Buck certainly hoped so. A misdemeanor charge for minor possession would mean that Provard might stay out of prison.
Not on Buck’s watch, so it was time to add a bit of insurance to the plan.
“How about this? We have the Canadians arrest Bobbie, too,” Buck suggested. “Bogusly, of course,” he clarified when he caught sight of Bobbie’s shocked face. “That way if Provard’s possession of an illicit substance gets him a simple slap on the wrist—because from what Bobbie said, he knows a lot ofgovernment officials—the man won’t go after her, thinking she was part of the set-up.”
“Good call,” Tex agreed. “We can make that happen. But only if you’re comfortable with it, Bobbie.”
She nodded. “I am. I definitely don’t want any blowback if the slimy man wiggles off the hook. But…what about my brothers?”
Chief Ildavorg took it upon himself to answer. “At the same time the sting is taking place in Canada, I’ll have Federal agents, along with our police force, raiding the barn. There’s no way your brothers will escape justice, Bobbie. I promise.”
Buck was happy to hear that. One of his other, major concerns had been that Drew and Jeff would blame Bobbie for everything happening in Canada, and they’d take it out on her in some heinous way.
Wasn’t it bad enough that they’d ruined her young life?Andhis, for that matter.
Probably not. People like Drew and Jeff only thought about themselves.
The pair deserved everything the law could throw at them, including, it looked like, a possible attempted murder charge, considering the accelerant at Buck’s house.
“The hardest part for you, Bobbie,” Mason finally put in his two cents worth, “will be to act normally over the next week. You’ll have to put on a good show. We don’t want your brothers suspecting anything, or this will all be for naught.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, resolutely. “I can handle them. I’ve been tiptoeing around the pair for more than half my life, and nothing is going to keep me from making sure they get what they deserve.”
Buck was so proud of Bobbie. She’d metaphorically been hit over the head with a two-by-four during the last half hour, and here she was taking it all in stride.
With Bobbie still naked on the bed beside him, Buck was privy to the red flush that had worked its way up her chest during the entire conversation. But he didn’t see it as a weakness. Hell, no. He’d seen it as her harnessing her dismay, and drawing on it to strengthen her resolve.
She really was something else.
“Okay,” Tex made a clicking noise with his tongue. “If we’re finished here, Melody is calling me for supper. If anything comes up—and I mean anything—that might shake up our plans, call me, the chief, and/or Mason immediately. We’ll adapt if we have to.”
“Thank you, Tex,” Bobbie told the man, sincerely. “You’ve literally just changed my life. I’ll never be able to repay you for that.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Tex demurred. “After it’s all over, then you can think about it. You and Buck might even toy with the idea of naming your firstborn after me.”
Buck almost swallowed his tongue.
Bobbie wasn’t flustered in the least.
“Little Tex?” she laughed.
Buck was glad Tex had turned things to a lighter note, but also shocked by Bobbie’s response.
“Actually, John,” Tex reminded her. “My given name is John.”
She snorted. “Huh. That’s so…normal for a man who seems to be able to work miracles.” Her face became resolute. “You know what, Tex? You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Holy freaking…
Buck couldn’t wait for Tex, Mason, and the chief to hang up.
Bobbie had just freaking agreed to name their first born after Tex. Which had to mean…
Yeah.He didn’t want to read anything into it, but had Bobbie finally decided she was ready to love him again?
CHAPTER 27
Lookingat Buck’s face as the call ended and everyone disconnected, Bobbie knew she’d screwed up.
