by Elle James
Gavin pulled himself up onto the shore and low-crawled across the ground to crouch in the shadow of a bush. He waited there quietly listening for any sounds of movement, the clink of metal or the whisper of voices.
After a full minute, he heard nothing but the sound of frogs and crickets singing in the night, undisturbed by the intrusion of humans.
Before the second minute was up, Gavin scooted himself over to the edge of the rock ledge and leaned over. “Leg.”
His prosthetic swung over the edge nearly clipping him in the side of his head.
“Is it clear?” she whispered.
“So far as I can tell.”
He slipped the sleeve over his stump and pulled on the prosthetic.
By the time he had his leg on, Aurelia had climbed out of the water and stood dripping beside him. “Where are our clothes?”
“I don’t know.” Gavin pushed to his feet and adjusted his leg in the device. Then he looked around. Their clothes weren’t where they’d left them. He expanded his search until he determined they weren’t going to find them, their boots, blanket or saddle bag.
In the chill night air, it wouldn’t be long before hypothermia set in.
“What do you want to bet the horses are gone as well,” Aurelia said, her arms crossed over her breasts, her teeth chattering.
“I’m not taking that bet, because I think you’re right.”
“Well, we can’t stand around waiting for our limousine to arrive.” Aurelia held out her hand for Gavin. “I hope you can find your way back to the ranch house in the dark.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to try to walk all the way back barefooted.” He squeezed her hand in his. “This is bear country. And they tend to be nocturnal.”
Aurelia moved closer to Gavin. “What do we do? Should we climb up a tree and wait for someone to come looking for us?”
“Climbing a tree won’t help. Black bears are great climbers.”
“Way to burst my city-girl bubble.” Aurelia looked around in the limited light from the emerging stars. “What do you propose?” She’d never imagined she’d be stranded in the wilderness, naked as the day she was born.
“We can start down the mountain, but we might have to hole up for the night along the way. Your feet probably aren’t tough enough to go far without shoes.”
Already the stones and rocks were digging into the soft soles of her feet. “I can make it,” she said, refusing to hold them back from reaching civilization. “Can you walk on your prosthesis without a boot?”
“It’s not recommended, but I can.”
“Any advice on avoiding bears?” she asked, her voice accompanied by the chatter of her teeth.
“Don’t wrestle one? If you see a baby bear, get the hell away from it. Where there’s a baby, there’s a protective mama close by.”
“Anything else I should be afraid of? Because as beautiful as this state is, I’m not appreciating some of its drawbacks right now.”
“Watch out for rattlesnakes.”
Aurelia shook violently between the chill and the thought of snakes. She didn’t think she could stop her body from trembling. Still, they couldn’t just sit and freeze. Moving was their only option. “Let’s go. Damn the bears and snakes. I want a bath, clothing and a stiff drink when we get to the house.”
Keeping her goals in mind, Aurelia, stripped of her clothing, her horse and her pride, walked down the mountain trail silently cursing the sharp-edged stones she stepped on and gripping Gavin’s hand to keep from falling over the side of a cliff.
They had traveled what felt like a dozen miles, but in actuality was probably only a half a mile when the sounds of engines echoing off the sides of the mountains made them duck into the bushes alongside the trail.
Minutes later, three four-wheelers roared up the trail toward them, headlights blazing the path ahead.
“Stay down,” Gavin said.
The ATVs moved slowly up the narrow trail. When one came close enough, Gavin said, “That’s Percy.” He leaped to his feet and waved.
Aurelia remained hunkered low in the bush, thrilled that they’d been found, but not willing to jump up like Gavin and expose herself to the riders.
Percy pulled to a stop and got off the vehicle. “Blackstock, what the hell happened? Shit, man, where are your clothes?”
Collin leaped off the second vehicle and ran to where Gavin stood. “Where’s the prin—Aurelia?” he demanded.
“The princess is right behind me,” he said, his tone dry. “But we were caught unawares by a gunman. Give me your jacket.” He held out his hand.
Collin tried to look past Gavin. “Aurelia? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but cold. Do as Gavin asked and give him your jacket.”
Collin stripped out of his jacket and handed it over.
Gavin turned and handed it to Aurelia.
She pulled it on, zipped the front and finally stood, the jacket covering everything from her neck to her knees. “Thank you.”
While Aurelia was dressing, Percy stripped his shirt off and handed it to Gavin, who slipped it over his shoulders and buttoned the front. It didn’t cover much, but it covered enough to get him back to the ranch.
Lori pulled up on the ATV behind Collin. “Thank God, we found you two. When the horses returned without their riders, we were worried. I told them we’d find you up near the waterfall. Here, you two can have my ride. I’ll double up with Percy.”
“Ride with me,” Collin said. “Let Percy lead the way. You and I can bring up the rear.”
Lori’s eyes narrowed. “Only if I get to drive. The trails are tricky.”
“Deal. You drive.” He pulled a handgun from his shoulder holster. “I’ll cover the princess—Aurelia.”
Lori frowned. “What’s all this about a princess?”
“I’ll fill you in when we get back to the house,” Gavin said.
Glad she would be riding back with Gavin, Aurelia slipped on behind the man and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Soon, they were easing down the mountain path at a pace that would make a tortoise seem fast. But it was fine with Aurelia, as long as they arrived in one piece and she didn’t have to step on one more rock to get there.
Cold and beyond exhausted, she couldn’t even worry about what would happen tomorrow. Her focus was on not falling off the back of the ATV and surviving long enough to reach the house and a hot bath. She’d worry about where her life would go next when she wasn’t afraid she might not live through the night between gunmen, snakes, bears and killer cliffs.
Chapter 13
“Wanna fill me in on what the hell happened last night?” Percy asked the next morning at the kitchen table.
“I told you last night, a gunman fired on us while we were swimming up by the waterfall.”
“Yeah, tell us all about it. Like why you ended up wearing Percy’s shirt back.” Franklin grinned.
“And nothing else,” Vasquez added.
“Talk about getting caught with your pants down,” Young piped in.
Gavin slammed his fist on the table. “Shut the fuck up. It’s none of your goddamn business what we were or weren’t wearing. The point is, someone was trying to make Swiss cheese out of us.”
Lori tapped her fingernail against the tabletop. “Where’s the princess now.”
“Princess?” Vasquez’s brow puckered.
“Aurelia,” Lori said. “She’s a real-life, honest-to-God princess.”
“Princess of what?” Young asked.
“A tiny European country called Lastovia,” Lori said. “I had to look it up on a map. It’s like Monaco. So small you have to enlarge the map to see it. It’s even smaller than Idaho.”
“What the hell’s she doing in Montana?” Vasquez asked.
“Husband hunting,” Lori said. “And I’m sorry I got you into this, Gavin.”
Gavin shoved a hand through his hair. “It’s not your fault. I’m the idiot that let it happen.”
&nbs
p; Percy shook his head. “I feel like I need subtext for this conversation. Please, give the old man all the words.”
Lori rolled her eyes. “I set Gavin up on a mail-order bride site. He got the princess.”
“Wow! Talk about hitting the jackpot.” Franklin gave Vasquez a high five. “Where do we sign up for our own princesses?”
“You don’t.” Lori pointed a finger at the two young men. “You see where it got Gavin.”
“Naked in the waterfall pool, from where I see it,” Young said, his grin splitting his face.
“And being shot at,” Lori reminded him. “She came to Montana to marry Gavin so she can have his baby and go back to her country to assume the throne.”
Franklin stared at Gavin, one eyebrow cocked. “And you’re not happy because…?”
“Because she used me,” Gavin admitted. “She didn’t come here because she cared. She came because I was a man. She needed a man to marry and give her a baby.”
“But you signed up for a mail-order bride,” Percy pointed out. “You needed a woman. You didn’t know her or care about her before you met. You wanted a bride and children. How’s that not using her?”
“It’s different,” Gavin insisted. But when Percy put it that way, it made him just as guilty. But he wouldn’t have taken the child away to a foreign country and left his wife alone. Wasn’t that what Aurelia had planned? Have a kid and then leave Gavin, taking the kid to her country to raise?
“So, Blackstock…” Percy crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ve been thinking…”
Franklin’s brow dipped. “That’s a dangerous thing.”
“What did you come up with? Are you going to send the princess packing?”
“No,” Gavin said.
“What are you going to do with her?” Vasquez asked.
“I’d like to know that as well,” a female voice said from the door leading into the living room. “What are going to do with me?” Aurelia entered the room, dark circles beneath her eyes. “I’m packed and ready to go, if you want to take me into Bozeman to catch the first plane back to Lastovia.”
“No,” Gavin said. He didn’t want her to go. Not yet. He hadn’t completely sorted through his feelings for the woman. But he’d made up his mind about one thing. “You’re staying. And we’re getting married.”
A collective gasp sounded from everyone in the room but Gavin.
“Tomorrow,” he added.
“You can’t get married that quickly in Montana,” Hannah walked into the room at that moment. “Women under 50 have to have proof of a rubella blood test.”
“Then Aurelia gets one this morning. We get the marriage license this afternoon, and we’re getting married tomorrow.” Gavin pushed to his feet and faced Aurelia. “That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? Get married and have a baby before you turn thirty?”
Aurelia stared at him, the circles beneath her eyes seeming to darken as he watched. She gave a brief nod but didn’t voice an answer.
“Then what are we waiting for? We have to plan a wedding.” He clapped his hands together. “Let’s get going.”
Aurelia shook her head. “Why?”
“Why what?” He stopped in front of her. “You wanted to get married. I’m offering to do the job. What more do you want?”
“You could have proposed,” Hannah said, softly. “Like a decent man would do.”
“She doesn’t need a proposal or a decent man. She just needs a man who can give her children.” He captured Aurelia’s gaze with a hard one of his own. “Am I right?”
Her back straightened, and she lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“Then let’s get to town for a blood test and a marriage license. I’m betting the gunman from yesterday will still be around. We can kill two birds with one stone by getting married tomorrow. We meet your deadline, and we catch the bastard who tried to kill us. For that, I’ll need a little help from all of you, and we can stack our guest list with anyone Hank Patterson can spare from the Brotherhood Protectors.”
Percy grinned. “Now, you’re talking. We have to catch the bastard who tried to kill you two.”
“We want him alive, if possible.” Gavin’s eyes narrowed to slits. “If he’s not the one behind the deaths of Aurelia’s former fiancés and her parents, he might give us the name of the guy who hired him to do the job here.”
Hannah squared her shoulders. “Looks like we’ll have a wedding here at Brighter Days. If we’re going to make it happen, we’d better get moving. I won’t let our princess have anything less than a wedding fit for a queen.” She turned to Lori. “Get Sadie McClain on the phone. If she’s not on a movie set, she’ll be a huge asset getting this show on the road. While you’re at it, have Hank dedicate some of his Brotherhood Protectors to the ranch for the duration. I’ll get a hold of the sheriff and inform him of the shooting.”
“Phone Hank and Sadie. Got it. And I’ll call Allie, Hank’s sister,” Lori said. “She’s gone through wedding planning as well. We’ll get this party rolling.”
Hannah nodded. “Be ready to make a run to Bozeman with Gavin and Aurelia. We’ll need to do some emergency dress shopping and rent a tux for the groom.”
Gavin stared at Hannah and Lori, appalled at what they were planning. “What’s wrong with a simple wedding wearing jeans and a T-shirt?”
Hannah planted a fist on her hip. “You want this to look like a real wedding, or not?”
“And as far as that goes, we should put the word out.” Lori’s eyes brightened. “Sadie might know someone in the media who can get a reporter here to cover the princess bride’s marriage.”
“What about your family?” Hannah asked Aurelia. “Can they get here by tomorrow afternoon?”
Aurelia shook her head, her eyes glazing.
“She doesn’t have any family,” Gavin answered for her, seeing the flash of pain in Aurelia’s blue eyes.
“What about close friends?”
“Lilianna,” she said. “She’s my closest friend.”
Hannah handed her a telephone. “Call her. See if she can be on the next flight out of…where was it?”
“Lastovia,” everyone else answered as one.
Hannah laughed. “Well, we have less than a day to get this wedding together. I’ll call everyone I can think of to get the catering, music, tent, flowers and lighting. Oh, and we’ll need a preacher.” She scanned the room. “Why are you still standing there? Let’s do it.”
Aurelia stepped out of the room to place her call.
Gavin hadn’t thought past saying there would be a wedding tomorrow. The logistics sounded like a nightmare.
Hannah smiled and patted his cheek. “Don’t look so shell-shocked. We’ve got your back. Get to Bozeman and get that blood test and marriage license. Lori, Sadie and I will take Aurelia from there and get what she needs for a wedding. You and your groomsmen will need to get suited up, so don’t forget to stop by the tuxedo rental shop. And take your guys with you as bodyguards. Don’t come back without your tuxes.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Gavin said. “I swear my DI in BUD/S training didn’t crack the whip as hard as you.”
Hannah lifted her chin. “You know I love you, Gavin. Now, move!”
Gavin found himself and Aurelia hustled out of the house and into his truck.
The rest of the men piled into an SUV and followed him out of the yard, promising to have his back in case the gunman tried to take another shot at Gavin and Aurelia.
Hannah wasn’t far behind.
As they pulled away, Gavin shot a glance toward Aurelia. “Hannah can be a real ball-buster when she gets on a roll.”
Aurelia nodded, her face pale, those eyes seeming to be sunk back in her face.
“Were you able to contact your friend Lilianna?” Gavin asked.
“Yes.”
“Is she coming?”
“Yes.”
“I also called the Lastovia Prime Minister to let him know
what’s going on, and that I was okay.”
Gavin shot another glance at Aurelia, concerned that she was too quiet and pale. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice a little harsher than he intended. He blamed it on tension and nerves. Hannah’s high-handed takeover of his wedding planning had left his head spinning, making him wonder what the hell he’d just started.
“Who said anything was wrong?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn’t look at him. Instead, she stared straight ahead.
“This is what you wanted. We’re getting married. We’ll work on getting you pregnant, but I’m telling you now…I will not be cut out of our child’s life. Where he goes, I go.”
She nodded. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” This time she faced him, her brow furrowed.
“We’re doing it, aren’t we?” He took his gaze off the road briefly and studied her face. “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”
“I’ve put you in danger,” she said, her tone flat, her brow dipping. “I shouldn’t have come to Montana.”
“But you did. And we’re going to flush out your assassin.”
“What if the gunman fires into the wedding guests?” She twisted her hands together. “I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”
“We’ll let everyone know the dangers. They don’t have to come.”
“I told Lilianna she should stay home.” Aurelia snorted softly. “She refused. Said she’d be on the next flight out. She should be here some time tomorrow around noon.”
“I’ll have Percy pick her up from the airport.”
“What else can I say, but thank you,” she said weakly. “But I think you’re making a big mistake. I’m jinxed. I’m poison to my suitors.”
“Whoever killed your previous fiancés hasn’t gone up against a Navy SEAL, or any of the Special Forces. Hank Patterson only hires the best of the best for his Brotherhood Protectors. His team will be at the ranch tomorrow. They’ll make sure we catch our shooter.”
“You’re a Navy SEAL. Why didn’t you go to work for Hank?”
“I felt like I was needed at Brighter Days. We’ve had our own challenges. Take you, for instance.” He gave her a twisted grimace.
