Page 8 of Lone Star Protector

No PDA for Colonel Maverick.

In fact, not much parenting either. Or no big part in being a wife. That had culminated in her mother not even being near her husband’s bedside when the aggressive form of cancer had claimed him.

Hence, the rancor on Caroline’s part.

Her father had been her world. The best dad ever. And he should have had his wife by his side as he’d drawn his last breath. Instead, said wife had been thousands of miles away, saving the life of someone else. Someone she likely didn’t even know.

“Thank you for getting here so fast,” Ruby told Nash. Hearing her words caused Caroline’s attention to shift back to her. “Has there been any sign of Bodie?”

“None.” Nash tipped his head to Jordana. “But that’s his wife, Jordana Harris McKenna.”

Her mother dropped her usual poker face expression for a raised eyebrow. “I knew he’d married. I kept tabs on him,” she tacked onto that when she glanced at Caroline. “Did his wife help him escape?”

“To be determined,” Nash said, and he fired more glances around. “Look, it’s probably best if Caroline stays back from the door, but I’d like to go inside and check the place with the cops.”

“I’ll wait here with her,” Ruby was quick to say, and she eased back her jacket to put her hand over a gun in a shoulder holster.

“Great,” Caroline muttered, but she didn’t nix the idea.

Her house did indeed need to be checked, and while she was ready, willing, and able to take on Bodie, it would be stupid for her to turn down backup.

Even when backup was her mother.

Caroline stepped further back into her workshop with her mother taking over Nash’s position when he headed into her house. The female cop stayed with Jordana, clearly standing guard.

“I’m getting some of the details of Bodie’s escape,” her mother commented, tapping her earpiece. “I’m betting he had help, and his wife has the money to make it happen.”

There were so many ways Caroline could take this conversation, but she went with the one that’d surprised her. “You kept tabs on Bodie?”

“Of course I did,” her mother said in her no-nonsense way. “He tried to murder my daughter, so I wanted to make sure he…behaved himself in prison.”

Caroline tried to wrap her mind around what that meant, and she silently cursed. “You thought he might try to arrange for someone to come after me?”

“I considered it,” her mother confirmed. “And I took steps to make sure it didn’t happen.” She paused, said one single word of profanity. “I didn’t take enough steps though to keep you safe, and I’m sorry about that.”

That rift was still there, but that didn’t mean Caroline wanted Ruby to beat herself up about something that was totally out of her control. Then again, maybe her mother believed she could indeed control everything.

“You sent Nash,” Caroline reminded her. “He came in all John Wick and ready.”

“He’s Bodie’s brother,” her mother muttered after a long pause. “I didn’t want you seeing him to trigger any memories for you.”

Caroline shook her head. “I don’t associate Nash with my memories of Bodie. I associate Nash with…”

Too bad she’d even added those last four words. And now her pause had caused her mother to glance back at her. In that glance, Ruby managed to study Caroline’s face, and whatever she saw there had her muttering more profanity.

“Don’t worry,” Caroline said, not bothering to take the snark out of her voice. “Nash won’t touch the boss’ daughter even if I want him to.”

Her mother would have almost certainly had a stinging comeback for that if Nash and Malley hadn’t run out of her house. Caroline’s heart dropped when she saw Nash’s expression.

“What happened?” Caroline asked. “Did you find something in my house?”

“We haven’t finished searching it yet. But a drone spotted someone matching Bodie’s description,” Nash spelled out, looking Caroline straight in the eyes. “If it’s Bodie, he slipped into the woods. Those woods,” he added.

And Nash pointed directly behind Caroline.

Chapter Three

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