Page 63 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

"My deputies reported that they rented a suite at the hotel. Three people had been staying there until a couple of days agowhen a bunch more showed up, all staying in the same hotel suite."

I glanced at Miko, the knot forming in my gut making me a bit queasy. "Miko, besides that stupid betrothal crap, can you think of any other reason your uncle might be wanting to keep tabs on you?"

"Not really," Miko replied. "As far as I know, I didn't inherit anything from my mother or my grandfather and everything I own was brought here with me."

"Was there anything in your belongings they might want?" Ken asked.

"Nothing I can think of," Miko said. "Certainly nothing of value."

Considering what little Miko had brought with him, I was sure he was right. I aimed to change that. I might not be able to buy him luxury goods, but those didn't seem to matter much to Miko.

I could provide him with what truly made him happy, like a family that truly cared about him, fully stocked greenhouse, and a horse of his own. He had kind of found the dog himself.

"I'll send one of my deputies to keep an eye on them," Ken said. "If the step out of line, I'll toss them in my jail for a few days, maybe call the State Department and get them kicked out of the country."

"I'm not sure you can do that," Ethan stated. "You can certainly put them in jail if they break a law, but they'd have to do something pretty big to get on the State Department's radar, and we don't want that."

It was at that moment that I remembered that Ethan had been a lawyer back East. Not sure why I had forgotten it before now since I'd explained it to Miko, but I had.

"Is there any kind of injunction we can get to get them to leave Miko alone?" I asked.

"Have they threatened him?"

"Not in so many words, but the intent was there."

Ethan shook his head. "Intent won't cut it. You need a clear threat in order to get a restraining order."

Damn.

Miko stood up, turned around, and lifted his shirt, showing off the scars I had discovered long ago. "First Uncle ordered this done. Now he is back, threatening that he will do it again if I disobey him. Is that a clear threat?"

I heard several of the men swear under their breath even as Ethan said, "Yeah, that's a clear threat."

Miko pulled his shirt back down and retook his chair.

"Is there anything we can do?" I asked.

"I'd say file a restraining order, but let me make a phone call in the morning to a friend back East. I want to make sure I know the requirements for filing a restraining order against a non-U.S. citizen before we do anything. They might be different."

"We'd appreciate it, Ethan."

I was all for doing whatever it took to keep Miko safe and keep him family away from him. He was mine to protect and I'd carry out that sacred duty till my dying breath.

Chapter Eighteen

~ Miko ~

I eyed Jos with a bit of trepidation and a whole lot of curiosity as we rode through the countryside. He'd been a little more than clingy over the last few days ever since First Uncle visited.

It was unexpected.

It wasn't that I minded his constant attention. It was actually kind of nice. We'd taken a few rides, shopped for the items we'd need to build me a greenhouse, had a lot of talks about our pasts and our future, and done more than a few things that made me hard every time I thought about them.

I just wasn't sure why he was giving me all of his attention. He had a ranch to run. He should be with the ranch hands working the cattle not taking me for a leisurely ride through the countryside.

"Jos, where are you taking me?" I'd seen a lot of the ranch since I'd been here, especially over the last few days, but I'd been told it would take weeks to see all of it.

I had time.

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