Page 93 of Deadly Target (Rocky Mountain Courage 2)

THIRTY-NINE

Nathan lifted her chin and gazed into those blue-green eyes that sparked with so much passion and life. He hated to even think that she’d hidden away so much pain and grief. So much darkness.

More than anything, Nathan wanted to keep her safe and protect her. And to that end, he longed to share how deeply committed he was to her, but he wasn’t sure howto make her understand. Or if she would even want that from him. If she would close herself off again and run away. Pausing here in front of this door like they’d done so many times before, for a brief moment he could almost imagine them back years ago, standing in the very spot with the same welcome mat—okay, a different one, because that was then and this was now. Still, how had their lives circled back around to this moment?

All he could think was that he had never stopped loving her. He’d kept that love deep in his heart. Protecting her at every turn had knocked the walls down, and the love came surging back.

Despite the hurt she’d caused him.

But he couldn’t dwell in the past and instead focused on the woman standing in front of him. The emotion pouring from her could almost make him believe she’d never stopped caring either. Now that he understood why she’d walked away before . . .

“Erin, I—”

He tilted his head down toward her and pressed his lips against hers, surprising and, hopefully, wooing her. Nathan’s heart jumped, then clanged around behind his rib cage. Panic and fear rose up, along with the myriad sensations that swept him away. He’d taken a big risk, but she needed to know how he felt.

He gently pressed his hand to the back of her head and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss that stirred all his senses, all his heart. He ignored the warning signals in his head that she could break his heart all over again. She was the one to step away, and she slowly opened her eyes. He took in her lips, still raw from their kiss. He swallowed against the tightness in his throat.

“Stay safe, Nathan.”

Deputy Blaine hiked up the driveway. “Been watching the house all day. But I can clear it for you if you’d like.”

Nathan nodded. He wasn’t sure he trusted himself to focus, and maybe Blaine had seen the kiss. Nathan appreciated him stepping up to the task. If Nathan wanted to stay on top of Dad’s investigation and now Erin’s, and keep them both safe, he couldn’t afford the distraction Erin was quickly becoming, but he would have to find a way.

Erin let Blaine in, and Nathan followed and helped him clear the house—as an extra precaution.

Deputy Blaine headed back outside. “I’ll be switching out with someone in about an hour. Not sure who’s coming yet.”

Nathan acknowledged Blaine as he crossed the yard, then turned back to Erin.

“Go on, Nathan. Go see Jack. I’ll be fine.” She smiled and gave him a small wave, shutting the door.

Focus, man.

This wasn’t the best time to fall in love. He needed all his wits about him. Back in the vehicle, he texted Jack to let him know he was on his way, then steered from the house. Jack had requested that Nathan meet him at his aunt Nadine’s house, which oddly enough signaled the seriousness of whatever he’d found. Nathan took that to mean Jack didn’t want to talk in public or at the sheriff’s offices. Once Nathan was finally standing outside Nadine’s home, Jack opened the front door before Nathan’s fist connected to knock.

“Come in.” Jack moved out of the way so Nathan could enter.

Nathan stepped into the small foyer, taking in the familiar living room with floral sofas and taupe carpet. The house was unusually quiet since no dogs were barking. “Is your aunt home?”

“She’s at the beauty salon getting her silver covered.” Jack gestured for Nathan to follow him into the kitchen, where he poured orange juice into a glass. “You want some?”

“No, thank you. What’s this about, Jack?”

“Have a seat.”

“I’d prefer to stand. I’m in a hurry, actually. Erin and her mom are staying at Stone Wolf Ranch tonight. The detective in Seattle thinks someone tried to kill her, and his theories include that it’s related to her podcast. In fact, he flashed a picture of the same man who shot at us. I had thought that incident was related to my father’s shooting and our trip to Boston.”

Jack’s brows creased as he drank the juice. He set the glass on the table. “I’ll have to listen to her podcast. I only recently learned she had one.”

“That makes two of us. So why am I meeting you here?”

Jack lifted the tan envelope that was resting on the table, then dropped it. Only then did Nathan zero in on the address. “It’s my mail from work. Someone sent it to me there.”

“Because that’s a secure place. Nobody’s going to mess with your mail there. Except in this case. It was on Henry’s desk.”

Nathan shrugged. “He was going to bring it to me.”

“If that were the case, he would have taken all the mail addressed to you. He just took this one package.”

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