Always (The Protectors Book 3)

by Leeanna Morgan

  She passed the plate to Grant. “Would you like another one?”

  “I won’t say no.”

  Mallory sighed. If it wasn’t for the routine that baking gave her, she’d feel like she was living in a glass bubble—one wrong move and her life would shatter around her.

  John’s cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Don’t eat all the cookies,” he said to his brother. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Rachel wrapped her arm around Mallory’s waist. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “I hope so. Otherwise, you’ll have enough cookies to last a lifetime.”

  Grant poured Mallory a cup of coffee. “You could always send some my way.”

  Rachel laughed. “You’re not going to play the single, helpless bachelor card are you?”

  “I eat cookies when I’m stressed. Mallory bakes cookies when she’s stressed. We’re a match made in heaven.”

  The warmth in Grant’s gaze made Mallory blush like a teenager. “You’re also an incredible flirt.”

  “Only with you.”

  Mallory’s face flamed even hotter.

  John came into the kitchen. “We need to talk.”

  She took one look at his face and knew something was wrong.

  He pulled a chair out from the table. “Sit down, Mallory.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Detective Stevenson from the Bozeman Police Department called. Andrew was involved in a hit and run accident in Great Falls. He’s in the hospital.”

  Mallory stared at John, wondering if she’d heard him correctly. “Are they sure it was Andrew? He was going home as soon as he left the park. He didn’t need to go anywhere near Great Falls.”

  “I don’t know why he was there, but it’s definitely him,” John said.

  Grant sat beside her and held onto her hand. “Is he going to be all right?”

  “He’s in surgery. The detective wouldn’t tell me anything else.”

  “Andrew has a wife and children,” Mallory said. “Do you know if they’ve been told?”

  “His wife is on her way to Great Falls.” John frowned at Mallory. “You know this changes everything, don’t you?”

  “I know.” She took a deep breath. It was time to do what Grant had asked. She had to trust that both brothers knew what they were doing.

  Grant squeezed her fingers. “Mallory can stay with me at the ranch.”

  “It’s not remote enough.”

  “You want me to take her to dad’s bunker?”

  “She can’t be anywhere near Bozeman. No one knows where your father built his bunker except us. I can have a helicopter here in twenty minutes. Depending on the weather, you’ll arrive in Saddle Butte in about three hours.”

  Mallory rubbed her temples. “Will I be there on my own?”

  “I’ll stay with you.” Grant hugged her shoulders. “It won’t be for long.”

  John handed Mallory a tissue. “The police have a number of eyewitness reports and video footage showing Andrew’s accident. They’re hopeful they’ll be able to arrest someone fairly quickly.”

  “What about your ranch, Grant? Who’s going to make sure that’s okay?”

  “I have ranch hands who help me. They know what needs to be done.”

  “And I’ll be here if they need help,” John added. “Are you happy for my pilot to fly you to the bunker?”

  She nodded. “I need to let my manager know that I won’t be at work.”

  “I can do that,” Rachel said from behind her. “I’ll let the other parents know that figure skating practice is canceled for a couple of weeks, too.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Rachel opened the refrigerator door. “How much food do you have in your bunker, Grant?”

  “Enough for a couple of years. The storage room is full of freeze-dried meals.”

  “I’ll pack some dinner for you.” Rachel took a bag of salad out of the fridge. “I cooked a chicken for tonight.”

  “We can’t take your dinner,” Mallory said quickly.

  “Of course you can. I’ve got plenty of frozen meals. We can have one of those.”

  John put his phone away. “My pilot will be here soon.”

  Rachel turned to her husband. “Would you get a cooler out of the garage?”

  “Sure. Do you need anything, Grant?”

  “No. Everything I need is already in the bunker.”

  Mallory stood up. “I’ll get my suitcase.”

  Grant looked at her with worried eyes. “We won’t be completely cut off from civilization. We can use my satellite phone to keep in contact with John.”

  “Do you have power?”

  Grant smiled. “Only for two hours each day.”

  “Are you joking?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see. Remember to bring some warm socks. You’re going to need them.”

  She left Grant in the kitchen. His bunker sounded like something out of the dark ages. She didn’t live an extravagant lifestyle, but even having a hot shower each day seemed unlikely.

  It was just as well she’d brought three pairs of thick, wool socks with her. All she needed was a pack of cards and a flashlight, and she’d be happy.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Grant helped Mallory out of the helicopter. He’d spent a couple of weeks at his cabin before Christmas, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

  Apart from his mom and dad, the only other person who had stayed here was John. It was nerve-wracking knowing that Mallory would be staying here, surrounding herself with the things that had kept him sane when his life was out of control.

  He grabbed two bags off the passenger seats.

  “Let me help,” Mallory said. “I can take my suitcase.”

  The pilot slid the cooler out of the helicopter and left it with the other supplies John had given them. “When you’re ready to go back to Bozeman, call your brother. I’ll be here as soon as I can.”

  “I’ll do that. Thanks for the ride.” Grant shook the pilot’s hand and stood beside Mallory.

  The helicopter lifted into the air and he took a deep breath. He hoped Mallory liked spending time with him because he was the only person she’d see for the next few days.

  She turned around and stared at where they would be living. “It’s a log cabin.” She sounded surprised. “I thought the bunker would have been like an underground cave.”

  Grant threw a bag over his shoulder and picked up the cooler. “My dad built the cabin on top of the bunker.”

  Mallory followed him through the ankle-deep snow. The storms they’d had in Bozeman hadn’t hit the foothills of Saddle Butte as hard, but it was still colder than usual.

  “When did your dad build the cabin?”

  “After he realized that most women wouldn’t want to live underground.” He checked the windows and front door. Living off the grid had its advantages, but it also made his home a target for vandals.

  “It’s beautiful.” Mallory ran her hand over the wooden walls.

  “The logs were milled from the property. Dad preferred to live off the land as much as possible.”

  He unlocked the front door and stepped inside the cabin. “I was here about two months ago. Watch out for the rat traps in the cupboards and behind the doors.”

  Mallory checked behind the front door and breathed a sigh of relief. “Are there any other animals I need to worry about?”

  “It’s no different than living in Bozeman, except our nearest neighbors are bears, bobcats, and eagles. Always put the lid on the heavy-duty trash can outside and never leave food lying around inside the cabin. If you do, you’ll have unexpected visitors that are bigger than rats.”

  A shudder passed through Mallory’s body. “I’ll remember. Where should I leave my bag?”

  Grant headed down a short hallway. “There’s a bedroom back here. You can have that, and I’ll take the sleeper sofa in the living room.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind sleeping in th
e living room.”

  “You’re safer back here. I’ll start the cabin’s generator before I bring the rest of our gear inside.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Mallory left her suitcase on the bed. “Does the barn we flew over belong to you?”

  “It does. I keep my SUV, a snowmobile, and a four-wheeler in there. There’s also a woodshed attached to the cabin and a larger shed where I keep the generator.” He held open the front door and waited for her to walk outside. It felt strange to have someone follow him.

  “How far away are your nearest neighbors?”

  “The Hennesseys are about three miles north of here. Living on Saddle Butte isn’t like staying in a hotel. If something happens, we rely on our neighbors because we’re a long way from help. Did you ever go camping when you were younger?”

  Mallory laughed. “No—mom doesn’t like roughing it. The thought of sleeping under the stars would horrify her. I think dad would have loved it, but he wouldn’t go without mom.”

  “How long have your parents been married?”

  “Thirty-five years in July. They’re going to the Great Barrier Reef for their anniversary.”

  “That’s a long way to go.”

  Mallory stood in front of the generator shed. “The anniversary gift for thirty-five years of marriage is coral. That’s why they’re going to Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is full of coral.”

  “Your mom doesn’t sound like the scuba diving type.”

  “She’s not. There’s a tour that takes you to the reef in a mini-submarine. That’s as close as mom’s prepared to get to nature.”

  Grant unlocked the door. “She sounds like a city girl.”

  “She also likes an adventure. After they’ve visited the Great Barrier Reef, mom and dad are heading to Sydney and Melbourne. It’s the best of both worlds.” Mallory stepped inside the shed and peered into the gloomy interior. “Do you want me to hold your flashlight?”

  Grant handed it to her. “Point it toward the bank of batteries. I want to make sure the connections are all okay.” He opened the lid on a large wooden box on the far side of the room. Inside were eighteen batteries.

  Mallory stood beside him. “Are they all right?”

  “There’s no build up around any of the terminals, so that’s a good thing. I’ll charge them now and check their water levels in the morning.”

  “But otherwise they’re okay?”

  He looked into Mallory’s big blue eyes. “There’s more than enough power to turn on the lights and make a cup of coffee, if that’s what you mean.”

  “I was thinking about a hot shower in the morning.”

  “There’ll be enough hot water for both of us to have a shower.”

  The grin on her face was infectious. He felt himself smiling, relief and something else making him glad they were here.

  Mallory peered into the box. “If these batteries power the cabin, how many do you need for the bunker?”

  Grant closed the lid. “I’ll show you.”

  On their way back to the cabin, he picked up the two boxes they’d left outside. They were full of warm blankets that Rachel had insisted they bring with them.

  Mallory held open the front door. “Rachel thinks we’re going to freeze to death.”

  “She might have been right a few years ago, but the extra insulation I installed has made a huge difference.” He walked through the living room and into the hallway. “For some reason, dad decided to hide the entrance to the bunker.”

  Grant left the boxes on the floor and opened the doors to a large closet. He knelt down and turned a hidden handle. “This is the safest place in the cabin. If anything happens, head down here.”

  With the trapdoor open, Mallory shone her flashlight into the big, gaping hole. “I feel like I’m in a James Bond movie.”

  “The bunker doesn’t have many gadgets, but it will keep you safe.” He reached into a box on the shelf and pulled out another flashlight. “Hold onto the handrail as you come down the stairs.”

  Mallory shone her flashlight across the walls. “This is incredible.”

  Grant stopped on the first landing. “My parents spent the first three years of their marriage in the cabin. When dad got a job on a ranch, they moved away, but they came back as often as they could.”

  “It must have been an interesting life.”

  “Mom said it wasn’t easy, but she was young and she loved my dad. She would have lived anywhere with him and still have been happy.”

  “How long were they married before he died?”

  “Eight years.”

  “Did she come back to the cabin after he died?”

  “We used to drive here a couple of times a year to make sure everything was okay.” He opened another door. “This is the main living space. It smells a little stale, but that will change as soon as I start the air filtration system. The bunker is made from huge, interconnecting steel cylinders. They’ll protect you from a nuclear shock that would destroy anything within a six-mile radius of the blast.”

  “As long as they protect me from Juan Garcia, I’ll be happy.”

  “So will I.” Grant moved his flashlight around the room. “Over there is the accommodation wing. The bathrooms are through another door beside the bedrooms. Straight ahead of us is the safe room. I’ll show you what’s inside there after dinner. The kitchen and storage areas are through here.”

  He moved further into the room. The white sheets covering the furniture glowed like ghosts in the semi-darkness.

  “You’ve got furniture?”

  “Dad made sure the bunker was ready in case we needed to live here. Mom left everything in the bunker after he died.”

  “And you’ve never wanted to change anything?”

  “When I’m here I don’t stay in the bunker. The only time I come down is to do maintenance or install new technology. I don’t care about the furniture or the color of the walls.”

  “That’s such a guy thing to say.”

  He heard the smile in Mallory’s voice and his shoulders relaxed. He opened another door and showed her the batteries and generator. “Welcome to my state-of-the-art off-grid power system. This runs on the same principle as the batteries we saw before—there are just more of them.”

  Mallory shone her flashlight around the room. “They’re in the same condition as the ones in the shed.”

  Grant studied the inverter, the bank of batteries, and the hydrogen exhaust pipe. “They are. I’ll start the generator and by tomorrow morning the batteries will be fully charged.”

  “Does the generator make as much noise as the one outside?”

  “It’s exactly the same, except this room is soundproof.”

  While he was getting everything ready, Mallory followed him with the beam of her flashlight. He explained what he was doing, showing her how to put gas in the generator and start the engine.

  When the system was working, he wiped his hands on his jeans. “We’ll check everything in the morning.”

  “That’s it?”

  “What else did you think we’d have to do?”

  “I thought it would be more complicated.”

  Grant picked up his flashlight. “The simpler the system, the easier it is to use. Are you ready to go upstairs? I’ll make dinner while you unpack.”

  “It won’t take me long to put my clothes away.” She turned toward the living room. “Do you have a refrigerator?”

  “I do. I even installed a flushing toilet.”

  Mallory sighed. “This is going to be a lot better than I thought.”

  Grant hoped so, too.

  ***

  Mallory washed the last dinner plate and leaned it against a glass. She was grateful for Rachel’s delicious chicken salad. It was just what they’d needed after their long day. “Is there a store somewhere close where we can buy fresh milk and vegetables when we run out?”

  Grant opened the cutlery drawer. “Havre is the nearest town. It’s about twenty minutes by car from
here.”

  “Can I come with you when we need to buy more groceries?”

  Grant dried a plate. “Nope. Too dangerous.”

  “Because you don’t want me to go on a spending spree or because someone might see me?”

  “Both.”

  When Mallory didn’t say anything, he raised his eyebrows.

  She handed him a wet cup. “It’s okay. I don’t have anything to add to the conversation.”

  “You’re not going to tell me I’m wrong and that you really need to be with me when I buy apples and milk?”

  Her lips twitched. “Not this time. Your cautious nature must be rubbing off on me.”

  Grant’s smile disappeared. He turned away and opened the pantry doors. “I wasn’t always cautious.” He left the plate and glass in the pantry and scanned the kitchen. “No more dirty dishes.”

  Mallory wiped the counter and left the dishcloth hanging over the faucet. Sometimes, Grant’s mood swings confused her. One minute he could be as happy as she was, and then something would happen to make him worried or sad. Eventually he’d tell her what the problem was but, for now, she would continue on as if nothing had happened.

  “What’s next?” she asked.

  “Well…I’ve got a pile of novels you could read or lots of board games I inherited from Bella.”

  “A book sounds good. It might help me go to sleep.”

  “I’m a thriller and mystery fan. The stories might keep you awake.”

  She followed him into the living room and watched him open the lid on a large wooden box.

  “Help yourself.”

  Mallory knelt on the floor and sorted through the books. “You’ve got some great stories.”

  “There isn’t a lot to do in the evenings apart from reading.”

  She pulled out two spy novels. “Have you brought other people to the cabin?”

  Grant sat on the sofa opposite her. “No.”

  “Never?”

  “Never.”

  She rested her arm on the edge of the box and stared at him. “Why not?”

  “I come here when I need time away from the world.”

  “It’s your soft place to fall.”

  Grant frowned. “Something like that. My dad didn’t have much, but he cared about this cabin and bunker. When I’m here, I feel as though a part of him is with me.”