Rancher Under Cover

by Carla Cassidy

  “It’s all right,” he whispered softly against her hair. “You’re fine and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. It’s going to be okay, Caitlin, you’re going to be okay.”

  She welcomed the words of comfort even though she wasn’t sure she truly believed them. For several long moments she stood in his arms, oddly reluctant to leave his embrace.

  Finally, with a gulping gasp, she staunched any tears that might try to follow the initial torrent and stepped away from him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as she swiped the moisture off her cheeks. “I don’t usually break down like that.” She sank back down on the sofa, afraid that her trembling legs wouldn’t hold her up another minute without his support. “I’m just so scared.”

  He nodded. “I’ve got the men checking out the area to make sure nobody is on the property who isn’t supposed to be.” He sat down next to her as Esme came back in with a cup of tea.

  “Randall,” she said as she set the tea on the coffee table in front of Caitlin. “What in heaven’s name is happening around here? Somebody shot at Caitlin. You have to find out who is responsible for this.”

  “I’m going to do the best that I can, but I’ll tell you one thing, the two of you aren’t staying in this house alone for another minute. I’m moving in.”

  He looked at Caitlin, his chin lifted as if expecting a protest. But the protest he expected, the one Caitlin was sure would spew out of her, didn’t come.

  She realized she wanted him beneath this roof until they knew what was happening. She didn’t want to be alone with just Esme in the house. Somebody obviously had a problem with her, and until she knew who and why, she wasn’t taking any foolish chances.

  “We’ll put him in the guest room next to mine,” she said to the older woman.

  Esme nodded. “I’ll go upstairs and get it ready.” As Esme disappeared up the stairs, Caitlin turned to look back at Rhett. There was a touch of surprise on his ruggedly handsome features.

  “I might be strong-willed and independent, but I’m not stupid enough to turn down help when it’s offered,” she said wryly.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, some of the darkness in his eyes lifting.

  “That night on the porch, somebody tried to shoot me then, too.” It wasn’t a question but rather a statement of fact as she thought of that surprise attack.

  “That would be my assessment now,” he agreed. “And this is when I ask you again if you have any enemies that I need to know about.”

  She shook her head and felt the press of tears burning hot behind her eyes once again. “No, I can’t imagine what this is all about.” God, she needed to talk to her father and she needed to forget that for just a few minutes she’d liked the feel of Rhett’s arms around her.

  “I feel as though my head is about to explode with so many questions and I don’t know where to go to get answers,” she finally said.

  “I’m going to head out to my cabin and pack up my things. I’ll be back here in fifteen minutes or so and then maybe we can put our heads together and figure something out.” He got up from the sofa. “Walk me to the door and lock it behind me.”

  She pulled herself up off the sofa and walked with him to the door. As he stepped outside she shut and locked the door, then moved to a window where she could see him as he walked toward the foreman’s cabin.

  She’d been stunned to realize that she’d wanted him to hold her, that she’d wanted his strong arms wrapped around her as he told her everything was going to be fine.

  Of course, standing in a man’s embrace for a few moments was far different than making love with him. Just because she’d found comfort in Randall’s arms for a minute didn’t mean there could ever be anything else between them.

  It had to be terror that had made her feel more than okay in his arms. She’d just suffered a tremendous shock and any strong arms would have done the trick.

  Still, there was no question that she’d feel safer with him in the house. This had shaken her to her bones, made her wonder where danger might come from next.

  She turned as Esme touched her on the back. “The room is ready for him.”

  Caitlin turned to face her. “Are you in love with my father?” she asked, desperate to focus on anything other than bullets and Randall.

  Esme’s cheeks flamed bright red and her gaze quickly skittered away from Caitlin’s. “What would make you say such a thing? Somebody just tried to kill you and you’re wondering about my love life?”

  “I think I have my answer in the redness of your blush,” Caitlin replied gently. “It’s okay, Esme. If you and my father have a relationship I’m happy about it.”

  Esme’s gaze met hers and she released a tremulous sigh. “I think I fell in love with your father on the day he hired me to take care of you, but he was nothing but an employer for many years.”

  She grabbed Caitlin’s hand in hers. “Your father, he grieved deep and long for your mother. She was the love of his life, and it took him many years before he was able to move past his grief. You were in college when things changed between me and Mickey. We realized that we cared about each other. He’s my heart, Caitlin, and I believe that I have become his.”

  Wistfulness filled Caitlin, along with a sweet happiness at knowing that the two people she loved most in the world had found each other. “But why haven’t the two of you married?” she asked.

  Esme dropped her hand. “Your father asked me to marry him years ago, but I told him no. He’s an important man and I am his housekeeper. I never wanted to be a liability for him. I’m satisfied with the way things are.” Her eyes darkened. “But we need him home now more than ever. I’m afraid for you, Caitlin, but I’m afraid for him, too. Why hasn’t he called?”

  Caitlin wished she had the answer. “I don’t know,” she finally said. At that moment there was a knock on the door signaling that Randall had returned with his things.

  Caitlin let him in and her mind was once again filled with the thought of the whiz of bullets and the warm safety of Randall’s arms. He carried only the duffel bag she’d seen in his room. Obviously a man who traveled light, she thought.

  “I’ll show you to your room,” she said.

  He nodded and followed her as she headed up the stairs. There was a part of her that wondered if having him in the house, right next door to her bedroom, wasn’t a mistake.

  What if he heard her scream during one of her nightmares? What if he wanted to know what those dreams were about? What if she found herself in his arms once again? It would definitely be false advertising on her part. She already knew he felt desire for her, and to lead him on in any way wouldn’t be fair to either of them.

  “Here you are,” she said as she led him into the guest bedroom decorated in shades of navy blue and ivory. The bed was king-size and the nightstands and dresser a dark mahogany. “There’s a bathroom across the hall and everything you need should be in the linen closet.”

  He dropped the duffel bag to the floor and offered her a warm smile. “Definitely beats the foreman’s quarters.” The smile lasted only a moment and then was replaced with a small grimace. “I talked to the men. They checked the property but didn’t see anyone. They found an area in the trees where they think the shooter stood to fire at you, but nothing to indicate who or why.”

  Caitlin’s knee began to throb and a headache blossomed across the front of her forehead. She raised her hands and rubbed her temples. “I can’t imagine why any of this is happening.”

  “Headache?” he asked, a touch of sympathy in his gaze.

  She nodded. “I think maybe I’m starting to feel the effects of hitting the ground from Buttercup’s back.”

  “Not to mention the whole emotional trauma of being shot at. I’d say that’s enough to give anyone a headache. Why don’t you take a hot bath, maybe lie down for a little while? Consider me officially on duty as your bodyguard.”

  Her bodyguard. She definitely liked the sound of that. She ga
ve him a grateful smile. She had no idea what winds of fate had blown him to this ranch, to her, but she was aware of the fact that he was going above and beyond his job for her.

  “I think maybe I’ll do just that,” she said. “I’ll see you later for dinner.” She left him in the guest room and went to her own room and closed the door.

  Heading for her bathroom, she stripped as she walked, her thoughts consumed by the man in the room next door. In the span of three short days he’d made her not only like him, but trust him, as well.

  There was something so solid, so reassuring about him. There was something so hot and tempting, as well. She got into the shower and stepped beneath the warm spray of water.

  Somebody had tried to kill her. There was no way to sugarcoat what had happened in the pasture. Those had been real bullets that had buzzed by her head, with the real capacity to take her out of this world.

  Who? Who had tried to kill her and why? There had to be a reason for somebody to want her dead, but damned if she knew what it might be. Whoever it was had tried twice already. When and from where would another attempt occur? She shivered despite the hot water that cascaded over her bare skin.

  They should call the police to report the shooting. Esme had wanted to, but Caitlin had talked her out of it. She was afraid to get the police involved in any way until she knew what kind of trouble her father might be in. Besides, she consoled herself with the fact that Rhett was here and he would do everything in his power to protect her. For the moment, until she knew more about her father’s circumstances, that had to be enough.

  It was much easier to think about Esme and her father. She should be shocked by what Esme had told her, but she wasn’t. She now remembered stumbling down the stairs for breakfast while visiting from college to find her father and Esme sitting together drinking coffee and laughing at some private joke.

  Small touches, secretive smiles, they had all been there between the two, but Caitlin hadn’t been paying attention. She was glad they had each other, although she couldn’t deny the hint of loneliness that filled her own soul.

  She wanted what they had, a love, a devotion that would last through the years, but that dream seemed impossible now. It had been stolen from her. She shut off the water, stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry off.

  Was it possible the attacks on her were somehow related to the Raven’s Head Society and whatever trouble her father was in? And dammit, where was her father? Why hadn’t they heard from him?

  She pulled a robe around herself and got into bed, as weary as she’d ever been. The trauma of the near-death experience, coupled with the chaos in her brain, had her positively exhausted.

  Surely she’d feel better after a short nap. She closed her eyes and tried to shut off her mind, but it refused to be silent.

  First the men in the jungle and the attack. Tell your father his old friends say hello. And now bullets flying in her direction.

  Her father’s absence, his very silence felt ominous. Her eyes snapped open and dread seeped into her bones. Perhaps there was a reason Mickey hadn’t gotten in touch with anyone. Maybe the men who were looking for him had already found him. Her heart cried out with denial.

  Maybe he was already dead.

  Chapter 7

  The minute Caitlin went into her room, Rhett got busy. He spent the next hour going from room to room in the large house, checking windows to make sure they were locked and doors to see if they had dead bolts. He needed to make sure the house was as secure as it could possibly be.

  He was pleased to find out that the house was wired with a high-tech security system, although Esmeralda told him it was rarely used. That was about to change.

  He then made a call to his supervisor to let him know what had happened. Both men speculated on whether it was possible that the attacks on Caitlin were somehow related to the Raven’s Head Society, but in the end they came up with nothing conclusive.

  Caitlin’s relationship with her father was such that surely the members of the society knew that if they killed Caitlin, Mickey would become a loose cannon that they couldn’t control.

  With his daughter dead there would be nothing to keep him from coming forward and spilling his guts. Bent on revenge, reeling with grief, he’d name names, to hell with the consequences.

  Unless Mickey was already dead.

  Rhett couldn’t know for sure, but he didn’t think the man was dead. If he was, then why would anyone go after Caitlin? He felt as if he was thinking in circles and that somehow he was missing a vital piece of information that would make it all make sense.

  After the phone call he drifted down to the kitchen where Esmeralda was in the process of making dinner. “Something smells good,” he said as he sat on a chair at the table.

  “Pot roast and potatoes,” she replied. “I just made some coffee. Would you like a cup?”

  “That sounds good,” he agreed.

  She took down two cups from the cabinet, filled both of them and then carried them to the table where she sat across from him.

  “Thank you for stepping up to try to protect Caitlin,” she said. She wrapped her hands around her cup. “I just wish I knew what was going on. I wish Mickey were here.”

  “That makes two of us,” Rhett replied.

  “You like her.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “I do,” he said not bothering to pretend he didn’t know who she was talking about. He took a sip of the coffee.

  Esmeralda frowned. “She’s changed. The sparkle in her eyes is gone. Something bad happened to her that brought her home, but she won’t talk to me. Maybe she’ll talk to you?” She eyed him hopefully.

  Rhett lowered his cup. “It’s doubtful. She seems fairly closed off.”

  Esmeralda leaned forward. “But that’s not like her. Before she left to go to El Salvador she was filled with laughter and life. She left here a happy, vital woman and she came back here a dead woman with shadows in her eyes.”

  She certainly hadn’t felt like a dead woman when he’d touched his mouth to hers. She definitely hadn’t felt dead when he’d held her in his arms.

  “I’m scared for her and I’m scared for Mickey,” she added. “I can’t imagine what’s keeping him from us.”

  “Was he in some sort of trouble before he left here?” Rhett asked. “Maybe having a beef with somebody or having financial troubles?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but if he was I don’t think he would have told me. Mickey is old-school about those things. He’d want to protect me and Caitlin.”

  “Can you think of anyone Mickey might go to? Someplace he would run to if he were in trouble?” Rhett asked.

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve racked my brains to try to figure out where he might be, why he hasn’t called, but I don’t have any answers.”

  Rhett stifled a sigh of frustration. He had no doubt that Esmeralda was telling him the truth, but he still wasn’t sure what Caitlin knew or didn’t know about the conspiracy her father had gotten himself involved in.

  “What are you going to do to keep my girl safe?” Esmeralda asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

  “Whatever I can,” he replied firmly. “She’s definitely not leaving this house again until we figure out who is after her. We need to make sure the doors remain locked at all times and the security system is engaged. Nobody comes into this house unless it’s Mickey O’Donahue himself.”

  “That’s fine by me.” Esmeralda’s dark eyes brimmed with tears. “All I want is my family safe.”

  Rhett’s heart constricted a bit. He was betraying Esmeralda as much as he was Caitlin. The minute Mickey showed up here safe and sound, Rhett’s job was to take him into custody. He had no idea what kind of charges the man would face or what kind of prison time, if any, Mickey might be looking at. What he did know was that in doing his job he was going to break the hearts of two special women.

  In the past few years of his life he knew he’d broken hearts
. He’d dated a little, slept with some knowing that he’d never allow himself to care deeply about any woman again. Still, the idea of breaking Esmeralda’s and Caitlin’s hearts weighed heavily in his mind.

  As Esmeralda got up from the table to check on the evening meal, Rhett finished his coffee and then called Clint on his cell phone and told him to meet him on the front porch.

  “I want you to take over my duties as foreman for the time being,” Rhett told the man as they stood on the porch minutes later. “I’m going to be staying here in the house until we figure out who tried to hurt Caitlin.”

  “You sure you know what you’re doing? Getting personally involved in all this?” Clint asked. “If things somehow go bad it will be your head that will roll.”

  “No, I definitely don’t know what I’m doing and I’m hoping things won’t go bad,” Rhett replied with a wry smile. “But there’s no question that I don’t want two women alone in the house after what happened this afternoon. Anybody you know have a beef with Caitlin? Maybe one of the other ranch hands?”

  Clint frowned. “Not that I’m aware of and I can’t imagine why anyone would have a problem with her. She hasn’t been around for a while, and even before she left she wasn’t a difficult woman to work for.” He hesitated a moment, and then added, “Maybe somebody should check on Garrett Simms.”

  Rhett wanted to kick himself for not thinking about the missing foreman before now. But it seemed a stretch to think that a man would kill an innocent woman because he was unhappy at his job.

  “I want you all to keep your eyes open,” Rhett continued. His gaze drifted out toward the small corral where Molly was contained. “And spend some extra time with Molly.”

  “You got it,” Clint agreed.

  There was nothing more to say. The minute Clint left, Rhett called his contact and requested that somebody find Garrett Simms and check his alibi for both shootings.

  After making the call Rhett went back into the house. As he walked back into the living room he saw Caitlin coming down the stairs.