Bride Protector SEAL (10 page)

Allie gasped. “That’s Will Franklin, Damien’s foreman.” Her brows drew together. “I’ll bet he was also the one who blew up the barn.”

“The bastard was conveniently in town when it happened,” Swede agreed.

“If he wasn’t already dead, I’d shoot him myself.” Allie glared at the corpse. “That explosion and fire almost killed five horses.”

Swede was so relieved Will hadn’t succeeded in killing Allie, he almost laughed at her statement. The image of Will with a gun in his hand, so close he could have fired into the cave and hit Allie, stole all the humor out of the situation.

“How did you guys get here?” Allie asked, looking around.

“Horseback,” Swede responded.

Allie’s brows rose. “You? Out here?”

Swede nodded. “Little Joe did good. But, he’s not above leaving me here to head back to the barn.”

Turning to her father and Eddy, Allie asked, “And you two?”

“Our horses are tied to a branch near the creek,” Eddy answered.

Allie clapped her hands together. “Then let’s get back to the ranch.”

“Swede, you can ride double with me,” Eddy offered.

“Allie can ride with me,” her father said.

She shook her head. “I ditched my four-wheeler in the brush. As long as it starts, I can make it back to the barn on my own four wheels.”

“And I’m going with you,” Swede said.

“Tell you what,” Lloyd said. “You three head on back and call the sheriff. I’ll stay out here until Eddy brings him out. Don’t want the wolves destroying evidence.”

Eddy nodded.

Swede followed Allie to the stand of brush where she’d hidden her ATV. It was still there, untouched and undamaged, with that damned suitcase strapped to the back.

Allie climbed on and started the engine. Then she turned to Swede. “Hop on.”

He slid his leg over the seat and settled behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Being a bodyguard had its perks, but Swede was sure kissing the fiancée of the man he was working for wasn’t supposed to be one of them.

Allie revved the engine and took off. Ruger followed, easily keeping up with the pair on the ATV.

Though he was relieved Will Franklin wouldn’t be a threat anymore, Swede wasn’t sure Allie was out of the woods yet. What beef could Will have had against Allie? Was he afraid she’d usurp his control of the ranch? Or had someone hired him to carry out the threat that had been painted on the side of the stable?

Swede didn’t have the answers and, at that moment, he didn’t care. What he did care about was the woman in front of him. The one who smelled like strawberries and evergreen forests. She even had a few twigs sticking out of her wild auburn curls.

God, she was beautiful. The more he was with her, the deeper he fell.

It would be tough delivering her to the wedding and letting go. But, he had to. His job wasn’t to steal the bride, it was to protect her and give her to another man in two days.

Pressure threatened to squeeze the air out of Swede’s lungs. All those bodyguard rules had flown out the window on his first assignment. He wondered if this was really the job for him in the wilds of Montana, or if he should do something less stressful and go be a deckhand on a charter fishing boat.

A strand of auburn hair floated back on him, brushing across his face, touching him in a way he’d never considered as poignant. It was like a finger stroking him, teasing him urging him to continue to follow this woman, no matter where she led him.

B
ack at the house
, Georgia met Allie and Swede in the barnyard.

Eddy had beat them back, riding fast and hard to get to a telephone and call 911.

“Oh, thank God!” Georgia wrapped Allie in a bear hug that nearly crushed her bones. “You had us all so worried. I think I lost a couple of years off my life and gained a few more gray hairs.”

“I’m sorry,” Allie said, her teeth chattering. Darkness had settled in and the night sky, clear of all clouds, had already begun to release the heat of the day.

The older woman clucked her tongue. “Never mind the scoldin’. The important thing is that you’re okay.” She stared at Allie. “Oh, baby, you’re cold. Let’s get you inside.”

“Really, I’m okay. Nothing but a few scratches and bruises. I could use a hot shower, though.” Things for her could have ended a whole lot worse. At least she wasn’t dead, like Will Franklin. A twinge of compassion flickered across her consciousness over the man’s death, immediately followed by the strengthening of her will. He had tried to kill her on multiple occasions. Swede might have been collateral damage. “I’ll be upstairs if anyone needs me.”

Allie marched up to her room, gathered clean underwear and a pair of pajamas, a change from her usual oversized T-shirt. Once in the shower, she turned up the heat and stood under the spray until her insides were as warm as her outsides. When she stepped out of the shower to dry off, she started shaking and couldn’t seem to stop.

Never had she been more afraid than when she’d been trapped in the cave with a man wielding a gun. That was the stuff Wild West movies were made of. Thinking a cup of hot cocoa would help, she left the bathroom and padded down the stairs to the kitchen.

Through the kitchen window she could see half a dozen vehicles in the barnyard. An ambulance, a couple of sheriff’s deputy’s vehicles, and a small first-responder fire truck. Allie glanced down at her pajamas. Maybe she should get dressed to speak to the authorities. She debated going back upstairs, but decided she was fully covered and wanted the hot cocoa more.

Once she took the mug out of the microwave, she pulled on a pair of boots and a jacket, grabbed her cocoa and stepped outside.

Half a dozen people surrounded her, all asking questions at once.

Swede worked his way through the small crowd and slipped an arm around her.

Allie leaned against him, grateful for his solid strength and willingness to stand beside her during the questioning. By the time they’d loaded Will Franklin’s body into the ambulance and everyone departed, Allie was mentally and physically exhausted.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Swede touched a hand to her lower back and guided her back to the house.

Instead of going directly inside, Allie stopped on the second step up to the porch. “I’m tired, but too wound up to go right to sleep. I think I need to stay out here for a few minutes. The cool night air helps clear my mind. Go. Get your shower. I won’t go anywhere.” She held up her hand. “I promise.”

“I can’t leave you outside alone,” Swede said.

“Go,” a voice said behind him. “Get your shower. I’ll sit with my daughter.” Her dad walked out onto the porch, carrying a steaming cup of coffee.

“I’ll only be a few minutes,” Swede said.

“Take your time.” Her father lowered himself to the porch step and patted the space beside him.

Allie sat. She couldn’t remember a time since her mother died that her father had sat beside her on the porch steps. Tears welled in her eyes, and she fought to keep them from sliding down her cheeks. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t usually this emotional.

Since her mother died and Hank joined the Navy, Allie had tried to be everything her father needed, sometimes forgetting what she needed. Which was probably half the reason she’d accepted Damien’s proposal of marriage. He’d seen in her a woman. Not a daughter or a rancher. She’d felt special for a brief moment, the typical female with dreams of a fairytale wedding to a handsome man. But she’d been blinded by the wedding planning. Now she had a big mess to clean up, and she was so tired.

Her father reached out and took her hands in his big, callused fingers. “Allie, I don’t say it enough, but I love you to the moon and back.”

Tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Once they’d started, she couldn’t hold them back. “Oh, Daddy.” She leaned into his shoulder. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t been much of a father since your mother died. I miss her so badly some days I don’t know if I can go on.”

“Me, too.”

“She should have been here for you, to talk with you about all the woman things I can’t begin to understand.”

“You haven’t done so badly. And I’ve had Georgia to lean on.”

“What have I taught you, other than how to be an old grouch? Hell, I ran off your brother.”

“He wouldn’t have made it through SEAL training if not for the way you toughened him up. He told me so himself.” She squeezed his hand.

“Tonight, I realized just how close I came to losing you.” He looked down at their joined hands. “It scared me. Bad. I don’t want to lose any more of my family. I’ll fight to keep you safe. So, please, if you’re in trouble, let me know.”

No matter how independent she was, she still needed her father. “I will, Daddy.”

He kissed her forehead like he used to when she was a little girl. “If Damien makes you happy, then I’m all for your wedding. But if he hurts you or you want out, I’ll have my shotgun ready.”

Allie half-chuckled and half-sobbed. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll remember that.”

A sound behind them made Allie turn.

Swede stood in the doorway, dressed in clean jeans and a blue chambray shirt, his hair wet, his feet bare.

God, he was the most ruggedly gorgeous man Allie had ever seen.

Her father stood. “I need to hit the sack. We have another load of hay to haul in tomorrow.”

“I’ll help with that,” Allie offered.

“Don’t you have to get your nails, hair or some such nonsense done for the wedding?” her father asked.

She smiled. “That happens the day of the wedding.” If she went through with it. She needed to talk to Damien. Soon.

Again, her father bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy.” He entered the house, closing the door behind him.

Swede sat in the spot Allie’s father had vacated moments before.

Ruger dropped onto the porch directly behind him and laid his head on his paws.

“Are you okay?” Swede asked.

“I am, now.” She wiped the moisture from her cheeks and stared out at the moon, shining high above the Crazy Mountains. “I’m sorry about taking off.”

“Yeah. About that…” He leaned his elbows on his knees. “Having a bodyguard necessitates a two-way commitment. I can’t do my job if you run away.”

“I wasn’t running away. I needed to see Damien.” She shoved her hand through her wet hair, lifting it off her shoulders. “Alone.”

Swede nodded. “And he wasn’t there.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You could have called ahead and saved a whole lot of trouble.”

“I know. I called but no one picked up. And, frankly, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
I was thinking of you, you big galoot.

“Would it help if you got a different bodyguard? Bear and I could switch assignments.”

“Is that what you want?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “I know I’ve been less than cooperative, but I’d rather stick with you…if you don’t mind.” She plucked at the fabric on the leg of her pajamas.

“Better the devil you know, than the one you don’t?” Swede asked.

“No.” She glanced up at him, though seeing through the moisture pooling again in her eyes was difficult. “I trust you. I know you really do have my best interests in mind.” She leaned into his shoulder. “I promise not to take off without you.”

“You won’t have to put up with me much longer. The wedding is the day after tomorrow. Then you’ll be on your honeymoon in the Cayman Islands.”

Yeah, that was the plan. If she chose to follow it. She reached for Swede’s hand. “Thank you for rescuing me in that cave today.”

Swede turned, his knees touching Allie’s. “I think the real hero today was Ruger.”

Allie swiveled toward the dog at the same time as Swede. She let go of Swede’s hand and ran her fingers over Ruger’s soft fur. “He was amazing. Did you have him specially trained?”

Swede scratched behind Ruger’s ear. “He’s a rescue from the pound. I picked him up because he was on death row. And to tell the truth, he rescued me.”

“How could anyone leave their dog behind when they move on?” Allie shook her head. “How did he rescue you?”

“Since the attack that ended my career in the navy, I’ve had nightmares. Ruger helps get me through them.”

Allie looked up from the dog to his master. “How so?”

“Just by being there. When he senses my distress, he nudges me with his nose. It brings me out of the dream world into the real world. Before Ruger…well, I wasn’t coping well.”

“He is a hero.” She patted the dog’s head and pushed to her feet. The more she learned about Swede, the more she wanted to know. With another man’s engagement ring on her finger, she had no business learning more about Swede. The personal details only made her see him as a man. An interesting man. One with a love for dogs, which put him way up there on her list of great guys.

No, she needed to see Damien, and end her engagement, or go through with the wedding. Until she did that, she had no right to daydream or night dream about another man.

As she stood, she teetered on the edge of the step and would have fallen if Swede hadn’t leaped to his feet, grabbed her arms and pulled her against him.

Allie’s hands touched his chest, the hard muscles flexing beneath her fingertips. She had the wild urge to run her hands beneath his shirt and feel the skin stretched over those fabulous muscles.

Jerking away her hands, she got her footing and climbed the remaining steps to the porch. “I’d better go to bed. We have another load of hay to haul tomorrow.”

“I’d say stay here and let me handle it, but I need you close, so that I can keep an eye on you. We’ll do it the same as last time?”

Allie nodded.

“Allie?” Swede reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers.

She stared at where their hands entwined, her heart racing, her mouth dry.

“Today scared me more than I’ve ever been scared in my life.” He snorted. “And I’ve been in some pretty hairy situations.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Electric currents raced up her arm and down her body to pool low in her belly. This couldn’t happen. She couldn’t be sexually attracted to a man she’d only known a few days. But she was, and it made her feel more alive than she’d felt…ever. An admission which shook her to the core. Using every bit of control she could muster, she pulled her hand from his, anxious to leave him, before she threw herself into his arms and made a fool of herself.

Swede’s hand dropped to Ruger’s head. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

S
wede waited
on the porch several minutes after Allie went inside, afraid that if he followed her, he’d stay with her all the way to her bedroom. Once there he’d convince her to make love with him.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

He stood beside Ruger, the dog nudging his hand, sensing his turmoil.

“Sometimes I wish I were you, Ruger,” he said. “Life as a dog is so much less complicated.”

The dog whined and licked his hand.

“Yeah. Until you find yourself on death row and a broken-down veteran saves you from the gas chamber.” He ruffled Ruger’s neck, made a pass around the exterior of the house, looking for anyone lurking, unwilling to presume Will Franklin was the only one stalking Allie. When nothing moved and Ruger didn’t snarl or growl in warning, Swede made his way inside to his room on the second floor. Knowing Allie was in the room on the other side of the wall reminded him of how close she was, yet how far she was out of his reach.

He stripped out of his shirt and jeans and lay on the sheets, naked. The heat he’d felt burning inside when he’d touched her hand and kissed her fingers clung to him, making it difficult to go to sleep. For a long time, he stared up at the ceiling, willing his lust to subside. Time and fatigue finally won the fight, and he fell to sleep.

What could only have been minutes after he’d closed his eyes, Swede was awakened by the sound of quiet sobbing.

Ruger nudged his hand and trotted to the door. Thinking he might have been imaging the noise, Swede listened.

There it was again. The soft sobs were coming from the room on the other side of the wall. He leaped to his feet, dragged on his jeans and hurried out of his room. When he stood in front of Allie’s door, he hesitated. If he went in, he wasn’t sure he could walk out without touching her. And touching her wasn’t all he wanted to do.

Another sob was the deciding factor. He tapped on the door and, careful not to wake her father, called out softly, “Allie.”

Continued sobbing made him grab the door handle and twist. It opened easily, and he stepped inside, closed the door behind him and crossed to stand beside her bed before the next sob shook her body.

“Oh, darlin’,” he said, his heart clenching inside his chest.

Tears stained her cheeks and her bottom lip trembled. Her legs thrashed, trapped in the sheets. Whatever she dreamed was either breaking her heart or terrifying her. Maybe both.

Swede couldn’t stand by and do nothing. He scooted her over on the mattress and slid onto the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. “Wake up, Allie. You’re having a bad dream.”

She rolled onto her side, burying her face into his bare chest, her hand resting against his skin.

The strawberry scent of her hair was almost his undoing. He couldn’t stay long, or he’d be tempted to kiss her.

She took a shuddering breath, her fingers flexing and curling against him.

Swede tried again, his power of resistance waning with every passing second she lay in his arms. “Sweetheart, you need to wake up. You’re dreaming.”