by Elle James
Chuck’s problem was that despite having sworn off family and relationships for so long, he really longed to have another child and a woman to come home to. Not to replace the loved ones he’d lost, but in addition to them.
Chuck slowed his truck, preparing to turn if he needed to. “What’s the assignment?”
“I need you to come to the ranch. Your assignment is waiting here.”
“On it.” Chuck made a U-turn in the middle of the deserted highway and applied his foot heavily to the accelerator, speeding his way to White Oak Ranch where Hank had set up the headquarters for his brainchild, Brotherhood Protectors.
Chuck needed the work to distract him from his longing to be a father to Maya. Not that Daphne was keeping him from the baby he’d been with since her birth. But the child needed to bond with her father who had only recently come into her life. Chuck didn’t need to muddy Maya’s waters.
If he wanted children, he could find his own wife and have babies. Borrowing another family’s children…well, he’d just have to stay clear of those situations.
Surely, he could find a woman who wouldn’t mind marrying a man past his prime and heading unflinchingly toward the mid-century mark. He wasn’t old, but women of a childbearing age might consider him too old to father their children.
Why he was even thinking about a wife and children was self-defeating. He’d been a bachelor for so long, he would be terrible at a relationship.
He arrived within fifteen minutes of the call and pulled up to the sprawling rock and cedar house that had been built with a bunker beneath it, housing the armory, computer system and conference room for the brotherhood.
Chuck dropped down from his truck and climbed the steps to the front porch.
Hank met him at the door and opened it to let him into the wide-open living room with the cathedral ceilings and stone fireplace.
Sadie smiled at him from across the room. She carried her baby Emma in her arms. “Hey, Chuck. Would you care for a drink? I was just going to make tea for our guest.”
Normally, Chuck would have accepted a beer, but he didn’t know when his new assignment would begin, and he wanted an absolutely clear head going in. “No, thank you.”
Hank waved Chuck toward a seat in the living room. “You might want to sit down for a moment. Your client will be out shortly.”
Chuck shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ve been sitting in a rocking chair for the past three hours.”
Hank grinned. “Practicing for your old age?”
Chuck laughed. “Not quite, though some would say I am. I just left Boomer and Daphne’s house. I kept Maya while they went out for date night.”
“Makes sense. You’ve been with Maya since she was born. She’s comfortable with you and Daphne knows you.” He glanced toward Sadie, his wife. “Sadie and I still find it difficult to leave Emma with anyone.” He winked at Chuck. “I’ll have to keep you in mind.”
“Do,” Chuck offered. “I’m pretty good with babies. I can change a diaper in five seconds flat.” He wrinkled his nose. “Well, depending on the damage.”
“You’re hired,” Sadie said. “Oh, wait. You’re already hired as a Brotherhood Protector.”
“And your skills with children is part of the reason I chose you for this assignment,” Hank said.
Chuck frowned. “Why?”
“You will have two clients. And you’re pretty much conducting the same kind of operation you led with the FBI when you were assigned to protect Daphne and her baby.”
“Witness protection?” Chuck guessed.
“Not quite, but close. One of your clients is a marketing executive.” Hank looked past Chuck. “Ah, here they are now.” He held out his hand. “Kate, let me introduce one of the newest members of my team, Chuck Johnson.”
Chuck turned toward a striking woman with sandy-blond hair and clear, blue eyes. Her skin was tanned, and she wore a white blouse, khaki slacks and leather loafers.
“Chuck, meet Kate Phillips,” Hank said.
Kate held out her hand. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I didn’t want to show up anywhere else around here until I had my cover firmly in place.”
“What cover?” Chuck asked.
She frowned. “You, of course.” The woman darted a glance toward Hank. “I did specify the man had to be of above-average intelligence, did I not?”
Hank’s lips twisted. “Don’t let all those muscles fool you. Chuck is one of the smartest and most mature men on my team.”
Chuck leaned toward Kate. “That’s code for old.” He inhaled and caught the scent that could only be described as plumeria. He hadn’t smelled that scent in a very long time. Anne had loved the aroma of plumeria. Whenever he was in Hawaii, Chuck picked up bottles of lotion with that scent.
She’d still had one left when she’d…
Chuck shook himself out of the past and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Phillips.”
“Please, call me Kate,” she insisted, her grip firm though her hands were small.
In keeping with his promise to himself to steer clear of relationships, he shook his head. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep it on a professional level.”
Kate shot a glance toward Hank. “Perhaps Mr. Johnson isn’t so perfect for this job after all.”
“I can do anything,” Chuck protested.
She arched an eyebrow. “Can you do as requested? Because I need someone who can follow orders as well as give out a few of his own.”
His back stiffened. “I’ve done my share of following and giving orders, Kate.” If he put too much emphasis on her name, so be it. She’d questioned his ability to do a job.
Her eyes narrowed on Chuck, and then she faced Hank again. “My sister recommended you. Is this the best that you have? Because I need the best. I need someone who will lay down his life for us.”
Hank touched her arm. “It’s all right, Kate. With Chuck, you’ll be in good hands. And he has the perfect skill set for the job.”
Chuck frowned. “You keep saying that. I assume any one of your men has the same skill set I do.”
“They do…for the most part.” Hank grinned. “You have one more skill most of the others do not.”
Trying to figure it out himself, Chuck gave up. “And that is?”
Sadie said, “You have daddy skills. I knew you were the right man for the job as soon as Kate mentioned that requirement.”
“Requirement?” Chuck glanced from Sadie to Hank, and then to Kate. “I don’t understand.”
“Mama?” a little voice called out.
Everyone in the room turned toward the sound.
A little girl with bright, blond hair emerged from the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
Kate hurried toward the child. “Lyla, you should be asleep.” She patted the child’s back awkwardly.
“I can’t find Sid.” Lyla looked up at Kate. “I can’t sleep without Sid.”
“Who’s Sid?” Chuck asked. “Is there another child?”
Kate shook her head. “Sid is Lyla’s stuffed sloth.” She knelt on the floor in front of Lyla. “Did you look under the covers?”
She nodded. “I want you to look,” she whispered.
Chuck’s heart constricted. His Sarah hadn’t been much younger than this little girl. Seeing Lyla standing there in a T-shirt too big for her little body reminded him so much of Sarah. His chest squeezed so hard, he could barely breathe.
Kate took Lyla’s hand and faced Chuck. “This is Lyla. She’s the reason I need someone with daddy skills. I need to blend into wherever I land. And that means we have to look like a family. Mama, Daddy and Lyla. Anywhere we go, we have to pretend we’re a unit. No one can know she isn’t mine.”
Panic tightened his throat. Chuck held up his hand. “I can’t do this.”
“Can’t, or won’t?” Kate hit him with that direct stare. “I need one hundred percent commitment.”
“Why do you need protection?” Chuck bit out. “What are you a
fraid of?”
“I’m afraid of whoever broke into my apartment and tried to take Lyla. I don’t know who they are or why they were after her, but I have to keep her safe. I promised.”
“Promised who?” Chuck asked.
Her lips firmed into a narrow line. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we protect Lyla in the best way we can. I need everyone who comes into contact with her…with us…to think we’re a family. The people looking for her will be looking for a lone woman and child, not a family of three.”
Chuck studied Kate, his eyes narrowing. “How do we know you didn’t…” he lowered his voice to a point Lyla wouldn’t hear or understand, “How do we know you didn’t kidnap Lyla? Is she even yours to hide?” His gaze shifted from Kate to Hank. “Do you know?”
Hank’s lips quirked. “You have a good point, Chuck.” He smiled at Kate. “Kate is actually Lyla’s aunt. Her sister left her on her doorstep and disappeared.”
Chuck crossed his arms over his chest. “And how do you know Kate didn’t off her sister to steal her daughter?”
Lyla leaned her cheek against Kate’s leg.
Kate’s eyes filled. She blinked several times and lifted her chin. “I love my sister. I wouldn’t off her.” She patted Lyla’s head, without picking up the child.
Chuck couldn’t understand why the woman wasn’t taking the child into her arms to reassure and comfort her. Impatience and concern for the little girl won out. Chuck bent to Lyla. “Hey, do you want me to hold you?”
The child stared up at Chuck, clutching her hands against her chest. Her big, blue eyes showed fear at first, but then she yawned and held up her arms.
Chuck lifted Lyla into his arms and held her close. He gently rubbed her back until she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She drew in a deep breath and slept.
Kate’s eyes rounded. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” Chuck asked.
Sadie chuckled. “The man has a magic touch with small children. Emma took to him from the moment he held her in his arms.”
Hank nodded. “Exactly like Lyla just did. That’s why I knew he was the right man for the job.”
Chuck ignored them all and carried the sleeping Lyla back down the hallway.
“Second door on the right,” Sadie called out.
He found the door and entered the room with a full-sized bed in the middle of the floor decorated in light blues and grays.
A small child’s blanket lay in the middle of the bed. He’d found the right room.
Careful not to wake Lyla, he laid her down, covered her with the blanket. He found Sid, the sloth, hiding under a pillow, and slipped the stuffed animal beneath her arm. Then he backed away slowly.
At the door to the bedroom, Chuck paused to look back at Lyla and wondered what his own little girl would have looked like at that age. Sarah never made it to three.
His heart contracted, squeezing hard in his chest.
Lyla lay sleeping, her silky blond hair fanning out around her on the pillow, her stuffed animal tucked beneath her arm.
He’d just convinced himself the best course of action for him was to steer clear of women with small children. They reminded him too much of what he was missing, and he got too attached.
He still missed being with Maya every day, like he had when she and Daphne were under his care in witness protection.
But if he didn’t do this job, who would? He thought through the other men on the Brotherhood Protectors team. Only a couple had been around kids. And those were on other jobs.
Chuck stared at Lyla lying there, so innocent, so vulnerable, and he struggled inwardly.
“I’m sorry I was rude,” a voice said behind him.
He didn’t have to turn to know it was Kate. “It’s all right. You’re worried about your niece and your sister.”
“You were very good with her.” She moved up beside him. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about children. I left all of that up to my sister. While she was raising Lyla, I was concentrating on my career. I didn’t know what I was missing, and I liked it that way.”
Chuck understood all too well. He knew what he’d been missing after his wife and daughter died and, at times, wished he could forget. He loved children.
When Daphne had given birth to Maya during the time they were under his protection, he wasn’t sure he could handle being so close. But Maya came along and wrapped herself around his little finger so fast he didn’t know he was in love with her until it was too late. Now that Maya’s father was back in the picture and one of the Brotherhood Protectors, Chuck had made the decision to back out and give them time to bond as a family.
She locked gazes with him. “I need someone who can help me protect her.”
Chuck nodded.
“Lyla needs someone who understands what she needs.” Kate sighed. “I’m not sure I’m that person. Frankly, I need help.”
“She’s lost her mother, for all intents and purposes. Until your sister returns, she needs stability in her life. She needs to know she’s safe and loved.”
Kate stared at Lyla, her brows dipping into a concerned frown. “My sister moved away when Lyla was born. I barely know my niece. I don’t know how to take care of a child.”
“It’s not hard,” Chuck said.
“For you, maybe.” She turned to face Chuck. “So, will you help me?”
“A moment ago, you didn’t think I was the right man for the job.”
“Then I saw you with Lyla. She took to you right away. And Hank says you’re a Navy SEAL, one of the best.” She touched his arm.
A shock of electricity shot through his nerves. He glanced at the hand on his arm.
She pulled back her hand. “Please,” she said softly.
His gaze rose to connect with hers.
She had blue eyes, just like Lyla’s. “Lyla looks like you,” Chuck said.
Kate laughed. “She does. But then I look like my sister. We’re twins.”
Kate’s blond hair was a shade darker than Lyla’s, but the eyes were unmistakably sky blue and matched the child’s perfectly. Her skin glowed with a healthy tan, and when she smiled, her entire face lit up.
Beautiful.
Not in the runway model way, but in a real, girl-next-door, simple loveliness.
Chuck shook his head. And there were two of them?
“I’ll double whatever Hank pays you,” Kate said, her eyes wide and pleading.
“No.”
Kate’s shoulders sagged. “I get it. I was rude. If it helps, my father was military. I have great respect for our country’s men and women in uniform.”
“No,” Chuck said. “You don’t have to pay me double. I’ll do the job.”
“But Lyla already likes you. It makes sense for you to be the one…wait…what?” She stared at him with her pretty brows drawing together. “You will?”
He nodded. “I will. When do you need me to start?”
“Now,” she replied, without hesitation. “We need to start now. Before I show up in town in broad daylight.”
“Then we start now.” He tipped his head toward Lyla. “No use waking her until we figure out the logistics.”
Kate threw her arms around Chuck’s neck. “Thank you.”
Her body felt warm and soft against his. Chuck wrapped his arms around her middle as if they belonged there. She was just the right height. Not too tall or short, and her muscles were firm. He drew in a deep breath, inhaling the subtle scent of her perfume. He liked it. And he liked the way she felt pressed against him. A little too much for having just met her.
She was now his client. Other than pretending to be her husband and the father of her child, he had to keep their relationship professional.
He set her away from him and dropped his hands to his sides. “If we’re going to pretend to be a family, we need a place to stay. The bed and breakfast I’m renting now isn’t big enough for the three of us. Let’s talk with Hank. He’s more familiar with t
he area than I am.”
Kate rubbed her arms, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink. “Of course. We should talk with Hank. He’ll know where we can go.”
“In the meantime, we need to come up with a cover story. Since I’ve been here a few weeks, folks might have noticed I’ve been alone. They’ll wonder how a wife and child came from out of nowhere.”
Her eyebrows drew together, and her gaze sharpened. “You could have been scouting Eagle Rock for a place to live. I could have been wrapping up my job in LA. Which I did, as soon as my sister dropped Lyla on me.”
“Will Lyla have any problem calling you Mommy?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve already started wearing my hair like Rachel’s and have referred to myself as what she called my sister…Mama.”
Chuck nodded. “Good. Then all we need is to get her to start calling me Daddy.” He swallowed hard on that word. Sarah had called him Daddy. No child had called him that since. “And if she can’t do that, we won’t worry. I’ve known small children to get confused and call their parents by their first names.”
“How will you bring us into town?” Kate asked.
Chuck thought for a moment. “You’re safe in Hank’s house for tonight. I’ll go back to my bed and breakfast for the night. Once I find suitable lodging for our family, I’ll come get you and bring you in like you’re coming in from Bozeman’s airport.”
Kate nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s talk with Hank.”
Chuck glanced once more at Lyla. “She should sleep the rest of the night. But she’s probably missing her mother. You might consider sleeping with her for the night.”
Kate nodded. “I will. Poor thing. I know how she feels. I miss her mother, too.”
Chuck held the door for Kate and half-closed it before following her down the hallway back to the living area.
He wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into, or how long the assignment would last, but somehow, he had to keep his distance from the woman and child or risk breaking his heart all over again.
