Page 36 of Operation: Return

His smile faded slightly. “Not anymore. Though I was pretty stubborn for a long time. Hard-headed enough to do some busting.” He took a deep breath and then sat in the chair across the desk from her. As soon as he sat, she felt her body relax.

“I can’t take Pete right now. Like I said, I’m working with Trace all day today and he needs me and my full attention. If Pete wants to ride though, don’t be afraid to ask Teddy. He ran a ranch for thirty years. He can take a boy out on a horse.”

She could sense there was more, so she waited without agreeing or disagreeing to give him time to finish. She still didn’t know Teddy all that well and hesitated asking him for anything outside of the mountain of duties he had.

“That special team, Dominic who called, is coming in soon and I’ll be busy. A lot. Busier than I thought I would be while you’re here. But I still want to see you and Pete. Okay?”

Was he asking if she wanted to, or asking her out? She wasn’t sure and wasn’t sure how to answer after making her list. She knew she couldn’t tell him with certainty about Pete or risk hurting him more, but could she stay away from him now that she felt alive for the first time in seven years?

Her heart answered before her head had a chance. “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

ChapterFourteen

Cole trudged back out to the barn after his conversation with Erica feeling like maybe he’d turned a crossroads. She’d not only agreed to keep seeing him, even when it was hard, she said she would like to. That was something. The commitment was flimsy, but there.

Her commitment was greater than his knowledge of her son. The more he thought about Pete, the more he felt like the boy could be his. But was that just his worry talking? Was he thinking Erica had betrayed him like everyone else? Was he so worried about the ultimate betrayal that he couldn’t see the forest for the trees? She had yet to come out and say the boy was his. After their amazing kiss last night and her agreement to keep seeing him . . . wouldn’t she say something?

He pushed the thought from his mind and committed to worrying about it later. He needed to be thinking about Trace and a way to build trust with a man who didn’t want to trust anyone. Scarlet stood near Trace, talking in a low murmur at the fence.

He waited until she noticed he was there, then came forward. “Afternoon. Thank you for coming here instead of riding.”

“Well, I was going to offer to ride with him, to see if that would make him more comfortable, but I think he wants to go into town. He signed that he needs a few things he couldn’t get before he came. He’d planned to ask you to stop on the way here, but couldn’t.”

“I wish I understood his signs.” Or that he would text more often as he sometimes did when he was truly frustrated with Cole.

“It takes some learning and time. It’s only been a few days.” She gave him an understanding smile. “I know Lacy would usually go to town if we need anything but she’s not here. Could you take us?”

Even though Erica was doing Lacy’s job, she couldn’t go because she had Pete. She also didn’t have a car at her disposal. Trace and Scarlet would be safest with Cole anyway. “Let me go ask Edwyn. He just made a rule that we’re all to stay on the ranch. After the dog attack yesterday, he may not be willing to let anyone leave. How necessary are the things Trace needs?”

He’d noticed Trace’s hands shook a little, somewhat like Junior’s when Junior got too stressed out. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Trace had some form of PTSD, many people who came here did. It’s why former military men worked well as helpers. They understood how hard it was to cope with PTSD. Admitting the issue was embarrassing too, which might be why he wasn’t using his time with Brendon.

Trace made a cigarette motion with his hands, then shoved them back in his pocket. While that didn’t seem like a need to someone who’d never smoked, Cole wouldn’t ask him to give up the one thing that probably kept him calm when stress hit hard. “I’ll ask. I can’t promise. Scarlet, can you stay here? I’ll text Junior to come out. I don’t want you to be alone.”

She gave a nod and Cole sent a text to Junior as he headed for Edwyn’s office. He hated what the raised security had done to the people who lived there. They’d had to feel trapped before they came to Wayside. That feeling was supposed to disappear the moment they crossed the gate.

Now that gate was a barred door. Once they were here, they couldn’t leave. Hopefully when his friends from The Guardians arrived, they could start changing things back to normal around the ranch.

Edwyn waited in his office and finished a phone call as Cole strode in. “You look like a man on a mission,” Edwyn said as he hung up the phone.

“More than one.” He snorted, remembering that gaining Erica’s forgiveness was actually the reason she was there. It was a mission and he hadn’t given her his full attention because of his primary mission, which was helping Trace. “Trace is in desperate need of some cigs. I know that we don’t normally allow smoking, but the man is tense and using it for self-medication. I didn’t realize he was going through withdrawal. That might explain his hesitance to try anything or to communicate in any way with anyone but Scarlet.”

Edwyn nodded and frowned. “I hear you, but going to town isn’t safe. We know they’re nearby. This feels exactly like the situation with Gabby just a few months ago when she went to town and almost got kidnapped right at the cemetery. The difference is, we know they’re close this time. Do you really feel like going is worth the risk?”

Someone knocked on the door and Cole turned. Domenic Anderson stood in the doorway, his jaw locked and standing like a solider. Except for a few wrinkles by his eyes that Cole doubted were from laughing, he hadn’t changed a bit in five years.

“Dominic.”

“Cole.”

“Care to introduce me?” Edwyn asked.

Cole stood and shook Dominic’s hand. They had some catching up to do, but now wasn’t the time. There would be a season for decompressing when the job was complete. “Thanks for coming. Edwyn, this is Dominic Anderson, leader of The Guardians Security Service. I can honestly say that I would feel safe going if Dominic was coming with me as my backup.”

Edwyn didn’t answer right away. “I looked at the files of the guys you were bringing along. All but a couple check out.”

“All of them check out in my book.” Dominic didn’t give an inch.

“I’ll want to meet them when you return. I’d like them to stay close until then. When you return and after I meet them you can have Sam show them around the place. Does that work?”

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