“You’re right,” she agreed glumly, “but he was beside himself. Totally falling apart over the phone. If he was bluffing, it was his best act yet. Can we afford to take that chance?”
“Here’s what I think,” he returned carefully. “You and I need to put our heads together and come up with a plan. Tonight.” She was no longer alone. She had him on her side—someone with years of investigative experience under his belt.
“My brain is mush, Owen.” She grew teary-eyed again. “I can’t think straight right now.”
It was all the more reason for her to remain in Heart Lake, instead of driving off half-cocked with hysteria.
Fortunately for her, he was accustomed to working under pressure. “How about we grab a cup of coffee to getall pistons firing again?” He ushered her toward the island in the kitchen.
“Yes to the coffee.” She cast a longing look toward his coffee maker. “No promises beyond that.”
“Okay.” He could live with that. A coffee break bought them a little time to figure things out.
She left her suitcases in the living room and moved ahead of him into the kitchen.
He waved her onto a barstool. Then he set his pistol on a shelf over the sink to free his hands for brewing coffee.
“Oh, my goodness! You have a gun.” She sounded winded.
“I grabbed it as soon as heard you moving around. Didn’t know who it was and didn’t want to take any chances.” He hoped the fact that he was armed made her feel safer.
She rested her elbows on the island and dropped her chin into her hands. “I didn’t mean to get so loud.” She shivered. “I was just so unnerved, furious, and terrified—all at the same time.”
“That’s understandable.” He filled the coffeepot with water and scooped coffee grounds into a filter. It was a breakfast blend that she’d given a thumbs-up during her first day on the job. “After everything he’s done to you, I imagine you weren’t expecting to hear from him again.”
“I wasn’t.” She covered her face with her hands, rubbing her eyes.
While the coffee percolated and dripped into the pot, Owen folded his arms and leaned back against the cabinet, facing her. “I have one piece of good news amid tonight’s chaos. Lonestar Security will be crawling all over Garrett Farm next week, installing their standard security package for new employees.” It felt weird to keep calling it GarrettFarm now that he owned the place. However, the Garrett Farm label on the egg cartons they sold had so much name recognition that it didn’t make good business sense to change it. Not yet, anyway.
She parted her fingers to stare bleakly at him. “That’s next week, Owen. I’m in serious trouble rightnow.”
“Fair enough.” He pulled out his cell phone and texted his boss. It was a bold move for a new employee in the middle of the night, but the situation warranted it. “There. I just requested that Lonestar Security would speed up the installation of my upgraded security system.”
She dropped her hands into her lap, blinking at him. “Do you have any idea what’s included in their standard security package?”
He gave himself a mental high-five over the fact that she was still listening to him. “Lots of security cameras.” That much he knew. “Plus, a monitoring station and alarms that auto-dial the police department and the fire department. Everything that triggers an alarm will also send an alert to whoever’s on duty at Lonestar Security.” It was a system designed to grant its employees an extra measure of safety for the dangerous work they often performed.
“Will it be enough, though?” She looked distressed. “Assuming I’m the target, what protection will your boys have while I’m driving them to and from the baseball fields?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out before they climb into your car again.” He mulled over their options. “Since I work for a security firm, I’ll have the pick of the litter in bodyguards.” During his onboarding appointment, his employers had stated that a security detail would be provided at no cost under certain conditions. What Owen’s new nanny was up against might meet those conditions.
The coffee finished brewing. He poured two cups of the steaming goodness and moved to the fridge to pull out the carton of her favorite dairy creamer. He set both the coffee and the creamer on the island in front of her.
“Thank you!” She cradled the mug of coffee between her hands, as if trying to absorb its heat.
He didn’t blame her. Though it was summer, it cooled down in the foothills a good twenty to thirty degrees each night. After years of living in the warmer, balmier parts of southern Texas, it was going to take more time for him to grow accustomed to the crisper mountain temperatures.
She sighed deeply and started talking again. “It doesn’t feel right putting you to this much trouble. As much as I appreciate your offer to hire a bodyguard, that’s expensive for a guy on a single dad income.” She shook her head dejectedly. “I honestly don’t know what the right thing to do is.”
“Then stay here until you figure it out.” He sipped his coffee, studying her with concern. “Come on, Halle! You’re about to be my kids’ kindergarten teacher. Our families are invested in each other on multiple levels.” He didn’t mention the personal level, but something was simmering there as well—something it was too soon to put a label on. “I couldn’t live with myself if something bad happened to you that I could’ve prevented.”
“I couldn’t live with myself, either, if something awful happened to your family because of me,” she shot back. “Children are my biggest weakness, Owen, and your kids are no exception. I can’t bear the thought of bringing any trouble into their lives.”
He sensed she was close to giving in, so he continued pressing her. “Ryder and Cooper have a way of winding themselves around your heart, don’t they?” He was going togive both little snots the biggest high-five in the morning for winning her over so quickly. “There’s no way you’re ready to abandon them,” he added slyly.
To his alarm, her eyes filled with tears again. “Of course, I’m not! But the joy I get from looking after them is an awfully selfish reason for staying, don’t you think?”
He snorted. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
