Hot Zone. Elle James
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Garner glanced up at Hawkeye. “It bears watching.”
Liv’s belly knotted. She wasn’t at all sure she liked the intent look on the DHS man’s face. “What do you mean?”
“Your ranch is in a prime location for trouble. Who do you have working there? Do they know how to use a gun? Do you trust them?” Garner asked.
Hawkeye snorted. “You’re looking at ‘them.’ Miss Dawson is the only person left to run the ranch.”
“I don’t need anyone’s help. If I need additional assistance, I’ll hire someone.” Liv stood. “All this conspiracy-theory talk is just that—talk. I have work to do. If you’ll excuse me, I have a ride to catch.”
Garner stepped in front of her. “You don’t understand. You could be in grave danger.”
“I can handle it.” She tilted her head. “I really need to go.” She stepped around the man and ran into Hawkeye.
“Garner’s right. You can’t run a ranch and watch your back at the same time.”
“Let me assign one of my men to the ranch. Then you’ll get some help and we can take our time making certain the group responsible for the recent troubles isn’t conducting their business on your property or the neighboring federal land.”
Liv shook her head. “I can hire my own help.”
“The men on my team are trained combatants. We think the group planning the takeover are training like soldiers. One of their men had a shooting range and training facility on his ranch.”
Liv tilted her head and stared at Garner through narrowed eyes. “Sounds to me like you already know who is involved in this coup or whatever it is.”
“We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. Someone is supplying weapons on a large scale.” Garner took her hand. “Someone with money.”
Liv’s blood chilled. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
Garner’s lips firmed. “I wish I was.”
She pulled her hand from his and pushed her hair back from her face, wishing she had a rubber band to secure it. “Why do you need my ranch?”
“Stone Oak Ranch is right in the middle of everything.” Garner pointed to the map. “You said yourself you didn’t think your father could have fallen off his horse. He was too good of a rider. What if he didn’t fall off his horse?”
Her gut clenched and she tightened her fingers into fists. “What do you mean? Do you think someone killed him?” Dear Lord, what had happened to her father?
Garner lifted his shoulders slightly. “We don’t know, but if someone was out there, your father could have run across something that person didn’t want to get out.”
A sick, sinking feeling settled in the pit of Liv’s belly. “When my father’s horse returned without his rider, my foreman went looking for him. He found my father on the far northwest corner of the ranch, where he’d gone to check the fences.” Liv swallowed hard on the lump rising in her throat. “That corner of the property borders federal land.”
“Olivia, let me position one of my men on your property,” Garner pleaded. “He can appear to hire on as a ranch hand and help you mend the fences. It will give him the opportunity to keep an eye out for trouble, while protecting you.”
Liv bristled. “I don’t need someone to protect me.”
“No one can watch his or her own back,” Hawkeye said. “As a member of the armed forces, I know what it means to trust the guys behind me. You need a battle buddy.”
“I do want to find out if my father was murdered. And who might have done it.” Liv chewed on her lip a moment before sighing. “Who did you have in mind?”
Garner smiled. “The only other man still in this room besides me.”
A thrill of something she hadn’t felt in a long time—if you didn’t count the recent kiss—rippled through Liv. Taking on Hawkeye could prove to be a big mistake in more ways than one. “What choice do I have?”
“None,” Hawkeye said, his tone firm and final.
For however long it took to find her father’s murderer and stop this insanity going on in her community, she was stuck with Hawkeye. And despite her initial reticence, she had to admit to herself she might just need him.
“Don’t look so worried. You can trust Hawkeye,” Garner said with a smile and a wave before he turned to go back to the maps spread across the table.
It wasn’t Hawkeye she didn’t trust. What bothered her most was the reaction she’d had to his kiss. Hell, she wasn’t sure she could trust herself around the rugged army ranger.
“We’ll get that meal you wanted and then we’ll head for your place.” Hawkeye cupped Liv’s elbow and guided her through the loft apartment’s door.
For once she didn’t argue or pull away.
Hawkeye counted that as progress.
“Damn. The sun’s already setting.” Olivia shaded her eyes and looked toward the west.
“We can skip the tavern and head right for the ranch,” Hawkeye offered.
She shook her head. “You said yourself that your truck is where you left it on a dirt road. By the time we retrieve it and make it back to the ranch, it’ll already be dark. We might as well get something to eat and take it with us. I can guarantee there’s nothing edible that doesn’t have to be cooked at the ranch.” She started down the steps ahead of him.
“I’ll be down in ten minutes to take you out to Hawkeye’s truck.” Garner followed them onto the landing. “You’ll need it with Liv’s farm truck out of commission.”
“The sheriff called a tow truck,” Olivia said. “The way it was smoking, I’m sure my dad’s old truck is a total loss.” Her lips turned downward. “I’ll be in the market for a used, cheap truck or we won’t be able to haul the hay to the barn before winter.”
“You can use mine until then,” Hawkeye offered.
Instead of nodding, she frowned. “I can’t rely on a man who is at best a temporary solution to a much larger problem.”
“That being?” Hawkeye asked.
“I need more than a truck out at the ranch. I need my foreman, or at least someone who can do some of the heavy work. Tossing hay bales isn’t easy.” She chewed on her bottom lip.
The motion made Hawkeye’s groin tighten. He wanted to pull that lip into his mouth and kiss her worries away.
Why?
He didn’t know. He’d just met the woman. That she was willing to risk her life to pull a full-grown man out of a smoking truck said a lot about her character. Not only was she strong, she was tough and cared about the people around her.
“I’ll be at the ranch,” Hawkeye said. “While I’m keeping an eye on things, I can help with hay hauling and doing other chores as needed.”
Olivia snorted. “Thanks, but you won’t be around for long. I’m sure, once Kevin and his team figure out what’s going on, you’ll be back with your unit. I need a permanent solution. It took both my father and our foreman to manage the ranch with seasonal help. Even if Abe wasn’t laid up with a broken leg, I’d have to find more help. The kind that will stick around for the long haul.”
Hawkeye raised his hands palms up and smiled. “In the meantime, you have me. Use me while you’re advertising for additional staff. What can it hurt? You’re getting