“Someplace no one would think to look.”
CoCo sent him a bewildered look. “Which is where?”
“The middle of nowhere, deep in the Kentucky backwoods.”
“What? Did you say Kentucky?”
He met her gaze briefly to say, “We’re going to Woodsville, Kentucky. Trust me, no one is going to follow us there and even if they did...they’d never find where we’re going.”
11
RIAN MADE A quick phone call to Kane, left a voice message with short details and the fact that he’d changed his mind and then secured plane tickets for them. On the outside he was calm, switching into protector mode seamlessly, but on the inside he was berating himself for putting a client at risk.
Why’d he go to that stupid club? He never should’ve agreed to go. If it’d been anyone else, he would’ve easily shot the idea down without a second thought, but CoCo had twisted him into a pretzel and before he’d known it, he was caving. A pretty smile and a hot body were a dangerous combination on the right girl, he thought darkly. “We’ve got a two-o’clock flight. We need to hurry to make it. We’ll rent a car when we land.”
“Do we really need to go so far? I mean, Kentucky? That’s so...rural.”
Now that the shock was wearing off CoCo was second-guessing the decision to leave town, but that was too bad. If he had to hoist her over his shoulder and carry her onto the plane, he would do it. “Maybe we should tell the FBI agents handling the case that I’ve been shot at. I think they might need that information.”
“After we land. We don’t know who we can trust and I’m not taking any chances. I’ll make the necessary phone calls after I’ve secured the new location. Until then, it’s radio silence.”
“But what about my dad?” she asked, worried. “He’s going to freak out if I just disappear.”
“I will contact your father. After we land,” he repeated pointedly. “Do you not realize how close you came to eating a bullet, princess?” She flushed and nodded with a small, scared movement. “Okay, then you know this is serious. No more playing by your rules. We’re playing by mine.”
Her body shook with a delicate shiver and he had to look away. That tiny motion was too reminiscent of how she’d shook with pleasure last night each time his tongue had danced on her skin, lapping at her pretty pink nipples. He cut his thoughts off, jerking at the unruly direction of his mind. Lusting after her had put them in this position and it wouldn’t happen again. “Look, I know it was scary but we’ll get through this. I just need you to buckle down and listen for once in your life, because now, it matters.”
“I just can’t believe it. I mean, who would want to kill me? I’ve never hurt anyone.”
“It’s likely not about you,” he answered. “Whoever is after your dad is looking for the easiest target. They know that you’re the one who means the most to him and if they hurt you, they’ll reach his Achilles’ heel.”
“But I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt my father. He’s a sweet old man who designs shoes, for crying out loud. I mean, you’ve met my father. Does he seem the type to create enemies?”
“You said it yourself, people with more are envied by those with less. And I hate to point out that your dad is more than just a shoe designer. He wouldn’t have risen to the top without some cutthroat business skills to match those creative talents.” She scowled at his logic but he couldn’t sugarcoat it for her sake. “I know it’s hard to imagine that your dad isn’t the sweet old guy with everyone he deals with but I’ve found that people with extreme wealth have the persona they share with their close family and the persona they cultivate with business associates...and they are rarely the same.”
“Well, my dad isn’t living two lives,” she said. “You’re off base. My father is a good man.”
“I hope he is. I hope that what you see is what you get but you have to be prepared if this investigation into who’s threatening him reveals something unsavory about your dad.”
“Like what?” she asked coolly.
Rian shrugged. “Too many variables to speculate. I’m just saying, be prepared.”
“That’s ridiculous. My father doesn’t have skeletons dancing in his closet. Someone is going after him because they’re jealous. Jealousy is an ugly emotion and can compel people to do crazy things.”
“Agreed, but revenge motivates people, too.”
She looked away. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. My dad isn’t a bad man and I won’t entertain the idea that he might be. End of story.”
He didn’t argue. He hoped she was right. In his experience, everyone had skeletons. He just prayed, for CoCo’s sake, that whatever was creating this mess wasn’t so big that it destroyed CoCo’s faith in the one man she seemed to love unconditionally. He might be a dick but he wasn’t that big of one. “You’re probably right,” he conceded for the sake of making peace. “But in the meantime, let’s just focus on keeping you safe. We’ll let the feds figure out the rest.”
She nodded and decided to let it go.
Within the hour, they were boarded and headed to Kentucky...the last place he imagined he might go to find sanctuary.
* * *
THE PLANE RIDE was long but nothing compared to an international flight, and within a few hours they were in Kentucky, tucked away in a rental Ford F-150 and headed to some place called Woodsville. She was still in a daze, struggling with the knowledge that she’d come close to dying and that someone actually wanted to hurt her. It’d been so much easier to believe that her father had been overreacting than believing the threats were real.
Once out of the city the countryside was pretty enough, but she wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the scenic splendor of rural Kentucky. In fact, tears were hovering too close to the surface for comfort and she didn’t know if it was the fear of being watched or the fact that she was coming down from a drug that squeezed all the serotonin from her brain and left her with nothing but depression after the high. To say it could go either way was depressing in itself.
“You were pretty quiet during the flight. You okay?” he asked.
What a question. Was she okay? How was she supposed to respond to that? Of course she wasn’t okay. She’d been shot at. Who bounces back from an experience like that as if nothing had happened? But she didn’t want to say any of that. “I’m fine,” she lied. “Just tired.” That part was true. She felt wrung out and her body was protesting the long plane ride after their epic sex session but she definitely didn’t want to bring attention to that, either. “How much farther before we get to this place? I feel like we’ve fallen off the map.”
“Good. That’s exactly what we want anyone who happens to get a notion to follow to feel. Woodsville is about an hour still. If you want to sleep, go ahead.”
She nodded and leaned against the door, using the seat belt strap to support her head. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but she was too strung out to allow true sleep to come. She made an exasperated noise and sat up. “Sleep’s not going to happen,” she said, beginning to get cranky. “Tell me about this place. Where are we going and why?”
He sighed, resting his arm against the window frame. “Well, I grew up in Woodsville. It’s a small town, no stoplights, a general store, a sprinkling of other stores, a school and a tiny hospital. That’s about it.”
“Yikes. Sounds like a prison.”
He laughed. “Yeah, that’s how I felt when I was growing up, but I had a shitty childhood so that might’ve influenced my opinion.”
“You mentioned your father was a jerk.”
“That’s the understatement of the year. He was an abusive asshole. He didn’t give two shits about his sons and when he was sober enough to realize he had two kids, he spent that time beating them. Well, he beat us when he was drunk, too, but it was easier to get away from
him when he was three sheets to the wind.”
CoCo didn’t know what to say. How horrific for Rian. “So...are you and your dad...?”
“He’s dead. Thank God. Heart attack. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person, that’s all I can say.”
“Wow. I’m sorry.”
“No need for that. It was a long time ago.”
“Yeah, but that’s still awful to have those memories, I would imagine.”
“I don’t think about the past. Can’t do nothing about it so why bother letting it ruin your present?”
“Very philosophical.”
“Nope. Just common sense.”
She nodded, thinking. “So I imagine that Woodsville doesn’t have many good memories for you?”
“Not many,” he confirmed but added, “except for the Bradfords. They took me and my brother in on the pretense of offering us summer jobs and then they sort of adopted us, unofficially. Cora and Warren Bradford were about the nicest, kindest people God put on this earth and they saved our lives.”
CoCo sat stunned by the private revelation and didn’t know how to react. Rian made more sense now that she knew a little bit more about him. “So that’s where we’re going?” she supposed and he nodded. “I can’t wait to meet the Bradfords,” she murmured.
“Well, you’ll get to meet Warren but sweet ol’ Cora died last year. Cancer. Let me tell you, the world lost an angel the day she died. She was good folk. Never had kids of her own but she adopted scores of them throughout the years. Best sweet potato pie you’ve ever tasted, too.”
“Sweet potato pie? I’ve never had it. What’s it taste like?”
“Sort of like pumpkin pie but better.”
“I like pumpkin pie,” she said. “But then, how do you go wrong with any pie?”
“Exactly.” He flashed her a brief grin and her stomach tightened. He returned his gaze to the road. “Anyway, Cora taught Laci a lot of her recipes so at least that legacy is continuing on.”
“Who is Laci?”
“Oh, Laci McCall...”
“You mean the country superstar? The one who recently won a Grammy for her hit single ‘Someday You’ll Belong To Me’?”
“The very same. That song was about my brother, Kane, by the way.”
“Wow. That’s impressive,” she said, forgetting about her aches and pains and general crankiness. “How’d they meet?”
“Nothing too glamorous. We all met as kids. Laci’s dad was a bit of a rambler so he left Laci with the Bradfords each summer when he went logging to make money for the winter. Laci and Kane started a thing and it never went away, even when Kane joined the military and Laci went on to become a big star. They recently found each other again and, well, you know how the story goes.”
“That’s so romantic.”
He laughed. “I guess it sounds romantic but they were spitting mad at each other for a long time. Couldn’t hardly be in the same room together without World War III happening.”
“That’s passion. In Italy, a passionate woman is something to treasure,” she told him. “Passion is what keeps love alive. That spark.”
“It also causes people to react emotionally. How do you think stalkers are born?”
“This is not the same,” she disagreed. “Don’t you believe in love? How can you share that incredible story about your brother and Laci McCall and not believe in love?”
“I didn’t say I don’t believe in it. Clearly, my brother hit the jackpot with Laci but I’m not so delusional that I think that it happens that way for everyone and frankly, I’m too busy with my life to chase after what could turn out to be a pipe dream.”
She frowned. “That’s so...depressing.”
“Why?”
CoCo shrugged. “It just is. Love is what makes life worth living, otherwise you’re just going through the motions until the day you die.”
“Now, that’s depressing.”
“We die alone. Why should you be alone while you’re living?”
He chuckled. “True. But I guess it’s just not for me. I like having variety and being able to do what I want, when I want to. Can’t do that if you’re tied down.”
His answers were honest. She shouldn’t care how Rian felt about relationships or matters of the heart but there was a tiny part of her that cared a lot. It was that tiny part that bothered her. She wasn’t the kind of girl who slept with a guy and suddenly went all gooey over him. In fact, most times it was the other way around. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d been hounded by ex-lovers begging her to come back to them. She couldn’t get away fast enough from those ones. So to feel that pinch when Rian admitted his personal philosophy was just par for the course. Shot at, on the run and now secretly pining for a man who wasn’t the least bit interested...yeah, that’s perfect.
12
THEY PULLED INTO the Bradford Ranch around six that night and even though he wasn’t a fan of Woodsville, he loved the ranch. He inhaled a deep breath of the cleansing country air, taking in the faint scent of horses in the barn and cattle in the field, and something inside his chest loosened.
“This is gorgeous,” CoCo admitted, taking in the huge rolling hills and the pretty, lazy creek carving its way through the green valleys. The setting sun bathed the hills in red and orange, setting a halo of light behind CoCo’s head, and Rian had to look away before she realized he was staring too hard. Even hungover with dark circles under her eyes, hair in a tangle, she was breathtaking. It didn’t help that he remembered with excruciating detail how luscious that body was beneath her jean shorts and top. “How many acres?” she asked.
“More than four hundred,” he answered, grabbing their luggage from the bed of the truck. “It’s a nice spread. Big enough to give enough space and small enough to manage.”
“Four hundred acres is not small by any stretch of the imagination,” she corrected him with a small smile. “And the air is so clean. Reminds me of my dad’s country home in Italy. So pretty and peaceful.”
“Yep. Well, until you meet Warren’s fossil of a dog, Dundee. I don’t even know how he’s still alive. Watch out if he stakes a claim at your feet. That dog has gas that could kill an elephant.”
She laughed. “Thanks for the warning. Does your brother know we’re coming?”
“He will once he listens to his voice mail. He and Laci are in Montana for a few weeks and the cell service is spotty. But he already offered up his place so we’re good.” He pointed at the beautiful farmhouse-style home to the left of the main house and said, “That’s where we’ll be staying. Laci got it in her head to build a replica of the original farmhouse and so, here you go. Nostalgia and modern convenience married up and created a five-star experience. I think you’ll like it.”
“It’s amazing,” she agreed as they walked toward the house. “And you’re sure they won’t mind?”
“It’s fine.” He plucked the spare key from under the pump where Kane told him it would be and handed it to her. “You go ahead and get situated. I’m going to let Warren know we’re here so he doesn’t come shooting in the dark when he hears us moving around outside.”
She couldn’t tell if he was serious or not and, given the fact that she’d just been shot at, he realized too late that joke was probably too soon, but she lifted her chin and trudged forward like a trouper and a spurt of pride followed. She was a tough cookie. He liked that about her. Hell, if he were being honest, he was starting to like a lot of things about her. Was he on a mission to totally screw up his life? If he kept up with thoughts like that, it would seem so. He headed for the main house and after a quick knock, he entered, immediately assaulted by the smells from the pleasant part of his childhood. Cora had always filled her house with the scent of baking. To this day he couldn’t walk past a bakery without thinking of her
and how she’d fattened him and Kane up as if it were her God-given duty to save them from starvation. Maybe it had been. He walked into the house through the kitchen and found Cora’s dearest friend and bridge buddy, Adeline, cleaning up, a warm smile wreathing her plump face when she saw him.
“Well, look at who’s here, Warren. You come here and give me some sugar,” she instructed him with a happy grin. Adeline and Warren had gotten closer after Cora passed and it was a relationship that everyone supported because Adeline, who was a lot like Cora, was a perfect fit for Warren. “Why didn’t you call? I could’ve whipped up something nice.”
“Don’t go to any trouble, Adeline,” he said, wrapping the old gal in a hug. “Just here for a few days. How are you?”
“Can’t complain. The Lord is good to us, for certain. Warren had a bit of a stomach bug last week but he’s right as rain now.” Right on cue, Warren entered the kitchen with a frown but otherwise looked as he always did.
“Woman, don’t go sharing details like that. No one needs to know about my stomach bug,” he groused but Adeline, much like Cora, never took offense at his gruff style and simply waved a dish towel at him with a wink. Warren, still hale and hearty in spite of his age, clasped Rian’s hand in a firm handshake just as he’d taught both Dalton boys. A man had only one chance to make a first impression, he’d told them, and that started with a firm, manly handshake. No one liked a limp handshake. Couldn’t trust a man who shook like that. Surprisingly, Rian had discovered that advice was pretty spot-on. “You look good, son. What brings you home?”
Home. A warm feeling filled his gut and he smiled. It felt good to be loved by this man. If only life had seen fit to give the Dalton boys to the Bradfords from the start. Imagine how their lives would’ve turned out different. Not that he was complaining, but he’d lied to CoCo. Sometimes he thought of the past and the bad memories always knocked the wind from his lungs. “You look pretty good yourself. I see Adeline is keeping you healthy with her Southern cooking.”
Sex, Lies and Designer Shoes Page 9
