She swallowed, looked up at him. “Thank you for saying that, but—” Fresh tears welled, making her eyes look bigger and greener. “I can’t let you take that kind of risk.”
Maybe if she had said something else. Maybe if her concern hadn’t grabbed him like a fist, he could have just let her leave. He had returned to Texas for peace and quiet. The last thing he needed was more trouble.
But there was no way he could just abandon her. “What about you, Tory? What about Ivy? If this guy’s as bad as you say, how are you going to protect your little girl?”
A soft sob caught in her throat. Josh looked into those troubled green eyes and the next thing he knew he was pulling her into his arms. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying right here where you’ll be safe.”
He could feel her trembling, feel the way her body relaxed into the strength of his. For a moment, she rested her head on his chest. It felt good—way too good. He reminded himself this was a woman who needed his help, nothing more.
She took a shaky breath and looked up at him. “Are you . . . are you sure?”
He wasn’t sure of anything except there was no way he could send this woman and her little girl away, not with some lunatic tracking them.
He eased her back a little before she discovered holding her was making him hard. “Like I said, we have no idea who burned the barn. If it’s him, we’ll find a way to deal with it. Until then, we go on the way we have been, but we keep our eyes open. I’ll talk to Noah and Cole, let them know what’s going on.”
“Oh, God, they might be in danger, too.”
He almost smiled. “They’re marines, honey. They can take care of themselves. They’ve faced a lot worse than some creep who beats up women.”
Those strawberry lips curved. He wanted to lean down and kiss her.
“You were a marine, too, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Why did you leave the service? I noticed the scar on your side. Were you wounded?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t say he’d been shot three times and blown up with an IED. Somehow it seemed overkill.
She reached out and lifted his T-shirt, stared at the twisted flesh on his side that had healed far better than he had any right to expect. The brush of her fingers felt like a white-hot brand.
“It looks bad,” she said.
“It was.” He moved farther away before he did something stupid. “The point is I’m not going to let this guy hurt you. If he comes, we’ll take care of him.”
“He’s rich, Josh. He might not come alone. The truth is I have no idea what Damon will do, how far he’ll go to get revenge.”
“Damon. What’s his last name?”
“Bridger. Damon Bridger. But it isn’t fair to you—”
“Let me worry about that.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “You just keep cooking those great meals and I’ll take care of the rest, okay?”
She stared at him for the longest time before she finally nodded. “Okay.”
“Good. Now unpack and get back to work. By the way, what’s for supper?”
“It was going to be meatloaf and mashed potatoes.”
He almost groaned. “Sounds great.” He was heading for the door when Ivy came running into the bedroom, her little brown velvet horse clutched tightly against her chest.
“I’m ready, Mama. Let’s go!”
“We’re staying, honey. Josh says we can stay.”
Ivy’s attention shifted warily in his direction, then returned to her mother. “We can’t stay. What about Damon? We have to go.” Her big blue eyes filled with tears. “We have to leave, Mama!”
Careful to keep his distance, Josh crouched in front of the little girl. “Listen to me, Ivy. I’m not going to let Damon hurt you. I promise you that. You don’t have to leave. You’ll be safe here.”
Ivy ignored him. “We have to go, Mama! We have to run away!”
“You can stay on the ranch, Ivy,” Josh said. “I’ll keep you safe.”
Solemn blue eyes, wet with tears, locked on his face. “Damon’s really mean.”
“If I have to, I can be really mean, too. Only I don’t hurt women and little girls.”
Ivy stared at him, trying to decide if she should trust him. She ran to Tory and hung on to her waist. “Josh says we can stay.”
The little girl was taking a risk, counting on him. The knowledge made his chest feel tight.
Tory managed to smile at Ivy. “Let’s go cook Josh some supper, okay?”
“’Kay.” Still clutching her stuffed pony, Ivy raced out into the hall.
Tory looked up at him. Her lashes were damp. “No one’s offered to help us in a very long time. Thank you.”
The tightness returned to his chest. “Nothing to thank me for yet. I’ll see you at supper.”
Glad to get away from his unfamiliar emotions, Josh walked out of the bedroom. He didn’t know how it had happened, but he had a woman and a kid in his life—the last thing he needed. A woman and a child with a threat hanging over their heads.
A woman he wanted and couldn’t have.
He wondered if things could get any worse.
And knew damn well they could.
*
Tory returned to Josh’s kitchen, mixing hamburger with bread, eggs, and spices to make the meatloaf recipe her mother had taught her. Her job on the ranch was simple: cooking, laundry, keeping house, running an occasional errand. She should have been bored to death.
In Phoenix, she’d been an advertising exec at a prestigious marketing and advertising company with all the perks a position like that entailed. She had worked long hours and traveled more than she wanted, but she was a vice president in upper-level management. The job was challenging, and she made a very good salary.
Now she was in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, doing simple tasks like fixing sandwiches and folding laundry. But she was also breathing fresh air instead of smog, relaxing in the evenings instead of picking Ivy up late from the sitter, having to hurry straight home and put her to bed.
She was able to spend time with her little girl as she hadn’t been able to do since Ivy was born. Tory was teaching her the alphabet and numbers, working on basic reading skills, playing cards, and just having fun.
The time spent with her child was more precious than Tory ever could have imagined. Living and working in her dog-eat-dog, super-hectic world, she hadn’t known how much she was missing.
She wished she could call her best friend and talk to her about it. She had a feeling Lisa would be one of the few people who would understand. They hadn’t talked in ages. Tory had run short of money after her last phone call and hadn’t thought to pick up a new disposable when she was in town.
Next time, she told herself as she formed the meat and spices into a loaf, put it into a baking pan, and shoved it into the oven, which now worked perfectly thanks to Josh.
After that first night, he’d suggested she cook enough extra for her and Ivy’s supper instead of having to fix two separate meals. Of course, that meant Josh was paying for some of the food she was eating. It was good of him to offer and so far the arrangement was working great.
Late afternoon slipped away, the sun sinking low on the horizon. In the evenings she liked to sit out on the porch in front of the trailer and listen to the night sounds: the wind luffing through the trees, the cattle and horses moving around in the pasture, the hoot of an owl.
In the early mornings, birds sang and squirrels played tag in the yard. She had spotted the cutest rabbit, hurried to show Ivy, who had squealed with delight. It was a different life out here. She’d never realized how much she liked the country until she’d left the city.
Supper was almost finished when she heard a knock at Josh’s front door. An anxious, uneasy tremor moved down her spine as she walked past where Ivy sat watching TV in the living room, checked the peephole, and pulled the door open.
A heavyset man in a tan sheriff’s uniform stood beneath the covered porch. He took off his beige cowboy hat and tucked it under his arm. Not wanting him to see Ivy, Tory stepped outside onto the bricks that ran the length of the house and closed the door.
“May I help you?”