by Barb Han
Wouldn’t the Stock family want the same thing for their daughter? A normal life?
If Ensley had learned anything through this experience it was that hiding from fear only gave it more power. The lesson had taken time and maturity.
Still hiding for almost a decade after the killings made the hairs on the back of Ensley’s neck prick and an uneasy feeling settle over her. Oaklynn must be trapped in a mental prison.
“I’ll be in touch when I know what’s going on,” Levi said before standing up. She reached out to touch his arm and, like they had the idea at the exact same time, leaned in for more contact. Levi’s arms looped around her waist as her hands reached around his neck. Bodies flush, heat ricocheted through her. One word came to mind…home.
Ensley cleared her throat and stepped back as Penny entered the room.
“Ready when you are,” she said.
Levi’s gaze shot to Karma as he nodded.
“I’ll take good care of him. Don’t worry,” Ensley reassured. The last thing she wanted Levi worrying about was his dog. He had enough on his mind.
Gripping her handbag so hard her knuckles were white, Penny moved to the door.
“See you in a few hours.” Levi squeezed her hand and then took off out the back door with Penny.
Ensley looked at Karma. She bent down to his level, and he didn’t budge. He watched the door with a weary look in his eyes.
“How about some fresh water?” She glanced around, looking for a bowl on the floor. When she found none, she popped to her feet and walked to the wall of cabinets. It took a minute, but she located a bowl that could be used for water.
After filling it, she located a dishtowel and set up his drink by the back door. Karma made his way over to her and nearly drained the small bowl. Ensley would take the win. She felt satisfied that she was able to do something for Karma.
Her stomach picked that moment to growl, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since a light breakfast. She moved to the fridge and found a container full of leftovers. From the looks and smell, the leftovers were enchiladas. She located a plate and spooned out a portion before heating the meal in the microwave.
After returning the container to the fridge, she located utensils and poured a glass of water. Even though she was hungry, she didn’t think she’d be able to eat. Much to her surprise, she cleared her plate in a matter of minutes. She pushed the plate aside and put the fork on top before staring at the opened page in her journal.
She clicked the pen a couple of times and then wrote two words, someone familiar.
Levi’s assumption rang true to her, ruling out a random hiker, mental patient or prison escapee. Oaklynn’s father was familiar.
She retraced Garth’s name, wondering if her brother had known him. Would he have trusted him?
When she really thought about it, the whole sneaking out thing wasn’t like Cooper at all. Greyson was a good kid. She doubted the idea had come from him. Oaklynn seemed like the type to go along with her friends rather than be the ringleader. She was soft spoken and a rule follower.
Had a third party influenced the kids or planted the seed?
All this would’ve been much easier if her father or stepmom had allowed Ensley access to her brother’s cell phone. They’d tossed his phone along with most of his childhood belongings. She’d sneaked into his room and swiped his Captain America figurine. It had been his favorite toy and there was no way she could let go of it, knowing full well that if her parents caught her with it, they would’ve freaked.
After Cooper’s death, it was like Ensley walked on eggshells around them. She still did, if she was being honest. Cooper had been the thread that had tethered her to the blended family. He’d been her little buddy and the only reason she felt like a Cartier.
Her head was splitting thinking about the case. She pulled out the photo of her brother and couldn’t help but smile. This was the most progress she’d made in a decade. She had help for the first time. Support.
She couldn’t help but think Cooper would’ve like Levi. He had those rugged good looks that Cooper had wanted from the moment he’d discovered girls. Magnetic charm practically oozed off him even though he’d laugh if he heard himself described that way. There was nothing pretentious about the man. He was all strong and outdoorsy. But Cooper would’ve liked his sense of humor the best. She hadn’t seen nearly enough of it since returning to Cattle Cove.
But hints of it were there in the spark in his eyes.
Levi was smart, kind, and athletic. He had the most generous heart and, clearly, loved animals. Yeah, Cooper would’ve loved him all right.
Ensley tucked the photo in the journal before refilling her glass of water and then heading back into the guestroom, Karma at her side.
Her suitcase was still there, opened. She toed off her shoes and tucked them under the chaise, happy that Karma had followed her to the room. He stopped at the door, turned around a couple of times and then curled into a ball on the floor. No one would surprise her with him on the job. She feels safe here. Levi has left her somewhere she feels safe for the first time in forever.
Taking a page out of Karma’s book, she curled up on top of the covers. Her mind normally picked this moment to spin out. Overthinking had always been a problem for Ensley. It was part of the reason for her lack of sleep. Her thoughts would churn over and over in her head like a jogger on a hot track. Not this time. Not at the ranch.
Maybe it was the comfort of having security at the front gate or the fact that a well-trained military dog slept a few feet away, but she went down hard after closing her eyes.
13
By the time Ensley opened her eyes again, it was dark outside.
The mattress dipped under Levi’s weight as he sat down next to her. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. Head bowed, he wore the most solemn expression.
Her heart clenched as she feared the worst.
“What happened?” She sat up.
Ensley pushed the pillow up and leaned against it. “How long was I out?”
“I got home a couple of hours ago to check on you and Karma. You looked peaceful so I let you sleep.”
Save for the last twenty-four hours, she normally fell into the category of insomniac. After Cooper’s death, she felt like she didn’t sleep for months. After that, she had recurring nightmares. She had an unrealistic fear that whoever had killed Cooper would come after her next.
Any unexpected noise made her jump. The killings might have robbed the town of its innocence, but they had stolen Ensley’s childhood. Her best little buddy was taken from her and the only person in the world she’d truly felt connected to as family. The kid she’d helped get through fifth grade math and learning to write his first essay. It took away the best friend she would never know as an adult, because she was certain her and Cooper would have always remained close.
The two had formed an unbreakable bond when they were younger. But she didn’t want to think about that right now. In this moment, she was more concerned with what was going on with Levi’s father.
“What did the doctor say?” she asked.
“There’s swelling to his brain and he’s in a medically-induced coma.”
“Did you say your uncle was with him?”
Levi issued a loaded sigh and she sensed the two weren’t on good terms.
“Uncle Donny says he doesn’t know what happened. He says that one minute my dad was next to him and the next he wasn’t. They were in the barn together and my dad was working on a tractor. Uncle Donny went to get something and came back to find my dad collapsed on the cement.”
“I’m so sorry.” She paused until he looked up at her and nodded. “Do you need to go back to the hospital?”
“Not right now. My family is working on a rotating schedule to make sure someone is there for Dad at all times. There’s a lot of us and it was easy to see that we were overwhelming the lobby. Besides, work still needs to be done around
the ranch and our father wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I said it a minute ago but I couldn’t be sorrier for what you and your family are going through.” Ensley reached out to touch Levi’s arm to offer comfort, and a jolt of electricity ran up her fingers from contact. She tugged him toward her.
And when he looked at her, the mood in the room changed. She felt her pulse pound at the base of her throat and felt his race as she circled her fingers around his wrist.
His tongue darted across his lips as she pulled him closer. Ensley leaned into him. A moment of hesitation passed behind his eyes before their lips grazed. But when they touched, it was like lightning striking. Fire shot through her veins and every nerve ending seemed to wake at that exact moment. Her body cried out for more as she teased his tongue inside her mouth.
He tasted like dark roast coffee, her new favorite flavor.
Ensley brought her hands up to rest on Levi’s shoulders, but her fingertips dug in instead. He brought his hands up to cup her face. He positioned her mouth for better access and drove his tongue into her mouth.
She’d never experienced so much passion and so much promise in one kiss in her entire life, and she found herself fleetingly sad to admit that to herself. She could see now that she’d shied away from anyone who had the slightest ability to make her feel anywhere close to this. She’d gone down the safe road dating and had kept her running shoes on hand in case the relationship heated up.
But right now, all she could do was surrender to the wave of emotion coursing through her, awakening parts of her she never knew existed.
In a matter of minutes, her breath was robbed. She dug her fingers into Levi’s muscled shoulders even more to ground herself. Before she could debate her actions, she’d scooted on top of his lap, facing him, with her legs on either side of his thighs.
Their tongues twined and her body ached to get lost in him.
He pulled back first and she could hear his ragged breathing. He pressed his forehead to hers like he needed a minute to collect his thoughts.
Still breathless from the kiss, still aching for more, it took a second for Ensley to process the fact he’d done the right thing. Yes, she could get lost in the moment with him and she had no doubt sex with Levi would blow her mind.
But then what?
A few awkward exchanges while he helped her on the case? Or, worse, he dropped out because their feelings got in the way? She couldn’t imagine Levi McGannon doing anything less than the honorable thing—and that would be to see this through to the end. How horrible would it feel to know he was helping her out of obligation? And a man with his morals would never leave her stranded. Granted, a guy as smokin’ hot in every way as Levi could leave a string of women in his wake. He could be a real love ’em and leave ’em jerk who left a trail of broken hearts.
But that wasn’t his nature. He’d dated one girl at a time in high school and never seemed to have the need to have someone hanging off his arm when he wasn’t in a relationship. His self-confidence was most likely a very large part of what had drawn her to him all those years ago in the first place. And it was sexier than all get-out now.
There was nothing hot about a guy who couldn’t spend five minutes outside of a relationship without needing to fill a void.
When it came to Levi, he had his own orbit. She’d seen a glimpse of it when she was young and their age gap mattered. He hadn’t given her a second look back then, and rightfully so.
But her feelings toward him now shocked her out of her comfort zone. Despite all the confused thoughts running around in her head—thoughts that made her want to stick around and explore the possibilities between them—she realized she’d been setting her standards for relationships too low.
Comfortable and non-threatening were probably not the best words to describe a budding relationship and yet those two came to mind when she attempted to describe her past.
If nothing else, Levi McGannon had show her what it was like to be with someone who could give it all to her…passion, excitement and a soul-deep love.
“Is this a mistake?” Levi’s breath came out in rasps and a sensual shiver spread over her when he spoke.
“I want this as much as you do. Maybe more.” Ensley brought her hands up to his face, tracing the curve of his powerful jawline. She traced a line up to his ears and let her fingers get lost in his thick dark mane. Looking into those eyes stirred her heart and released a dozen butterflies in her stomach.
“If things went any further between us, it would be impossible to walk away.”
“There’s no question that I have feelings for you, Levi. There’s no question in my mind that if we had sex it would be mind-blowing.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of those perfect lips and his face broke into a cocky little grin. “Did you say mind-blowing?”
She playfully slapped at his arm and was met with rock-hard muscle.
“Try not to get all egotistical.” She locked gazes with him, a deadly mistake as pure primal need stared back at her.
“If we go down that road, and I’m not saying we shouldn’t, it’s going to be a game changer for me.” He paused for a second. “I can’t make it work in my head…”
He stopped right there.
“What?”
“Other than the obvious fact that we don’t live in the same city or want the same things in life?”
“I thought about that already.” So why did her chest deflate?
“Here’s the thing, Ensley. Whatever this is that’s going on between us is the most real thing I’ve felt in a very long time. Part of me says go down that path with you, see where it takes us. And I think I could do that. But can you?”
“What does that mean?”
“Can you let someone in? And I mean all the way in? Or, more specifically, can you let me in?”
“Believe me when I say the answer that I want to give to that question is yes. I can honestly say that I’ve never been with anyone who makes me feel the way you do. No one has even come close. There’s no question in my mind that whatever is happening between us is special.”
He nodded and some of the knot that had formed in her stomach loosened.
“If I could go there with anyone…it would be you. Hands down.” She stopped right there because she didn’t want to say the words that could hurt both of them. While they were unspoken, it felt like there was a possibility, a chance, that everything could just magically work out between them.
“Geography is a problem,” she added. They both knew it was more like an excuse, but it was very real that his life was on the ranch and hers was in Tennessee. “Being back here…there are just so many memories.”
Too many?
“Though it feels different when I’m with you.” She had no idea how or why, or what that meant. She also had no idea if that explanation helped him at all. All she knew for certain was the way he patiently listened to her grounded her, tethering her to reality again. And a good reality this time. One she very much wanted to spend more time in.
The problem between them was still the same. Could she go there enough to make it worth the risk for him?
Levi leaned in and pressed a long, slow kiss to her lips. Heat simmered below the surface and came off him in waves as their soft lips melded into one.
This time, when he pulled back, a wall came up between them. Levi moved to the chaise lounge and sat down. He leaned his elbows on top of his knees and clasped his hands together in a defensive position.
Everything inside Ensley wanted to get off that bed, walk over to him and then drop down to eye level. She wanted to make promises to him that she feared would be impossible to keep.
Despite how much her heart wanted all those things, something in her mind stopped her.
“See you in the morning.” He stood up and then walked out of the room.
14
Levi had already been awake for a solid two hours by the time Ensley joined him. He got in an early
morning workout and went through Karma’s routine with him. Seeing her walk in dressed in an oversized t-shirt and hair still messy from sleep felt a little too right. “Morning.”
Her eyes lit up and she briefly smiled.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said earlier,” she said.
“What was that?” He knew it wasn’t about their non-relationship based on her expression and the fact that she clutched the journal in her hand. As much as he wanted to go there with her emotionally, he understood why she couldn’t. He didn’t like it but it made sense.
Then again, there was him. What was he offering her exactly? The details were as clear as dirt water.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” she stated. A selfish piece of him wished part of that had to do with how they’d left things last night and less about the case.
He knew that was asking too much. Hell, he didn’t even know if he was in a position to offer anything of himself to her. He wasn’t kidding when he’d told her that instinct said whatever was developing between them was special.
A relationship with Ensley would be a game changer and there was no way he could cope with just having one night with her. That realization really plastered a smile on his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d turned down the possibility of mind-numbing, mind-blowing sex with an attractive and intelligent woman who was interested in exactly the same thing he wanted—sex with no emotional strings attached—and nothing more.
Levi chalked the changes in him up to the foreign feelings he had with Ensley and his smile faded as he reminded himself that he needed to get over it. She’d been pretty clear with where they stood last night, and he should thank her for being direct instead of licking his bruised ego. “What did I say?”
“Someone familiar.” She started toward the coffee machine. He put his hand up to stop her.
“I got this.” He made quick work of the machine and brought over a fresh mug. One for her and then one for him. He took a seat beside her at the table. Their outer thighs touched and more of that inconvenient attraction surged. He called on more of his own willpower to tamp down his reaction to her—willpower that had never seemed in short supply until her.
