The Cattleman (17 page)

“We’re concerned about you—”

Nick was half way across the porch and didn’t wait for her to finish. The relationship he had with Cord would remain shaky. Tonight he’d gone too far because he was upset about Beth. Plain and simple, he was angry he hadn’t ranked a conversation with her parents.

He’d wanted Cord to take a swing at him, cracked ribs and all. He’d wanted to take out his aggression on a man who expected anger and smart remarks, instead of facing an honest conversation with the woman he loved. Yes, loved. Completely. Right down to the rhinestones on her purple-booted foot model’s feet.

Now he just had to find her and tell her. If she’d forgive him.

Chapter Twenty

Fake engagement. Fake engagement.
It’s only a fake engagement.
Beth repeated the words all the way to the barn. She swiped at the tears, ruining her eye makeup. She’d hang with her favorite horse, Applewine, a little, calm down a lot and sneak back into her room to repair her makeup before she was missed and anyone could wonder what had happened to her.

A fake engagement,
she chanted. Why had she agreed to such a thing? And now she had to explain everything to her parents.
Oh, no...her parents!
How long were they staying and were they staying here at the ranch? That would mean she and Nick would need to share a room. Shoot. He could move to the bunkhouse—or she would. There was no way she was sleeping with him again.
Sleeping
would not be the problem. The explosive way she reacted to his nearness was definitely the problem.

Nothing between them had been real. Their relationship had begun with hot, sexy banter...and a night under the stars. It had been a hell of a ride, full of intense situations. How could she have let herself fall for someone so completely different and so completely out of her realm of reality?

So many differences...

Stubborn... He was definitely stubborn, but then, so was she.

He hated her shoes. Even her boots. The man clearly didn’t have any fashion sense. And yet that didn’t seem to be a bad thing, either.

Horses. He loved his animals and...so did she. She stood at the stall and finger-combed Applewine’s mane.

These weren’t really differences any longer.

Chicago versus West Texas. How could that one be resolved? Well, she didn’t have a job in Chicago any longer. Not really.

But Cord was wrong. The DEA suspension wasn’t the reason she’d stuck around. Nick and his family’s safety were why she’d accepted the disciplinary leave without a fight. With the exception of trying to find the informant, her time here as an agent had pretty much been a waste. There had been no concrete leads. But then again, she’d accidentally found Bishop. They just needed to pin down his whereabouts and anyone associated with him. Securing him behind bars would give her enough satisfaction while she found another place to work.

Bishop wanted Nick dead and wouldn’t stop until he’d achieved that goal. She couldn’t have lived with herself if she’d walked away and let that happen.

Greeted by the sounds of the horses, she lifted the latch on the barn door, leaving it open as she walked inside. She needed a good cry. A small pity party for herself. No time for that, but she did need to blow her nose. She sniffled instead, and then scooped a handful of feed from the sack.

Between the stall slats Applewine quickly slobbered up the oats from Beth’s hand. The light from the house shone in the doorway and flickered across the stalls. Nick must have followed. Quiet footsteps crunched the hay behind her. His father’s classic Sinatra floated in the background mixing with the loud party noises.

Maybe it was time she admitted to him what was bouncing around her heart. Or what was causing the confusing back-and-forth, mixed-up feelings in her head. Because in spite of trying to convince herself otherwise, she was in love with him. He might still care for someone else, but Beth didn’t stand a chance if she never told Nick the truth.

“Strange to find you running here of all places,” Nick said softly. “A month ago you were petrified of horses.”

“Was it only a month?” She stroked Applewine’s muzzle, so soft and feathery. She wasn’t frightened of the horse any longer, though her ability as a rider was still abysmal.

“I, uh... I guess you heard what I said back there in the kitchen.” He shuffled his boots across the dirt, hands in his front pockets. He totally looked the part of a dejected cowboy.

Or a pitiful man who’d been caught doing something silly—no, completely stupid. She couldn’t ask him why. Besides having no right to ask—
fake
engagement—she couldn’t think of a way to form the question without sounding like a jealous shrew. So, she held her tongue and continued to stroke Applewine’s neck, twisting the mare’s mane around her fingers.

“For cryin’ out loud.”

His frustrated tone surprised her, but she kept her gaze on the horse. “Why are you upset with me?” she asked. “I’m not the one who badgered the husband of an old girlfriend.”

Okay. There. It was out in the open, jealous shrew and all.

“Kate was never my girlfriend. No matter what anyone thinks or thought.” His hands grabbed the top stall rail. His boots were firmly planted as if he was telling the truth.

“That was so abundantly
not
clear in your last conversation with her husband.” Yet she wanted to believe him. Both their voices had risen slightly. The horses tossed their heads. Applewine was clearly agitated or maybe the mare wanted another handful of oats. Beth didn’t have enough experience to know.

“I was trying to get Cord to...”

“To what?”

“To fight.”

“For heaven’s sake, why?”

“I was upset after meeting your parents. I know there’s no reason I should be. I just needed to knock off some steam and Cord was there. Tonight’s been pretty overwhelming.”

“If you wanted a bar fight, then why did you follow me?” she asked as she walked to the feed and scooped more into her hand. It had been a little overwhelming for them both.

“I don’t want you to be upset.”

She fed the mare, then pivoted to face him. “I have never in my life been less upset,” she lied. Did he know? The arch of a single eyebrow spoke volumes. Oh, great. He knew.

“You’re lying. Just like you did the first day when you said you weren’t afraid of the mare I’d brought for you.”

“You can’t prove it and it shouldn’t matter to you. We’ll stick to finding the informant. Your parents have dropped the opportunity of a lifetime into our laps. We should be taking advantage of it instead of worrying about what anyone is thinking. You don’t owe me any explanation.”

“You’re right, like always.”

“Good, then we should get started by asking your parents if there’s someone here they’ve never met before tonight.” She took a step, but he grabbed her shoulders, squaring her with him, nose to nose. God, she loved how tall he was.

“I don’t love Kate.”

“It doesn’t matter to me if you do,” she lied again.

“I think it does.”

“Why?” she whispered, mirroring the direction of his gaze to her mouth.

“Because I love you.”

His firm lips pressed against hers while his hands slid down her arms and around to her back. He pulled her tight against him and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers sliding into the slight curl of hair at the back. Their mouths opened for an onslaught of tingling sensations piercing throughout her body.

Tender, hot, sweet, hard and oh-so sexy. She answered his declaration of love without words. He pulled her closer, crushing her breasts against his hard chest. The need to unbutton his dress shirt and slip out of her sweater had never been higher. But she was responsible and kept her hands around his shoulders.

Nick paused, waiting an inch apart from her. She licked her lips whisper-close to his, making him moan. She should be patient, but she didn’t want to be sane. She wanted to be crazy. Throw caution to the wind. Be irresponsible and take exactly what she wanted. She didn’t care that a town full of people were on the other side of that barn door. She couldn’t resist this man and tugged him back to her. His hands slid under her shirt. His work-rough fingertips danced across her bare skin like a butterfly’s wings.

His soft caress, another assault to her senses, turned her legs completely to jelly. Her knees weakened and he pulled back again, arms tight around her, holding her up.

“I think there’s something we’re supposed to be doing.” He bent and kissed the curve of her neck.

“I can’t for my life think what it is.” She could, but she really didn’t want to stop being close to him.

“Something about flushing out the informant and catching a bad guy,” he whispered close to her ear, sending tingly vibrations across her lobe. “Of course, that would be your job, not mine. I sort of feel overanalyzed for a while.”

“You should have waited to talk to me. I work better when I’m not distracted.”

“I found out real quick why men don’t like to see women cry. Never bothered me before our escape last week.” His voice was low and erotic, mixed with softer kisses he dropped under the edge of her sweater. He drew back, his eyes searching hers. “With everything that’s happened to us, to you... I’m sorry I had to ignore your tears in Mexico. I didn’t think I could have paid attention to our surroundings. And then—”

She placed a finger over his lips. “Shh. To be honest, I’ve never cried in front of a guy before. Maybe Danny Bryant in the third grade, but never anyone your age.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Maybe not, but it should make you feel special.” She drew her own circles just under his slightly scruffy jaw. “I don’t know why or how it happened, but I love you, too.”

They kissed again. She’d thought the kiss when they’d been captured had been superspecial, but it didn’t compare.

Nick shoved his fingers through her loose hair. “Pure silk.”

Whatever decisions needed to be made, they would survive.

A knock at the open barn door broke them apart.

“There will be plenty of time for that later, you two,” Juliet said from the doorway. “It’s time for the bonfire. All your friends are standing around getting cold while we wait on you to light it.”

She left them alone again.

Nick gave her another quick kiss and dropped his hands against his jean-covered thighs with a loud pop. “Guess we should get going.”

They passed through the doorway and movement in the field caught her eye. “Do you see that?” She pointed to the dark shadow moving at a fast pace. “Is it a horse?”

“One with a rider. Something’s off. I’m saddling the blacks.” He squeezed her hand, assuring her it was okay. “Can you find Cord and Pete?”

“Sure, but I should— Nick Burke, you wait on the professionals, do you hear me? Do not take off after whoever is out there on your own. Promise?”

“We’re losing time, Beth. Go get the rest of your task force.”

He ran inside the barn as she ran to the bonfire. “Morrison! McCrea!” She drew everyone’s attention, but the two law enforcement officers weren’t there. She finally ran into Alan and gave him instructions. She had to get back to Nick before...

The main barn door flew open and a second later Nick was tearing out across the pasture heading after the man on horseback. She had no idea who it was or if he was armed, but Nick wasn’t.

There were no roads in that direction, nothing but a fence for the cattle.

“Great. Just great.” To follow Nick she’d have to saddle and ride Applewine. But not without her weapon. She ran into the house, pulled her lockbox from under the bed and grabbed two fully loaded magazines.

“I’ll take those.” Bishop stuck a gun barrel between her ribs.

She held the magazines up near her ears. Was there more ammunition for her weapon?

“Now the gun.”

Would there be another weapon? The gun cabinet had rifles. Alan had pistols in his office. Where was the key? She handed over her gun while mentally cursing Bishop.

“We never considered you foolish enough to set foot on US soil, not to mention the ranch. Are you that crazy? What are you doing here? And why tonight?”

He twisted the gun a little harder. “We’re leaving before your
fiancé
realizes he’s following the wrong person.”

“I’m comfortable where I am. Thanks.” She stayed on her knees at the edge of the bed. “You didn’t answer my question. Why are you here at the party? It must be something really important considering we had no idea where you’d run off to.”

“Get up.”

“You want to shoot me? Get rid of us? I’m assuming it’s the only reason you’d show up here. So go ahead, but you won’t make it out of here alive. There are a lot of ranchers packing out there.”

Bishop wrapped his hand in her loose hair and yanked upward. Her hands went to her scalp trying to relieve the pain while she followed his instructions getting to her feet.

“What’s your game, Bishop?”

“Hands behind your back.” He yanked harder on her hair. “You might not care if you die, but I’ve got a lot of ammunition to waste on your friends outside. I’d be glad to start with your future in-laws or maybe your own parents.”

Beth had to comply. The plastic from cuffs cut into the flesh around her wrists. They were too tight to allow any movement.

“Seriously, what are you planning on doing? Why are you here?”

“The only thing I can do. Eliminate your task force. Let’s go. I want to make certain you have a front-row seat.”

The bedroom door was almost shut, he shoved her toward it, and she heard a magazine click into place. He draped her heavy coat around her shoulders, successfully hiding her hands behind her back. If she made a sound, he’d begin shooting people, but there was a slim chance she could get someone’s attention.

“We’re joining everyone else. One word and you know what will happen.”

She left her room, turned left to head to the main part of the house and was nudged back to the right instead. Bishop pushed open the master bedroom and she saw that he hadn’t come alone. Her parents along with Nick’s parents were being held at gunpoint by one of his men.

“There’s no reason to hurt anyone else. I’m cooperating,” she said.

“And now, you know the consequences if you don’t.”