Beautiful wildflowers filled the meadow—lupine, blue flax, coreopsis, and many varieties she couldn’t put a name to—along with butterflies of every color. The sun was warm, but now lightning snaked across the sky in the west and the air smelled like rain.
When she reached the barn, Ribs lay outside, in the shade of the building, panting. His square body resembled a tank, and Rayna smiled as she knelt to scratch his ears. “You’re coming home with me, Ribs. Hope you like it there.”
Ribs cocked his head and stared her down. Rayna chuckled. Just as she suspected—the dog knew what was going to happen long before she did.
She stood and pushed through the barn door with Ribs right behind her. No wild animal screams or blurs of tawny bodies gave her pause. Nothing but the smell of aged hay, dust, and sunlight streaming through cracks in the walls.
Rayna didn’t look for bloodstains on the dirt floor. She didn’t need that reminder. Instead, she meandered to the back of the barn and pulled herself onto the hay stacked there. Ribs clambered up beside her and lay with his head on her leg. She stroked the flat spot between his ears.
“You know, it’ll be different in Montana. It gets colder—more snow. I’m not sure I can talk Joe into letting you be a house dog.”
Ribs didn’t move, just fixed his sad brown eyes on her.
She groaned. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
Rayna’s gaze darted toward the door as a gust of wind rattled the barn and sent dry leaves and grass skittering across the dirt floor. As though someone dialed down the dimmer switch, the sunlight disappeared, leaving them in a sea of dusk. Strong gusts of wind whistled through tiny gaps in the walls, and thunder rumbled in the distance. With the disappearance of the sun, the temperature dropped ten or fifteen degrees, and Rayna wedged herself into a small crevasse between bales. She should have taken the time to hunt up a jacket before she left the house.
“Oh well. At least we’re dry. Right, Ribs?” She leaned over and ruffled his ears.
The next instant, she jerked upright as blue light flashed around her, seeming to come from everywhere at once. It was followed immediately by an earsplitting crack of thunder that started right above her head and reverberated outward. The wind slammed into the shaky sides, banging the door against its tracks, and then the rain started. Moderately at first, then a deluge, then it turned to nickel-sized hail that pelted the walls and metal roof of the barn until she couldn’t hear herself think.
Ribs had popped to his feet with the deafening thunder and now leaned against her side, growling deep and watching the door. Rayna reached for him and drew him tightly against her, not sure who was comforting whom. Common sense said it was ridiculous to be frightened by a storm, but she’d give anything to be back at the house right now.
The hail let up, reverting to steady rain. White, slushy ice covered the ground beyond the door. It looked like a snowstorm had swept the meadow. “We’ll get our feet wet going back. Do dogs care about that?” She laid her head against his neck while she hugged him.
Suddenly fear quickened her breath, and her gaze darted again toward the door. Was it a trick of her mind, or did a shadow—a split second of darkening—slide in front of the opening? She held her breath and focused her attention close to the ground, searching for feral eyes or lithe movements in the gloom. It didn’t help that Ribs’s ears perked up as he jumped down off the stack.
Rayna scrambled down behind him and pulled her handgun from her waistband. This time the dog wasn’t going up against whatever had taken refuge in the barn by himself. Not as long as she was alive.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
* * *
TY TOOK ADVANTAGE of the lull in the storm to sprint the hundred yards from the tree line to the dubious protection of the ramshackle barn in the pouring rain. What had Rayna been thinking—going for a walk in this weather? And this place held such warm and fuzzy memories, of course she’d come this way.
He slipped inside and stopped to catch his breath, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Rivulets of water ran from the hair that hung in his eyes, and he tried without much success to brush it to the side. His shirt and most of his jeans were soaking wet, and he’d no doubt have a couple of bruises on his head and shoulders where Ping-Pong-ball-sized hailstones had done a number on him.
A movement toward the back of the barn caught his attention. He let his breath out when he recognized Ribs’s stocky body coming toward him from the shadows at a trot. If the dog was here, Rayna had to be here too.
He knelt as Ribs reached him. “Hey, boy. Couldn’t you talk her out of this insanity?”
The dog jumped up on Ty, his front feet landing against his shoulders. Slightly off balance and not fully anticipating the animal’s weight, Ty sprawled backward into a pile of loose straw. Evidently Ribs thought that was a fun game. His tail beat out a happy rhythm while he climbed on Ty’s chest and licked his face. The crowning moment was when Rayna laughed.
It was infectious, and he couldn’t help laughing with her as he tried to shove the dog aside so he could finally see her. “Would you call your mangy dog, please? I can’t breathe under here.”
“He’s not mangy.” Rayna snorted and curtailed her laughter but made no move to call him off.
“Okay, okay. He’s not mangy.” Ty managed to dodge the tongue that darted toward his nose.
“Ribs, this is fun, but you have to let him up now.” She patted her thigh, and the dog shuffled over to her and sat, leaning against her leg. The Sig forty-five she held in her hand disappeared behind her back.
Ty pulled himself to his knees, then his feet. He tried to brush away some of the dirt and straw that now stuck to his wet clothes, but it was fruitless. “Guess I’ll need another shower and a change of clothes.” He took a step toward her. “I couldn’t wait to see you. Think I could have a hug?”
She held up a hand as she shook her head once. Her lips formed into a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding smirk.
Ty stopped. “Something wrong, sweetheart?” God, she looked good, in spite of the bandage on her throat. Her bouncy blond hair framed her face with curls, and shining blue eyes stared back at him. Muscular legs and thighs filled out her jeans just right, and as his gaze swept over her, he wanted nothing more than to touch each of her curves and reclaim them.
A soft harrumph escaped her. “Don’t call me that.” She turned on her heels and retreated across the barn until she was swallowed up by the shadows.
Alex and Joe had tried to warn him before he left the house. They told him she’d been distant and lost in thought. She’d asked Joe to take her to LA so she could clean out her apartment. She was going home to Montana. Damn, that sounded good to him.
But the way she was acting now, maybe she didn’t want him there. It was possible she’d decided to return home only after learning he was leaving. His gut told him it wasn’t possible that the night they’d spent together, and the year before that, meant nothing to her. It sure as hell meant something to him, and he wasn’t giving up without a fight.
He followed her across the barn and hopped up on the haystack beside her. “We have to talk, Rayna.”
“Where have you been for the last two days?”
Ty heard the accusation in her voice. “I’ve been in an interrogation room, trying to explain the last six years to the man who was my boss back then and who wasn’t the least bit amused.”
“Nate mentioned a Captain Oswald.”
“Good man. Fair man. He eventually got over being pissed and listened to what Bree and I had to say. There won’t be any charges for Bree, especially since Andre has apparently left the country, and I can have my old job back if I want it.” Ty stopped, hoping she would tell him not to take it.
“Did Andre tell Bree about Sean and her first husband?” Her gaze flickered up to his for a second.
“Yes. He told you too?” Ribs stirred and laid his head on Ty’s leg.
She nodded. “Nate killed Sean?”
“Sean was trying to kill me.” She flinched, and Ty regretted being so direct. He reached for her arm, tugging her toward him until her head rested stiffly against his chest.
“You said we were a team. You should have let me go with you.” The words came out in a rush as though she’d been holding them back.
So, that was what was bothering her. Ty’s first instinct was to tell her the obvious—she was wounded and not in any condition to go after a killer. Everybody on the team was subject to the same rules, and she knew that. But she didn’t want to hear that from him.
Ty pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “I know. I should have. Are you okay?”
She nodded her head against his shirt. “Better now.”
He smiled. “I was so worried when I found your note. It can be dangerous, walking in weather like this, with lightning and flash floods.”
She sat up and gave Ribs a pat. “The sun was shining when I left the house. Anyway, do you think, after everything that’s happened, a little bad weather is going to stop me?” Her lips quirked in a sad smile. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“But . . . I want to.”
Her eyes flew to his, and she smiled. Then sadness overtook her again, and she turned away. “Where is Bree?”
There it was—the rest of what was troubling her. She still hadn’t let go of his foolish marriage proposal to Bree. “She picked up Madison and Maria and took off. By the way, she said to say good-bye. Now, will you tell me what’s really bothering you? Is there something you’d like to know about Bree?”
“No.” She grimaced and looked down.
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’d never lie to you. You can trust me.”
Rayna met his gaze and smiled. “I know. But I don’t trust her.”
He flashed her an apologetic grin. “Sweetheart, you’ll never have to worry about Bree again. That’s a promise.”
A gust of wind rattled the building and drew her attention to the doors. She pulled her hand back and scratched Ribs’s head. “Will you take your old job back?”
“Naw. I’ve made other plans.” He leaned forward and braced his hands on the edge of the bale.
Rayna crossed her arms in front of her. “Oh?”
Ty purposely remained silent.
“Where will you go?” Rayna finally met his gaze.
He ran his knuckles down her cheek and cupped her chin gently. “Don’t know. What I do know is, everything I want is here with me right now—you and that mangy dog.”
She let her breath out slowly and shifted around to face him. “Are you for real, Whitlock?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He held out his hand and breathed a sigh of relief when she put hers into it. “I love you, Rayna. Always have, and I’m not about to change my mind. I know you can take care of yourself, but would you just humor me and my male ego? Let me worry about you once in a while?”
Rayna nodded, and a smile broke free as she scooted into his arms.
“Just so you know, from now on, wherever you go, I go. If you head back to school, I’ll be tagging along. Hell, if you decide to leave the country, just make sure there’s room for me when we get there.”
“What if I go home to Montana?” She didn’t take her eyes off him as she chewed on her lower lip.
Ty grinned. “Then I’m there.” He lifted her onto his lap and kissed her tenderly. “I’ll have your back, and you’ll have mine.”
She pulled away and held his face in her hands. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Ty. I love you so much, but it doesn’t change the fact I could still lose you, and that scares me to death.”
He sipped at her honeyed lips, loving her taste and the softness of her body against his. “You think I wasn’t scared when I almost lost you? I got a little taste of what you were afraid of, and I didn’t like it, either. Truth is, no one lives forever, sweetheart. The trick is to choose the life you want and enjoy every minute. I believe that’s what Charlie would want you to do too. Let’s not waste any more time.”
Rayna slipped her arms around his neck, drawing him close as he caressed her back and embraced her tightly. He lay down on the bales and tugged her down beside him.
“These clothes are soaked. Maybe I should get out of them.” He watched her carefully, unsuccessfully hiding a grin, to see how his suggestion was received.
She laughed and cocked an eyebrow. “You’ll wish you hadn’t when your naked butt hits that scratchy hay.”
“Oh yeah? Who said my butt was going to be on the bottom?” He nuzzled her neck until she moaned. “Or even that we’d be lying down?” Ty pushed himself over the side of the stacked bales and pulled her down the front of him, giving special attention to the hard length in his jeans.
Ribs lay undisturbed on the bale where he’d been, but now his tail whipped up and down excitedly. Rayna burst out laughing as Ty pressed her against the stack and she wrapped her legs around him. She licked her lower lip before he covered it with his and slid his tongue deep in her mouth.
The wind whipped up outside, making the barn creak with each gust. Rain came down in torrents, even creating a little stream in the dirt floor. Lightning and thunder kept their distance, with a steady rumbling.
Ty studied the ceiling over their heads. “Sounds like we might be here for a while. No one will come out in this weather to look for us. We’re on our own.”
A mischievous glint darkened her eyes. “Oh no. Whatever will we do?” She locked her arms around his neck and leaned into him.
He chuckled as he splayed his hands across her bottom and pressed his hips against her. “I might have an idea.” He caught the laughter that fell from her lips with a long, hard kiss. Yep—definitely an idea worth pursuing.
See how Dixie Lee Brown’s thrilling Trust No One series began!
Keep reading for excerpts from
ALL OR NOTHING
and
WHEN I FIND YOU
Available now from Avon Impulse.
An Excerpt from
ALL OR NOTHING
“TRUST ME. THIS is the safest way.”
Everything required trust with him. So, did she trust him? If she ever got back on the ground, she might be able to answer that question. She looked over the edge of the platform. There’s no way!
“Take your time. Go when you’re ready . . . unless you want me to give you a little push.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” She wrapped her arms around the pole.
“You really don’t trust me, do you?” He laughed.
“I was starting to, before you said the word push.”
“There’s hope then? If I choose my words more carefully?”
“Maybe . . . if I ever get down from here.”
“Let’s sit for a minute. Things will look different from that perspective.” He sat, dangling his long legs over the side. Cara positioned herself beside him, her hands nervously flexing on the rope that joined her to the zip line.
“Jumping doesn’t seem any more reasonable from here.” Too bad, since sitting close enough to rub shoulders with him made her nearly as uncomfortable as the stupid zip line.
“We’ll just hang out and talk for a while then. That okay?” He gripped the edge of the platform and leaned forward, turning to look at her.
“The last time we talked, it ended badly.”
“Now we know which subjects to stay away from.”
“Yeah, anything to do with either of our private lives.”
“I think it was your ex-husband and my desire to protect you from him that got us crossways with each other.”
Cara glanced sideways at him, He was looking at her. Their eyes met. The strangest emotions coursed through her. Somehow, it didn’t sound so bad when he said it like that. Who didn’t want a knight in shining armor? She was afraid for Joe, but he sounded so confident he could protect her, and himself, she almost believed it. Recognizing the danger in that, she tore her eyes away from his.
“We’re m
aking progress. You didn’t rip into me that time.” A grin came through in his voice.
“It doesn’t do any good to try talking sense into you.” She tried to sound serious, but her heart was no longer in it. She forced her mind back to the task at hand, considering the likelihood she’d ever be able to zip off this ledge. What was the worst that could happen? The cable could break and she’d plummet thirty feet to the ground. End all of her problems. More likely, it would be a gradual descent, with the jump from the platform the only really exciting part. She could do this.
“We’ve got unfinished business, you know. We might as well take care of it while we’re sitting here.”
“What’s that?”
“I almost had you talked into dinner that night we met.”
“You weren’t even close.”
“I think you were as intrigued with the idea as I was.” He grinned. “I also think we stood a good chance of ending the evening with a kiss.”
“That’s a stretch. You’re making the same mistake you made that night. Going from confident to arrogant in about two seconds flat. There was no chance in hell you were going to get a kiss.” Cara smiled at his wounded look.
“Will my chances ever improve?” His eyes met hers again.
She’d forgotten what a good-looking guy he was. The same mesmerizing pull she’d experienced the night she met him overcame her better judgment now. For a moment she wondered what it would feel like, his lips on hers, his arms holding her close, while they lost themselves in each other.
Cara drew herself up short. Was she completely crazy? She was barely free from one dangerous man. Why would she get involved with another? There was an attraction between them she couldn’t deny, but nothing could ever come of it.
If You Only Knew Page 29
