Page 69 of Nanny for the Single Dad Cowboy
Her throat works as she swallows, but she doesn’t look away. “Then I trust him too.”
I brush a strand of hair off her face, my fingers lingering just a second too long. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him.”
“I know,” she murmurs, leaning in to kiss me softly.
“Guys, I’m still here,” Sienna calls out, interrupting us.
Tessa and I pull apart, laughing to ourselves. “Sorry,” Tessa giggles, hanging up on her before finding my lips once more.
Last night, she was not the only one who opened up. I did too, and now we are closer than ever. So I’d like to put this Richard bastard six feet under so we can move on with our lives already.
Ryder calls back within the hour.
“Got him,” he declares, no preamble.
“Where?”
“Private property forty miles out, past the county line. He’s there packing to leave, chartered a helicopter to fly him to an airfield later tonight, headed to Mexico. You’ve got to move now. I’m already on my way; you’re going to need backup.” Then the line goes dead.
A second later, he sends me the coordinates. I get one good look at the map, then hit the group chat to brief Zane and Beck of what Ryder and I are planning.
Zane’s reply is immediate: What time are we leaving?
Beck’s is next: I’m ready when you are.
They don’t ask why. They don’t need to. That’s what brothers do.
“Looks like we are going to war,” Tessa whispers.
The words land like a fist. One shot. No second chances.
“And this time we are ending it,” I assert.
27
TESSA
The Morgan family ranch house is a blur of activity, and not the good kind. Jace’s brothers move through the living room like a unit—silent, focused, and deliberate. Beck loads the rifles onto the table, checking each one with practiced ease. Zane stands near the window, his phone pressed to his ear, voice low and steady as he coordinates with Ryder.
And Jace? He is all command and control. That quiet intensity is equal parts calm and terrifying. He’s checking gear, making mental lists, his jaw tight enough to crack. He’s every bit the Army Ranger I’ve come to respect.
I hover in the doorway, wearing one of his shirts, wringing nervously on the hem. My pulse hasn’t slowed since Ryder called.
They’ve found Richard, and they are going after him. I should be happy that it all comes to an end tonight, but how can I when the man I love and the family I’ve come to take as mine are putting themselves in danger because of me?
Walking closer to Jace, I tug on his shirt. “My love, please.” My voice comes out thinner than I mean it to. “Let’s call the police. They can—“
He doesn’t even look up. “No.”
“It’s their job, Jace! He’s dangerous, you said it yourself. What if—“
“If you trusted them that much, you would have gone to them in the first place instead of running for the past nine months,” he retorts.
He’s right. I did try to go to the police, but they didn’t help much, which is why Sienna and I had to take matters into our own hands.
Jace does not stop. “What if they screw it up?” he asks, the look in his eyes stopping me cold. “What if he slips through their fingers again? What if he comes back again and doesn’t miss this time?”
My mouth opens, but no words come out.
