Page 53 of Wyoming Bodyguard
Walter set his empty bowl on the end table and leaned back in his chair. “Match those tags to their ranches. See if they’ve had cattle go missing lately. Not much chatter ’round here about rustling but doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Sometimes a missing steer or two is chalked up to a coyote or bear dragging it off. If whoever took these tags was good enough, they’d move around the area. Hell, they’d venture into neighboring states. Stay under the radar as long as possible.”
Lily rubbed her fingers in circles along her temple. “Maybe he didn’t stay off the radar long enough. But that still doesn’t tell us who is behind everything or how that’s related to the drugs we found.”
Madden didn’t want to say it, but odds were high only a few people could be the mastermind behind all the chaos surrounding Tremont Ranch. One of them claimed innocence, one was dead and one lay unconscious in a hospital bed.
Discovering that any one of them was a criminal would break Lily’s heart.
Chapter 20
Lily scrubbed the suds-covered dishrag along the inside of the bowl. A hundred thoughts swirled in her mind like the water circling the drain in the kitchen sink. What did potentially stolen cattle, hidden drugs and her father’s shooting all have in common?
She didn’t really want to know, but she had to get to the bottom of it. No matter where the answers led.
Madden stepped into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and crossed his ankles. “I think it’s clean.”
She glanced at the white porcelain and sighed. The red stains were gone but her anxiety remained. No amount of scrubbing could erase the unease tightening her nerves. She ran the bowl under hot water then placed it in the wire rack on the counter.
“My dad’s place might not be the most luxurious, but he does have a dishwasher. You could have thrown the bowls in there. Or even left them on the counter. You’re a guest here. No need for chores.” He plucked a hand towel out of a drawer and began drying the dishes.
The simple act thrilled a secret part of her. A part that’d always wanted a partner to walk with through life. A man who’d cook or clean or talk with her about her day while helping in whatever way he could. Madden kept surprising her, kept checking her boxes.
She plunged her hands back into what remained of the soapy water and found the last of the silverware. “I like washing dishes. It’s like meditation. I can keep my hands busy and let my brain rest a little. I haven’t been able to do that much lately.”
“If I want to let my brain rest, I’d go back in the living room with my dad and watch the ball game.”
She snorted out a laugh. “I guess we all have our things. How was your call?”
After they’d finished eating, Madden had stepped out to call Reid about what they’d discussed with his dad. She’d offered to clean despite Walter’s protests. She could tell the old man didn’t want to feel helpless, but when she’d mentioned how much it’d benefit her to use her hands, he’d relaxed into the idea.
“Reid will start looking into the tags and see if there have been any missing cattle reported while he’s keeping an eye on your ranch tonight.”
She finished rinsing off the last dish and spun around to face him. “What do you mean while he’s watching my ranch?”
“I think it’d be best if you and I stay here for the night. And while we do, Reid will stake out your place.”
He spoke so matter-of-factly, as though she was supposed to simply go along with whatever he planned without even consulting her. Sure, she hired him to protect her but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t have a choice in things. “And why on earth would I agree to stay at your father’s house? Where I have no clothes or toothbrush or anything I need for the night?”
“Because last night someone got onto your property right under my nose, and another man died and I didn’t even know it until we stumbled across the body.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shut his eyes for a beat. When he opened them again, angst and regret shimmered inside them. “I don’t have enough equipment to properly survey all your property. I can’t keep you safe when I don’t have eyes on everything. No one will look for you here, and Reid can be on-site if anything happens.”
She wanted to argue but not only was his logic flawless, she could sense his urgency. “So what? We’re going to sleep in the twin bed in your childhood bedroom?”
He grinned. “You have no idea how many times I dreamed you’d be in that bed.”
Grinning, she shook her head. “Regardless if that fulfills your childhood fantasy or not, a night crammed in that tiny bed doesn’t sound very tempting. And neither does sleeping together with your father down the hall.”
“More like right next door.” Madden grimaced. “But that won’t be an issue. We’ll stay in separate beds. I’ll stay in my room, you take the guest room. The bed’s bigger, and you’ll have your own bathroom. You’ll find whatever you need in there.”
The idea of being separated from him for the night made her chest ache.
“What is it?” he asked.
Damn, could he read that well? She debated what to say but if she wanted an honest and open relationship, she had to be vulnerable. No matter how much that terrified her. Besides, she had a front row seat to what happened when lies and deceit spun out of control. She didn’t want any part of her own life to go down that same path. “Do you not want to sleep with me anymore?”
A coughing fit sounded behind her. She whirled around to find Dax standing in the doorway. Amusement sparked in his blue eyes. “If he doesn’t, he’s an idiot you shouldn’t waste your time on.”
Humiliation scorched her cheeks. If it was possible to burrow into the ground, she’d be under the floorboards in five seconds flat. Since that wasn’t an option, she lifted her chin and met Dax’s stare head-on. “Hello again, Dax. I didn’t hear you come in.”
A smirk too much like his brother’s lifted the side of his mouth. “Clearly. Didn’t expect to see you two here again tonight. What brings you around? More poker?”
