Page 35 of Mountain Rescue
“Take a breath, darlin’. We’ll make sure she’s safe.”
She turned pleading eyes on Dallas. “Please, I have to go to her.” Her grandmother was the only family she had left, and if something happened to her, Rachel would never forgive herself.
“Listen to Carter,” Dallas said. “We’ll keep her safe. Exactly where is she?”
“The ranch is in Jackson Hole.” She sat back down. “She can’t stay there, not if there’s any chance of Robert finding her.”
Dallas nodded. “She’s right. You got anyone near there, TG?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a husband and wife team that can be there in two hours. They can take your grandmother to wherever you want.”
“The Big Sky Ranch in Butte, my family’s spread,” Dallas said. “I’ve got three brothers, one sister, one brother-in-law, parents, and a shitload of ranch hands who all can hold their own in a shooting contest against any SEAL team. I’ll call my sister. Cheyenne will have a room ready for...” He glanced at Rachel.
“June. June Denning. She’s going to be disappointed to have to leave her hot cowboys at the Lazy Horse, so tell your team to take her kicking and screaming if they have to.”
“Not to worry, darlin’. We got this. As soon as she’s safe in Montana, I’ll call you so you can stop worrying about her.”
Dallas chuckled. “Trust me. There are plenty of cowboys at my family’s ranch for your grandmother to drool over. She’ll just be trading one dude ranch for a better one.”
“Thank you, all of you.” She glanced around the table, wishing there were better words than justthank youto express her gratitude. Not one of these men had to be here for her.
“You’re one of us.” Dallas squeezed her hand. “We protect our own.”
“The bright side of this is that my team in LA has been watching your apartment, meaning they’re now tailing the man who broke in,” Carter said. “Eventually he’ll lead them to Hargrove. In the meantime, call your grandmother and tell her to expect my team. Their names are Zeke and Stephanie Cress. After that, call Detective Diaz, but don’t let on that you already know about the break-in.”
It occurred to her that Carter’s services wouldn’t be free. “Okay, but you have so many people working on this. I...ah, can you give me an estimate on how much all this is going to cost?” She had money saved, and she’d use it all to keep June safe. She just hoped she had enough.
“Darlin’, you don’t owe me a thing. I live for meting out justice on men like Robert Hargrove. Your boys will tell you that’s true.”
“It is,” Dallas said. “Besides, TG doesn’t need any more money. He has more than God.”
Carter chuckled. “Well, that’s not quite true, but I’m running a close second. You make those phone calls, and I’ll call you when I have more news.”
“Well,thank youdoesn’t seem adequate, but thank you so much.” Carter had already disconnected, and she realized she was thanking a dial tone. “Wow,” she whispered. “I’m glad he’s on our side.” She slid her gaze over each of the three men at the table. “That goes for you guys, too. Thank you. I still worry about what will happen if Robert finds out you’re helping me.”
“I ain’t afraid of stinkin’ Robert,” Noah said.
“Hooyah!” Dallas and Jack said in unison, with Noah echoing them.
Dallas gave her a smile full of confidence. “The man has no clue what he’s up against. Call your grandmother so she knows what’s going on, then you need to call the detective back. Remember to use TG’s number to make your call.”
“Got it.” While she talked to her grandmother, the guys moved to the other side of the room. What were they talking about? She tried to eavesdrop, but their voices were too low, and along with her grandmother talking, she couldn’t catch their words.
While half listening to June express her excitement over getting to meet a whole new host of hot cowboys, Rachel allowed her gaze to roam over Dallas. Talk about hot cowboys...the man stole her breath. After seeing his body last night, she understood why he always wore long-sleeve shirts.
To her, his body was beautiful, a work of art. The scars were forever a part of him, which made them beautiful too, a testament to his courage and bravery. After returning to her room, she’d let the tears fall for the man who’d been tortured so brutally and now couldn’t stand to be touched.
He caught her staring at him and winked. A hundred butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Why had she said no more kissing?
Dallas didn’t have to look over at Rachel to know her eyes were on him. He felt her gaze roaming over him, and unable to resist catching her in the act, he glanced at her and winked. Her cheeks pinked, and he expected her to divert her eyes, but she didn’t. She winked back at him, and he laughed. Man, he liked this girl. He liked kissing her even more. He was trained to follow the rules, but no more kissing might be one worth breaking.
“Stop flirting with Nichole’s best friend, and pay attention,” Jack snapped.
Noah snorted. “He is paying attention, just not to you.”
True that. “That’s all I have until TG finds out if the body is Henrietta. We also need to know if Rachel’s laptop is missing. If it is, we’ll need to put protection on Nichole.”
Jack’s eyes turned steely. “He touches my wife, and he’ll die slowly and painfully.”
