Page 249 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

Moments later, they received a call from Earl himself with an invitation to come straight there; he’d be happy to host them.

As maxed out as Nash’s nerves had been—roughly three thousand on a scale of one-through-ten—Uncle Lloyd's sentiments had offered a degree of comfort. After all, they weren't empty sentiments from your average rancher. The man was a retired marshal, and Earl was too. Beyond that, Earl had housed several people in witness protection over the years, and the Copelands had done a fair share of the same in recent years.

In less than an hour’s time, the group had made their necessary calls, packed their things into Wade’s double cab truck, and began heading for home.

"I can’t thank you guys enough for doing this," Ellie said as she wrung Nash’s hand the way he’d seen her mangle the hem of her blouse. "I still just keep expecting to wake up from the most bizarre nightmare my imagination could muster."

Nash knew exactly how she felt.

"I keep thinking the same thing," Wade said.

"It's definitely surreal," Wyatt agreed from behind the wheel. “But, if you were ever going to wind up on a sex trafficking hit list on the dark web, you probably picked the right cowboy to end up with at the same time.” He glanced at the rearview to give Nasha knowing glance. “I assume Nash has told you about our history with helping witnesses in need."

"Well,” Nash said, chagrined, “I haven't told her yet. I mean, before today, I’d have said they weren’t my stories to tell, but after talking to everyone back home, they agreed that it would give her some encouragement.”

“Good,” Wade said. “How about I start by telling her about the Emersons.Thatfamily has a story you'd have to see to believe."

Wade broke into the retelling of how the Emerson men—Blake, Gavin, and Shane—had taken in witnesses under an extension of their Uncle Earl's Witness Protection. An unofficial, albeit just as dangerous, undertaking.

And as Wyatt helped fill in some of the details, Nash noted a drastic shift in the energy in the cab. Chuckles of amazement and awe met stories of triumph when the cases were all said and done.

Ellie stopped trying to pulverize Nash’s hand, and soon, she was leaning softly against the back of the seat with a rather amused, shock-infused grin on her face.

"I can't believe that that's how all three of them found their wives," she said with a laugh. "That's amazing."

It was time to tell Taja’s story, and Nash suggested Wyatt take the lead on that since he’d been the one to tell her about how Abbie barely escaped an abusive ex, and how she’d almost lost her parents, as well as her own life, in the process. Nash had assisted in the final takedown with that one.

As Wyatt retold the tale of Taja and Rosie's trip to the ranch, Nash felt himself slipping from the tight grip of anxiety and fear, their dark power fading in the light of each triumphant tale. He wasn’t sure how he’d managed to find a situation that could endanger the family once again, but that was where they were, and Nash was just grateful that he had his family and theEmersons to lean on. They’d helped their loved ones get through such circumstances before, and he felt confident they could do it again.

CHAPTER 24

Ellie drifted in and out of sleep as she nuzzled up to Nash during the drive back to Montana.

Wyatt had taken the first six-hour shift, and Nash had offered to take the next while his brothers slept as best they could, cramped up in the back seat.

The night was as black as it could get on the freeway, seeing that it was three in the morning, but driving through the night—made easier since they could rotate shifts—seemed a safer option than stopping at a motel.

"How ya doing?" Nash asked as he checked his side and rearview mirrors.

"Better, thanks to you guys. It really did help to hear about everything your family has overcome. I never would've guessed it." While each story was amazing in its own right, the final story they’d shared about Cash stood out the most. Ellie had been shocked to learn that someone had wanted an innocent baby dead. It wasn’t enough that the predator had killed both of Baby Jane’s parents in cold blood for having an affair. He wanted the product of that affair—innocent as she was—dead too. But the family had rallied around Cash and the baby, and they’d all come out alive.

Also helpful was the video sent by their soon-to-be house host, a retired Marshal named Earl Emerson.

"Mind if I watch that video again?" Ellie asked, reaching for Nash’s phone. It was charging next to Ellie's.

"Be my guest,” Nash said.

Ellie secured his phone, tapped in the code he'd given her to open it, and scrolled to his latest text.

The video popped up, revealing a man who looked a little like Lloyd in stature, though he was slightly older, it seemed.

The man’s kind eyes put Ellie at rest as she set her gaze on him.

“Why hello there, Ellie. Boy, am I sorry to hear about all that you're going through, doll. What a terrifying ordeal.

For years now, my home, along with my brother Grant’s, has been a place of refuge for people like you. People who need a safe place to hide away while the danger passes by. And I want to assure you, doll, that it will. It has every time.

“Meanwhile, we have plenty of beds, plenty of food, and plenty of love to share too. We've done this before, and we’ll be happy to do it again as often as the Good Lord needs us. It's disheartening to hear about the evil deeds and scheming that goes on in the world, but thanks to the Good Book, we already know who comes out victorious.