Texas Bodyguard

by Jean Brashear

  How had he managed it? she wanted to know. A devoted mate, bright, beautiful children, roles he only accepted when the time and place worked out for all of them.

  Liam had gotten it all right. She should take lessons.

  Unless she was simply doomed from the beginning because there was something innately unlovable about her.

  She danced away from that line of thought.

  As she approached, she studied Sean more closely. His shoes were clearly not brand-new out of the box, an ancient cops vs. fireman baseball game T-shirt with the sleeves ripped out and a pair of ratty running shorts indicating that these were his real workout clothes, the attire of the man who wasn’t out to impress anyone.

  And she’d been right about those arms, now that she saw them bare. In street clothing, he looked deceptively lean, but there was definite power in that frame.

  He was indeed handsome, but not in a pampered way, not someone who had facials or manicures or a spray-on tan. This was a real man, a kind she’d almost forgotten existed.

  At that moment Vanessa caught sight of her and turned with a welcoming smile.

  Annabelle was grateful for the distraction. No unwholesome thoughts about the bodyguard, Annabelle. Remember that.

  “Hi there,” Vanessa said.

  Dane turned in her direction, then Sean did, as well. She was more than a little gratified to see his eyes widen at the sight of her. She hadn’t gone to any special trouble; she wore her oldest running shorts and a sleeveless formfitting T. For an instant pride ambushed her. She wanted him to see that she, too, knew what she was about, that she was no dilettante about her exercise.

  “Did you bring sunscreen?” Sean asked. “Cause you’re going to need it. This sun is brutal.”

  “I live in the land of sunshine,” she reminded him.

  “Texas sun isn’t sissy sun like California. You’ll need more. I have some in the truck.” Then he turned back to Vanessa. “Thanks for the loan of the extra water bottle. I only had mine with me.” He glanced back at Annabelle. “There are points along the trail where we can refill our bottles, if need be. Gotta stay hydrated in this heat.”

  He wasn’t kidding. She was used to sun and to protecting herself from it, but she’d forgotten this combination of heat and humidity. Tennessee could be the same, but she hadn’t lived there in a very long time.

  “Thanks, Vanessa. Hi, Dane,” she said.

  “If Pretty Boy here doesn’t take good care of you, he’ll answer to me,” Dane said.

  Annabelle saw Sean’s shoulders stiffen. “Stop playing big brother. She’ll be fine with me.”

  “Dane…” Vanessa touched his arm. “I don’t understand why men have to talk trash to each other.”

  Sean grinned down at her. “If you had brothers you’d understand.”

  “Or if you’re the only girl with two brothers,” Annabelle added. “Let’s just say it’s a matter of survival to toughen up.”

  Dane nodded. “Jilly would completely agree with you, though I have no idea why.”

  Sean chuckled. “Yeah, ’cause all of you treat her with such kid gloves.” He glanced at Annabelle. “You have brothers?”

  “Sadly, yes,” she answered. “Both of whom think they need to tell me how to run my life.”

  “What else are older brothers for?” Dane asked.

  “That’s what mine seem to think.”

  They shared a smile.

  “You ready?” Sean asked her.

  “Absolutely.”

  “See you two later,” Sean said.

  “When will you—” Vanessa stopped abruptly.

  “I won’t keep her out late, Mom.”

  “I’ll keep her too busy to notice curfew,” Dane promised.

  “This place is beautiful,” Annabelle said. They were two miles into the run, and he was impressed to see that her breathing remained steady.

  “It’s a dedicated wilderness area, but it’s nice because it’s still in the city and easy to access. We’re lucky though, that it’s not the weekend or the place would be jammed.” He glanced over. “The heat bothering you? Please speak up, if so.”

  “I’m fine. I like hot weather.”

  “That’s good. You’re lucky it’s only May. It gets worse…way worse. August is a special kind of hell.”

  “How about some interval work?” she asked.

  “Yeah?” He was delighted. And impressed again.

  She checked her monitor. “I don’t know how you do it, but how about twenty-second bursts every two minutes?”

  “I’m game, except—” He looked over her dubiously.

  “You don’t think I can keep up with you?”

  She’d surprised him so far. Her endurance was good. “No, but my stride is longer. I don’t want to get ahead.” He’d been pacing himself thus far, but the shorter strides didn’t come naturally.

  “I don’t mind if you get ahead.”

  “Unh-uh. I’m your bodyguard, remember?”

  “You said you’re not a real bodyguard.”

  “If you think I’m facing Vanessa if something happens to you…”

  She grinned in response.

  “I know. I’ll run backward.”

  “Please. Don’t be insulting.”

  “Okay, how about I run around you during the burst? That’ll keep my heart rate up but keep me nearby.”

  “So then you can tell your buddies you ran rings around me?”

  He laughed. “Yeah. I kinda like the sound of that.” He winked. “Seriously, though, no insult intended. You can’t help it that you’re smaller.”

  She watched him carefully, suspicion in her gaze.

  He crossed an X over his heart. “I’m not going to be talking out of school about you, not to anyone.” That wasn’t a stretch, not exactly. He didn’t owe the task force personal details. They were only interested in her for her access to Lowe, unless she was somehow involved.

  He’d already decided she wasn’t. Undercover work meant you listened to your gut, and his was telling him she was clean.

  Not that he wouldn’t remain vigilant. He didn’t want to think a beautiful face could sway him or that he was too star-struck to see her clearly. There was much he still had to learn about the woman beside him, and he would pay attention.

  But he wouldn’t be spilling secrets no one needed to know.

  She was watching her monitor. “No circles. I’ll keep up. Ready?”

  He had to appreciate her resolve. “You bet.”

  She kicked it into gear, and he did the same. After they’d completed two intervals during which he’d shortened his stride, he decided he wanted to see her smile again. On the next one, he kicked his pace higher again and went past her, then circled around in tiny steps, chanting, “I can run circles around Annabelle Quinn, uh-huh, oh yeah.”

  She laughed as he closed on her and kept pace. “Nobody warned me you were a brat.”

  He chuckled, and they kept running.

  Chapter Six

  “I am stuffed tight as a tick,” Annabelle said, patting her belly.

  “Told you beef barbecue was better,” he said.

  “You are asking me to betray generations of my ancestors, you realize,” she drawled. Good grief, her Southern accent was sneaking back in. Not that she was ashamed of where she’d come from, not one iota, only that to play a full range of parts, she’d had to work hard to rid herself of the extreme Tennessee drawl she’d grown up with.

  “If they’d eaten at the County Line, they’d be in full agreement,” he argued. “You have to admit that.”

  “Anything else for y’all?” the waitress asked. “More hot washcloths? These have cooled off.”

  “Naw,” Sean answered. “She’s doing fine licking her fingers.”

  Oh good gravy, he was right. She’d gotten so relaxed she hadn’t paid attention to the fact that she was doing exactly that. “Um, a couple more would be great.” She wanted to look up and smile at the woman, but she’d kept her
cap on and pulled down over her forehead.

  “Right away.”

  “Oh!” She’d nearly forgotten. “Could you bag up those bones, please?” The waitress nodded, and Annabelle turned to Sean. “Surely Vanessa will let Skeeter have some, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know…she treats that dog like her baby, so she might not.” He grinned. “But you can bet the farm Dane will.”

  The waitress returned with their check, more cloths and a bag with the bones. Sean reached for his wallet.

  “No, please let me buy dinner,” Annabelle said.

  He shook his head. “I’ve got this.”

  “It’s not a date, Sean, and you won’t let me pay you for your time.”

  His face screwed up in disapproval. “I’m doing a favor for a friend.”

  “You’ve given me hours of your day, you’ve provided transportation.” Men were so touchy. For heaven’s sake, she was a wealthy woman, and he lived on a cop’s salary. She sighed. The eternal conundrum of her situation.

  “You got cash? ’Cause they’re going to see your name on the credit card.”

  She smiled. “This ain’t my first rodeo, cowboy. The card has my production company name on it.”

  “Smart girl. You don’t even sign with your name?” He paused. “Is Annabelle Quinn your real name?”

  “It is. But for the card, I use my middle name…and I scribble.” She placed her hand on his. The immediate zing made her realize yet again just how real he was, how alive and how seriously sexy. No way, she thought. Don’t go there. Quickly she removed her hand. “Please, Sean. This day has been such a gift. It’s the very least I can do. Please.” She waited for the reactions she was more accustomed to, either the happy acquiescence of a man who was attracted to her for her money as well as her fame, or the injured pride of a man who knew she was richer than him and resented it.

  But Sean only smiled. “You won’t try to pay every time, right?”

  She stilled. “We aren’t doing this again.”

  “Of course we are. We’ve barely scratched the surface of the glories of Austin, and anyway, you need a running partner. Can’t have you getting soft. It was nearly too late already.” Mischief shone in his grin.

  She smiled in response, then narrowed her eyes. “I’ll be running rings around you before you know it.”

  He laughed. “You talk mighty big, sugar. I think I can see how you came to be so successful.” He glanced at his watch. “Oh, man, we gotta hurry.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you out so long. Do cabs come all the way out here? I could catch one and you could go on.”

  He studied her. “I said we, Annabelle. There’s one more thing we need to do, though you’ve probably already seen it.”

  “Seen what?”

  “The bats. But you might have already watched them from your room.”

  “Bats?”

  “There’s a bat colony that lives under the Congress Avenue bridge, about a million and a half of them. They swarm out at sunset, and it’s quite the sight. I’m surprised Vanessa didn’t mention it.” He smiled. “Maybe she thinks you’re too sophisticated for that.”

  She liked that he didn’t. “So if you won’t argue and let me pay, we’ll get out of here sooner.”

  “Go for it,” he said easily. “But we have a deal. My turn next time. Oh, but first you have to tell me your middle name.”

  “I don’t know you well enough.”

  His eyebrows rose. “A mystery. I love a good puzzler.”

  “You’ll have to work for this one.” She placed her card on the bill and signaled the server, still keeping her head down. This dim corner booth had been a blessing because few people could see her, but she wasn’t going to push her luck.

  When the receipt lay on the table, she signed quickly, using her other hand to hide the name on it the way you do in school to keep someone from copying from you. This was too crazy. He made her feel like a teenager again.

  She jumped up and waited for him to rise from the booth. As they walked out, she kept her head turned toward him, and he drew her closer, one hand on her hip.

  His touch was a warmth she couldn’t ignore, an awareness she didn’t want. Just a bodyguard, she reminded herself. He’s doing a favor for a friend, that’s all.

  But she’d had more fun today than she’d had in months. Only now, contrasting Sean’s warmth to Barry’s cool distance, did she realize what a desert her marriage had been. How she’d deluded herself because she’d needed to believe that she could find a real love that lasted.

  “Almost there,” Sean murmured as they approached his truck. He hit the key fob to unlock the doors, but as he’d done before, instead of going around to his door, he opened hers.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Are you kidding? My mom would tan my hide if I didn’t hold a door for a lady.”

  Southern manners. She’d missed them. “Well, we wouldn’t want to upset your mom, now would we?”

  “You got that right.” He smiled. “Come on, Robin. Let’s head for the Bat Cave.”

  She chuckled and climbed in.

  Thirty minutes later, they were on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake, tucked in a relatively secluded spot away from the crowds gathered on boats and both shores flanking the bridge, yet still with a view that should give her a good look at the bat flight.

  When Annabelle’s eyes went wide and she bounced on her toes at the sight of the boiling cloud swarming out of the roost, her childlike pleasure got to him in a way he couldn’t afford to let it.

  “That’s amazing!” She swiveled toward him, her gaze alight with wonder. “I can’t believe this has been happening every evening, and I’ve missed it. Thank you so much!”

  Her delight warmed him, and he realized with a start that her outrageous beauty no longer gobsmacked him because her personality was even more magnetic.

  Whoa, boy. Don’t go liking her so much you forget why you’re here. She’s a means to an end, a key to your case. But that felt wrong in a way he’d never experienced on the job.

  Then Annabelle turned to him again, joy beaming, and their eyes locked. Held.

  When she finally turned away, he wanted to stop her, to stop time, to have the luxury of simply enjoying her. She was nothing like he’d expected. She might be a fantasy for millions, an idol, a dream lover…but he wondered how many people knew the real Annabelle.

  And why in the hell any man would even notice other women existed if Annabelle belonged to him. Bastard.

  No. Oh, no. This was not personal, could not ever be. He had a job to do, and he couldn’t allow himself to forget why he was here. To keep himself from making a big mistake, he dredged up mental images of the bodies he’d seen only a few nights before, the victims who were the reason he was here at all.

  While his fingers itched to draw Annabelle close, instead he made himself back away, put a literal step between them.

  A job. She’s just a job.

  Annabelle noticed the distance and looked back. “You okay?”

  Face grim, he nodded. “I have to go.”

  The light went out of her. “Oh. Of course. I’ve taken up enough of your time.” She put additional space between them and started toward where they’d parked.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I—I have an appointment I can’t miss.”

  “I understand. You’ve been terribly kind to give me so much of your time.”

  He could sense the hurt his abrupt excuse had caused. Damn it. This was an intolerable position to be in, but he hadn’t even probed for information on Lowe yet. “I had a great time, Annabelle.” That much was true, though he had no business having fun.

  She turned her head partway toward him. “I did, too. I appreciate your going to so much trouble, even if it was only for Vanessa’s sake.”

  Man, he’d made a hash of this. He gripped her elbow and turned her to face him. “I might have said yes because Vanessa asked, but Vanessa’s not h
ere now. I meant what I said. I like you.”

  A smile of scant mirth. “And that surprises you.”

  “It shouldn’t. I know how much more complex Liam is than his reputation, and he’s as famous as you.”

  “But?”

  He shrugged. “No buts.” He wished he could separate business from pleasure with her. That might be the strongest reason to get to the bottom of her relationship with Martin Lowe, so that he didn’t have to keep walking this line that made him feel like a fraud.

  Hell, he was a fraud, who was he kidding? He never got confused about his role undercover, never.

  But this time was different somehow. Because this woman was unique.

  Not because she was famous or beautiful—though heaven knows looking at her was no hardship—or probably rich enough to buy and sell him many times over, but simply because something in her spoke to something in him at a level he hadn’t experienced before.

  It scared the crap out of him. He couldn’t do his job if she became important.

  He needed to back off nearly as badly as he wanted to draw close, and he needed to be near her nearly as much as he wanted to run away.

  The job. Focus on the job. Save wondering about the rest for later.

  He didn’t have the information he was here to obtain, it was that simple.

  That complicated.

  “Is your dance card full tomorrow?” he asked with a lightness of tone he didn’t remotely feel.

  She studied him for a long moment. “No, but I’ll be fine. You have a job and a life. I appreciate the day, but you’ve discharged your duty to Vanessa, and I’ll tell her that.”

  Neither the cop nor the man wanted to hear that. “So if I called you tomorrow when the course of my day is more clear, you wouldn’t even consider another adventure?”

  She appeared torn. “Why would you want to?” When he didn’t answer immediately, she went on. “I mean, yes, I’m Annabelle Quinn—” here she made air quotes with her fingers “—but I’d hoped we’re beyond that. Are we?”