Page 43 of Her Delta Force Protector

Parker stepped to Everly and put his hand on the top of her head. “Why don’t you go feed Jellybean, then we’ll go to the Kitchen for dinner.”

“And ice cream after?”

“Sure.” Parker grinned as Everly ran to the kitchen.

“You’re a pushover, Daddy,” Skylar said. She glanced at Harper and smiled. “Actually, all three of them are softies where that little girl is concerned.”

“Well, she is a hard one to say no to.” Being around Everly—this family actually—only confirmed her wish to have a big family herself someday. The problem was, she was now picturing her children with Kade’s eyes.

After saying their goodbyes, and getting hugs from Tristan, Parker, and Skylar, she and Kade loaded her things in his truck. Kade opened the back door, and Duke jumped in.

As they were pulling out of the driveway, Kade powered down one of the rear windows to halfway, and Duke stuck his head out. Tristan and Skylar, driving separate cars, left with them, Skylar in front, and Tristan behind them.

“Are they escorting us?”

“For a little while to make sure we’re not being followed.”

“I feel like I’ve caused everyone—”

“Don’t. Not a one of us blames you or wishes you hadn’t come to us for help.”

Maybe so, but she had disrupted their lives, especially Kade’s. It occurred to her that he hadn’t brought a suitcase. “You aren’t taking anything? Extra clothes or anything?”

“No, everything I need is at the cabin.”

Except for the gun in the holster inside his jacket she’d noticed earlier. He probably had more weapons stashed on him. That was how those special ops guys rolled. How had she gotten into this mess? Well, she knew how, she just hadn’t expected to have to run for her life. She would do it again to save Lisa, but she’d do it differently. She definitely wouldn’t have gone inside that warehouse. If she hadn’t done that, they would have never known about her. She just hoped “curiosity killed the cat” wasn’t going to be true in her case.

Kade’s attention was focused on the road and on the car’s mirrors, and she didn’t try to talk. Was this intensity Kade the operator? The danger aside, it fascinated her to observe him in action. She didn’t know how she knew, but all his senses were on high alert, and all possibilities had been considered, as well as actions to be taken should one of those events occur.

“Why are you staring at me?”

How did he know? He hadn’t even darted a glance at her. “I was just thinking that your intensity and awareness must be what you’re like on an operation.”

He did look at her then. “It’s called staying alive.” His eyes returned to the road and mirrors.

What she didn’t tell him was that the power and confidence radiating from him was hot. What would he be like in bed? Her body heated just thinking about it. Maybe once they got to his cabin, away from his family, she could get him to do something about this chemistry between them.

A few miles outside of town, Kade followed Skylar a short way up a dirt road. Harper glanced back to see if Tristan was still behind them. He was, but he’d stopped and was turning his car around to face the road.

“What’s going on?”

“Picking up groceries.”

Huh? “There’s a grocery store up here?”

“No, groceries are being delivered.” He stopped his truck next to an SUV with the sheriff’s department logo on it. “Don’t want to go to a store and risk us being seen.”

When had they planned all this?

“Stay here,” he said, then hopped out of the truck.

Holy moly bologna. If she hadn’t been impressed enough by Kade—and she really had been—what she was seeing was a special operator at work, a mission well planned. An expertly choreographed operation took place before her eyes. Kade and a deputy went to the rear of the SUV and moved five coolers to the bed of Kade’s truck.

After the coolers were loaded, Kade stopped at the open window of Skylar’s SUV. A few words were exchanged, and then he smiled at something she said. Harper knew this scene playing out didn’t come close to the planning of a special operations mission, but it gave her an idea of how Kade prepared for all possibilities.

She didn’t know when he’d arranged everything, and he hadn’t asked her what food she wanted, so she was curious to see what was in those coolers. She was really looking forward to seeing his cabin, curious about the place where he was able to decompress.

When they reached the paved road again, their escorts turned in the opposite direction. There had been comfort in knowing they were being guarded by police officers, and now that they were alone, Harper couldn’t help worrying a little, and she watched the road as intently as Kade.

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