Texas Cowboy's Protection, - [books you need to read .TXT] 📗
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A noise in the next room caused Isaac’s eyes to shoot open. He’d barely dozed off but that sound was real. Not wanting to disturb Gina, he eased away from her and slipped out of the covers. His jeans and shirt were still in the bathroom.
With quiet stealth honed by fourteen years of military training, he retrieved them. His fluid movements and ability to surprise a target had kept him alive through more missions than he cared to count.
This was his comfort zone. This made his blood pump. This made him feel alive. Living in the civilian world would take some adjusting.
Back against the wall with weapon in hand, he eased into the adjacent room. Not so much as a floorboard creaked as he cleared the living room and then the kitchen. The only room left was the baby’s.
After clearing Everly’s room, he realized the noise must’ve come from outside. Isaac made his way back through the house. As he neared Gina’s room, the light flipped on and she screamed when she saw him.
“It’s okay, Gina. It’s me.” On closer look, he realized she was still half asleep. He held his hands up and repeated the mantra, “It’s okay.”
Gina shook her head and her eyes came to life. She gasped and then covered her mouth with her hand. “Isaac. I thought you left me again.”
Damn. Those words were knife stabs to an already battered chest.
“There was a noise. I left to investigate. That’s all. I didn’t go anywhere.”
“What did you hear?”
“It’s probably just an animal outside. Nothing to worry about.” He crossed the room to her and pulled her to his chest where she buried her face. Despite putting up a strong front, she wrapped her arms around him tightly and he could feel her body trembling.
“What if he knows where I live?” She’d been through a shocking ordeal and it would take time to recover. From where he stood, she handled everything better than most. Courage was another attribute he found sexy in Gina.
“My truck is parked out front. My presence here will be a deterrent. If he’s local, word will get out that I’m staying at your place.”
“For how long, Isaac? How long will you be here?”
“As long as it takes until I know you’re safe. If you’re willing to open your heart to me, longer.” He ran his finger along her jawline as she blinked up at him. “I know you’ve been through a lot. I put you through a lot. If you can take a step on faith and learn to trust me again, we might be able to have something special.”
“You don’t know how long you’re staying in town. You’re only here to find out what T.J. wants and then you’ll take off.”
“I won’t lie. Being here in Gunner brings back a helluva lot of memories I’d damn sure rather forget.” He dipped his head down and pressed his lips to hers. “There are good ones, too. Most of those involve being with you here in this cabin.”
A smile ghosted her lips. It faded too fast. He wanted to offer reassurance, to tell her everything would magically work out. Isaac wasn’t sure if he could live in the same state as T.J. There was too much bad blood. The desert might’ve been a continent away, hot and miserable but it had trumped being around his so-called father.
“I know you can’t make promises, Isaac.”
“I’m here now. You can count on me, Gina. I’m not going anywhere right now. We’ll see this thing through together. I’d like to be part of giving you a life back. I wish I could say more—”
“Isaac, it’s okay. I’m a grown woman. I just had the best sex of my life and I refuse to have any regrets.”
He couldn’t stop the slow smile from spreading. “Best sex of your life, huh?”
This time, her smile was genuine. “Don’t get a big ego. It’s not like I have a lot of experience.”
“Can we just rewind back to the part where I was the best sex of your life and stop there?” A chuckle rumbled from his chest.
“Fine. Sure. You’re the man. Are you satisfied?”
“Oh, sweetheart, I could never get enough of you.”
“Bo Stanley has a rap sheet.” Griff’s expression soured as he tapped his fingers on his desk. He motioned to the chairs across from him. “Thanks for coming here first thing this morning. You might want to take a seat.”
“What did he do?” Isaac waited for Gina to settle before claiming the leather club chair next to her. Michael had called first thing and left a message that there’d been no change with the Labrador, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The dog had stabilized.
“Swindled four women out of their life savings. Claimed he was a psychologist when he had no training or education to back it up. He hung a shingle in Katy, Texas anyway. Doled out advice to people he had no business counseling.” Griff picked up a pen and tossed it on top of a stack of papers on his desk, looking like he wanted to throw it against the wall. “He’s been married six times, including Brittany’s mother. Divorced four of them.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying he’s still married to two women at the same time?” Gina’s question was valid.
“Yes.”
“This sheds a whole new light on the investigation.” Isaac would like to hear Bo answer a few questions. “If I remember correctly he was supposed to be out of town on the night Brittany was murdered.”
“What color eyes does he have?” Gina’s question came out without hesitation. It was an important question.
“Brown.” Him, and fifty-five percent of the population. Isaac had learned that fact from his law enforcement cousin.
“How old is he?”
“Fifty-seven. And he’s due to stop by at—” Griff stopped midsentence. His gaze locked onto his door, which Isaac knew they’d left open. Griff stood up, so Isaac craned his neck to get a look.
“Uncle T.J., what a surprise.”
“Came to see my son since he hasn’t availed himself to let me know he’s in town.” It was Isaac’s turn to stand.
“We’re in the middle of something here.” Isaac didn’t answer to T.J.
Dark hair, blue eyes, the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree when it came to T.J. Quinn’s sons. At six-foot-three, T.J. was a hair shorter than Isaac but the man was the same build of muscle and all king-of-the-hill attitude. He wore jeans and a Stetson.
“Can I ask when you plan on stopping by Quinnland?” The family ranch had been on Isaac’s mind but he was damned if he’d let his father order him around.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Right now, I have urgent business.”
“More important than family?” T.J.’s view of the world came down to the ranch and the family, as long as everything was done his way. Isaac wasn’t sure which came first, family or ranch. To say the man was set in his ways was a lot like saying yogurt was made from milk. It was blindingly obvious to anyone who bothered to look.
Gina stood. “Mr. Quinn, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Regina.” T.J. didn’t have a soft bone in his body. So, it shocked the hell out of Isaac when his father said, “Good to have you back in Gunner. I hear you have a beautiful little girl now.”
“Yes, sir.” The pride in Gina’s voice sent a shot of warmth through Isaac’s icy chest at seeing his father. He reminded himself of the fact his childhood had been a long time ago. Holding onto hurt and pain from the past was as smart as standing in the kitchen and stabbing himself with a steak knife. It would only put holes in him.
Looking into T.J.’s eyes, there was pain. Another emotion flickered behind the man’s gaze. Regret?
T.J.’s shoulders dipped forward.
“Any chance I can convince you to come to dinner tonight?” The uncertainty in T.J.’s voice caught Isaac off guard for the second time in this short conversation. Granted, he hadn’t been home in the past year, but T.J. couldn’t have transformed into a different man overnight.
Isaac wondered if these changes in his father. had anything to do with the announcement he wanted to make. Was he sick? Some men re-examined their lives when faced with a terminal illness.
Taking in T.J.’s skin tone and facial features, Isaac searched for any sign. Yellowing skin? Weight loss? The man seemed fine on the surface. Then again, T.J. had reached out from out of the blue. If he’d gotten a diagnosis, it could be too soon to see the signs.
“Tonight’s out of the question.” He wanted to know what T.J. was up to, so he didn’t shut down all possibilities.
“Let me know a good day for you. Bring Gina along with you if it’ll make you feel better.” T.J.’s tentative gaze moved from Griff to Isaac. “If you’d like.”
“I’ll let you know.” Isaac should make an effort. T.J. seemed to be trying to find middle ground. Even though the two of them had the kind
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