Page 132 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“About ten more minutes.”

Delaney turned away from Corbin and looked out the window, letting her mind get lost in the passing buildings. The plan was for them to get Delaney a wig, then drive thirteen hours to Birchwood Springs, Colorado, the small town Corbin was from. Corbin insisted on going there because he was familiar with the terrain and people. Sutton contacted Milo, letting him know that Delaney was being moved to an undisclosed location and would remain there until the situation was resolved.Delaney argued that she had an album to record and couldn’t lose any time.

“You can’t record anything if you’re dead,” Corbin had said dryly.

He was right, of course. Although it was chilling to hear it put so bluntly. Then again, Corbin wasn’t one to mince words.Obviously!“But what about my things?” she’d asked. “Can I at least go back to my condo and get them? I’ll need my guitar to compose songs.” If she was going to be stuffed away in some remote place, she wanted to at least do that. She could get the songs written, then record them all at once. That way, she wouldn’t lose too much time.

Corbin had chuckled in amusement. “Are you listening to yourself? Going back to your condo would be a death sentence. Hugh has guys there waiting for you. Heck, for all we know, he could be camped out there himself.”

The thought of Hugh Allen or his men invading her personal space, going through her things, sent a shudder through Delaney. She wished she’d never met the Allens. Wished she could run away from this and never look back.If only.

In the end, Sutton had a complete wardrobe of clothes in Delaney’s size delivered to the mansion, along with a Gibson guitar. He even had a few items delivered for Corbin. Delaney argued that the nominal fee she was paying wouldn’t begin to cover the items, but Sutton dismissed her argument with a wave of his hand, telling her not to worry about it. From what Milo said, Sutton helped his girlfriend Leslie and her son, not asking a thing from them. It was obvious that Sutton Smith was not in the security business for money. Whatever his motivations, she was grateful he’d taken her on as a client.

“How did you become a country music star?”

The question jarred Delaney back to the present.

“After Tuck and I got divorced, I took a job at the Bluebird Café as a waitress. My co-workers knew how much I loved to sing. They were always joking that I sounded better than most of the people who took the stage. One evening, a performer had an emergency. I stepped in at the last minute, and a well-known agent Max Gillespie happened to be in the audience and wanted to represent me. Things took off quickly from there. The next thing I knew, I was signing with Montana Crew’s record label.”

“A rags-to-riches story,” he mused. “Do you know what the odds are that you would even get a job at the Bluebird, much less perform there? And then get picked up by an agent? Just like that? Wow. Incredible.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was lucky, I suppose.”

“No, you’re good. Dang good.”

“Thanks.” It was surprising how much his approval meant to her. She was just about to launch into a series of questions about his past when he turned into the parking lot of the wig shop.

“We’re here.” He turned off the engine, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. “Let’s see what we can find for you to wear, Delores.”

She winced. “Dee,” she corrected. She was going to Birchwood Springs under the guise of Corbin’s girlfriend. She couldn’t use her stage name, so Sutton suggested she go by her real name Delores to keep things simple. She’d thought she’d buried Delores Millstead and didn’t relish the idea of digging her up again. But whatever, it was only temporarily. At any rate, she preferred the shortened version of her name.

He grinned. “All right, Dee.”

“What?” The intensity of his gaze burned through her.Sheesh. It was hard being in such a tight, enclosed space with Corbin Spencer. When he looked at her like that, she could hardly form a clear thought.

“Delaney fits you better.”

“Thanks. I agree.”

“But I suppose Dee will do, for now.”

She reached for her door.

He touched her arm, sending a buzz of awareness through her.

“What?”

“Let me get out first and come around to get you. Just to make sure.”

She glanced around, shaking off a shiver. It was only six a.m. They’d passed very few cars on their way over, and there was only one other car in the parking lot, which presumably belonged to the person who ran the shop. “You don’t think anyone followed us, do you?” Her voice dribbled off, unease trickling down her spine. Sutton had leaked information to make Hugh believe she was being taken to a safe house in Northern Cal. The hope was that by the time Hugh realized he’d been led on a wild goose chase, she and Corbin would be long gone. She’d even turned her phone over to Sutton for safe keeping, just to make sure Hugh couldn’t somehow track her on it.

“No, I don’t think we were followed. I watched as we drove and didn’t see anyone. But it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

She nodded, biting down on her lower lip.

Corbin came around and opened her door, keeping one hand close to his gun. Her skin crawled as she stepped out of the SUV. The empty air around them felt menacing, like someone could attack any second. She hated this! Feeling so vulnerable. She hated living in constant fear of what Hugh might do! Right after she was released from the hospital, after Tuck’s merciless beating that nearly took her life, she promised herself that she’d never cower to Tuck or his brother again. And here she was, running scared.

It wasn’t until they stepped through the doors of the shop that Delaney realized she’d been holding her breath. She sucked in air, feeling a little dizzy. Her heart rate spiked when she realized Corbin still had an arm around her. She could feel his fingertips through the thin fabric of her blouse, loved the hardness of his muscular torso against her. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she looked up at him. She cleared her throat. “I’m okay now. You can let go.”

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