Morgan's Hunter (10 page)

Morgan entered the shed as the door slammed shut in the breeze. She pulled the string to the light. Dust danced around the bulb, making her cough. The storage shed was jammed full of tools, rope, shovels, and other items the rangers would use to aid them in their job. In the corner was her equipment.

Before unlocking the two metal cases the Bureau had shipped, she walked to the door, opened it, found a rock to rest against the wood. Satisfied, she brushed her hands free of dirt and headed back to the cases. After a thorough inspection and run through her checklist, she noted that everything was present.

Fresh air blew into the small, mildewed building. Morgan looked past the doorway to the tall pines in the distance. Birds twittered among the trees. She took the camera from one case, the tranquilizer gun from the other as the thought of a walk tempted her. Taking pictures would be so relaxing. If she was lucky she might get a few good shots of the local fauna.

Hunter had told her to stay close, but she wouldn’t go far. Walking half a mile, maybe a mile down a trail wasn’t a big deal. She was taking precautions. She patted the gun tucked in the waist of her jeans. She would be back before he noticed, anyway.

Morgan locked the case again, turned to leave and ran straight into Robert. “Oh, Robert, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were there.” She dropped her hand from her heart. “I was just heading out for a walk.”

“No problem, Ms. Taylor. I apologize for scaring you.”

“Not at all. Please, call me Morgan. Which path do you recommend? I’m looking for a little exercise.”

“If you head down the southwest trail, you might spot a deer or two. It’s not particularly common this time of day, but you never know.”

“I guess I’ll mosey down that way. I’ll be back soon.” She took two steps, stopped. “Robert, I want to apologize for my associate. We got off on the wrong foot.”

“Don’t you worry yourself over that now. Losing close friends is upsetting.”

Morgan was about to tell him they weren’t Hunter’s friends, but she stopped herself. “Yes, yes, it is. I’m going to be on my way. See you soon.”

Twenty minutes later, Morgan sat in a clearing just off the path of the southwest trail. Her light jacket lay on the ground with the tranquilizer gun at her side. She breathed in clean, crisp air and relaxed as a hawk circled overhead, letting out a high-pitched screech. The mighty Rockies, snowcapped and gray in the distance, took her breath away. She’d needed this, the tranquility, the peace she hadn’t been able to find in the weeks since her friends’ deaths. She closed her eyes, let her mind clear, let her worry and guilt vanish, knowing it would all be back to haunt and weigh her down before long.

Refreshed, Morgan opened her eyes, blinking against the sunshine. She caught sight of a mama mule deer and her two babies and grinned. She watched, delighted, as the mother grazed on the lush, green grasses while one of the calves suckled. Morgan laughed as the calf’s sibling moved in for his turn, despite his sister’s annoyed bleats and head butts.

Enjoying the show, Morgan picked up her camera, focused on her shot, started taking pictures. She stood, walking farther into the clearing, looking for a new angle. She never heard him come up behind her.

Hunter tossed his luggage in the closet, not bothering to unpack. There wasn’t any place to put his stuff anyway. He turned around, let out a deep sigh as he studied their sleeping arrangements again. The twin beds were so close they might as well have been a full-sized mattress. He and Morgan would more or less be sharing a bed for the next month.

After he put the extra bullets for the Glock in the bottom of his pack, he headed out to see if Morgan finished her inventory. Maybe they could take a walk, relax, try to clear the air again. It was going to be a very long month if they couldn’t find a way to get along.

He stood in the doorway of the station, zeroed in on the closed padlock on the shed door. Uneasy, he stepped outside, scanning the dirt parking lot and trees close to the cabin. Where was Morgan? He walked around the corner of the house. She wasn’t there. A small tingle of panic bloomed in his stomach as he hurried to the other side. She wasn’t there either. “Son of a bitch.” He rounded to the front again and spotted Robert. “Have you seen Morgan?”

“Yeah, she said she wanted a walk. She headed down the southwest trail about ten, fifteen minutes ago.”

“Goddamn it!” Hunter took off running.

He ran the mile from the ranger’s station at a dead sprint, cursing her the entire way. The uneven dirt path was littered with sticks and rocks jutting from the ground, threatening to trip him with every hurried step. He should’ve come across her by now. Where the hell was she? What if something happened to her?

When he broke through the tree line, Morgan stood in the valley with a camera in hand, a smile on her face. Relief swamped him before hot, ripe anger flooded his veins. He was going to teach her a lesson she wasn’t about to forget.

Hunter never broke his stride as he caught her in a tackle and rolled with her to take the brunt of the impact. She let out a surprised gasp as his body careened into hers. The camera went flying. The deer ran away. When the momentum of the roll stopped, Hunter lay on top of her.

She said nothing as he stared into her huge, green eyes.

“What the hell is your problem? I told you not to go anywhere. So what do you do? You take off anyway.”

“Get off of me,” she said quietly, still dazed. “You’re crushing me.”

He didn’t move. “What am I going to do with you? You don’t listen to a goddamn thing I say. How can I do my job if you won’t fucking
listen
?”

“So this is your solution, to tackle and crush me? I just went for a walk. I brought a weapon, and don’t you
dare
talk to me like that!”

Hunter looked over at the gun, back again. If he wasn’t seeing wavy shades of red, he might’ve laughed. “Is that your weapon, the goddamn tranquilizer gun? Are you
serious
?”

She shoved at his shoulder, raised her chin, answering him in her haughty tone that drove him insane. “Perfectly. Now get
off
.”

Completely out of patience, he grabbed her wrists with one hand, pushed them over her head. Firm breasts pressed against his chest and he wanted her with a power so swift it took his breath, making him more furious. “Don’t you get it, Morgan? You’re completely defenseless right now. You didn’t even hear me come up behind you. How can you protect yourself with a tranquilizer gun or anything else for that matter when you’re so caught up in your pictures you don’t know someone’s coming? What if I wasn’t a nice guy? I could—”

“You’re not,” she spat.

“You’re right. I’m not. I think I’ll show you what happens to a woman who goes out in the middle of nowhere by herself.” He had to taste her.

She went perfectly still when his mouth brushed hers, testing, teasing. Her eyes burned into his as he nipped her full bottom lip, tracing lightly with his tongue. Her breath turned ragged and her eyes flutter closed. Unable to do anything else, he crushed his mouth against hers.

He let go of her wrists still trapped above her head, braced himself on his elbows, took her face in his hands, changing the angle of the kiss, deepening it, tasting her exotic flavor, tangling his tongue with hers.

A hum of surrender purred in her throat while her hands found their way to his hair. Her fingers stroked the nape of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. He was losing his shaky grip of control.

As abruptly as he initiated the kiss, he ended it. Hunter lifted his head, stared into eyes that had gone dark with passion. His heart hammered against hers and he pushed himself up to standing.

Morgan lay on the ground, looking up at him.

He turned away, staring hard at the trees in the distance. “If you ever take off on me again, I swear I’ll handcuff you to my goddamn wrist. Get your stuff and let’s go. Hopefully I’ve made my point very memorable and very clear.”

“Bastard,” Morgan hissed as she got to her feet. She stormed passed him, grabbed her tranquilizer gun, broken camera and other belongings, and started up the trail.

Hunter’s heart still pounded as she walked away. He scrubbed unsteady hands over his face, let out a deep breath. Her dark flavor lingered on his tongue.

He’d meant to prove a point and got a hell of a lot more than he’d bargained for. Flickers of something long dead had come to life when he’d lost himself in her.

He hadn’t realized he gave a damn until she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. She made him…
feel
. He didn’t want to feel anything for Morgan Taylor—didn’t want the responsibility of being in charge of anyone’s life he cared for ever again.

Hunter kept Morgan in sight as he started up the trail after her but gave them both their distance.

Chapter 10

W
ITH THE PACE MORGAN KEPT on the hike back, she made it to the ranger’s station in record time. Both pickup trucks were missing from the parking lot. Good. She wasn’t in the mood for polite conversation with her new housemates. She needed a few minutes to herself—desperately.

Morgan stepped onto the small porch and glanced over her shoulder. Hunter’s long strides closed the distance quickly. She was tempted to shut the door and lock it, but he would just find a way in.

Instead of indulging in petty satisfaction, she walked to the bedroom for her shower gear. The tension that vanished while she sat in the clearing was back with a vengeance, squeezing at her aching shoulder blades.

God, he was such a
jerk
. She knew Hunter had it in him, but she’d never realized he could be cruel. Why did he have to go and kiss her like
that
? He’d taken her breath away, confused her, hurt her—all for a lesson, a game. Well, score one for Bodyguard Phillips. He won that round.

She said nothing as he followed her to the room. She gathered her tote and fresh clothes, turned to leave and stopped short, almost running into him. He held her gaze as she tried to move around him. He grabbed her arm at the door, and she waited for him to say something, anything. His eyes searched hers in humming silence.

Morgan yanked, trying to pull free. “Let me go.”

He looked at her a moment longer before letting her pass.

The plumbing in the bathroom hummed and clacked moments before water hit the tiny shower stall. When Hunter was certain Morgan stood under the spray, he headed into the ranger’s office and called L.A. “Cooke, it’s Phillips. What did you come up with?”

“You have a meeting with Darren. He flew into Montana a couple of days ago to see what he could dig up.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. What time?” Hunter leafed through paperwork, hoping to find a report on the deaths of Morgan’s team.

“Four o’clock in Merkly. How’s it going? She still giving you a hard time?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Hunter opened a drawer, searched through files next.

“I’ve gotta admit, I envy you, man. If I had the wilderness skills you do, I would’ve taken the assignment myself. I can think of worse ways to spend a month. Sharing a tent with centerfold material doesn’t sound too bad to me. You’re a lucky bastard, Phillips, one lucky bastard.”

“I’ll try to remember that the next time she aims for my balls.” He closed the drawer and hung up while Ethan laughed in his ear.

Hunter glanced at his watch, calculating the drive time from the station to Merkly. He would have to ditch Morgan for awhile. After his initial meet and greet with Robert and Miles, he was interested to see what the PI on Ethan’s payroll found.

Hunter searched the second desk—as with the first, he found nothing. He stood, licked his lips and tasted Morgan. His stomach fisted into knots as his mind wandered back to the way her curvy body felt pressed under his. Running a hand through his hair, he blew out a breath and picked up the phone.