Bride Protector SEAL (2 page)

Damien shoved a hand through his immaculate hair. The gesture barely ruffled the dark locks.

Sometimes that irritated Allie, considering she looked like she needed to brush her hair the minute she stepped outside.

“How about us tackling one challenge at a time?” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her callused fingers. “Let Mr. Svenson get you to the wedding on time and intact. When we get back from the honeymoon, we can deal with whoever is causing the problems.”

“I can take care of myself,” Allie insisted. “I have a gun, and I know how to use it.”

“I know you do, darling. But you can’t always be watching over your shoulder. I know you have last-minute preparations for the wedding. You don’t need to worry yourself about some lunatic stirring up trouble. Leave it to your bodyguard.”

Allie bristled, biting hard on her tongue. One of the things she liked about Damien was also one of the attributes that really pissed her off. He treated her like a lady. As a hardcore rancher, it was a nice change to be seen as a woman, not just another ranch hand. But then, Damien sometimes took it a little too far, treating her like a woman who didn’t know one end of the gun barrel from the other. Rather than call him on his patronizing attitude, and show any discord between them to the hired bodyguard, Allie swallowed the words she wanted to say. “Okay, I’ll let him tag along.”

“Good, because I have to go out of town for the next few days.”

Allie frowned. “Our wedding is in less than a week. You promised you’d be here to help with last-minute details.”

“Now, Alyssa, I still have a business to run. I can’t just let it go.” He glanced at the stable wall. “Some emergencies have come up and I need to handle them.”

“Fine,” she said. “Just be sure to make it to the church on time for the rehearsal and the actual ceremony.” She’d be damned if she got stood up at the altar like some pathetic female in a romance novel. In this case, she’d have to get in line behind her father and brother to shoot him. “When are you leaving?”

“This evening. I’m catching a flight out of Bozeman.” He cupped the back of her head and bent to kiss her.

As soon as his lips touched hers, an explosion rocked the earth beneath Allie’s feet. Damien dropped where he stood.

Swede grabbed Allie and threw her on the ground, covering her body with his as a second explosion blasted through the side of the stable, shooting splintered boards over their heads.

Fire shot up from the far end of the stable, and smoke filled the air. Horses screamed inside the remaining walls. Ruger barked in response.

Allie bucked beneath Swede. “Let me up!”

Swede rolled to the side, and pushed to his feet.

As soon as his heavy weight was off her, Allie jumped up and ran into the burning building.

S
wede raced after Allie
, his body shaking, the explosion having thrown him back to his combat days. Only this wasn’t Afghanistan or Iraq. His primary job was to protect a woman hell-bent on running headfirst into danger.

Seeing Allie run into the burning stable, Swede had no other choice but to chase after her into the smoke-filled structure. Ruger tried to follow, but Swede pointed his finger at the dog’s nose. “Stay.” He could only pray the dog would remember the one command long enough for Swede to get Allie out.

Inside, the smoke hit him immediately, burning his eyes and lungs. He pulled his T-shirt up over his mouth and blinked to clear his eyes. Hunkering below the bulk of the smoke, he hurried toward the pair of legs encased in blue jeans, standing in front of a stall, struggling to throw open the latch.

A horse on the other side pawed at the gate, its eyes rolled back, nostrils flaring.

Swede brushed aside Allie, slammed the lever to the side and jerked the door open.

With a shrill scream, the horse pushed through and raced toward the exit.

Allie had gone deeper into the smoke-filled stable and threw open another stall.

The horse inside reared, thrashing its legs.

Swede grabbed Allie and dragged her out of the way of the deadly hooves.

“Let go of me!” she cried, struggling to be free.

“Get out, now.” Swede coughed and ducked low. “I’ll take care of the rest of them.”

“No way.” Allie’s eyes streamed with tears, making tracks in the soot clinging to her face. “One person can’t get them all.” She pushed away, and ran to the next stall.

Rather than fight her, Swede pitched in and helped her free the remaining horses from the stable. When the stalls were empty, he waved to Allie. “Get out. Now!” The heat from the fire bore down on him, but he wouldn’t leave until she was out.

Allie ran for the door and Swede fell in behind her. At the last minute, just before he passed through the open door, a movement caught his eye. He reached between two feed barrels and snagged a cat by the scruff of its neck. With the feline clawing at his arm, Swede dove for the door. Once outside, he didn’t let go of the cat until he was far enough away from the stable the cat wouldn’t run back inside. When he set the creature on the ground, it ran back toward the stable. Ruger blocked its way, growling fiercely. The cat changed directions and ran toward the house.

A
llie’s lungs
burned with every breath. She knelt on the ground fifteen feet from the barn, coughing so hard her entire body shook with the force.

Swede dropped down beside her, his lungs burning, and coughing equally as hard. “We need to get you to a hospital,” he said, between fits of hacking. “Smoke inhalation can be fatal.”

She raised her hand, swallowed hard and shook her head. “I don’t need a hospital. I just need fresh air.” Her gaze went to the stable. “What kind of monster targets a stable full of horses? What did the horses ever do to him?”

“Some people have no respect for life,” Swede said. “Animal or human.”

“People like that need to die a really terrible death.” Her chest still tight, Allie lay down on the ground and closed her eyes. A moment later, she sat up straight when a thought came to her. “Where’s Damien?”

Swede shook his head. “He wasn’t in the stable. I made a final sweep before we got out.”

Allie glanced around. “Thankfully, all of the animals survived. When the fire burns down and the horses can be gathered, we can assess injuries.”

“Alyssa!” Damien came running from the direction of the house. “Thank God, you’re okay. The fire department is on its way.”

Allie wanted to ask him where the hell he was when the horses were trapped inside their stalls. The call to the fire department could have waited until all the animals were safe. She stood, brushing the grass and dust off her jeans.

Damien opened his arms for her, but she didn’t step into them.

“I’m covered in soot. I wouldn’t want to mess up your jacket with the smell.”

He glanced down at the garment. “I don’t care about the jacket.” And he pulled her into his arms. “I’m just glad you’re all right.” He tipped her face up to him, pulled a cloth handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at her lips. Then he kissed her. “You shouldn’t have gone into the stable.”

“I wasn’t about to let those horses burn in the fire.”

“But you could have died.” He kissed her again and then set her to arm’s length. “Now, do you see why I wanted to hire a bodyguard?”

Witnessing the tender moment, Swede turned away from the couple. He’d have to get used to disappearing if he wanted this bodyguard gig to work out. He imagined the first rule of being a bodyguard was to keep one’s mouth shut. A good bodyguard was there all the time, but not to be seen or heard, except when necessary. Or at least, that’s how he figured it should be. He wondered if Hank had drafted a set of standard operating procedures for the company. He made a mental note to ask the next time he saw his friend.

Ruger leaned against his leg, a low whining sound rising up his throat. Swede bent to pat the dog’s head and scratch behind his ears. “It’s okay, boy. You did good.”

“So, it’s all settled then?” Reynolds was saying.

Swede turned back to Allie and her fiancé.

“Mr. Svenson, you’re in charge of my bride’s safety,” Reynolds said. “I expect you to guard her with your life, and make sure she gets to the church for the wedding.” He glanced down at Allie. “From what your brother said, this man is one of our nation’s finest. A navy SEAL, a combat veteran skilled in almost every weapon imaginable. Who better to guard my precious Alyssa?”

Swede fought to keep from rolling his eyes or snorting. In the brief amount of time he’d known Allie, he could imagine she was fighting not to gag. The woman had spunk and valued her independence.
Precious
wasn’t one of the words Swede would use to describe her. It was too frilly.

Allie stepped back. “You be careful, too. You’re in more danger than I am. Whoever is mad at you blew up
your
stable, not mine.”

Damien nodded, his jaw tightening. “I hope to find out who it is while I’m away, but it pays to be overly cautious, especially after we’ve seen what he might do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to pack a bag and get to the airport. I trust you can answer any questions the fire department might have.” Without waiting for a response, the man turned and left Allie and Swede standing in front of the burning stable.

Less than five minutes later, Reynolds drove away in a white Land Rover, before the fire trucks could arrive.

Swede shook his head. The man had narrowly missed being blown up in an explosion, his fiancée had almost died in the ensuing fire, and he’d been willing to let his expensive horses die. Swede violated his first rule of being a bodyguard and opened his mouth. “You’re engaged to him?”

“Don’t judge.” Allie turned and walked away.

“Right. I’m just the bodyguard,” Swede muttered under his breath and followed her. “Where are you going?”

“The horses need to be caught and put out to pasture before the fire truck spooks them and they run out onto the highway.” She walked up to a horse standing in the corner of a fence, its eyes wild, its feet dancing in the dirt, stirring up a small cloud of dust.

Allie spoke in a calm voice. “It’s okay. That big bad fire won’t get you.” She slowly reached for the animal’s halter.

The gelding reared, pawing at the air, nearly knocking over Allie.

Swede grabbed her around the middle and pulled her out of reach. Only thing was that, once he had her out of harm’s way, he didn’t want to let go. The woman tried his patience and had a mouth on her, but she cared about the horses and risked her own life to save theirs. He admired that in the infuriating woman.

“What are you doing?” Allie demanded, struggling to free herself from his hold.

When he realized he’d held on too long, he abruptly let go.

Allie broke free and backed away in a hurry. Her movement startled the gelding. Again, the animal rose on its hind legs.

And, once again, Swede grabbed her and pulled her away from the flailing hooves. This time, she was facing him and her hands rested on his chest.

For a moment, she froze, her fingers curling into his shirt. Her gaze rose from his chest to his mouth.

For a brief, unexplainable moment, Swede had the undeniable urge to kiss the woman.

Her eyes widened, and she pushed against his chest. “Let go of me.”

“The horse is understandably afraid. Let me try to catch him.” Swede held her a moment longer. “I’m going to release you. Please don’t make any sudden moves.”

“I know what I’m doing,” she insisted with a glare. “I grew up around horses.”

“Just let me do this.”

“How many horses have you been around?” she asked.

“Counting the ones we got out of the stable?” His lips twisted. “Five.” The total number of horses they’d rescued from the fire.

“My point, exactly.” Allie pushed her sleeves up her arms. “You’ll get hurt.”

“Give me the benefit of the doubt,” Swede said. “Stay here with Ruger. He’s never been around farm animals, that I know of. Keep him from coming after me.”

Allie waved an arm. “Fine. Go ahead. Get yourself killed. Then I won’t have you following me around.” She dropped to her haunches next to Ruger. “Poor dog. What did you do to deserve him?”

“I’ll have you know he was on death row at a dog pound when I rescued him.” But, if Swede was telling the whole truth, Ruger had been the one doing the rescuing.

Standing in front of the frantic beast with the heat of the still-burning fire behind him, Swede studied the animal. Having grown up in the city, he’d never really thought much about horses. Like most kids, he’d always dreamed of living on a ranch and riding horses, but the opportunity had never presented itself. Now that he was in Montana, he would make a point of learning how to ride and care for a horse.

Starting now.

He eased toward the horse, maintaining eye contact with the beast. When he’d brought Ruger home, he’d treated him with kindness and respect, he noticed how the dog responded to the tone of his voice even when he talked nonsense. If that worked with a dog, perhaps it would work with a horse. He spoke in a low, steady, monotone, advancing slowly, holding out his hand, praying the horse didn’t take a bite out of it or trample him in his crazed state of mind. This horse was like most creatures when they were scared, it needed reassurance and comfort.

Swede inched toward the horse, and it whinnied and pawed at the dirt, but it didn’t rear. Hoping the smell of smoke wasn’t still clinging to his skin, Swede let the horse smell his hand and touch his fingers with its big lips. The sensation was new and exhilarating to Swede. The horse was like a big dog. When he thought of it that way, he relaxed and smoothed his hand over the nose and up to scratch behind his ears, wrapping his other hand around the halter.

A
llie hated that Swede
, a greenhorn who’d never been near a horse, had walked up to one who was so clearly spooked and calmed him.

She snorted. “Beginner’s luck. We have four more to catch. You better get cracking.” She walked with Ruger over to a gate and held it open.

Swede led the animal through and released it on the other side.

The horse galloped across the pasture, moving as far away from the smoke and flames as it could get.

The other four horses were easier to round up, and they soon had all of them in the fenced pasture. Just in time, too. The wailing of sirens grew louder, and soon the driveway filled with a pumper truck, a paramedic’s vehicle, and a sheriff’s deputy. Several ranchers’ trucks arrived, all part of the volunteer firefighters who served the county.

Swede and Allie moved back as the fire-fighters made use of the nearby pond and pumped water onto the flames. Unfortunately, the stable was a complete loss, but the firefighters kept the blaze from spreading to the house and grassy fields.

After the paramedics checked out both Swede and Allie for smoke inhalation, they gave them a blast of oxygen. The pair was released, with the recommendation that they go to the clinic in Eagle Rock.

But, that would have to be later. The sheriff and fire chief had questions. Allie answered them as best she could. Someone had left a threatening message on the side of the building, and then the building exploded. She had no idea who the perpetrator might be. The only person who might have the answer to that question had left to catch a flight out that afternoon. Yes, he should be back within the week. He had a wedding to attend, after all.

What else could she say? Less than a week out from her wedding, and this incident hit her full in the face. How well did she know her fiancé? She knew so little about his business and why someone would want to hurt him. She swore she’d grill Damien thoroughly before the wedding. How had she been so caught up in her own life she hadn’t bothered to get to know her future husband’s? Had she thought the man was independently wealthy just because his parents were rich?

For the first time since she’d agreed to marry Damien, Allie started to get cold feet. Up until now, the relationship had seemed like a fairytale. She’d met her prince charming at a local fundraiser for charity. He’d taken her out on several dates, and then flown her in his private jet to have dinner in Seattle. Yeah, he’d swept her off her feet, and shown her a life so foreign she couldn’t help but be dazzled. Best of all, he treated her like a woman, instead of another one of the guys.

When he’d popped the question less than a month ago, he’d been so romantic. He’d gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Just like in the movies. It was every girl’s dream. Allie had been no different. She couldn’t say no to the man, or the life he promised. And his ranch was something she had only fantasized of. She couldn’t wait to dig in and make it all it could be, not just a show place.

Hell, was she more in love with the ranch than the man? She shook her head. No. Damien might not know how to be a rancher, but that wasn’t why she was marrying him. She cared for him. When she’d had disagreements with her cantankerous father, she’d turned to Damien, who’d been there to just hold her and let her vent. He hadn’t offered advice, presumably because he trusted her judgment on how to handle her family.