Page 18 of Cowboy Under Siege

He didn’t know nearly enough yet, but he was damn well going to find the woman and drag the truth out of her even if it meant locking her in his arms until she trusted him.

No, that would just end with them naked and tangled in the sheets. He had to be careful with her—very careful.

He couldn’t risk another ward dying on his watch.

The weight of that loss still crushed him and his four brothers daily. The congressman’s daughter sneaked away that horrid day, and he’d just walked away from Trinny. What if some tragedy befell her too? The thought rose like a spiked ball of hot metal in his throat.

He was going to find her. Between him, Lexis and a bunch of state troopers on the roads searching for herverydistinctive vehicle, it shouldn’t take long. He checked the clock on his dashboard. She only had a half-hour lead on him, if that.

She must know her homes were being ransacked. Hell, maybe she’d even been inside one at the time the perpetrator entered.

Fuck!He had to find her.

Those photos were in newspapers all over Montana. Hell, fluffy feel-good stories like her rescuing that boy were exactly what made national headlines. If that happened, there wouldn’t be a team big enough to keep Trinny safe.

What was he thinking? OfcourseWEST could handle the job. They were at the top of their game, a leader in the country. His own skills were far from shabby too. He was a hell of a fighter in a brawl if it came down to it. And he was deadly accurate with any weapon.

He mentally checked his person for his sidearm. The familiar weight in the hip holster he wore comforted him more than a little, but he didn’t need to take aim at anyone yet.

More like he needed a damn miracle to locate Trinny.

Would she really return to the rodeo circuit? Sleep in dumpy motels with fragile door locks every night? All it took was one person to spot her and her days of running would be over.

Nobody’s getting through me. He ground his molars and breathed heavily through his nostrils, feeling them flare with anger and determination.

While he’d crashed and burned on that bull, he did know women. All he needed was two minutes with Trinny to convince her that she could trust him.

If she wouldn’t listen? Well, he knew her body, didn’t he? If she tried to argue with him, he’d just kiss her.

And if that didn’t work? He’d work his fingers—

No, he wouldn’t be doing those things. Not if she became his ward. He adhered to strict guidelines when it came to his wards. Unlike his two brothers, who’d fallen in love with women they protected, Jaren wouldn’t fall into that trap. Feelings weren’t in his vocabulary.

Then what was causing that dark stabbing sensation in his chest? The urge to find Trinny and ensure she was safe was powered by the small connection they’d made, first in saving that boy…then in Jaren’s bed.

His sheets would still smell like her—likethem.

His phone buzzed, and he pressed a button on his helmet to engage the mic and take the call.

“It’s Lexis. We got a vehicle matching your description.”

Relief swamped him. For a moment, he could only stare dumbly at the gray ribbon of highway in front of him and hang on for what came next.

“Where is she?” he grated out.

“At the shopping plaza.”

“Jesus Christ. Ofcourseshe made a pitstop for supplies. Keep her there—I’m on my way.”

* * * * *

You were born to stand out.

Well, Jaren might be right about that. Thanks to her upbringing, she struggled to fit in.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t try harder.

Trinny parked in the middle of the parking lot and stared at the big red building sporting a sign with a bullseye. People streamed in and out, looking normal enough. Yet she saw the differences between them and her.

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