opinion with a soulful revelation. She loved this man with unquestioned depth and sincerity.
The kiss was getting interesting having flown right past seduce before detouring to devour when his mouth unexpectedly lifted away. Scrambling for oxygen and some understanding, she squirmed in the saddle and prayed against tumbling awkwardly onto her butt.
Grabbing the pommel for support, Stephanie looked around, saw where Calder’s attention was directed, and turned to see what the heck was happening.
Five large black SUVs were speeding along the access road to the Villa. Her brows shot up with alarm. Whatever this was, it involved the family and not the agency.
She glanced at Calder. His hands were tense, and his posture screamed high alert. It was still early. Stephanie wasn’t stupid. She loved her morning ride but had enough sense to head out early before the killer Arizona summer sun made it too hot to think. A squad of ominous vehicles flying toward the Villa not long after the ass crack of dawn didn’t evoke feelings of joy.
Something was obviously up. “That doesn’t look good,” she worriedly murmured.
“Government cars.”
“How can you tell?”
He didn’t respond, just sat there staring with a serious scowl settling on his handsome face. “Come on.” He urged his horse on and jerked his head at her to follow.
“Calder …” She stopped abruptly.
The fear in her voice must have spread to her face because his frown lightened and he locked eyes with her. “Honey, it’ll be fine, but we won’t know anything until we get to wherever they’re headed, so let’s just get moving. Okay?”
Taking off in a steady trot, they reined their mounts toward the main house, riding side-by-side in silence. She could sense the anxiety rolling off him in waves.
Calder assumed responsibility for the entire compound in Alex’s absence. He and Parker shared legal control of the whole shebang while Cameron and Draegyn ran the agency and looked after the physical property.
Draegyn. Oh, no . Apprehension thumped heavily in her belly. Please don’t let this involve him. Please. Things were already rocky at the St. John household. Her daughter was putting on a great act, but Stephanie saw right through the charade. Victoria and Drae needed to catch an extended break, and a parade of speeding SUVs didn’t qualify.
At the Marquez stable, they handed off their mounts to one of the newer barn hands and made quick work of making sure the horses were cared for. Running in and out of the bathroom with all the haste Stephanie could muster, she dialed back her anxiety half a notch when she found Calder waiting nearby, busily texting. Not having to pee so badly made it easier for her to think straight.
“Who?”
He didn’t bother to question what she was asking.
“Cameron.”
They stared at each other. She nodded and shuffled her feet. “What do you need to do?”
“I should get down there.”
He hesitated so slightly she almost missed it. Highly tuned to each other, the brief pause let her know he was outside his comfort zone. With Cam on the hot seat, this situation was undoubtedly a Justice matter.
Going to him, she stroked a hand up and down his arm. “Would you like me to come with you?”
“Yes.” Strong. Firm. No uncertainty whatsoever.
Stephanie reached and slid her hand into his grasp. “The boys know what they’re doin’, darlin’.” The twang was back. He noticed and smirked.
“I swear to god,” he growled while squeezing her fingers and pulling her to walk with him. “If this messes up your birthday, I’m gonna be pissed.”
Seriously? Stephanie looked at him with unguarded astonishment. A Justice situation was in motion, and he was thinking about her birthday?
She was still ruminating on Calder’s odd reaction after he bundled her into a waiting two-seat Polaris Ranger and took off down the lane toward the Cameron cabin.
“Here you go, sweetie,” Lacey cooed as she dropped a small
The kiss was getting interesting having flown right past seduce before detouring to devour when his mouth unexpectedly lifted away. Scrambling for oxygen and some understanding, she squirmed in the saddle and prayed against tumbling awkwardly onto her butt.
Grabbing the pommel for support, Stephanie looked around, saw where Calder’s attention was directed, and turned to see what the heck was happening.
Five large black SUVs were speeding along the access road to the Villa. Her brows shot up with alarm. Whatever this was, it involved the family and not the agency.
She glanced at Calder. His hands were tense, and his posture screamed high alert. It was still early. Stephanie wasn’t stupid. She loved her morning ride but had enough sense to head out early before the killer Arizona summer sun made it too hot to think. A squad of ominous vehicles flying toward the Villa not long after the ass crack of dawn didn’t evoke feelings of joy.
Something was obviously up. “That doesn’t look good,” she worriedly murmured.
“Government cars.”
“How can you tell?”
He didn’t respond, just sat there staring with a serious scowl settling on his handsome face. “Come on.” He urged his horse on and jerked his head at her to follow.
“Calder …” She stopped abruptly.
The fear in her voice must have spread to her face because his frown lightened and he locked eyes with her. “Honey, it’ll be fine, but we won’t know anything until we get to wherever they’re headed, so let’s just get moving. Okay?”
Taking off in a steady trot, they reined their mounts toward the main house, riding side-by-side in silence. She could sense the anxiety rolling off him in waves.
Calder assumed responsibility for the entire compound in Alex’s absence. He and Parker shared legal control of the whole shebang while Cameron and Draegyn ran the agency and looked after the physical property.
Draegyn. Oh, no . Apprehension thumped heavily in her belly. Please don’t let this involve him. Please. Things were already rocky at the St. John household. Her daughter was putting on a great act, but Stephanie saw right through the charade. Victoria and Drae needed to catch an extended break, and a parade of speeding SUVs didn’t qualify.
At the Marquez stable, they handed off their mounts to one of the newer barn hands and made quick work of making sure the horses were cared for. Running in and out of the bathroom with all the haste Stephanie could muster, she dialed back her anxiety half a notch when she found Calder waiting nearby, busily texting. Not having to pee so badly made it easier for her to think straight.
“Who?”
He didn’t bother to question what she was asking.
“Cameron.”
They stared at each other. She nodded and shuffled her feet. “What do you need to do?”
“I should get down there.”
He hesitated so slightly she almost missed it. Highly tuned to each other, the brief pause let her know he was outside his comfort zone. With Cam on the hot seat, this situation was undoubtedly a Justice matter.
Going to him, she stroked a hand up and down his arm. “Would you like me to come with you?”
“Yes.” Strong. Firm. No uncertainty whatsoever.
Stephanie reached and slid her hand into his grasp. “The boys know what they’re doin’, darlin’.” The twang was back. He noticed and smirked.
“I swear to god,” he growled while squeezing her fingers and pulling her to walk with him. “If this messes up your birthday, I’m gonna be pissed.”
Seriously? Stephanie looked at him with unguarded astonishment. A Justice situation was in motion, and he was thinking about her birthday?
She was still ruminating on Calder’s odd reaction after he bundled her into a waiting two-seat Polaris Ranger and took off down the lane toward the Cameron cabin.
“Here you go, sweetie,” Lacey cooed as she dropped a small
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