Page 155 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“You can’t keep running. You and Dee have to face him.”

He barked out a laugh, hardly believing what he was hearing. “Why? So he can kill Delaney?”

“So you can put an end to this thing. Better to do it on your own turf rather than on someone else’s.” He lifted his chin, his eyes going hard. “You’ll stand more of a chance facing him here than anywhere else.”

Corbin shook his head. As frustrated as he got with his grandfather, he admired his torque. Pops believed he was invincible. Sure he was tough, part of that generation that breathed grit and determination. He’d taught Corbin how to fish, how to hunt, how to shoot, how to suck it up and be a man. But Pops had no idea what he was up against here. An image of the little girl flashed through his mind. It was still fresh fromthe nightmare. The white dress, the mother’s anguished cry, the blood spilling out. A shudder went through him. He could never intentionally put Delaney in harm’s way. “No, I can’t do that.”

“It’s the only way to keep her safe. Remember the story of the bear?”

A laugh scratched Corbin’s throat. Pops and his never-ending parables. “I don’t wanna hear the stupid bear story, all right?”

Pops rubbed a hand across his brow. “Fine, but you’re not thinking about this sensibly.”

His grandfather was a stubborn old fool. Corbin’s voice rose. “You’d really have me lure Hugh and his goons here? What about you? And Addie?”

Pops’ face paled.

Checkmate. Pops hadn’t thought about that, what it would mean for their family. Maybe he’d realize now and drop the whole thing.

“You said your boss has endless resources. We could tap into those to help fight this.”

He shook his head. The man was unbelievable, like a dog refusing to let go of a bone. “Pops, this isn’t some game. This is serious—a life and death situation. Sutton, my boss, is taking precautions. When I first found out about Delaney’s situation, I wanted to rush in and take care of Hugh, but Sutton said it would be too dangerous—too much collateral damage. That we should wait and let Hugh come to us.” After thinking about it, Corbin wondered if Sutton’s hesitancy to charge after Hugh was also owed to principle. It was one thing to act out of protection and another altogether to be the aggressor. Heaven favored the former, and Sutton seemed to be a God-fearing man.

Pops clenched his fist. “Exactly,” he exclaimed, like Corbin had just gotten it. “You lure the bear out of the protection of its cave.”

“But that doesn’t mean we should bring the danger to our doorstep. Do you have some sort of death wish?”

“No, I do not,” he countered stiffly. “And I don’t appreciate your tone. I’m only trying to protect you and Dee.”

He blew out a breath. “So am I, Pops. So am I,” he repeated quietly. He looked at his aged grandfather, feeling a wave of sympathy for him. “Look, I appreciate your help, but you need to let me do this my way. Sutton has everything under control on his end, and so do I.” He gave Pops a firm look. “Okay? I’m a big boy. I don’t need you or anyone else running my life.”

Pops nodded, but Corbin could tell he wasn’t convinced. Corbin stood to leave, but Pops caught his arm. He cleared his throat, hesitation washing over him. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

He sat back down.

“You need to go and visit your grandmother.” His features clouded. “She’s not doing well.”

Corbin rocked back, eyes narrowing. “Well, of course she’s not well. You’ve got her stuffed away in that place.” The words dripped like daggers from his lips as he shot Pops an accusing look. While a part of him understood why Gram had to be there, the larger part of him couldn’t. No that wasn’t true. This didn’t have as much to do with Pops as it did with himself. Guilt was eating him alive. Corbin was the worst offender of all. He’d left when Gram got sick because he couldn’t stand watching her wither away.

Pops’ features tightened making him look older, a shriveled banana skin. Then Corbin saw the compassion in his eyes, realized it was directed at him. Without warning, tears rose in Corbin’s eyes.

“I know Lou Ella’s sickness has been hard on you.”

Heavy emotion pressed like cement on Corbin’s chest. He couldn’t handle this right now. He had to keep his mind focused on keeping Delaney safe. His personal issues would have to wait.

“I think if you’ll just go and see Lou Ella, it’ll help you come to terms with what’s happening to her.”

Corbin sprang to his feet, unwilling to let the avalanche of emotion smother him. “I’m going to check on Delaney,” he said gruffly, turning his back to Pops. He sucked in a breath, brushing at his tears with jerky swipes. “Thanks for taking care of things while I stepped out.” His voice cracked as he fought for control. “Don’t feel like you have to stick around. I know you’ve got plenty of things to take care of.”

He rushed out of the room before Pops could see him lose it.

Chapter Seventeen

The song was coming, but not as quickly as Delaney wanted. That was mostly because her thoughts kept returning to Corbin and the conversation she’d had earlier with Wallace. The wolf analogy really hit home. No doubt she’d been feeding the wrong wolf because it had been howling the loudest. Could she stop feeding it? Silence her fears once and for all? Oh, how she wanted to.

It was interesting how closely her and Corbin’s first meeting paralleled Wallace and Lou Ella’s. They’d had an instant attraction and it morphed into something wonderful and lasting. Could that happen to her and Corbin? At this point, the best she could hope for was to open up a small space in her heart for the beginnings of a relationship. Take things one step at a time. Her next thought sent her into a tailspin. Was Corbin even interested in a lasting relationship or was she merely a form of amusement, a way to pass the time? Never again would she take anything at face value. She had to find out what Corbin’s true intentions were before she could even entertain the idea of a relationship.

She pushed aside the intrusive thoughts, turning her attention back to the song as she strummed her guitar.

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