Page 79 of Wyoming Cowboy Undercover

“I’m glad you’re on vacation,” Mercy said with a smile as they put away equipment inside the Underground Self-Defense school. She wore simple workout clothes, but looked like a knockout in the pink tank top and navy leggings that clung to her sensational curves.

“Me, too.” He had decided to spend the time with the woman who’d captured his heart. They were going to fix up his ranch and create a business plan for Mercy to open a holistic wellness shop, selling candles, soap, bath oils, crystals, legal medicinal herbs and honey. Buying a bee apiary was a feasible and affordable way to start. Bees first. Horses down the line. Putting the idea of opening a shop into action would probably take a year, after scrimping and saving, but he thought it was essential for her to have an actionable plan she was excited about to focus on during her transition. “But somehow working at USD doesn’t feel like a vacation.”

Mercy chuckled as she bopped to the beat of the music playing—a pop song on the radio. “You’re a good cousin. Charlie works too much. She needs this down time with Brian.”

Yes, she did. The woman didn’t understand what a lazy day was, but Brian would show her.

“And you’re a good girlfriend for helping me.”

“I need something constructive to do until my job at Delgado’s as a waitress starts,” she said. “Besides, spending the time with you is no hardship.”

Even though she had the keys to Charlie’s place, where she could stay whenever she wanted time to herself since Brian and Charlie were officially cohabitating, so far, Mercy had been spending the nights at his ranch.

He was grateful for every second he got to be with her and couldn’t wait for his parents to meet her. They were flying in for Mercy’s surprise birthday party next month.

Rocco had the works planned. A live DJ booked, a custom cake and a special guest of honor. Mercy’s mother, Ayanna.

The two had connected thanks to Becca tracking down her mom. Reuniting had been healing, transformative for both women. But they hadn’t seen each other yet in an environment that was carefree and all about having fun.

He desperately wanted to give Mercy that gift if it was in his power.

Along with his coworkers, the sheriff’s department, the LPD and local state troopers were invited to the party. Pretty much half of the town was coming. Mercy might not have the commune, but Rocco was doing everything he could to give her a family. Not one based on vows to the Shining Light, but stronger and more reliable because it was rooted in goodness, basic values and it was comprised of people who all believed in service and self-sacrifice.

He ached to share the details with her, and this was the toughest good secret he’d ever kept.

“I’ll dump the trash and load these dirty towels into the car for us to drop off at the cleaners, then we’ll lock up and go,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll shut down the computer.”

He grabbed the trash with one hand and the laundry with the other and headed for the back door.

BITINGHERLOWERLIP, Mercy watched Rocco walk away and thought about all the things she wanted to do to him later in bed. And what she wanted him to do to her. Experimenting and exploring had been fun. But last night, he’d held her, with no clothes between them, their gazes locked, and time seemed to halt. They stared into each other’s eyes, connecting on a level of intimacy that made her heart expand, swelling impossibly big as a balloon in her chest. It was the way he looked at her. Like he wanted her to see his soul, what she meant to him, how much that physical moment affected him.

She wanted lots more of that, too.

A shiver of anticipation ran through her. She shut off the lights in the private training rooms and danced her way to the office, happy to help out. Escaping the jaws of her father’s lies and machinations had required more grit and determination than she could have ever imagined. No way could she have done it without Rocco and Charlie. Their support had been unwavering.

She owed them both more than she could ever repay.

Grabbing her purse, she slung it over her head across her body. It was strange having a handbag. But a good kind of strange like everything else she’d tried.

The cherry-red purse and small matching wallet were thoughtful gifts from Charlie, sustainable and vegan. She’d never had one before since there hadn’t been a need. But now she had things to carry around. A state-issued ID. Soon a license, since she was learning how to drive. Money—though it was given and not yet earned. In time a bank card. Lip gloss. A cell phone. And Rocco’s gift, a SIG Sauer P220 pistol.

She turned off the computer and the radio. Stepping around the desk to hit the lights, she froze.

Alex stood inside USD in front of the office. Her gaze fell to the gun in his hand. Her heart nosedived. His eyes burned with a white-hot rage that sent a different kind of shiver up her spine.

Then a calmness stole over her. Mercy had never been afraid to die. She believed in an afterlife and a paradise for good souls. Even if it wasn’t as her father had described, deep down a part of her was still invested in that idea.

But she wasn’t ready. Not yet.

She’d barely had Rocco, a chance at this new life. She was just getting started. “Alex—”

The back door to USD slammed closed.

Rocco.

Alex lifted a finger and pressed it to his lips.

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