Page 15 of Guarded Hearts

Judging by the look on his face, Carson was clueless about how her father felt. One time, her father refused to allow her to go out with Carson to the drive-in movies in the next town. When she accused her father of disliking him, he said, “I like Carson fine. I just don’t like Carson for you.”

She let the moment pass. “You haven’t talked for a number of years. I just thought it was odd how easily you discussed fly fishing.”

He shrugged, bulky shoulders heaving like twin mountain peaks.

“I receive a lot of phone calls. By the time I get the go-ahead from you to answer it, the call will have already gone to voicemail.”

“I don’t see the problem.”

She sighed. “I don’t like playing phone tag with my clients. Showing interest in them is an important part of our relationship.”

She didn’t mean to usethatword. Relationship. The thing they no longer had.

Nor did she mean to look directly into Carson’s eyes when she said it.

The flat look he gave her in response made her glance away.

“I know how these wealthy types are. Wealth makes them oblivious to reality. They have self-importance.”

She sighed. He wasn’t wrong. But plenty of people with wealth were great people.

“I’ll be making that trip to Germany in two weeks. How is that going to fit into…this situation?” She swept out a hand, indicating the pair of them.

“I can’t answer that now, Layne. Right now, my only priority is keeping you out of the hands of your stalker.”

Chapter Four

Carson watched Layne flounce out of the living room, the plaid blanket slung over her shoulders swishing around what he knew to be extremely shapely calves.

Dammit, the last thing he needed to be thinking about were her legs. He’d always been a leg guy, but he was a sucker for Layne’s.

As soon as she was out of his view, he scrubbed both hands over his face. He’d completed easier ops that involved terrorists. At least he didn’t have a history with any ofthem.

When he was certain she’d shut her bedroom door, he drew out his phone and called the Black Heart Security office. An image of his family’s ranch rose in his mind’s eye. It looked like all the working ranches around here. His family had money—they just never flaunted it the way Layne’s did.

The house was large enough to hold six kids but still modest, sided in simple wood planks that had aged over the years to a rustic gray. The fresh coat of white paint he and his brothers had slapped on every window and door updated it.

Then they had turned their attention to fixing up the barn and filling it with horses. About that time, the government approached Carson about taking on a program for wounded vets. With that grant, they built what they called the Lodge. Far larger than the family’s home, it boasted thirty rooms, a medical facility and a full staff trained to help veterans heal and recover from their physical ailments as well as those of the mind.

His brother Oaks held a soft spot in his heart for the Black Heart Lodge. He spent all his free time there, talking to the guys, playing cards with them or helping out at mealtimes.

Carson had a soft spot for his brother’s devotion—even though he visited the guys often, he couldn’t do it every day.

Raising horses held even less appeal. After only six months of adopting the rancher role, Carson handed off the Black Heart Ranch end of the family business to his brothers and struck out with the security agency.

His thoughts ended abruptly when his brother Colt finally answered the phone. His gruff tone sounded even gruffer given the lateness of the hour. But always the night owl of the family, Colt preferred manning the office on the midnight shift.

Carson understood. After a long path learning to live with PTSD, Colt suffered from nightmares.

They all did.

But Colt didn’t like people running into his bedroom to check on him. Sleeping during the day ensured that didn’t happen, since they were all out on security detail, doing ranch chores, or making sure their fellow brothers-in-arms received topnotch care.

Carson didn’t beat around the bush with chitchat. “Did you run the background on Layne? Any boyfriends?”

“I thought she told you that she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Everyone lies.”

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