by Elle James
Maleko nodded. “As you wish.”
Kalea left Pupule with Maleko, not feeling at all good about having asked Maleko to stop calling her ali’i, the Hawaiian word for princess. He’d called her that all her life, as a term of endearment. He meant no harm, and he loved her as his own. She sighed. She shouldn’t take her bad mood out on Maleko. He was as dear to her as her own father. Determined to make it up to him when she came back down to the stables that evening, she hurried up to the house and the chewing out she expected and deserved.
As she entered through the back door, she could hear her the murmur of her father’s voice coming from the study. She hoped he wasn’t with Lani, her hula instructor, making excuses for his daughter’s tardiness.
Kalea walked as lightly as she could in her cowboy boots, trying not to make any more noise than she had to. Maybe her father was having a business meeting with someone, and she could slide by and get to the dance studio her mother had commissioned with the intention of training her daughter in the ways of her people.
As she neared the door, she heard her father and the sound of another male voice. This one was deep, resonant and a little sexy. A voice she didn’t recognize. She eased around the doorframe to see who was visiting her father in his study.
A tall man with a short haircut and broad shoulders stood in front of her father. He wore jeans, fairly new cowboy boots and a white, button-down shirt. In his hand, he held a cowboy hat.
Kalea looked around the room, expecting to see a woman dressed in the latest fancy western clothes, ready for her Hawaiian dude ranch experience on Parkman Ranch. When she didn’t find the man’s spouse standing nearby, her curiosity got the better of her, and she entered the study.
Her father looked up and smiled. “Speak of the devil. Hawk, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Kalea.”
The man turned with a smile that immediately dropped into a frown. As quickly as the frown appeared, it disappeared behind a straight poker face. He held out his hand. “Jace Hawkins. Most folks call me Hawk.”
Kalea wondered why his expression had changed so radically in the matter of seconds. “Nice to meet you Hawk,” she said as she placed her hand in his.
His fingers curled around hers in a firm grip, sending a startling jolt of awareness up her arm and into her chest. The man was attractive in a rugged, outdoorsy way. Hell, she’d met lots of men who were guests or worked on the ranch. None of them had produced such a visceral reaction. She pulled her hand free and rubbed it along her dirty jeans.
Her father glanced up at the clock on the wall. “I sent Lani home with your apologies. She’ll be back tomorrow at the same time. I assured her that you would be waiting…on time.”
Kalea nodded. “Yes, father. Is there anything you need from me before I go shower for dinner?”
“As a matter of fact,” her father said with a smile, “there is.”
The way her father dragged out his words made Kalea wary. He was up to something and, based on the way he was acting, she probably wasn’t going to like it.
Her father took a deep breath and announced, “Hawk is our newest paniolo.”
Kalea’s eyebrows rose. “Is he?” She gave the tall man a skeptical glance. “What experience do you have with cattle and horses?” She let her gaze travel over him, assessing him from a different perspective than that of a prospective guest.
“I grew up on a ten-thousand-acre ranch in Montana.”
“Growing up on a ranch doesn’t necessarily mean you can work a ranch.” Her gaze shot briefly to her father.
He nodded.
Her attention shifted back to the tall, good-looking man in front of her. He could prove to be a distraction. “Can you ride a horse?”
He nodded. “I learned to ride a horse when I was two.”
This didn’t impress Kalea. So had she. “Ever wormed a cow or horse?”
“Both.”
“Tagged or branded?” she shot back.
“Both.”
“Castrated a steer?” Her eyes narrowed.
“Hundreds,” he said, without missing a beat.
“Have you ever roped a calf?”
“Many times. For work purposes as well as for rodeo, until I joined the military.”
Her father chuckled. “I’ve already interviewed and hired him. No need to put him through the paces again.”
Her cheeks heated. By questioning the new paniolo, she was insulting her father’s intelligence and ability to select good help. “My apologies.”
“I know my way around horses and cattle,” Hawk said. “I can do the job.”
Kalea inhaled and let the air out slowly. “Okay, then. I’ll have Maleko show you to the bunkhouse.”
Her father shook his head. “I’ve invited Hawk to stay at the main house in the blue room, for the time being.”
Kalea’s gaze turned to her father. “Why?”
“I want him to work with you.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You’ve never wanted any of the paniolos to work with me. You always had Maleko show them the ropes.”
Her father shrugged. “You keep telling me to give you more responsibility. I guess it’s about time I did. After all, you’re almost thirty.”
“Like that’s a magic number?” She snorted. “I have real work to do.”
“I can keep up,” Hawk said, “if that’s what you’re worried about.”
She ignored Hawk and turned her full attention on her father. “Is this about that little incident that happened last week in Hilo?” She glared at Hawk. “You’re not the latest bodyguard my father keeps insisting on hiring, are you?”
Hawk raised both hands. “Hey, I’m here to work with animals, not babysit the boss’s daughter. I got out of the military to work with animals, not people.”
She stared at him for a long moment, willing him to crack that poker face of his. Finally, she turned her ire toward her father. “Well? Is he?”
Her father spread his hands wide. “I gave up hiring bodyguards. You have a talent for evading them. Hawk is here to work the ranch. As a former Navy SEAL, who has served his country heroically, I didn’t feel right sticking him out in the bunkhouse. He deserves a little better than that, don’t you think?”
“A Navy SEAL?” Her brows rose. She’d heard about the SEALs when she’d been a student at the university she’d attended in San Diego. “And you want to be a paniolo?” She shook her head. “Seems like a step down from such an elite force.”
His eyebrows lowered. “Look, lady, I’ve spent the last thirteen years pretty much on call twenty-four-seven. I’ve deployed to almost every continent in the world and been involved in enough conflicts with people killing people to last a lifetime. I’m ready to take a step back and work with animals.” He gave a hint of a smile. “They don’t tend to shoot at you. If you don’t think I have the skills necessary to perform the job, I’ll leave. I can find work elsewhere.” He planted his cowboy hat on his head and started for the door.
He’d spoken with such intensity and passion, he’d practically stolen Kalea’s breath away. Suddenly, she didn’t want the man to leave. A Navy SEAL? Wow. “Hawk,” she called after him.
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
“One more question.” She waited until he faced her before she asked, “Why Hawaii?”
“I was with the Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction Training. We performed insertions and extractions over Maui, Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island of Hawaii. I spent a couple days on Hawaii. When I discovered there was one of the biggest and oldest cattle ranches in the U.S. on this island, I have to admit I was intrigued.”
“How so?” Kalea asked.
“I grew up on a cattle ranch in Montana. I couldn’t imagine anywhere but the Midwestern plains as a suitable place to raise a large herd. The idea that Hawaii had one of the most successful cattle ranches in the U.S. stunned me. I had to check it out.” He spread his arms wide. “So, here I am.”
Kalea wasn’t sure she liked Hawk�
��s response. It was too convenient.
“There you have it.” Her father clapped his hands together. “Hawk starts tomorrow. I expect you to show him around the ranch and teach him everything you know. He’ll be your shadow for the next couple of weeks.”
“Weeks?” Kalea shook her head. “If he knows as much about ranching as he says he does, it will only take a day or two for him to come up to speed.”
“I want him to be more than a paniolo,” her father said. “Maleko is getting older. We need to consider grooming someone to take his place.”
Kalea stared at her father in alarm. “Maleko isn’t old. He’ll be around for many more years to come.”
Her father held up both hands. “I expect so, but it wouldn’t hurt to start grooming someone to fill his shoes should he wish to take a vacation or time off for medical reasons.”
Kalea’s brow furrowed. “Do you know something I don’t? Maleko isn’t ill, is he? He’d tell me if he was, wouldn’t he?”
Her father waved a hand. “Maleko is fine. Just do as I say and bring Hawk up to speed with everything you know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some calls to make before dinner. And you need to shower.”
Having been dismissed, Kalea turned. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your room.” Her father wanted the new paniolo in the blue room. The bedroom next to hers. Shadowing was one thing. Having the handsome cowboy in the room next to her was something else. She was not amused. And every time he touched her, she experienced an alarming shock of awareness that took her aback and confused her at the same time. Why did he have that effect on her? He was only a man.
Two weeks in his company sounded like an eternity. She’d give him two days and find a way to lose him. If he was all he said, he’d catch on quickly and cease to require unnecessary hand holding. And yet, the thought of holding Hawk’s hand sent a delicious shiver across her skin…
Nope.
She didn’t need that kind of distraction. Not now. Not when she needed to be fully aware of her surroundings and everything in them. She hadn’t told her father there had been another attempt to kidnap her when she’d slipped away from one of her bodyguards to visit a sick friend in the town closest to the Parkman Ranch. She’d stopped at a grocery store after dark. Someone had come out of the shadows wearing a ski mask. She’d jumped into the truck before he’d reached her, and hit the door locks in the nick of time. Kalea hadn’t notified the police because word would have gotten back to her father, and he would’ve locked her up for the rest of her life to keep her safe.
Kalea figured as long as she was at home on the ranch, she should be okay. When she left the ranch, she’d have to be more aware of her surroundings. She’d even ordered a can of mace to carry for when she was in Hilo or Waimea.
In the meantime, she’d have her shadow following her. She cast a glance at the new ranch hand. It might not be a bad thing that he was going to follow her around. He could watch her back. Not that she needed him to on the ranch, but it wouldn’t hurt.
Chapter 3
Hawk fell in step beside Kalea as they left the study and climbed the staircase to the second floor.
He couldn’t believe he’d been so wrong about this assignment. All the while he’d been in flight to Hawaii, and even up to the point he’d met his charge, he’d had it in his mind that she was a little girl. Not a grown woman, almost as old as he was.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, she was drop-dead gorgeous, with her long, dark, wavy hair, big brown eyes and full, luscious lips. Even in jeans and a dirty shirt and smelling of horse and outdoors, her beauty was undeniable.
But then, Hawk had always appreciated the smell of horses and the outdoors. He’d missed the earthy scents of a barn and livestock when he’d been in the southern California city of San Diego. Here, in Hawaii of all places, he almost felt at home.
Kalea stopped on the landing and flung open a door to a room decorated in light gray-blue with wood accents. “You’ll be in this room. I’m sorry to say, but it doesn’t have a bathroom attached. You’ll have to share the one down the hallway.”
“After my time in the desert, I’m just happy to have running water. I’ll survive.”
“Dinner is in thirty minutes in the main dining room. You can explore and find your own way, if you like. Or, if you want to wait while I shower, I’ll get you there.”
“I’ll find my own way.” He’d use the time she was in the shower to look around the house and the surroundings to find all the weaknesses in security. He needed more time with her father to go over all the employees Kalea came into contact with on a daily basis. He’d have Hank’s computer guy run background checks on them to see if any sent up red flags.
In the meantime, he’d get to know Kalea and stick to her like glue. He had a feeling the task would be more difficult than he’d anticipated. She had spunk and didn’t seem the type to suffer fools or restrictions. Since she’d ditched her last two bodyguards, she had proven herself independent and resistant to someone following her every move.
Those bodyguards might have been good at protecting people willing to submit to their guidelines, but neither one of them could ride a horse. Thus, John Parkman’s plea to Hank that he provide someone who was familiar with ranching and could ride a horse well enough to keep up with his daughter.
John had warned him that she would do everything in her power to lose him, if she knew he was there to protect her. She was stubborn and prized her independence.
With this being his first assignment with the Brotherhood Protectors, Hawk had to prove himself. He refused to fail. And if he could find out who was threatening Kalea and neutralize that threat, he might get back to Montana sooner.
He stood in the hallway as Kalea moved to the room beside his and entered. As she crossed the threshold, she shot a glance his way, a frown marring her pretty, dark brow.
If Hawk wasn’t mistaken, Kalea wasn’t happy about being stuck with him. Nor was she happy her father had assigned him to the room beside hers.
Hawk grinned her way. “Looking forward to working with you, Miss Parkman.”
She frowned. “Call me Kalea.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He waved like a cowboy eager to start his first job and ducked into his room, leaving his door open just enough to hear footsteps in the hallway should Kalea decide to sneak past him.
Hawk spent a few short minutes organizing his gear, unpacking and setting out his toiletries kit. Used to a life of blow-and-go tactics, it didn’t take him long, and he was back out in the hallway.
Kalea had just stepped out of her room, clothing in hand, crossing the hallway to the bathroom. She glanced his way, her eyes widening.
He gave her a mock salute, spun on a boot heel and headed for the stairs. Kalea would be busy in the shower long enough for him to ask John Parkman a few questions about the employees and layout of the ranch. He hadn’t had enough time before Kalea had arrived earlier to get all the details, just confirmation that he was supposed to work undercover as a ranch hand.
John Parkman was still in his study, seated behind a massive mahogany desk with the door open.
Hawk knocked on the doorframe.
Mr. Parkman looked up. “Oh, Hawk, please, come in.” He pushed back from the desk and walked around it, holding out his hand.
Hawk shook his new client’s hand. “Sir, I have a few questions I’d like to get out of the way while Miss Parkman is otherwise occupied.”
Parkman’s gaze shot to the door.
“She’s in the shower. Which probably gives us a few minutes.”
“Five…max.” Her father grinned. “She doesn’t waste a lot of time. Not my girl.”
Hawk filed that tidbit of information away in things-to-know-about-Kalea. “I’d like to get a list of all the employees of the Parkman Ranch and run background checks on them to see if any of them pop up as a potential threat.”
Parkman’s lips screwed up in a grimace. “There are over three hundred and fifty employ
ees. That could take some time. We run each new hire through a screening process. I don’t know that a background check will do you much good.”
Three hundred and fifty employees? Wow. Hawk didn’t blink an eye, even though he was shocked at the number of people it took to run the ranch. He hadn’t read that number in the packet Hank had provided. “How about a list of people Miss Parkman is in contact with on a daily basis? That will narrow down the potential threats. My boss, Hank Patterson, has a computer guy who can tap into a number of data bases.”
Parkman nodded. “I’ll make a list and get it to you by tomorrow morning. Anything else you might need?”
Hawk nodded. “How did Miss Parkman slip by her previous bodyguards?”
John Parkman laughed. “None of them could ride a horse like my daughter. And they didn’t know her favorite places on the ranch to hide. One in particular is in a copse of trees a couple miles out from the ranch house. There’s a stream among the trees and a small waterfall. On a hot day, she likes to swim in the stream. You can locate the trail into the woods, if you find the tree with the four-foot high stump next to it. The path into the woods is to the right of the stump. That stump was a twin to the tree still standing until it was snapped by cyclone-force winds a few years back.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hawk said. “Although, I don’t plan on letting her get that far ahead of me.”
The older man snorted. “She’s got one of the fastest horses in our stables.”
“Then I’ll need a faster horse,” Hawk said.
“How long has it been since you’ve been riding?”
“The last time I was home in Montana a year ago. Riding isn’t something you forget.”
With a nod, Parkman said, “Ask Maleko for Pain Killer. He’s faster than Kalea’s horse. I have to warn you, though, he can be cantankerous and ornery. You have to show him who’s boss up front.”
“Roger.” Hawk glanced at his watch. “I’d like to take a quick look around the exterior of the house before Miss Parkman is done in the shower. I’ll be back inside in time for dinner.”
Mr. Parkman held out his hand, his face grave. “Glad to have you on board. I’m worried my daughter’s independence will cost her dearly. I can’t lose Kalea. She’s all I have.”
