way,” Madison replied firmly. “I want this over and done. It haunts me every night that he’s out there with the capability of preying on another innocent victim. I want him off the streets sooner rather than later and this is a plan that will definitely get him arrested and off the streets.”

  She looked at Flint and then back at Dillon. “At this point what have we got to lose? It would just require a few hours of certain people’s time and some help with technology. I feel confident that it could work.”

  “It’s the could in your sentence that bothers me,” Flint said.

  “Okay, then I’m confident that it will work,” she amended.

  “Then maybe we should move forward with your plan,” Dillon said after a long pause. “How about we set it up for Friday night? That will give you a couple of days to get the word out that Flint will be gone for the night.”

  “Does anyone care that I think this is a horrible idea?” Flint interjected.

  Madison looked at him for a long moment, her eyes filled with a softness that created a thickness of emotion in his throat.

  “Flint, I know you’re worried about me, but this is something I really need to do for myself. Please, Flint, I need your support in this.”

  Her eyes begged him and he was helpless to tell her he wouldn’t support her. “Okay,” he finally relented.

  Like the old country song said, she was definitely his strongest weakness and he knew if this worked, then it was the beginning of goodbye for them.

  * * *

  Madison woke earlier than usual on Friday morning, nerves already beginning to jump in her veins. Tonight she would put herself out there for Brad to come after.

  She snuggled deeper into the mattress. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared to death about the coming night. But she knew Flint and Dillon and two of Dillon’s men would be hiding in the woods. Dillon was coming over in a couple of hours to wire her so that everything that transpired inside the cabin he would be able to hear outside.

  Of course if Brad tried to rip her clothes off, then he’d find the wire, but Flint and the others would be inside long before that happened.

  All she needed to do was get Brad to confess what he had done to her months before. Dillon would hear the confession and it would be part of the criminal prosecution. And, hopefully, that would be enough for Brad to be arrested and kept off the streets of Bitterroot. No other woman would be subjected to knowing the brutality of his fists, and no other woman would ever know what it was like to be sexually violated by him.

  Her thoughts shifted from the night’s activities to Flint. She’d seen the fear in his eyes when she’d been talking to Dillon to set this all up. She’d
seen fear...and something else.

  Love.

  She could swear that was what she’d seen shimmering in the very depths of his eyes. It had been there for only a single, shining moment and then had been gone. But she’d seen it and embraced it and when this was all over she was going to tell him just how much she was in love with him.

  She closed her eyes and imagined for a moment that she was Flint’s wife. He would be in the delivery room when she had her baby...their baby. Oh, she wanted that to be a reality.

  They would share the joy of the birth of her baby, and their life together would be filled with laughter and love. They’d snuggle together during the winters and enjoy the fire in the fireplace.

  In the spring they’d plant flowers around the front of the cabin, flowers that would smell sweet and bloom in beautiful colors that reflected the beauty of their life together. She could envision it all so perfectly.

  However, she couldn’t claim that wonderful life for herself until this horror story about Brad was over and done with forever. With this thought in mind, she rolled over and up out of bed.

  The scent of coffee filled the air, letting her know that even though it was early, Flint was already up. She went directly into the bathroom and took a quick shower, then returned to her room to dress.

  What did you wear to catch a predator? What did you wear to have a wire on? Unfortunately, she could no longer get into any of her jeans so her choices now were very limited.

  She finally pulled on one of her sundresses that had sleeves and set her blue sweater on the bed to pull over it. At least with the sweater she should be able to hide whatever wire Dillon had her wear.

  Her nerves settled a bit when she walked into the kitchen and saw Flint. He might be worried about the plan for the night, but she knew he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.

  “Good morning,” she said as she went to the cabinet for a cup.