by Elle James
Behind the barn was a compost pile of soiled straw and a wheelbarrow that had been turned over. Cage righted the wheelbarrow and pushed it into the barn ahead of Emily.
He parked the wheelbarrow near the stall they’d be working, while Emily fetched a pitchfork and a hay rake.
Between the two of them, they had the stall cleaned out within a few short minutes. Emily directed him toward a stack of straw bales. He separated a couple of sections from one of the bales and carried them back to the stalls, spreading loose straw in a thick layer to cover the floor.
Jake appeared. “I’ve fed and watered the other animals. If you guys are ready, let’s go get some chow.”
The threesome walked to the house in companionable silence. The scent of bacon, sausage and pancakes hit them as soon as they walked through the door. Several of the tables in the dining room were occupied by guests of the lodge, who were happily eating their breakfasts Gunny and RJ had provided.
Emily waved at an older couple. “Mr. and Mrs. Daughtry, oh, I’m so glad to see you,” she said and joined the couple at their table. “I forgot it was that time of the year.”
Mr. Daughtry stood and hugged Emily. “We’ve been coming to this lodge for thirty years to celebrate our anniversary. We wouldn’t think of missing it.”
“I’m glad I was here to congratulate you on another year.”
His wife stood and hugged Emily as well. “We just love to see you girls. We feel like you’re part of the lodge family. Watching you girls grow up and become such fine young adults makes our visits here even better. How’s your leg?”
Emily smiled. “It’s good.”
“We notice your limp is not nearly as pronounced.”
“Thank you, I try.”
“Will it ever go away?” Mr. Daughtry asked.
Emily shook her head. “Probably not. There was too much damage. They couldn’t completely make it like new, but I’m not complaining. I can walk.”
“How are things at the VA hospital?” he asked.
“Good,” she said, “I love my job.”
“That’s always nice to see. You’re a blessing to them, helping them get their lives back in order.”
“I do my best,” Emily said. “It’s the least they deserve for the sacrifices they’ve made.”
The older couple hugged her one more time and she made her way to the staff’s table.
Emily blushed when she realized Cage had been watching the whole time. “The Daughtrys are such a nice couple,” she said as she rejoined him. “They’ve been coming here since before I came, even before Gunny bought the place. They were really happy when he reopened the lodge.” She looked past him toward the dining room. “I’m going to see if we can help out in the kitchen.”
Cage followed her. Gunny had mentioned that Emily was shy. Cage hadn’t noticed. Everybody she talked to knew her, and she seemed to set them at ease as naturally as if she were born to do it. Not everybody could do that. The woman was special.
He was lucky to have her as his first assignment. She made him feel at ease just by being in the same room with him. But when she touched him, like she had last night, it made him feel a whole lot more than at ease.
If he hadn’t been in pain, he might have embarrassed himself with his attraction to her. Being attracted to the woman you’re supposed to guard probably wasn’t a good idea. He’d have to work on that, because he’d be spending a lot of time with her until they identified her secret admirer. They were about to go through the swinging door to the kitchen when JoJo and Max entered the lodge through the front door.
“Emily,” JoJo called out, “where’s Gunny?”
Emily tilted her head toward the dining room. “I think he’s in the kitchen.”
The swinging door opened outward, and Gunny and RJ stepped through carrying trays of food. JoJo hurried across the great room and the dining room. “Gunny, we’ve got a problem.”
“Don’t tell me,” he said with a grin, “you’d rather have easy over than scrambled eggs.”
She shook her head. “No, we really…you need to come see this.”
Gunny frowned. He and RJ set their platters on the table and followed JoJo and Max out the door. Emily, Cage and Jake were right behind them. They walked the path between the lodge and the bar and circled around to the front. Gunny swore and so did RJ.
When Cage rounded the corner of the bar, he could see why.
Someone had sprayed royal blue spray paint across the front of Gunny’s Watering Hole.
RJ read the words scrawled in blue out loud. “Violets are blue.”
Emily’s face blanched. Cage slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “It’s just paint,” he said.
“Yeah,” Emily said, “but he was here, and that’s not just a rose. That’s physical damage to somebody’s property. Gunny’s property.”
He couldn’t deny her words.
“Gunny, I’m so sorry,” Emily said.
Gunny frowned. “What are you sorry about? You didn’t do this.”
“No, I didn’t.” Emily’s eyes filled. “Still, I brought him out here.”
“You didn’t bring him out here,” RJ said. “He followed you, which is disturbing.”
“Yes, it is,” JoJo said.
“I should go back to my apartment.” Emily pushed a hand through her hair. “You guys don’t need this.”
“Oh, sweetie, you are not going back to your apartment,” JoJo said.
“You’re staying here so we can all look out for you,” Gunny added.
Emily shook her head. “I would hate it if something happened to one of you because of me.”
“We would hate it if something happened to you because we did nothing.” RJ gripped Emily’s arms. “Well, it’s settled; you’re staying here. And there’s no question now that you will have a bodyguard in Cage.” She smiled and stepped back, letting her arms fall to her side. “So, stop worrying.”
Emily drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not sure I can afford to pay him.”
Jake grinned. “There’s the beauty of the Brotherhood Protectors. The leader of the organization never wants money to be an issue when it comes to safety. They have a fund set up for just this situation. You don’t have to worry about paying Cage.”
As they studied the paint on the Watering Hole wall, Cage would have expected Emily to step out of the circle of his arm, but she didn’t. If anything, she leaned even more into him.
He liked how she fit against him. She was just the right height, not too short, not too tall. He bet she would be really easy to kiss. The thought hit him before he could think through it. He was to be her bodyguard, not her boyfriend, not her date and not somebody who should kiss her. This was his first assignment with the Brotherhood Protectors. He didn’t want to screw it up.
“I have a can of paint in the barn,” Gunny said. “I’ll get out here and paint over that this afternoon.”
“No, Gunny,” RJ said. “Jake and I will get out here after breakfast, and we’ll take care of it. By the noon crowd, it’ll be gone. Besides, you have interviews to do this morning.”
Gunny sighed. “You’re right. I’d rather paint the building and let you do the interviews.”
RJ shook her head. “You’re such a control freak, if I hire somebody, he’ll be all wrong. Besides, you’re a really good judge of character.”
“And so are you. I didn’t raise you to let boneheads into our lives.”
She smiled. “You’re right, but you’ll want to pick your replacement.”
“Dammit, RJ, he’s not going to be my replacement. I worked too hard to get this place where it is. I’m not just going to turn it over to somebody else.”
RJ patted her father’s arm. “No, you’re not, but you are going to find somebody you trust who will let you actually take a day off, maybe even a whole week off so that you can go on vacation.”
Gunny frowned. “I love what I do here. Every day’s a vacation.
I don’t need to go someplace else.”
“Maybe you don’t, but if Jake and I decide on a destination wedding you’re coming with us.”
Gunny’s eyes widened. “Is that what you’ve decided? A destination wedding? When? Where?”
RJ slipped her hand into Jake’s. “After Labor Day when things quiet down here, and before the winter crowd comes in. There’s usually only a trickle of guests then.”
Gunny frowned. “I don’t know, RJ. I haven’t left this place since I bought it.”
RJ planted her fists on her hips. “Daddy, you will be at my wedding if I have to have the Brotherhood Protectors kidnap you and take you there. I want you to give me away,” she added softly. “You’ve always been the main man in my life. Now that I have Jake…”
“I’m being replaced,” Gunny said. “I’m not sure I like that idea.”
“Far from it,” RJ said. “Now, I’ll have two men in my life, and I want both of them to like and respect each other.”
Gunny turned to Jake. “You already have that from me. Jake’s a good man. I’ll be glad to call him my son.”
“Good,” RJ said with a determined nod. “Then you can do that at the wedding.”
Gunny crossed his arms over his chest. “You still haven’t told me where it’s going to be.”
“Hank’s honeymoon gift to us will be to send us to Barbados,” RJ said smiling up at Jake. “I’ve always wanted to go on an island vacation. I already live in the best place in the world. It will be fun to go someplace different. Even better, because I’m marrying my best friend, and I’ll have my family around me, won’t I?” She looked around at JoJo and Emily, her eyebrow hiked in challenge.
“You bet,” JoJo said.
Emily grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Well, good, because you two are going to be my bridesmaids.” Emily and JoJo converged on RJ and hugged her tight.
Cage looked on, his chest tight. These people were family. Having grown up in the foster system, Cage couldn’t even remember his parents or that feeling of family, until he and Ryan had become friends. Ryan was the brother he’d never had. He’d been his friend and a confidant, and he was gone.
Emotion threatened to choke him. Even though he had held Ryan in his arms as the blood drained out of him and the light faded out of his eyes, Cage had yet to shed a tear. If anything, he was angry. Angry that it had been Ryan instead of him that died that day. Ryan was the one who was supposed to finish the Pikes Peak Marathon, not him.
They were both supposed to find the women of their dreams, settle down close by, have a couple of kids each and let them grow up together. They’d talked about having get-togethers in their backyards where they would grill hamburgers or steaks. They had tossed around the idea of taking up golf, though Ryan had moved too fast to have the patience for golf.
None of that would happen now. His friend was gone. All he had left of him was ashes. Even those, he was supposed to distribute over a mountain to fulfill his friend’s dying wishes.
“Come on, our breakfast is getting cold,” Gunny said.
“That’s right,” RJ said. “We can take care of this later.”
Emily moved out of Cage’s arm but took his hand instead and walked with him back to the lodge. He liked the way her fingers felt in his palm. They were strong and capable as he’d learned the night before, and yet soft and feminine. She had to be scared by the messages and gift from the stalker, but she was handling it better than he expected.
They entered the lodge and settled around the table, passing around sausage and pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon.
“If I stay here much longer, I’m going to get fat,” Emily said.
“You could stand to gain a pound or two,” Gunny said. “You’ve lost weight since you moved out.”
“And a good thing,” Emily said. “You feed me way too well.”
Cage agreed with Gunny. Emily was a bit on the thin side, but she was willowy and graceful, even with the limp. Still, it was her smile and her demeanor that captivated him.
“When are you heading back to town?” JoJo asked Emily.
“I was going first thing after breakfast, but I want to stay and help paint.”
Jake and RJ both shook their heads.
“Don’t worry about the paint,” RJ said. “We’ve got that. You need to go get your stuff and get back here.”
Jake captured Cage’s gaze. “And Cage is going with you to keep an eye on you at all times. So far, it’s just been words. We don’t know what your admirer has in mind next.”
“Or how the rhyme is going to play out,” JoJo said. “Red rose, blue paint…how’s he gonna use sugar?”
Emily shook her head. “I have no idea. Something else that kind of creeps me out,” she said, “is that we were busy last night at The Watering Hole. He might have been here the whole time.”
“Watching you,” RJ added.
Emily shivered.
Cage reached for her hand beneath the table.
Emily accepted his and held on. Her eyes narrowed. “As we were leaving The Watering Hole last night, someone was in his vehicle sitting in the parking lot with his brights on. Do you think that could have been him?”
“Did you notice what kind of vehicle it was?” Jake asked.
“No, the lights were blinding. I couldn’t see past them. I just thought it was irritating. Now, I think it’s creepy. At the last minute, when we turned the corner on the path to the lodge, I think the lights blinked. At first, I thought it was me, that I had blinked, but given the message on the wall, I don’t know.”
“Well, he’s definitely watching you,” JoJo said. “He had to have followed you to know you came out here.”
“He also has my phone number,” Emily said. “And he has access to my Jeep.”
“Well, Cage knows to keep you in his sight at all times but it goes both ways,” Jake said. “Make it easy for him to keep his eye on you. If you can’t see him, he can’t see you.”
“You’re used to your independence,” RJ said, “and I understand that. It was hard for me to let Jake keep an eye on me. I was used to going and doing whatever I wanted. Like Jake said, you need to keep your eye on Cage as much as he needs to keep his eye on you. That way, you know you’re in the same vicinity.”
Emily nodded. “I’ll do that, at least until we figure out who this stalker is and put a stop to his game.”
Chapter 6
Emily showered and changed into the clothes she’d worn the day before. She was glad RJ and Gunny had insisted she stay at the ranch. The drive into work on Monday would be longer, but she felt safer surrounded by Gunny, RJ, Jake and Cage. She wouldn’t have slept if she was in her apartment. Especially after her secret admirer had left a rose in her locked car. If he was able to get inside her locked car, how easy would it be for him to get inside her locked apartment?
While Emily was combing her hair in her bedroom, Cage showered and dressed in clean clothes that didn’t smell like the inside of a barn. Emily smiled. He’d been a good sport about helping to muck out the stall. Deep down, she wondered if she’d actually set him up with a bit of a test.
Some men had never been inside a barn, much less cleaned a stall of soiled straw and horse manure. Cage took to it like he’d done it before.
Come to think of it, Emily really didn’t know that much about Cage, other than the fact he’d been in the Army and he had a friend named Ryan who’d gone with him to the Pikes Peak Marathon. She’d like to meet his friend Ryan. He had to be a good guy if he was friends with Cage. She couldn’t imagine Cage having anything less than a good guy for a friend.
Even though she didn’t know much about Cage, she trusted her instincts about him, and Jake wouldn’t have hired him if he didn’t trust him completely. To be a bodyguard, the man had to be capable of protecting another person’s life. Granted, her life had yet to be threatened, but based on the way the paint had been spread across the front of The Watering Hole
, whoever had done it had been angry when he’d done it. That was pretty obvious. It didn’t take a psychologist to figure that one out.
The question was, why was he angry? She thought back over the night. If the man had been inside The Watering Hole watching her every move, what would have triggered him to want to spray paint all over the outside of saloon?
Emily brushed the tangles out of her wet hair, her hand moving slowly as she thought through everything that had happened the night before inside the bar. For the most part, she’d worked in the kitchen, helping to prepare plates, out of sight of the guests in the bar.
She hadn’t come out until late in the evening, at which time she’d sat down with Cage. Then she’d walked him around when he’d gotten the charley horse in his leg.
Ah, that was it. He’d draped his arm over her shoulder. To someone who was fixated on her, that might have been the trigger to make him angry. He might have considered Cage’s actions as making a move on her. And her response as allowing him to make that move.
She finished her hair by pulling it back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. It was still wet, but she didn’t care. Drying it would take too long, and she wanted to get to her apartment then go by her office and look through some of her files before they headed back out to the ranch.
Looping her purse over her shoulder, she glanced once more in the mirror. For a moment she reconsidered blow drying her hair. With it pulled back at the nape of her neck, it made her face look thin and angular, not soft and pretty. She’d forgone the makeup she usually wore on workdays. Her weekends were her days off from business clothes and makeup and dealing with other people’s problems. Apparently, now, she had a few of her own.
Emily opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the hall.
Cage exited his room wearing a white polo shirt, crisp blue jeans and boots. His black hair was combed back from his forehead, damp from the shower. His blue-eyed gaze met hers. The man was so handsome he took her breath away. It made her excited to be with him all day, and at the same time, kind of nervous. Would he find her as attractive as she found him?
