“Standard protocol applies whenever the team is away. No one leaves the ranch while we’re gone. The ladies know the drill—they stay put, they stay together, and no one that we haven’t cleared gets through those gates.”
It should have been reassuring. The ranch was secure, Willow would be surrounded by capable women who knew how to handle themselves—and she was the most capable of them all.
But Decker couldn’t shake the image of Hensley’s face when he’d handed over that lollipop. The overfriendliness in his eyes.
Decker’s jaw flexed. “I don’t like leaving her.”
“I know. But Gray needs backup, and we don’t have a choice.” Carson’s hand landed on his shoulder. “She’ll be fine. It’s one night, maybe less. We should be back by lunch tomorrow at the latest.”
Carson was already heading for the door. “Willow’s going to ask about the storm. She doesn’t like when we travel in bad weather. Tell her we have to go anyway. This can’t wait. Grab your go bag and meet me outside.”
Decker gave him a brisk nod. Everything in him screamed to stay, to keep digging, to not let Willow out of his sight until he knew for certain whether this guy was a threat.
But Gray needed them. And a brother in danger beat a hunch about a guy who might be nothing more than a down-on-his-luck veteran trying to survive.
Carson was right—Willow was safe on the ranch. Nothing could get her here.
But leaving Willow behind felt like leaving his heart unguarded.
Chapter Fifteen
The ranch was coated in a fresh blanket of snow when Willow finally dragged herself out of bed, her eyes gritty from lack of sleep. The white world outside her window looked pristine and peaceful, but she felt anything but.
Who knew that after only a few nights of sleeping next to Decker, she’d no longer be able to sleep without him?
She’d tossed and turned all night, reaching for him in the dark only to find cold sheets where his warm body should have been. Every creak of the old house left her on edge, every gust of wind against the windows making her wonder if the guys were back yet.
But dawn had come without the sound of trucks in the driveway, without Decker’s arms pulling her close, without a quiet “I’m home” whispered against her hair.
By five a.m., she’d given up on rest and thrown herself into work. After a round of chores in the brisk wind, she had breakfast with her sisters-in-law before settling in the office with her to-do list.
The space felt too quiet and empty without the usual bustle of security team meetings and her brothers’ voices carrying through the house. She tried to focus on inventory spreadsheets and vendor invoices, but her eyes kept drifting to her phone, waiting for an update.
She pushed away from the desk, in need of a third cup of coffee to get through the afternoon, but she only got halfway to the kitchen before her phone rang.
She nearly jumped out of her skin. Heart thumping with the anticipation it was Decker or one of her brothers, she brought the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Willow?”
She tried to place the voice. “Yes. Who is this?”
“Cal, from Willowbrook Feed and Seed.”
Her heart stuttered with the letdown of it not being the man she loved.
In her usual chipper voice, she said, “Hi, Cal. What can I do for you?”
“I’m calling because that specialty feed you ordered came in this morning.” He sounded apologetic. “We thought it would arrive tomorrow and I know we said we’d deliver, but we’re really short-handed again. The guys are still sick, and I’m the only one here. Any way you could come pick it up? We’ll give you a discount on the invoice for the trouble.”
She bit her lip, thinking about the protocol Carson had laid out before they left. No one left the ranch.
“I’m afraid we’re a little short-staffed too right now. I can’t get away.”
She bit down on her bottom lip. Apple couldn’t wait another day for that special food. The veterinarian had given them half a bag to test, but the mare was down to only a few grains.
Cal made a humming noise as if thinking over the dilemma. “If you could just pull up to the back loading dock, the order’s ready to go. You won’t even have to get out of your truck. I’ll load it for you, and you can be on your way in five minutes.”
