Daddy in Cowboy Boots (Montana Daddies Book 9)

by Laylah Roberts

  “What choice do I have? I can’t stick around with him here.” Especially not now.

  “If you don’t mind my asking, why haven’t you left before now? Why stay with your aunt?” Ed asked.

  She ran a hand over her face, feeling ashamed. “Money. I have diabetes. If I left, I wouldn’t have any insurance. I don’t have much in savings. I don’t have any other family. So I guess I was too scared. Worried I would end up homeless and alone. without anyone to help me. She might not be much, but she’s the only family I have.”

  “Did you tell her about any of this?” Ed asked.

  “Yeah.” She sniffled. “She told me to give him whatever he wanted.”

  “That fucking bitch,” Linc snapped.

  She flinched and Ed held up a hand. “Linc, easy.”

  “I’ve known for a long time that she doesn’t feel much towards me. I’m a convenient maid. Someone she can use, I barely get paid anything. She takes it all for room and board. The only reason I have any money saved is from when I’ve been given a big tip and managed to hide some of it from her.”

  “That fucking bitch. She told you to give him what he wanted. Your own aunt fucking said that.” Linc’s body was practically vibrating with rage.

  She ran her hand over his shoulder and arm, trying to soothe him. “It’s okay. I’m all right.”

  He gave her an incredulous look. “I can’t believe you’re trying to reassure me right now.” He shook his head. “That’s my job.”

  “You seem to need it more than me.”

  “And tonight? He was there?” Ed asked.

  Linc scowled at him, but she nodded. “Like I said, I drove up and saw there was a party going on. I needed some things from my room. My money, my insulin.” She didn’t mention Princess Nana or her snuggly. Some things they didn’t need to know about.

  “I got inside and there was a fight. I hid while it was going on. Then I was about to run upstairs when he grabbed me. I was trying to resist him and he pinned me to the wall. He put his hand around my neck, he was strangling me. Then he . . . he was undoing his pants, threatening to make me . . .” she let out a sob.

  She could hear Linc swearing. A long string of words she’d never imagined she’d hear out of his mouth. Then he reached over and grabbed the tissue box that Ed held out. But instead of handing them to her, he shocked her by gently picking her up and lifting her into his lap.

  She stiffened. She still wasn’t used to being held on someone’s lap. He drew her in close, and tilted up her chin, wiping her face gently.

  “It’s okay, little one. You’re safe. He can’t hurt you. I have you. I’ll never let him touch you again.”

  She slumped against Linc, unable to hold herself up. She was exhausted. He rubbed his hands soothingly up and down her back. A feeling of safety stole over her. She should probably move, no doubt she was squishing him.

  But she just couldn’t move.

  “Are you bruised?” Linc pushed aside the neck of her sweater, hissing in a breath.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re all red there,” Ed explained, his eyes narrowed, jaw clenched. “Likely gonna bruise.”

  “Motherfucker,” Linc snarled. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

  “You won’t,” Ed warned. “You’ll leave this to the authorities.”

  “He threatened her! He likely would have raped her!”

  “And he’ll be taken care of. He won’t get away with this,” Ed reassured him.

  “Yeah, cause he’s going to end up in a six-foot hole,” Linc replied.

  “Jesus, Linc. You can’t threaten to murder someone in front of a cop.”

  “Be one less criminal on the streets. You should—”

  “I’m not pressing charges,” she interjected.

  The silence in the room was ominous. She suddenly found it hard to take a decent breath. Both men were staring at her. She looked down at her hands, unable to take their intense gazes.

  “You want to say that again, Mari-girl?” Linc asked.

  Not really. She kind of wished she hadn’t said it in the first place. But she had. And it was the right decision. At least she hoped it was.

  She squirmed on his lap, but he held her steady. Then he gently cupped her chin in his hand, raising her head so she couldn’t hide.

  “Why wouldn’t you press charges?” Linc asked.

  “If you’re scared that he’ll hurt you, I can protect you,” Ed added.

  Linc’s gaze narrowed dangerously. “Mari doesn’t need your protection, because she knows that I will protect her. Don’t you, Mari-girl?”

  Uh-oh. That tone in his voice told her that she better answer him the right way.

  “You can’t go up against him.”

  “Linc can’t. But I can,” Ed said firmly.

  She shook her head. “If I press charges, they’ll be after my blood.”

  “And so you want to do nothing and let him do this to someone else?” Ed asked.

  She gasped, feeling like she’d been punched in the stomach. Linc stood, setting her on the chair and then leaning over the desk he got in Ed’s face. “Don’t you ever speak to her like that again. Do not put this on her. This isn’t her fault. And you know what she says is true.”

  Ed and Linc glared at each other. Marisol wrapped her arms around herself. Should she pursue charges? If she didn’t do anything, would he just do this to someone else?

  “You’re right,” Ed conceded. He looked over at her, regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Marisol. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I’m just upset that this happened to you while you were living in my town. I had no call to say that.”

  “Maybe you’re right. I should stop being a coward.” She lowered her gaze, ashamed of herself.

  “Hey, nobody called you a coward.” Linc turned to her, pulling her close and hugging her gently. “It took a lot of courage to do what you did tonight, to get away from him.”

  Had it? She’d been running on adrenaline and fear. She hadn’t felt very brave.

  Linc sat back in the chair, pulling her onto his lap. At least the two men were no longer glaring at each other.

  “You’re not a coward, sweetheart. At all. Why don’t you tell us the rest? Then we’ll know how to proceed. How did you get away?” Ed asked.

  “I kneed him in the balls then I raced upstairs. I locked my door, grabbed what I needed and then I . . . I climbed out over the balcony.”

  “What?” Linc snapped.

  “I’m okay, it wasn’t that far to jump. I ran towards the road then Ed found me. That’s all.”

  “That’s all,” Linc repeated, dropping his head back. “Lord help me. That’s all.”

  “I can’t stay here. If I do, he’ll find me. And he’ll hurt anyone who helps me.”

  “Like fuck you’re going anywhere, teeny,” Linc snapped. Not now. Not ever. Not that he said that out loud. But she wasn’t leaving. He couldn’t believe she thought he would just let her go. Had she even intended to tell him she was leaving?

  “The way he talked about me, he really thinks I’m his possession.”

  “What’s his name, Marisol?” Ed asked. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you deliberately haven’t said his name or his father’s.”

  She sighed forlornly. “It’s Tiger.”

  “Tiger? Tiger Mason?” Ed snapped.

  “Yes.” She winced. “So you have heard of him?”

  Ed closed his eyes for a moment, looking pained. “Are you saying that your aunt’s boyfriend is Saber Mason?”

  “Saber and Tiger? Really?” Linc asked.

  “After they go through initiation, they’re given a new name,” Ed explained. “For the higher up guys, it’s related to an animal.”

  “The guys were on the news. The ones that turned up murdered. They were called Jackal and Falcon,” she told Linc.

  “And Saber Mason is the top of the chain,” Ed said grimly. “He’s the leader of all the branches. Fuck. Why di
d your aunt come here? Because of them?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. We move around a lot. Texas, Arizona, California. Then here. Saber used to travel between Washington and Texas and Arizona a lot. My aunt would go visit him in Seattle too.”

  “The Devil’s Kings run Texas and Arizona. Saber’s brother is their leader,” Ed said.

  “I didn’t know that,” she said quietly. She felt so tiny in Linc’s arms. So defenseless. He wanted to wrap her up in layers of safety and never let her go.

  He kissed the top of her head.

  “I’ve tried to keep my distance from them. Saber has always creeped me out. Tiger has only been around the last year. I think maybe I heard something about him being with his uncle.”

  “Probably training with the Devil’s Kings,” Ed said. “Shit. Marisol, I really wish you’d change your mind about pressing charges.”

  “I . . . I don’t know. It’s my word against his.”

  “At least let me take photos of your neck. Just in case you change your mind.”

  “All right. I suppose we should do that.”

  “I don’t want him coming after her,” Linc stated. “I want them gone from town.” And far away from Marisol. The sooner this bastard forgot about her, the better.

  “You and me both,” Ed replied dryly. “I’ll go out there, my deputies are still hanging close by so they can go in with me. I’ll have a word. Make Tiger and Saber see that leaving town for good would be the best possible idea.”

  “They’ll know I talked to you,” Marisol said worriedly.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t mention your name. Your aunt has been with him for a long time?”

  “Yes.”

  “And she owns several spas, yes?” Ed asked.

  “Uh, yes. She’s opened a number across the country. Why?”

  “Places where the Devil’s Sinners have set up branches?” Ed asked her.

  “Well. I don’t always pay attention, but yeah, I guess so. The last one she opened was in Seattle, but I never worked at that one. I stayed back in San Diego.”

  She shivered in Linc’s arms and he tightened his hold on her. “He will not harm you. You’re coming home with me and I will keep you safe.”

  Leaning back, she stared up at him with those big hazel eyes. “And who will protect you?”

  “That’s not something you need to take on your shoulders,” he told her.

  “But it is. Because if something happens to you, it will be my fault. And I’ll never forgive myself.”

  He cupped the side of her face. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I live on a ranch with the best security in the state. Every man on the ranch will watch out for and protect you. You wouldn’t be safer anywhere else.”

  “He’s right, Marisol,” Ed told her, standing. “You need to go home with Linc and stay with him. Sanctuary Ranch really is the safest place for you right now. I’ll get Steven to take those photos of your neck so I can get out there. Excuse me.” He left the room.

  Linc stood and reached out his hand. “Come home with me, Marisol. Let me take care of you.”

  “Why would you want to? My life is such a mess. Shouldn’t you want to see the back of me?” she whispered forlornly.

  “I want to because I care about you. Yeah, we’ve got some stuff to talk about, to work through. But I’m not going to just let you walk away. I can take care of you. All you need to do is trust me.”

  To his relief, he felt her little hand slide into his.

  Thank. Fuck.

  15

  Her hand was firmly engulfed in his. As though he was worried she might run unless she was tethered to him.

  That was probably a valid concern. She was still concerned about putting him in danger. Tiger had made his claim on her. And while she had no intentions of ever being with that asshole, she knew that he didn’t care about her thoughts on the matter.

  She also had a feeling that Tiger wasn’t used to women kneeing him in the balls and running from him. She shivered.

  No, she was pretty sure none of this ended well for her.

  Linc led her outside after Steven had taken the photos of her neck. She shivered slightly, even with his jacket still wrapped around her. Silently, he led her to his truck. He opened the door. He already had her backpack in his other hand, he’d refused to let her carry it herself.

  “I think you need to start carrying a stepladder around,” she grumbled.

  He placed the backpack down in the truck then wrapped his hands around her waist. “You don’t need a stepladder when you have me.”

  Aww, that was sweet.

  He set her down on the seat then reached across her to do up her seatbelt.

  “Well, what if you’re not around? How will I get in?”

  “If I’m not around why would you be trying to get into my truck?” He closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side. Climbing in, he started the truck, turning on the heater and aiming it her way.

  “What if I had to drive it somewhere? Then I’d need some way of getting in it, wouldn’t I?” She wasn’t sure why she was so focused on his truck. Maybe because it was taking her mind off the mess her life was in.

  “Teeny, you aren’t ever going to drive my truck.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest with a pout. “Why? Because I’m a girl?”

  “No,” he replied calmly. “Because you’re not even five feet tall. You can’t see over the dashboard. You probably couldn’t even reach the pedals.”

  Okay, those were valid reasons, but she wasn’t giving in.

  “I’m sure I can drive this just fine.” No. She wasn’t.

  “Uh-huh, sure you can. Tell you what, tomorrow you can sit in the driver’s seat. If you can see over the dashboard and reach the pedals then if there is ever a time that you need to drive my truck, you can.”

  “All right then.”

  “But if you can’t reach the pedals and see over the dashboard, then you’re going to agree to using a booster seat.”

  “What? No way!” Was he kidding?

  “Yep.”

  She scowled. “Linc, I don’t need a booster seat.”

  “Someone as small as you, it’s got to be safer. Wouldn’t you rather be able to see out the window properly anyway?”

  “I can see out the window.” Just not the front window. “I’m not sitting in a booster seat.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “I’m short, not a child.”

  There was a beat of silence. Her nerves started to get to her again. Linc fell silent. Guilt ate away at her. She knew he wouldn’t be happy about her keeping things from him.

  “Linc, I—”

  “Were you ever going to tell me? About Tiger?”

  Oh God. That guilt increased. “I . . . I don’t know.” She didn’t know what to say to make everything better. They both fell silent again as he turned his truck into Sanctuary Ranch’s driveway. The big gates opened automatically and his truck started forward. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. She was going to Linc’s house. Where would she sleep? She hadn’t even asked if he had a spare bedroom. Was he expecting something more from her? Sex? She’d never had sex. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing.

  Oh hell. Why had she said yes to coming home with him?

  Because you didn’t want to say goodbye.

  “What if I put everyone here in danger?” she whispered.

  “Did you meet Clint? When you were out here?”

  “Umm, yes.” Clint Jensen was a big, blunt man. Kind of scary. But it was clear to see his adoration for his now-wife.

  “Well, his brother, Kent owns Jensen Security International. And their base of operations is the ranch. Most of the guys working for him live here. They’re mostly all ex-military. They’re highly trained. This ranch has the best security you can get. We take the safety of all the women very seriously. You’ll be safe here. They’re safe here. Stop worrying so much. It’s all going to be okay.”

 
All right. That made her feel better. And she remembered someone mentioning JSI in the spa, she just hadn’t realized what exactly it was.

  “Sometimes it’s easier for me to think about what could go wrong, then I can prepare myself. If I think everything will be all right and then it all unravels, well, then it’s much harder to pick myself back up.”

  “I hate that you’ve had to teach yourself to think that way. You should be filled with hope for the future, not expecting everything to go to shit. Excuse my language.”

  She had to smile at that as they pulled up outside a quaint log cabin that was surrounded by tall trees. “You don’t have to worry about your language.”

  “Still shouldn’t be swearing in front of you. Nana would have my hide for how I’ve been talking around you tonight. Wait there.”

  She thought it was kind of cute that he worried about what he said with her around. She undid her seatbelt as he opened the door. Reaching up, he lifted her down and grabbed her backpack.

  “Pretty sure I can get down on my own,” she told him. “It’s getting up that’s the issue.”

  “You might hurt yourself jumping down, especially when the ground is uneven.”

  “I jumped from a far higher height tonight without a problem,” she commented without thinking as she followed him up onto the porch.

  “You could have hurt yourself. What if you’d broken your arm? Or your foot?”

  Well, she guessed she wouldn’t be here right now since she was sure that Tiger would have found her. But she didn’t say that. She wasn’t silly.

  He opened the door to the house and ushered her in.

  “You don’t lock your door?” she said with surprise.

  “I left in a hurry.”

  To rush into town to help her.

  “I’m so sorry. You must be so tired. I didn’t know Ed was going to call you.”

  “Which just makes things worse. Since you should have demanded he call me the minute he picked you up.” He toed off his cowboy boots and she did the same with her sneakers. Grabbing them both, he set them in the coat closet. She noted it was neat as a pin.

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  Reaching out, he grasped hold of her chin. “I don’t care what time it is, how much I’ve been working or what is going on, if you’re in trouble, if you’re hurt, you call me. Understand?”