by Elle James
“I was sorry to hear about the loss of your father,” Griffith said. “Has the sheriff come up with any clues as to his whereabouts?”
“No,” Molly said.
“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” He pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to Angus. “We’re sponsoring a fundraiser dinner and dance at the lodge to help save the old building. The historical society of Montana has deemed it in need of repair to retain its historical significance. We have to come up with the money to do it or sell. I know how much your mother loves the old lodge. If she’s up to it, I’d love to see her at the fundraiser.”
“I’ll let her know,” Angus said.
“I promise no sales pressure. Just a get-together of neighbors who care about the lodge.” He held out his hand to Angus again. “Please give your mother my condolences and let her know I wish her a full and speedy recovery.”
Angus nodded. “I will.”
Silence reigned in the lounge until the elevator button dinged down the hallway.
Colin shook his head. ‘“How does a man like that think it appropriate to advertise his fundraiser when our mother has been attacked and is now laid up in the hospital?”
“Mom has always been the first one to help the community in times of need,” Molly said. “She loves the old lodge. She worked there as a girl, waiting tables at the restaurant for tip money.”
“Still, he could have waited until she was back on her feet and home before asking her to attend a fundraiser to save his lodge,” Colin grumbled.
Bastian and Jenna returned to the lounge.
“Mom’s a little tired. I think they gave her something for pain, and it’s making her sleepy,” Bastian said.
“Bree and I will only take a minute. I want her to know we’re here for her and we love her.” Angus cupped Bree’s arm and led her down the hall to his mother’s room.
“We’re going to take off to make sure the animals are taken care of,” Colin said. “And I’m sure Duncan would like to know how Mom’s doing.” He hugged Molly. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Thanks,” Molly hugged her brother back and smiled up into his eyes. “Thanks for taking care of the animals.”
“Are you kidding? You do so much around the place, I barely get to help.” He kissed her forehead. “Thank you for all you do and for taking care of Mom and Dad while we’ve been away.”
Bastian hugged Molly next. “Glad you’re okay, Sis.” He rubbed his knuckles over her hair. “I don’t know who’d I pick on if you weren’t around.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “Glad I can help out.”
“No, really,” he said with a grin. “You’re my favorite sister.”
She snorted. “I’m your only sister.”
“And the best one a brother could ever have.” He gave her a bear hug that lifted her off the ground, and then kissed her forehead. As he passed Parker, his eyes narrowed. “Take care of Molls. Like she said, she’s the only sister we have.”
Parker nodded. “I’ll be here.”
Colin, Emily, Bastian and Jenna left the lounge. A moment later the elevator button dinged, and they were on their way down to ground level and home.
Angus returned with Bree. “Mom’s asleep. Boomer is seated in a chair outside her door. No one’s getting past him. You could come back to the ranch and get some rest. I bet you’re exhausted after all that’s happened yesterday and today.”
Molly was shaking her head before her brother finished his sentence. “I’m staying. Mom needs one of us here when she wakes. I’d like it to be me.”
Angus nodded.
“Call us if you need us to come give you a break,” Bree said. “We love you, Molly, and we’re glad you’re okay.”
Molly hugged her brother’s fiancée. “Thanks, Bree. I love you, too.”
When Angus and Bree were gone, the lounge was quiet.
Parker pulled Molly into his arms and held her close. “Your mother’s going to be okay.”
Molly nodded. “I know. I hate it when I get all weepy. McKinnons don’t cry.”
“You’re allowed.”
She snorted. “Because I’m female?”
“No, because you care so much.” He tipped up her chin. “Don’t tell anyone, but I cried several times when I was a member of the pararescue team.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “You did?”
His chest tightened as he nodded. “I cried when one of my buddies was shot. He was right next to me. The bullet missed me and hit him. I held him in my arms as he bled out.”
“You couldn’t save him?” Molly asked, her voice a soft whisper.
Parker shook his head. “He was hit in the heart. There was nothing I could do.”
“Is that why you got out?”
He shook his head. “I was medically discharged after I took shrapnel to the knee, among other places. I cried during that mission, too.”
“Because you were hit?” she asked.
“No.” He stared at the far corner of the lounge. “I wasn’t able to save the pilot I was sent in to recover. He had a wife and two small children waiting for him at home.”
Molly cupped his cheek. “You can’t be expected to save everyone.”
“It was my job. What I did. And I failed.”
Molly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. “It’s how I feel about my father. I’ve failed him because I can’t find him.”
“That’s different.”
“No, it’s not. It’s my responsibility to find him. I keep thinking I should have let those guys take me, then, at least, I’d know where my father was located, and I’d find a way out of there with him.”
Parker shook his head. “No. Don’t ever think that way. They drugged you. You never could’ve escaped if they’d continued to drug you. And, like your brother said, if your father really doesn’t know where that money is, his captors would kill you after torturing you, and then kill your father.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Now that I know what it’s like to kiss you, I don’t want to stop. Don’t make me stop.”
He bent and claimed her mouth in meeting of the lips that started out gentle. As the kiss progressed, Molly slipped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer as she rose up on her toes. She opened to him, sliding her tongue past his teeth to caress his.
Parker held her for a long time, the kiss the only coherent thought in his head. When it ended, he continued to hold her close, knowing everything had changed. Especially him. Molly McKinnon was a woman worth fighting for. A woman who could stand at his side as an equal, yet had a soft body made for loving.
If only she wasn’t the boss’s daughter.
The thought crossed his mind and he immediately dismissed it. She was worth fighting for. If the boss had a problem with the foreman dating his daughter, Parker would find another job. He could go to work for the fire department as an EMT or go back to school and get his nursing degree. He’d been good as a medic with the PJs, and he had the GI bill to pay for the courses. He’d do whatever it took to prove to Molly he was good enough for her.
And he’d prove to Mr. McKinnon that he was good enough for his daughter. He respected James McKinnon, and he didn’t want him to lose him as a boss and a friend, nor did he want to alienate himself to Molly’s father, a man she loved.
Parker shook his head. He wouldn’t know how Mr. McKinnon might feel about him dating his daughter until the man returned. Parker would rather have his blessing than lose the man’s friendship altogether.
“Ready to go see my mother?” Molly asked, leaning away from him.
He nodded and followed her down the hall.
Boomer stood beside a chair, doing squats. He grinned as they stopped in front of him. “Might as well get some exercising in while I’m here.”
“Bored?”
“Not at all. I was just thinking how peaceful it is. I have a baby at home.” His smile br
oadened. “I rarely have peace. Don’t get me wrong. I love Maya to the moon and back, but she has a lot of energy and demands attention all the time.”
“She sounds amazing,” Molly said. “You need to get her together for a playdate with Caity. The two would have a ball.”
“I’ll do that. Daphne wants to get to know some of the moms in the area.”
“Anyone besides my brothers come by?” Molly asked.
Boomer shook his head. “Once the nurse gave your mother the sedative, she’s been too groggy to keep her eyes open. I checked on her a few minutes ago; she was sound asleep.”
“Thank you,” Molly said and slipped into the room.
Parker followed, letting the door swing closed behind them.
Mrs. M lay against the white sheets, her face pale, eyes closed. She had an IV attached to her arm and monitors displaying the steady, reassuring beat of her heart.
Molly leaned over the bed and brushed a brief kiss to her mother’s cheek. “I love you, Mom.”
Her mother didn’t respond.
Molly nodded toward a lounge chair. “You can have the comfy chair. I’ll take the window seat cushion. I think I can stretch out on it better than you can.”
Parker shook his head. “You take the lounge chair. It’s closer to your mother. She’ll want to see your bright shining face more than mine.”
“Okay, but only for a little while.” Molly settled into the lounge chair, her gaze capturing his. “When we decide to sleep, we’ll switch.”
“Deal.” He leaned over her and adjusted the chair, lifting her legs. “While your mother is sleeping, you should close your eyes. You were in that accident as well.”
“I might just do that.” Molly reached up and hooked the back of his neck before he could straighten. “Thank you for taking such good care of us.”
Parker brushed her lips with his. “If I’d taken such good care of you, your mother wouldn’t be in the hospital right now.”
Molly shook her head. “You couldn’t have seen that SUV coming. He was waiting and somehow knew we would be there. You weren’t even around that curve yet.”
“I should have been following closer.”
“No. It wasn’t safe to follow that close.” She touched a finger to his lips. “What’s done is done. Mom’s going to be okay. We’ll be home tomorrow, and we can get back to searching for Dad.”
Parker straightened and paced the room. He too felt the frustration. Too many weeks had already passed since Mr. McKinnon’s disappearance. Something had to give. And he refused to let it be Molly or her mother’s capture and subsequent torture to get McKinnon to talk.
Molly closed her eyes.
While she slept, Parker studied her. Her long auburn hair lay in waves around her shoulders, and her eyelashes made dark crescents against her tanned cheeks. The woman who’d tried to be as tough and masculine as her brothers fell way short of her goal. Every curve of her face and body were absolutely feminine and beautiful.
For over an hour, she slept, her face soft, her body relaxed. All that time, Parker watched her and her mother, envying their closeness. Seeing their love for each other, reminded him of his mother and how much she’d loved him. Molly loved her mother and father as fiercely as she attacked every challenge in her life.
“She’s special,” a soft, gravelly voice said. Molly’s mother’s gaze went from him to her daughter who slept on.
Parker’s gaze shot to Mrs. M. “Yes, she is,” he whispered, careful not to wake Molly.
He moved around to the other side of Mrs. M’s bed and lifted her hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Other than a bit of a headache, I’m fine.” She struggled, trying to sit up. “I need to get home and start supper.”
Parker chuckled. “No, ma’am. You need to lay back and relax. You have a concussion. If all goes well tonight, they’ll let you go home in the morning.”
“What happened?” she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Someone T-boned your vehicle on the road into Eagle Rock.”
Her gaze shot to her daughter. “Molly?”
“Is fine. Just a little bump on her forehead. We were more worried about you.”
“I’m fine. I just need to get home. All those people in my house. I need to make supper.”
“They can fend for themselves,” Parker assured her.
Mrs. M lay back against the pillow and looked up at Parker. “You’re right. They’re adults. They can make supper. At the very least, the boys can grill some mean steaks—if they think to thaw them out first.” She shook her head. “What about you and Molly? Why didn’t you go home to be with them?”
“Molly insisted we stay with you tonight. She didn’t want you to wake up to an empty room.”
Tears welled in Mrs. M’s eyes. “She’s got a heart the size of the Montana skies. She’s special.” The older woman chuckled. “I’m repeating myself, aren’t I?” She drew in a deep breath and let it out wincing. “Broken rib?”
Parker nodded. “So the doctor said.”
“I remember how it feels. I broke a rib back before I was pregnant with Bastian. Was thrown from a horse. James was so upset that he wanted to get rid of the horse. I told him if he got rid of the horse, he might as well get rid of me, too. It wasn’t the horse’s fault he threw me. He saw a snake. It spooked him, and he did everything in his power to get away from it quickly. That horse went on to be my favorite. Had him until he was twenty-five years old. Molly learned to ride on him when she was three.”
Parker reached for Mrs. M’s hand. “That must be where Molly got her spirit of adventure.”
Mrs. M nodded. “My husband loves us, but he likes to follow rules, and everything needs to be regimented to make him happy. I’m afraid I’m more of a free spirit. Sometimes, it frustrates him. But I think we all need someone to balance us.” She looked up at Parker. “Do you balance Molly?”
“I don’t know. You know her better than I do,” he said, speaking softly, enjoying his conversation with Molly’s mother.
“She likes to break the rules, which frustrates my husband. She’s willing to try things in a different way to improve processes and bring things up to the twenty-first century. I’m so proud of all she’s done for the Iron Horse Ranch.”
“She’s amazing and a talented horsewoman.”
“And she’s good with children.” Her mother sighed. “She needs some of her own. She’d make a wonderful mother. She’d teach her daughters to be independent and to go wherever their dreams lead them.”
“You don’t have to convince me. I think she’d be good with her own kids,” Parker said, his gaze on the woman sleeping in the lounge chair. He could imagine her with a swollen belly, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. She’d be beautiful pregnant.
“I hope someone will love her as she deserves to be loved.”
His gaze went back to the older woman. “And how is that?”
“With all his heart. Because Molly is one of those people who goes all in on everything she does. If she loves someone, she loves with all of her heart.”
Molly stirred in the chair on the other side of her mother’s bed, opening her eyes. “Hey,” she said, her voice froggy with sleep. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling fine,” her mother said. “You look tired. Maybe we should trade places?”
Molly smiled at her mother, lowered her feet to the ground and stood, stretching her arms above her head. “Trust me, the doctors have the right person in the hospital bed.” She looked across at Parker. “Did I sleep long?”
He nodded. “Over an hour.”
“You must have needed it,” her mother said. “You had a terrible experience last night.”
“I survived. Yours was worse. You were unconscious when they carried you up the hill to the ambulance. Do you remember any of that?”
Her mother shook her head. “Up a hill?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. M frowned. “I don’t remem
ber anything. Was it bad?”
Molly patted her hand. “It could have been worse,” her voice cracked. She swallowed hard and continued. “The good news is you’ll get to go home in the morning, if you behave yourself.”
“Thank goodness,” Molly’s mother said. “I need to check on Caity. I hope she’s feeling better.”
“I’ll call in a minute and check in with Duncan. In the meantime, are you hungry? Want me to see what they’ll let you have for dinner?”
“That would be lovely.” Mrs. M winked at Molly. “I am a little hungry.”
“Done.” Molly headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“We will be back in a minute,” Parker said. “Wait for me.”
Molly shook her head. “We’re in a hospital. I can go to the nurses’ station without a bodyguard.”
“What did you promise me?” Parker reminded her.
With a sigh. “That I wouldn’t try to shake you.” She rolled her eyes. “See what I have to put up with?” Molly smiled at her mother. “You have your own bodyguard outside your door. His name is Boomer. Be nice to him. He’s got a baby girl who might come play with Caity.”
Her mother’s face lit up. “Please, tell him to come in. I’d like to meet this young man. Caity needs a playmate.”
Molly chuckled on her way out.
Parker smiled. Mrs. M always had others in mind, never herself. He liked her. Always had. Mr. McKinnon struck gold when he married her. She was his balance.
Could Parker be Molly’s balance?
He followed her out of the room, mulling through the redhead’s traits and his own. He didn’t see it, but Mrs. M could…?
Chapter 7
“Boomer,” Molly stopped in front of the man standing outside her mother’s hospital room. “My mother requests the pleasure of your company.” Her lips tugged at the corners. If Boomer wasn’t already involved with someone, her mother would have him married off in a heartbeat. Whatever his relationship status, the McKinnon matriarch would know within the first five minutes of grilling him.
“I almost feel sorry for Boomer,” she murmured as the big, former Navy SEAL entered the room and closed the door behind him.
