“He drove by while I was gassing up my cruiser,” Brady said. “I’ve been driving around looking for him for the last ten minutes, but I haven’t found him yet. Thought you ought to know.”
“Thanks, Brady. Keep your eyes open tonight. Cruise by Sylvia Sorenson’s house frequently. Let’s make sure he doesn’t give her any trouble. And keep an eye on his Infiniti parked in the lot behind Knight’s Repair Shop. I’ll check on Jessie.”
Robert ended the call and punched in the number for the county jail. “Please tell me Patrick Pendleton is not out on bail,” he said into the phone as soon as his call was answered.
“Please hold,” came the gruff voice at the other end of the line. After an interminably long twenty seconds, the voice returned, and Robert’s blood turned cold. “He made bail and walked out of here around four o’clock.”
Robert swore.
“Look, when we get orders that someone’s made bail, we gotta let ‘em go.”
The man was right, but that didn’t help the frustration coursing through Robert. He ended the call with a sharp jab.
When Robert pulled up to the ranch twenty minutes later—after hurriedly packing a bag and giving Sylvia a heads up—the dark house surprised him. Jake rarely went to bed this early.
Robert let himself into the house.
He couldn’t sleep in his old room, since that’s where Jessie slept. He pushed the image of her in his old bed out of his mind. Sleeping in Riley or Jake’s old room, wouldn’t make him an effective as a guard.
He found a pillow and blanket in the hall closet and tossed them on the couch. Figuring he should let Jake know he was here, he stepped to the door of the master bedroom and raised his hand to knock.
Emily giggled on the other side of the door, and Robert’s hand froze. At Jake’s growl, Robert smiled. No wonder he went to bed so early nowadays. Jake probably wouldn’t welcome the intrusion. A squeal from Emily followed by Jake’s deep laugh told him Emily wouldn’t either.
Backing away, Robert returned to the couch, pulled his boots off, and attempted to get comfortable. An odd sensation burned through his abdomen, and his chest grew tight. He contemplated for a moment if he was having a heart attack, but he knew it was worse than that.
He envied his younger brother. He wanted a relationship like Jake's and Emily’s. Again, his thoughts turned to Jessie. If things had turned out differently years ago, Jessie would be his wife and they would have a couple of kids by now. He would be the one making his wife giggle and squeal.
Knowing nothing good would come from this train of thought, he forced his thoughts to Pendleton. Was he really in town? Did he intend on doing Jessie harm? Judging by her fear and the murderous look on Patrick’s face the last time Robert saw him, he didn’t doubt the man could kill Jessie with his bare hands. Could Robert really protect her from him?
Yes. I’ll do whatever it takes.
He’d promised Jessie he would protect her, and he meant it. He’d never broken a promise to her, and he didn’t intend to start now. He remembered the promise he made to Jessie many years ago after her father left. “I promise I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.” He meant those words twelve years ago, and he meant them now.
No matter what.
But how could he keep her safe and guard his heart?
* * *
Robert steppedout of the bathroom the next morning only to run into Jake coming from the master bedroom carrying his boots.
“What are you doing here so early?” Jake asked, surprised.
Robert shot a pointed look toward the sofa where the blanket and pillow lay in a heap. “Brady called last night.” Robert kept his voice low so Jessie wouldn’t hear if she was awake. “He thought he spotted Pendleton in town. Apparently, Jessie’s husband made bail yesterday. I figured I’d sleep here to provide protection.”
“You should have let me know. I would have taken a gun to bed,” Jake said as he sat on the couch to put his boots on.
“Funny thing... I was going to let you know I was here, but it sounded like you were...” Robert coughed dramatically into his hand, “busy.”
Jake grinned. “Oh, you came that early, huh?”
“I figured you’d rather be surprised this morning to find me on the couch than to have been surprised last night,” Robert said with a laugh.
“You figured right.”
“I can’t believe the sun has been up for over an hour already and my little brother is finally waking up.”
“I’ve been awake for a while,” Jake said with a sly grin. “I’ve discovered there are more enjoyable things to do in the morning than feed animals.” Jake leaned back, clasping his hands behind his head, and gave Robert a smug smile.
