Page 50 of Stolen Hearts

Then she glanced at the clock. Dinner was in an hour, and she had things to say to Denver.

* * * * *

Denver leaned back in the desk chair in the Black Heart Security office, glaring at digital tracking maps on the monitor. Stress ground in his shoulders like overworn gears.

Ravencroft had fucking reversed the changes Denver made to the trust, switching the name of the trustee back to his own.

He pushed away from the desk and strode to the door, prepared to go find Carson, when his brother appeared in the doorway.

“Just the guy I was looking for.” He cut his fingers through his hair.

Carson eyed him. “What’s the matter?”

“Close the door.”

His brother did as he instructed, and Denver turned the computer monitor for Carson to see. “Take a look at this shit.”

Carson came to lean over the desk, peering at the screen for only a beat before he straightened. “Ravencroft switched the name on the trust back?”

“Yeah. It’s a standoff. First the flowers, now this.”

“He’s escalating.”

They shared a look. Both of them knew what that meant in their world of threats and counterstrikes.

“He’s trying to push her. To get into her head. He knows she’s scared of him, and he’s using it to back her into a corner.”

Carson’s expression darkened by the minute. “I feel awful that she didn’t come to us when she first came to the ranch. We would have put a stop to it.”

“I appreciate you saying that. It means a lot to me.” Denver wiped a hand down his face, trying to regroup. “I hate to tell her this after we had the best damn night on her birthday.”

Carson moved to sit in the chair across the desk, leaving the big leather chair to Denver, a move that wasn’t lost on Denver. Not that he thought Carson was placing him in charge, but on this case involving Rhae, he took point.

“Prairie Ember is always the best place to take the ladies. Guarantees you’re getting some action afterward.”

His bold statement made Denver laugh, and some of the tension eased between them.

“The chef’s table was the best decision. The place was unreal, the chef and waitstaff doted on us. The wine pairings were superb.”

“Since when do you drink wine?”

He shrugged. “Rhae likes it. I’m still a bourbon man.” He issued a slow trickle of a sigh. “It’s the first time we just got to…breathetogether.”

Carson nodded. “Sounds like it was high time.”

“It was. I’ve got a dozen other things planned too. Not just for Rhae, but for all three of us.” Navy’s adorable face loomed in his mind’s eye. Seeing her in another man’s arms in Rhae’s office sat wrong with him, but now wasn’t the time to address the matter.

“What kind of things do you have planned?”

Denver cocked a brow at his brother. “You looking for some pointers for date nights with Layne?”

Carson scrubbed a knuckle over his upper lip. “Maybe.”

“Picnics. Trips to the river. Dumb family photos with hay bales in flannel shirts.”

“You’ve gotten full-on soft, brother.”

“I don’t feel like I can do those things until Ravencroft is brought to justice.”

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