Seized by the Lawman

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  “Won’t she think it’s a bit odd that a man wearing a badge is guiding her on running a ranch? And here’s the biggie. One from your own team.”

  Carson leaned back into his chair and it squeaked under his weight. “She would if she knew. You’re new. She has no clue you’re on the team. Melly’ll only know that you’re Bo Cade’s son.”

  “Ah…” The puzzle was coming together.

  “You will be my eyes and ears. I want you to understand how important Shy Brooke is and then you might see why I’m in no hurry to put her in the role she wants. The ranch belonged to her great-grandfather on her mother’s side of the family. I met Melly’s mom, Monica, at a time during my life that I’m not proud of. My wife, Patty, and I had separated. I didn’t think we’d get back together and I looked to the bottom of many whiskey bottles searching for answers. Then one night I saw Monica and she was a breath of fresh air. She had the loveliest, brightest blue eyes and thick hair that landed at her waist.” An unexplainable sadness passed through his eyes. “She helped me when I had no hope. I stopped drinking, haven’t had a drop since, and those were the most wonderful four months of my life…and then Patty was in a car accident. She broke a lot of bones and needed care, and I couldn’t leave her, not like that, so we dropped the divorce proceedings.” Carson reached for his water, drank half of it before recapping the bottle. “That last night with Monica, when I told her what I was doing, I thought I’d never see her again. Emotions were high. I had no clue that nine months later she’d show up and tell me that she was about to give birth to our child. She wasn’t asking for anything, just to let me know. When I told Patty, she was very understanding and wanted us to be a part of the baby’s life. We never had any children of our own. Well, I didn’t get to see Melly as often as I wanted when she was growing up because I was stationed abroad a lot, but Patty was very involved. And then we got the terrible news…” Carson turned his cheek and looked out the window, “that Monica had cancer. The doctors had given her six months to live and she held on for a year, but before she passed, she’d met with Patty and me and told us her wishes. Monica wanted us to live at Shy Brooke with Melly. I mean, it made sense, but I didn’t ask, or expect, that the ranch would be signed over to me. All Monica asked was for me not to give Melly the deed until she was completely ready.” He sniffed loudly. “After Patty passed away too and Melly had been living out of state for a few years, I moved to an apartment close to here. The ranch house was too quiet. We always complain that we want peace and quiet, but when we get it, it doesn’t feel right. I still go out to the ranch, supervise things. It works. Unfortunately, Randy has told me of his plans to retire, so you see things need to be put in order first.”

  “Could you help her run things…?”

  “She and I…well, we’ve always butted heads. She thinks I’m overbearing. I probably am.” He swiped his palm down his cheek and turned. “I’ve never liked her boyfriends. Never liked her choices.”

  “I’m sure my parents would agree that they haven’t liked many of my choices.”

  “Just tell me I can count on you.”

  “Just so I know we’re on the same page, you want me to go to the ranch with your daughter under the pretense that I’m helping her take over the helm? Yet, what I’m really doing is making sure she’s behaving herself? Responsible enough? Sir, that’s a glorified babysitter.” He wanted to sigh in aggravation, but he contained his irritation. After all this was his hero sitting across from him. Nix gripped the arms of his chair, waiting for the team to jump in and shout, “Surprise. You’ve been punked. Welcome to the team!” This must be what it was because he’d never been asked anything stranger before.

  Carson pushed back his chair and stood, wobbled slightly, then caught his balance against the edge of the desk. He took the five steps to the window and looked out, his jaw set tight. “I know this request must come as a shock, and I feel since I’m asking you I should at least tell you why…beyond just a father’s love for his daughter.”

  Nix realized this wasn’t a joke, or a test for the new guy on the team. He listened as Carson continued, “I’ve always put my career and country before everything, although I didn’t realize that until much later in life. That’s why Patty and I almost divorced. The military life is hard on families, but it’s what we sign up for. The military was in my blood and I couldn’t give it up. Patty was a saint, put up with a lot, knowing I loved Monica even though I never acted on my feelings after I said goodbye. Melly reminds me of her mother, the hair and her smile…beautiful. They both embodied freedom, fearlessness, strength. Monica and I had so much in common, yet nothing at all.” His shoulders slumped some as if he couldn’t hold up the weight any longer. “It was nice, but all good things must come to an end.” He turned, walked to the desk and took a seat on the corner. “I haven’t always been there when Melly needed me. Losing her mother at ten was hard on her, and then Patty. My daughter rebelled, had every right to, and we were both sharing heartache, but we never talked about it. She thinks I’m being overhanded by not giving her the ranch, but there’s more to it.”

  “I understand, but how…”

  “Does this tie into what I’m asking of you? Monica didn’t want Melly saddled down with the responsibility to run the ranch like she had been. She wanted Melly to travel, to have a chance to live, have fun. Monica understood that it takes a lot to run a ranch. Commitment. Responsibility. Melly took her mom literally because that child has been living freely since she turned eighteen. From one mistake to another. Even quit college to pursue a dream. Before I sign over her mother’s legacy, a place she loved, I need to make sure my daughter is ready.”

  “You think your daughter doesn’t want the ranch? That this is an impulsive fluke?”

  Carson shrugged a thin shoulder—thinner than Nix remembered. “I think she does, but after this last fiasco…”

  “Fiasco?”

  Carson straightened the collar of his shirt. “It doesn’t matter now.” He waved a hand through the air. “I-I just want her to take responsibility of something. Choose a path.” His face turned two shades whiter. “I found out recently that I have cancer, stage three.”

  Nix slumped back into the chair. This was an insane idea. He couldn’t think of anything he’d least likely do than babysit his boss’s daughter. Yet, after hearing Carson’s logic behind this situation, Nix understood. And cancer? How could Nix turn the request down? The other man must have sensed Nix’s trepidation.

  “I’m not telling you this for your pity, son.” Carson pressed his palms flat on the desk and leaned forward. “But it’s important for you to understand the bigger picture.”

  “Does your daughter know that you have cancer?”

  “No. Not yet.”

  Shock curled within Nix. The man was persuasive that’s for damn sure, and very serious about this, enough so that he bared his soul to Nix. He was locked into this whether he liked it or not. “Okay, but is there a time frame we’re looking at?” Nix couldn’t dedicate himself to this assignment without a set deadline.

  “One month. That should give us plenty of time to answer the big question. Is my daughter ready to take the responsibility of Shy Brooke.” Carson pushed himself off the desk and swiped his hands together. “It’s time she left the life of a reality star behind her and found her place.”

  Stuck on what he’d just agreed to, it took Nix a little longer than normal to wrap his brain around what Carson had said. “Reality star?” Had he heard right?

  “Something she did five, six, years ago. I swear I told her it would live with her long after they stopped shooting Survivor Island, but she refuses to see.” He tore a hand through his hair and shook his head in irritation.

  A dark cloud suspended over Nix’s head. Flaming hair. Bright, engaging smile. Reality star. Survivor Island. Carson could be describing Melissia. Oh fuck. Nix’s stomach twisted. He searched the office, looking for a picture…

  Had he ever met Carson’s daug
hter? Could he remember what she looked like?

  The speaker on Carson’s desk buzzed followed by Claire’s voice, “Sir, your daughter has arrived. Shall I show her in?”

  “Thanks. I’ll meet her in the lobby.” He lifted his finger from the button and stared at Nix. “Are you with me, son?”

  “I…am I with you?” What could he say?

  “You don’t have a girl, do you?” Carson’s lips thinned.

  “A girl? No.” Although he dated on occasion, Melissia had been the first girl he’d been into, really into, for a while. And it wasn’t much considering it was a one-night stand and she left before the sun came up. He didn’t have much time for dating and wasn’t that interested in the idea either. Serious relationships deserved serious intentions and tons of time. Nix loved his career and never really understood how couples could balance out work and personal. He always figured he’d eventually settle down, but now with the career change, the aspect of his future was even more unsettled or certain. Lord knew his parents talked about grandkids often, badgering their kids to find the right one and have a family. He refused to fold under pressure though. “What does that have to do with this, sir?”

  “A woman, a partner, might not like the idea of you living on a ranch with a pretty woman, even if it’s work related.” Carson looked hopeful shown by his extending smile.

  “Living on the ranch?” Maybe at some point he’d stop repeating everything Carson said, but this situation seemed to grow more furry layers every minute.

  “Of course, Cade. You’ll be staying in the hand quarters unless I can talk Melly into letting you stay in the guest room, but I wouldn’t count on that, at least not right away.”

  Nodding, that’s about all Nix could do as he still searched for a photo. Even though the circumstances seemed similar, how could it be possible that his Melissa was Melly, his boss’s daughter? That would be a fucked-up twist. But then he found what he was looking for, a framed picture sitting on a file cabinet. Although it was a grainy picture, Nix would know the hair, the smile, the beckoning eyes anywhere. And then he knew, things just took a spin down crazy town.

  Chapter 2

  TOSSING HER PHONE back into her purse, Melly frowned. Would he return her call? Sweat beaded between her breasts as she traveled down the night she’d spent in the arms of the sexy cowboy. From the time she’d spotted him sitting at the table, surrounded by his brothers, she’d been interested in getting to know him better. She wasn’t much of a believer in that certain mystical immediate connection, at least not up until four months ago when Nixon Cade walked into her life. No, he hadn’t just walked, he’d strolled like a panther eyeing his prey, his willing prey. They’d flirted from across the room for a good fifteen minutes, catching each other’s gaze, a sweep of his tongue across his plump bottom lip and a toss of her hair over her shoulder, until he couldn’t control himself any longer. He’d strolled right up to her where she’d been nursing a cocktail, sitting with her friends, and asked her to dance. She’d said yes quicker than she’d ever said yes before.

  Two hours later they were partially naked in his bed, getting to know one another on a more personal level. Melly wasn’t naïve or innocent by a long shot, but she compared making love to Nixon like a woman trading in her slow four cylinder for a Porsche 911. It was all in the engine and this man had driven her like a pro.

  Picking up an envelope from the console, she fanned herself, wishing she could move the vent and point the air conditioning to her inner thighs where the heat was almost unbearable. Nixon Cade wasn’t a man a woman could forget too easily—forget the way he’d made her feel under his large, callused hands and powerful moves.

  When he’d invited her back to his place, a nice, comfy cabin sitting on a lake, she should have known her life was about to change. They’d made love most of the night before falling asleep, exhausted. She hadn’t planned to wake up there, and the realization of what she’d done would strike her like a storm. As she was reaching for her clothes wadded up on a chair, she’d accidently knocked his jeans off onto the floor, and while picking them up, his wallet fell out of his back pocket. It opened and there it was…a shiny star. She couldn’t quite explain the feeling that had spread over her at that moment when she’d realized this man who had turned her inside out was a lawman. It wasn’t that she had anything against it but growing up with a father who retired from the military then went on to wear a badge, and remembering how he’d missed birthday parties, vacations, Christmas gatherings, you name it, because duty had called instantly brought back unsettling feelings. She’d watched her stepmother cry on hundreds of occasions from fear that her husband wouldn’t walk back through the door because he was working a case. This was something she swore she wouldn’t go through ever again. Wouldn’t put her kids through it, and yet…

  Her heart sank.

  Reality burrowed into her core and she laid her head back on the headrest, closing her eyes against the ache developing in her temples. In a perfect world, when she’d snuck out of Nix’s house at sunrise, she would pleasantly remember one of the best nights of her life, and then move on and concentrate on her ranch. Fate had different plans.

  Opening her eyes, she pulled down the visor and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked ragged and worn from lack of sleep and sickness. Her father would know immediately something was wrong with her and, as always, he’d give her the lecture about getting her life in order.

  Finger combing her wild, curly locks, she tried to tame the tresses that seemed to have a mind of their own. It was no use. She instead went for a layer of lip tint. She’d applied make up that morning to hide the dark circles under her eyes, but her father was perceptive, always had an eagle eye for details. That’s what made him one of the best at his job. No matter what, she couldn’t let him know that she was pregnant. Eventually she couldn’t hide it, but for now she wanted—needed—the deed to Shy Brooke to be placed in her name.

  Over the years, her father had been disappointed in her time and again. The plan had never been to rebel against him, but she’d always found his stringent rules and expectations to be hard to abide by. Her stepmother had been the buffer, but when she passed away, Melly and her father had been faced with all the problems between them that made them ram heads. He’d never liked her choices in boyfriends, yet looking back, she didn’t either. He’d complained when she chose to attend an out-of-state college instead of staying close to home. When she’d dropped out two years in, he didn’t talk to her for months. He came around eventually, but he still believed she’d screwed up her life. He’d never understand that she saw an opportunity, one she couldn’t refuse. She applied for a reality show, Survivor Island, which focused on kids of cops and survival skills, and even when she’d won the cash prize, he had only asked, “Will you be going back to college?”

  Getting the ranch in her name was never as important as it was now. After finding out she was pregnant, she made up her mind that she needed to settle down and provide a stable upbringing for her child. Yet she was tired of jumping through hoops to get her dad to sign over the deed to a place that belonged to her anyway. Her biological mother had wanted Melly to have Shy Brooke one day, and that day had finally come.

  But if her father found out she was pregnant, with a stranger of all people, he’d chalk this up to another impulsive, irresponsible act, and he’d probably never sign the deed over. It didn’t matter that she was an adult and thirty years old. To him, she’d always be the little girl who was born out of wedlock to his mistress.

  Just as her child would be.

  She instinctively pressed her palms to her still flat stomach, wondering what it would be like when she grew round with baby. A baby she hadn’t planned but would love all the same.

  This was only the tip of the iceberg.

  Although she didn’t believe that Nixon would want anything to do with the baby they’d conceived together, she had a responsibility to let him know that the condom—one of the many con
doms—had malfunctioned.

  Pulling the keys from the ignition, she dropped them into her purse and headed toward the plain, unmarked building. Her father said he needed to see her. Melly anticipated that he’d finally give her what she’d been asking for. The hope of what this would involve excited her. Her life would be on track and she’d have time to get the hang of running a ranch before the baby was born. She had the plan worked out in her mind and it felt good.

  “Hi, Claire,” Melly said to the woman sitting behind the reception desk. She’d worked for her father for as long as Melly could remember.

  Claire dropped her phone and pushed her thick glasses further up her nose. In her mid-thirties, she wore her hair in tight curls and her normally pasty skin was bronzed. Melly also noticed the larger set of boobs, although the modest blouse with the high neck hid them well. “Hi, Melly. I-I didn’t know you were coming in today. Your father usually tells me.”

  “It probably slipped his mind. Have you been on a vacation to paradise?”

  “Uh, no…why?”

  “You are glowing.”

  Ding. Ding. Claire’s cell lit up, but she ignored it. “Thank you.” She lowered her eyes shyly.

  “New boyfriend?”

  Ding. Ding. “New boyfriend?” The other woman’s cheeks turned red. “N-no.” Her phone was being blown up and she seemed frustrated.

  “Oh, okay. I’ll let you get that while I have a seat and wait for my father.”

  While waiting, she stared at the rows of framed pictures of the beautiful landscapes of Wyoming. Her chest filled with pride, thinking that soon she would be home on her own picturesque land.

  Things would be normal again.

  As a kid, she’d come home after school, change out of her fancy clothes, and throw on worn jeans, boots and an old Stetson her mom gave her, then run out onto the land where she’d help her grandfather, mom, and Randy with chores before a long horseback ride at sunset. Melly stuck to the hands like glue, following in their footsteps, taking in as much as she could about ranching life.