Page 196 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

A thick layer of ice encased her heart. This was merely a job to Maddox. He’d made that very clear. When he’d strolledinto the diner, she thought she was imagining things—her brain conjuring up her greatest desire. Then he touched her hand, evoking a longing she could hardly contain. For a moment, she’d let her guard down when she saw the tenderness in his eyes, then she thought of Felicity. Her eyes narrowed. Maddox had only been back from Syria a little over a month and he’d already replaced her with another woman. She was unprepared for the hurt that pummeled through her like a battering ram. Fresh tears stung her eyes. He was probably grateful that she’d broken up with him and saved him the trouble of dumping her.

“Don’t make Maddox’s job harder, sis.” There was a hint of teasing in his voice. “I know it’s hard for you, but can you try to be a little accommodating?”

She grunted.

“He’s trying to keep you safe.” Corbin’s voice caught. “With all I’ve got going right now, I need to know that you’re okay.”

Addie felt like a louse. Corbin had a mountain of his own troubles right now. She was adding to his list. “Okay, I’ll play nice.”

“That’s good,” he breathed in relief. “After this is over, you and Maddox can go your separate ways.”

“Yeah.” Her heart felt like lead in her chest. She didn’t want to talk about Maddox anymore. “How’s Delaney doing?”

“So far so good. We just keep praying for time. It’s like walking a tightrope—making sure Delaney’s health is okay, while trying to keep the baby in her womb long enough to be out of the danger zone.”

She could hear the strain in his voice. “I’m sorry, bro.”

“It’s not your fault. Just life.”

Both Addie and Corbin knew how unfair life could be. Their parents had taken an anniversary trip to Mexico. They were mugged and killed outside their hotel for a few measly dollars. Thankfully, Pops and Gram had stepped up to the plateand raised them. Then Gram was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, fate couldn’t leave it at that. Gram also developed brain cancer, which ultimately killed her. Addie and Corbin knew all too well that bad things could indeed happen. “I meant that I’m sorry for adding to your stress.”

“If you’ll listen to Maddox and do what he says, that will help tremendously.”

“I told you I’d play nice,” she grumbled. “What more do you want? My signature in blood?”

He chuckled. “Your word will have to do.” He sighed. “All right. That’s all for now.” He paused. “I love you.”

She felt a rush of tenderness for her older brother. “I love you too. Give my love to Pops and Delaney.”

“Will do. See ya,” he said, ending the call.

Addie dropped her phone in her purse and clutched the steering wheel with both hands, her mind trying to digest all that Corbin had said. Were Piper and Jordan having problems? Why hadn’t they told her?

Her thoughts went back to the last conversation she’d had with Jordan. He was edgy, an undercurrent of negative emotion running through him. Addie had worried for a blip that something might be wrong between Jordan and Piper. Then, when Jordan assured her that all was well, she believed him. Jordan said Piper was a good woman, but that she didn’t understand. Addie wrinkled her nose.Understand what?She had much to ask Piper tomorrow.

Maddox. What to do about him? Should she call and apologize? Her jaw tensed. No way! She’d rather spend a week buried in an avalanche. She’d be cordial to Maddox, just as she promised, but that didn’t mean she had to seek him out. She glanced in the rearview mirror. Her heart clutched. A silver car was following her. It was an American car, a Chevy, maybe. There was a man driving. His sunglasses prevented her fromseeing his face. Her pulse thrashed against her neck as she gripped the steering wheel. This was a lonely stretch of highway. The side-road leading to the cabin was a couple miles up on the right. Did she dare turn onto it with this car tailing her? She pressed the gas pedal to the floor, increasing her speed. To her relief, the Chevy maintained the same speed, staying far behind.

As she turned a curve, she increased her speed again. The Chevy disappeared from her view. She turned onto the side road, hardly slowing her speed. Her tires squealed. Panic shot through her veins as she felt the Jetta shift before the wheels regained traction with the road. She glanced in her rearview mirror. The Chevy drove by, still on the highway.

She slowed to a safe speed, cursing herself for her stupidity. Her fear and paranoia had almost caused her to wreck.

When Addie pulled into her driveway she was shaking. She turned off the engine and pushed her hair out of her face before rubbing her palms on her pants. Maybe it was a bad idea to come here before the new alarm system could be installed. She clenched her fist. No, that was ridiculous. She needed to come. She couldn’t let her fears overwhelm her. Whomever had broken into the cabin hadn’t found anything. Maybe the person would get a clue that Addie knew nothing about whatever was going on and leave her alone.

She sucked in a breath, trying to calm her rattled nerves as she walked briskly to the door. The empty space around her felt menacing as she pushed the key into the lock. The cabin next door had long-term renters, the Ridleys, an older couple. Unfortunately, they were currently in Florida visiting their grandkids. Two-thirds of the other cabins were temporary renters, people who’d come to enjoy the fall colors or the hot springs. Technically, Addie was alone. The knowledge sent a shiver down her spine. She pushed open the door and stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind her. It was then sherealized she’d been holding her breath. She exhaled slowly, her gaze flitting over the cabin.

In the light of day, the mess looked worse than it had the night before. Anger surged through her veins. She felt an intense hatred for whomever had done this. A part of her wanted to crumple in a heap and weep, but that wouldn’t help. Instead, she offered a silent prayer asking for strength. A couple minutes later, she felt better.

With a resigned sigh, she put her purse on the kitchen table and got to work cleaning up the place.

An hour later, she was in her room, reorganizing her papers and getting her desk back in order, when she came across the framed picture. The glass was broken, but the picture was unharmed. It was taken when she and Corbin were still in high school. Pops and Gram had taken them to Disneyland a couple of weeks before the end of summer break. Addie and Corbin had complained that they were too old for Disneyland. To their surprise, they had a wonderful time. Addie rubbed a finger over Gram’s face. She looked so happy as she grinned at the camera, her arms around Addie and Corbin. Pops was standing to the far left, on the other side of Corbin. Instead of looking at the camera, he was looking at Gram, an expression of pure adoration on his face. Tears rose in Addie’s eyes. Everything changed when Gram got sick. Pops and Addie tried to pick up the pieces while Corbin joined the military to escape. At least now, they had Corbin back. And, he’d brought Delaney into their family. Soon, they’d have a new baby girl. Addie hoped everything would be okay with the pregnancy.Please let Delaney and the baby be okay, she prayed.

Addie placed the photo in its rightful place on her desk and bent down to retrieve more papers. She heard a noise.

She froze, her pulse jumping into overdrive. Ever so slowly, she went to her bedroom door and peered out. Relief surgedthrough her when she saw that the hallway was clear. Gaining more courage, she stole down the hall toward the living room. Her eyes scoured the combination living room and kitchen. It was also clear. This was getting ridiculous. She had to stop jumping out of her skin at the slightest noise. She was about to turn and go back down the hall when strong arms grabbed her from behind.

She let out a yelp, horror twisting through her as she fought against the arms. “Help!” she screamed. A hand went over her mouth. She ground her heel into her attacker’s foot. He grunted and released his hold.

Addie darted for the door. Before she made it a foot, she was tackled from behind. She hit the wood floor, but hardly felt a thing as she rolled over, clawing and hitting. The man backed away and stood. It registered in her mind that he was wearing a black ski mask. She didn’t know why the man had paused his attack, but it gave her blessed time to escape. She scrambled to her feet and was about to run when he pulled out a gun.

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