room and sat on the edge of the bed.
“You were right,” he said.
She gasped with relief. Those were the best words he could have spoken. “Say it again.”
“You. Were. Right.”
She scooted across the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “Thank God, you understand now. If anything had happened to you, I…”
“Nothing happened.” He lifted her onto his lap and held her close against his chest. “We’re safe. Both of us.”
She hardly dared to believe it was true, but he was here, safely in her arms. She tilted her head up and kissed him. Familiar sensations swirled through her. In the five years they’d been together, there had been thousands of kisses. Maybe even millions. But the firm pressure of his mouth against hers never failed to arouse her. His teeth tugged at her lower lip, and she kissed him harder. His taste was sweet nectar.
Nestling into his embrace, she marveled at how perfectly they fitted together. He knew the secrets of her body, knew how she liked to be held, knew that she would shiver with pleasure when he caressed her back with feathery strokes.
He was her man. Her lover. Her husband.
His lips brushed the line of her cheekbone. He nipped at her earlobe. “I’ll always take care of you,” he said. “I won’t let Nate come near you. Not ever again.”
“He wants to kill you, Dylan.”
“I’m not afraid.”
She pulled away from him. “You should be.”
“He won’t hurt me. Nate’s a coward and a fool.”
She shoved at her husband’s chest. “Nate wasn’t so foolish when he was holding me captive. He outsmarted you, the sheriff and the FBI. I’d call that pretty damned clever.”
“Forget about him.”
Dylan leaned closer for another kiss, but she wasn’t about to be seduced into complacency. Her vigilance would keep them alive. She climbed off his lap and stood before him. “I can’t forget.”
He held out a hand toward her. “I didn’t mean to—”
She slapped his hand away. “He almost killed you tonight because you didn’t listen to me. I warned you not to go out there.”
“I already said you were right.”
She wanted more than an apology. She needed his full assurance that he wouldn’t take any more risks. “When you heard that the fence had been cut, you should have known it was a trap. And it wasn’t necessary for you to respond. We have over thirty employees.”
“Not all of them are at the ranch,” he said. “There are a couple of guys out in the far grazing pastures. And some had to stay here, guarding the house.”
“You know what I mean.” She refused to be sidetracked by numbers. “Lucas could handle the situation. You should have left the wrangling to him and his men.”
A shadow darkened the pale green of his eyes. He was hiding something.
“What is it?” she demanded.
“Lucas is dead.” He looked down at his boots.
Shocked, she stepped backward. The back of her legs hit the chair by the window, and she abruptly sat. Lucas Mann had been the foreman at the Carlisle ranch for as long as she’d been here. The bowlegged old cowboy with a plug of tobacco in his cheek was an integral part of this place. “What happened?”
“He betrayed us,” Dylan said. “Lucas was working with the Sons of Freedom when they first started their sabotage. He took payoffs. And he stood in the way of our investigation.”
She didn’t care. Lucas had been part of their family. At Thanksgiving, he’d sat across the table from her, wearing a freshly ironed shirt, with his thinning hair neatly combed. She couldn’t believe he was dead. “How was he killed?”
“When Carolyn was delivering the ransom, he tried to help her. He was shot.”
Nate killed him.
Her worst fears were coming true. Nate had promised to destroy the people she loved, and he’d already started with Lucas. “Have you spoken to his family?”
“He had no one,” Dylan said.
“Except for us. We need to make the funeral arrangements,” she said.
“You were right,” he said.
She gasped with relief. Those were the best words he could have spoken. “Say it again.”
“You. Were. Right.”
She scooted across the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “Thank God, you understand now. If anything had happened to you, I…”
“Nothing happened.” He lifted her onto his lap and held her close against his chest. “We’re safe. Both of us.”
She hardly dared to believe it was true, but he was here, safely in her arms. She tilted her head up and kissed him. Familiar sensations swirled through her. In the five years they’d been together, there had been thousands of kisses. Maybe even millions. But the firm pressure of his mouth against hers never failed to arouse her. His teeth tugged at her lower lip, and she kissed him harder. His taste was sweet nectar.
Nestling into his embrace, she marveled at how perfectly they fitted together. He knew the secrets of her body, knew how she liked to be held, knew that she would shiver with pleasure when he caressed her back with feathery strokes.
He was her man. Her lover. Her husband.
His lips brushed the line of her cheekbone. He nipped at her earlobe. “I’ll always take care of you,” he said. “I won’t let Nate come near you. Not ever again.”
“He wants to kill you, Dylan.”
“I’m not afraid.”
She pulled away from him. “You should be.”
“He won’t hurt me. Nate’s a coward and a fool.”
She shoved at her husband’s chest. “Nate wasn’t so foolish when he was holding me captive. He outsmarted you, the sheriff and the FBI. I’d call that pretty damned clever.”
“Forget about him.”
Dylan leaned closer for another kiss, but she wasn’t about to be seduced into complacency. Her vigilance would keep them alive. She climbed off his lap and stood before him. “I can’t forget.”
He held out a hand toward her. “I didn’t mean to—”
She slapped his hand away. “He almost killed you tonight because you didn’t listen to me. I warned you not to go out there.”
“I already said you were right.”
She wanted more than an apology. She needed his full assurance that he wouldn’t take any more risks. “When you heard that the fence had been cut, you should have known it was a trap. And it wasn’t necessary for you to respond. We have over thirty employees.”
“Not all of them are at the ranch,” he said. “There are a couple of guys out in the far grazing pastures. And some had to stay here, guarding the house.”
“You know what I mean.” She refused to be sidetracked by numbers. “Lucas could handle the situation. You should have left the wrangling to him and his men.”
A shadow darkened the pale green of his eyes. He was hiding something.
“What is it?” she demanded.
“Lucas is dead.” He looked down at his boots.
Shocked, she stepped backward. The back of her legs hit the chair by the window, and she abruptly sat. Lucas Mann had been the foreman at the Carlisle ranch for as long as she’d been here. The bowlegged old cowboy with a plug of tobacco in his cheek was an integral part of this place. “What happened?”
“He betrayed us,” Dylan said. “Lucas was working with the Sons of Freedom when they first started their sabotage. He took payoffs. And he stood in the way of our investigation.”
She didn’t care. Lucas had been part of their family. At Thanksgiving, he’d sat across the table from her, wearing a freshly ironed shirt, with his thinning hair neatly combed. She couldn’t believe he was dead. “How was he killed?”
“When Carolyn was delivering the ransom, he tried to help her. He was shot.”
Nate killed him.
Her worst fears were coming true. Nate had promised to destroy the people she loved, and he’d already started with Lucas. “Have you spoken to his family?”
“He had no one,” Dylan said.
“Except for us. We need to make the funeral arrangements,” she said.
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