Chapter 7
Rick read the email for a third time and, for once, didn’t have an answer. How did he respond to a request for help when his team sat at a standstill until Sutton was out of the picture? He’d never shied away from a challenge. Turning away a request for help went against his every instinct.
He had to put his girls and his team first. Not his girls, the girls. Leigh and Addie. They weren’t his, and they never would be. His only priorities were finding Addie and Marcus. He didn’t have time to tackle another project.
Yet, the beginnings of a plan sparked to life. Maybe a challenge would keep him from going stir crazy. He looked down to his laptop and clicked the reply button.
A bloodcurdling scream erupted outside. His lungs froze even as his body moved. One moment Rick reclined on Trent’s couch, poring over the endless backlog of email that had accumulated while he’d been in the hospital. The next, he was throwing open the front door.
Another scream met his ears, but then it was followed by a little girl’s laughter.
Leigh stood with her hands on her hips, wet hair dripping in her face and a soaked shirt plastered to her torso. A pale pink, now see-through t-shirt. Denim shorts clung to her hips. Images of her long, tanned legs wrapped around his waist burst to life. He fought to swallow the hard lump in his throat. She called out to her niece, breaking the spell. “That’s it, you little stinker! I’ll get you. What’s my rule?”
A smiling Kylie held a garden hose with the water running full force and splashing on her and her aunt’s shoes. Shockingly, Kylie’s white sandals matched. Rick was stunned to find that he kind of missed her mismatched boots. Then again, cowboy boots didn’t make for good water play. “Which wule?” Joe’s daughter tilted her head in thought, not looking the least bit worried by Leigh’s tone. “Gwownups have so many wules. Is it one of yours or one of daddy’s?”
A mischievous, maybe even dangerous tone entered Leigh’s voice. “The water rule, pickle. What happens when you get me wet?”
Kylie scrunched up her little forehead in thought. Then she looked up as realization hit. “You always say that I can spwash you, but if I do, you’ll spwash me back double.”
“Splash, with an L. And yes, that’s right. Double.” A wicked smile full of retribution spread across Leigh’s face.
Kylie dropped the hose, turned and ran, all the while squealing. “Don’t get me! Don’t get me!”
Leigh grinned, waiting as if to give her niece a head start. After she shouted her war cry, “No mercy!” she grabbed the hose and ran after the madly giggling Kylie.
Kate stood nearby with a muddy dog on a leash. “I thought you two were going to help me give Pudgy a bath. Traitors.” She smiled brightly, and the shaggy dog swept the grass with his tail.
“I will! I will! I wanna hewp!” Kylie ran in circles, ponytail trailing behind as she craned her neck to see how much lead she had on her aunt. Just then a line of water doused her back and she let out a squeal that matched Leigh’s in both volume and shock. “It’s cold!”
“It is.” Leigh waved another rope of water over Kylie’s back.
“Help me, Katie! Help me!” In the huge front yard, on an enormous horse farm with endless acres to flee, Kylie ran close circles around her aunt, clearly in no hurry to get far.
“I don’t think so, squirt. You brought this on yourself.”
Kylie dropped to the ground and rolled as Leigh continued to soak her. She giggled until Rick worried she wouldn’t be able to breathe.
Leigh gave the hose to Kate and walked over to her niece. She held both hands out to Kylie, who readily grabbed hold so she could be picked up. “That was fun! Wet’s do it again!”
Kate called out, “Leigh, when your delinquent asks for more punishment, I think you’re doing it wrong.”
Kylie looked from her cousin to her aunt. “What’s a dewink…”
Leigh helped her out. “Delinquent. That’s what you are, squirt.” She picked her up for a hug and smacked a quick kiss her Kylie’s cheek. The little girl wrapped an arm around her aunt’s neck and then shocked him by waving his direction with the other.
“Hey, Wick! You wanna be a dewinkit with me? It’s fun!”
He realized that, despite his intent to stay inside, as he’d watched the girls, he’d unconsciously migrated out to the porch’s edge. “No, but thanks, little bit. It sounds like you’re having a lot of fun, but not today.”
“Does your weg hurt? How much wonger until you feel better?” Concern darkened her little features, and he hated watching the joy flee her face.
“It’s getting better all the time. They took out my stitches yesterday.” He leaned on the porch rail.
“Yay! We could some inside and pway a quiet game with you, if you want?” She rocked her body in the universal kid movement that signaled she wanted down from her aunt’s arms.
He fought the urge to pick her up for a hug of his own. “Thank you. You girls have fun. I’m going to rest and do some computer work.”
“Okay.” She waved and then moved on to the next game. She looked up to Kate. “Can I use the hose on Pudgy?”
He turned, heading back inside. In his periphery, Kate froze. When her eyes got round as saucers as she probably considered the ramifications of allowing Kylie to wet down the dog, he smiled. When Leigh winked and gave Kylie a high-five, he didn’t think twice. He shut the door as she questioned her aunt. “How’d we do?”
“Pwease, can we go swimming? It’s hot outside, and Harwan said they would have to cwose the pool soon. Fall’s coming. Pwease? I’m so bored!” Kylie’s pleas reached a fever pitch, and she couldn’t say that she blamed the girl. Leigh was an adult and her patience had worn thin. They were all going a little stir-crazy, so she could only imagine what a six-year-old must feel like.
“All right. Give me a few minutes to finish my work, okay?” She was trying to stay on top of her caseload as much as possible, but there was only so much she could do while stuck at a standstill on Walker Farms.
“Yay! I’m gonna tell Katie! She’s still here.”
“Sure, sweetie.” Leigh saved her progress and shut the lid of her laptop. Standing, she stretched.
Yeah. I definitely need to do something other than stare at the walls.
She opened the drawer of her beautiful, but temporary dresser and pulled out one of the two swimsuits she’d packed specifically for swimming with Kylie. Some days, she thought her niece was part fish.
Just as she put her hand out to shut her bedroom door, Kylie came barreling in, bouncing with excitement. “Katie said she’d swim with us, too. She said to tell you to wear your ‘kini for a suntan.”
“Bikini, with a—b” But Kylie was gone as fast as she’d appeared. How long had it been since she’d done something as simple as laid out in the sun with her cousin? They used to slather themselves in baby oil, turn on her old radio and bake themselves crispy. These days she used sunscreen instead of oil.
Not sure why it mattered, she traded her black one piece for her simple turquoise bikini. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and grabbed towels. She wrapped one around herself and carried two extra. It never failed to amaze her how someone as small as Kylie could spread so much water.
Kylie, dressed in her cheetah print suit and cowboy boots, waited impatiently just inside the patio doors. Her niece hopped from one foot to the other. The moment she caught sight of Leigh, she put her hand on the doorknob and looked up hopefully. “Can I open it? Katie helped me put on sunbwock while she talked on the phone.”
“Yep. We’re ready.”
Kylie jumped, then used both hands to turn the knob. She was out the door in a flash. No stranger to chasing after her, Leigh followed.
Kylie hadn’t been wrong. The last days of summer were not going down without a fight. With temps in the mid-nineties mixing with high humidity, it was a day meant for swimming. Kylie kicked off her boots and jumped into the water so fast, Leigh wouldn’t have been surprised
to see her heels smoking.
Leigh didn’t waste any time. The heat beat down in punishing rays, determined to scorch anything in its path. She dropped her things on a patio table and jumped in, splashing Kylie. The cool water sliding over her heated skin felt delicious.
The backdoor opened and Katie walked out, wearing jeans, boots and a sly smile. She held a tall glass of ice water up to her forehead.
Leigh shaded her eyes against the sun’s glare. “The munchkin said you were swimming, too. Did she fib?”
“No, she was right. Trent’s on his way up to discuss something with Harlan. He’s bringing my suit. I’ve been out with the foals and need to cool off.” Even now, flushed and sweaty, wearing old barn clothes, her cousin looked like a beauty queen.
She swam to the middle of the huge pool until her feet touched the bottom. Kylie swam by and Leigh couldn’t resist. She grabbed her niece’s foot and pulled her in close. She held her by the waist. Knowing what was to come, Kylie squealed. “Throw me. Throw me!” So Leigh did. Kylie flailed like she was attempting to swim mid-air, then water splashed everywhere when she landed. Like a buoy, she popped up, ready for another go.
“I don’t think so, squirt. If you have your way, I’ll be doing that all afternoon and night. Use the diving board.” The door opened again and Trent walked out. Leigh had no trouble admitting that Kate had done well when she chose her man. Tall, broad with sandy blond hair, the male belonged in a cowboy movie. Yet, he was as down to earth as they came.
And utterly smitten by Kate.
Kate greeted him with a smile that lit her entire face. Trent casually took her glass for a long swallow. There was something odd in her tone when she spoke. “Didn’t you bring my suit?”
But there was nothing but pure trouble in Trent’s when he answered with a grin, “Nope. It’ll be here in a minute. I forgot the bag I put it in on the table.”
Oh crap. There’s no telling what they’re planning.
He took Kate’s hand, drawing her with him. He pulled two chairs into the shade of the wide, gorgeous patio. “Sit with me for a minute.”
“Spwash bomb!” Kylie screeched just before water erupted just a few feet away, spraying Leigh’s face. She waited for her niece to surface then grabbed her for a quick toss. Knowing how this game worked, she needed to escape before Kylie suckered her into more throws. She stooped, ducking beneath the cool water, then she slowly stood, with her head tilted back. She let the water pull the loose tendrils of hair from her face as she rose. Standing tall, she wiped the water from her eyes. Opening them, she met Rick’s dark, hungry gaze.
He’d stopped mid-stride on his way to deliver the forgotten bag to Kate.
Already on her way out of the pool, she didn’t see any reason to change course. She walked to the steps at the shallow end, water running down, sliding over her skin.
But the sensation of water against her flesh had nothing on the raw heat of Rick’s eyes.
Molten, liquid, desire brewed so heady, it stole her breath. His dark eyes devoured her as they made a slow sweep down her body and then back up until his focus caught at her breasts. When he swallowed, something deep inside her quivered under the attention. Her nipples beaded into hard points, and her top left little to the imagination on a normal day. Faced with the heat of that stare, the bikini didn’t stand a chance.
When his hot knowing stare returned to hers, arousal pooled deep in her belly.
Hanging onto her composure by a thread, pride intact and spine straight, she pretended to be unaffected. Walking up the steps, she casually pulled her focus from the magnetic draw of eyes so deep and dark, she feared she might fall into a never-ending black hole.
In reality, he shook her to her core.
This kind of blistering chemistry wasn’t supposed to exist. Sure, she’d read about, dreamed about fictional desires hot enough to scorch the earth, but never expected to experience it.
Damn him all to hell, he denied it, preventing both of them from getting what they needed. So be it. All bets were off. He wanted to stare at her as if he might throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to the nearest cave? Two could play at this game.
She’d never worn a crown like Kate, but she’d been by her cousin’s side for countless lessons and practices. She could hold her own on a runway. She met that dark, hungry gaze with one of her own as she stepped onto the deck and let him see the pent-up desire she’d kept to herself for far too long.
With one long leg in front of the other, she strode past him and across the patio. She grabbed a towel and her sunglasses from the table.
She chose a lounge chair in the sun, bent over and covered it with her towel. She sat, spun her legs around, and as she lay back on the chair she found him. Her gaze clashed with his. She smiled, all challenge and feminine hunger.
He knew what he’d given up. Mission accomplished, she slid her glasses up to cover her eyes. Leigh shifted her focus to her niece, shutting him out. Raising her voice to be heard over the splashing water, she called out. “Let me see your best dive, Kylie.” She might not have the man she wanted, needed, but, by god, she had her family and she’d never take that for granted.
“Okay! Watch this spwash bomb!”
Chapter 8
Leigh heard the rumble of a vehicle coming up the long driveway and forced herself to remain seated on the porch swing where she and Kate had spent the last hour stringing green beans. The crew had left hours ago, and neither of them had been able to concentrate on anything that required the slightest bit of brain power. They’d grabbed a couple of buckets and picked Sandy’s garden clean. Afterward, they’d turned on some music and set to work on the front porch.
It had taken every ounce of self-control she possessed to stand back and not demand that they take her with them. She’d learned her lesson the hardest of ways. Her phone lay silent beside her the entire time they’d been gone, but she’d reached for it countless times, wanting to call and ask for an update. She hadn’t.
Leigh had sworn to herself that she’d step back, stay out of the way, and let Rick do what he did best.
It was killing her.
She prayed they’d found something, anything that might lead them to Addie.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for another bean. She positioned her knife at the tip ready to slice it off and pull the string down and gave up. She dropped the knife and unfinished bean in the bucket and stood.
Trent’s truck and Rick’s SUV park side by side. Early that morning, everyone had gone out to the search area, Addie’s sad excuse for a home.
She stepped up to the rail and watched when she wanted to run to Rick and demand answers. She needed to know like she needed her next breath.
Somehow, through it all, she’d worried over Rick just as much.
Trent had assured her that they wouldn’t be doing anything too physically taxing. She trusted him.
She had to.
Fighting her need to fuss over Rick, she walked straight to Holloway. As she and Rick passed each other in the yard, he drew her attention. As desperately as she wanted to ignore him, he caught and held her focus. An olive-green tee stretched across his shoulders. Black sunglasses shielded his eyes, masking any emotion. Sweat dampened his hair, making a sinfully sexy mess. They all looked like they’d spent a week in the forest, not a mere day. She had no doubt that he’d been with them every step of the way.
Maybe she needed to set her worry aside? The man radiated strength, endurance, and enough confidence for ten men. He looked nothing like a man who needed looked after.
But he’d been hurt, had nearly died, because of her.
Forcing her feet to continue, she moved until coming to a stop in front of Holloway, who reached for a pack of gear from the truck bed. When he nearly bumped into her, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, sweets.” He dropped the bag, freeing his other hand so he could further steady them both.
She didn’t bother with pretense. Everyone
knew where her head was at. The same place as theirs, focused on finding Addie.
“Anything? Did you find anything at all?”
He put his sunglasses on his head, so he could meet her eye to eye.
“It’s not that simple, hon.” Concern softened the hard angles of his handsome face.
She’d known that, but she’d hoped…
Angling her body toward James so Rick couldn’t read her lips, she lowered her voice. “How did he do? He didn’t push himself too hard?” Stupid question. That’s like asking a tiger to remove his stripes.
“We didn’t let him. Rick’s good. I promise. He may be a little sore tonight, but it’ll be the good kind. Don’t worry so much, little momma.” She’d known they would look out for him, but she hadn’t been able to keep the words bottled up any longer.
“Thank you.”
He lightly grasped her shoulders. “Nothing to thank us for. He belongs to us, too. I just wish we had better news. We’ll get it eventually.” He pecked her forehead, then grabbed his dropped bag and followed everyone else to the house.
Following the team with her gaze, she found Rick holding the front door open and staring at her. Circus clowns could have marched past him and he wouldn’t have noticed for all the attention honed on her.
Despite his glasses, she felt the pull of his focus to the center of her being.
Unreadable, unforgiving and maybe even a little bit angry, the vibes emanating from him scorched her.
He’s mad at me? Why?
“The boss doesn’t like to share. He thinks you were making googly eyes at James. If you wanted to make him jealous, you scored a direct hit.” Noah stepped in front of her, much in the same way she had James.
“I’m not trying to make him jealous. I promise. I just wanted to make sure he didn’t overdo it out there. As desperately as I want to find her, I don’t want him to hurt himself in the process. And you know he will, if he thinks there’s even the slightest chance it might make a bit of progress.”
“I know, love. I like that you’re a straight-shooter. We all do. Life is complicated enough. Never did understand why most people need to make it worse by adding half-truths and lies to the mix.” Looking down at her, he paused before speaking again. “Between you and me? Throwing in a little jealousy and shaking him up a bit might be just what he needs.”
Finding Leigh: Dark Horse Inc. Book 3 Page 8
