His expression was sincere and his tone was on the cusp of begging, which went straight to my dick. God, I loved the man.
“Will this thing you did explain where you’ve been slipping off to every afternoon?” I didn’t suspect him of doing anything tohurt me, but whenever I asked what he was up to, he’d kiss me instead of answering.
“Yep. Come on. We can ride double if that’ll make ya feel better.” A sexy wink followed.
“Fine. If I end up dead, remember me fondly.” I closed the book and went back to our bedroom, which looked fantastic now that we had bought a king-sized bedroom set. We had built-in dressers in our large, walk-in closet and had a lot of plans to do more renovations to the ranch house over time.
I changed from shorts into jeans before sliding on a pair of boots Jeri had bought me when we’d gone shopping for our new bedroom set. Once I was ready, I grabbed the last thing I ever imagined putting on my head: a baseball cap that had the Washington Nationals logo on the front.
The cap was Jeri’s, but he wore a cowboy hat all the time, and since I didn’t ever see myself pullingthatoff, I accepted the loan of the baseball cap to keep the top of my head from getting sunburned when I worked out in the garden—or apparently, rode a horse.
When I returned to the kitchen, Jeri was filling a canteen with cold water from the filtered pitcher in the fridge. “Ready? Mom’s bringing over a few casseroles to put in the freezer. She’s convinced we’re going to starve out here on our own.”
I chuckled. “She’s probably not far off if one of us doesn’t buckle down and learn to cook more than fried pig. If we keep eating bacon sandwiches a couple of times a week, our arteries are going to harden, and they’ll find us naked in our bed from widow-maker heart attacks.”
Jeri laughed. “As long as we’re naked together. Leave your phone in the house, okay?”
I took it from my pocket and tossed it onto the table as I followed him outside. Just as we were heading to the barn, an SUV pulled into the driveway and parked next to the AviatorI’d bought. Jeri wouldn’t admit it, but unless he was hauling the trailer, he loved driving the Lincoln. The sound system was supreme.
We stopped at the top of the hill leading down to the barn and waited. “Did you have anyone coming out to see a horse or look at the stables for boarding?” I asked.
“None all week. It’s Labor Day weekend, so I didn’t expect anyone. We’re supposed to have Mom, Kenny, and his family out this evening, so I didn’t make any appointments. Doesn’t mean someone didn’t direct someone out here if they were looking for a spot to board a horse in the area.”
The door to the SUV opened and Special Agent Trachtenberg stepped out, slowly ambling in our direction. His expression was not exactly friendly. When the passenger door opened, a short guy with bright blond curls got out and stomped behind Trachtenberg.
“No, I’m not waiting in the fucking car. I told you an hour ago that I had to pee. If you want me to cooperate, you’ve got to give me the same damn consideration.” I had no idea who the little dude was, but I was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of his ears.
The agent stopped and turned around. “Look around kid. There’s a whole lot of ground to water out here. Knock yourself out.”
“And where am I supposed to wash my hands and get a drink?” I started to speak up that he could use the bathroom in the house, but it wasn’t my business, was it?
Trachtenberg pointed to the hose we used to bathe the horses. “Your wish is my command, Palmer.” The kid gave him the finger and walked behind the SUV.
“Trachtenberg, what can we do for you?” Jeri asked the FBI special agent.
“I’m guarding that reporter asshole. We’re heading to a safe house out here in God’s country. I wanted to let you know that Marvin Thompson is cooperating with our investigation into the Defenders of the Faithful. He’s sitting with the Special Agent in Charge right now, giving him coordinates to the other camps because we’re hoping to wipe them out before the holidays.
“I just wanted to thank you, Mr. Fitzpatrick, for the information you provided that helped me coax him to help us take down the organization. Unfortunately, he guessed it was you who spilled his secret, and I’m worried it might make you a target of his revenge. You’re in good company, I fear. He wants the reporter and me dead as well.”
I nodded. “I’m not surprised. Thank you for telling me. He’ll have to get in line behind a hell of a lot of others if he wants to get to me.”
Jeri grabbed my hand and held it tight. “This is serious, Sean.”
I turned to him and smiled. “Cowboy, I know it is, but life goes on. If you want to teach me to shoot and help me get a concealed carry permit, I’ll go along with it. I won’t let them keep me from doing my job or living my life with the man I love.”
Jeri leaned closer and kissed my temple. “Consider it done.”
The young man came around the side of the truck as he checked his zipper before heading to the back of the barn. He went to the hose and lifted it, turning on the water and taking a drink before he rinsed his hands.
I turned back to Trachtenberg. “I didn’t think guarding witnesses was part of the FBI’s responsibilities. Isn’t that the job of the US Marshal?”
Special Agent Trachtenberg stared at me. “My witness. My responsibility. Take care of yourselves, gentlemen. I’ll be in touch.” He turned toward where the young guy was petting Jeri’s colt, Thunder, who was standing at the gate. “Let’s go, parrot. It’s a long fucking walk if I leave your ass.”
The blond walked up to me. “I’m Harper Joel Palmer. If I end up dead, tell someone Trachtenberg did it.” He then took off running until he reached the SUV, where he opened the door as Trachtenberg started the engine.
The kid was hanging out of the vehicle when Trachtenberg threw it into reverse and gunned it. “That’s going to have a bloody ending,” I said.
Jeri smiled. “I don’t think it will. Call me a romantic, but that amount of animosity hints at a huge attraction. Come on, we still need to go see your surprise.” If I rode behind him on Trixie, maybe my chances of coming back alive would be higher.
