Danger On Dakota Ridge. Cindi Myers
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Paige lay awake for hours that night, reliving every moment of being shot at—the sound of the bullets, the fear that had threatened to choke her, the feel of Rob’s weight on her, crushing and frightening and yet so reassuring. The man was maddening, one moment so tender and protective, the next knowing exactly what to say to make her angry. All that nonsense about him being responsible for her—and then he’d had the nerve to kiss her.
That the kiss hadn’t been on the lips unnerved her even more. If he had insisted on kissing her mouth, she could have told herself he had practically assaulted her, and that he’d taken liberties to which he wasn’t entitled. But that gentle brush of his lips against her cheek had been both tender and incredibly sensuous. She still trembled at the memory, at the intensity of her awareness of him—the scent of his aftershave, the soft cotton of his shirtsleeve, the incredible heat of his mouth.
She shouldn’t have let him get away with it. She should have told him off then and there. But she couldn’t find the words to do it. When he had left her, still smiling that I’m-so-sexy grin, she had had to bite her lip to keep from calling him back. In that moment, if he had tried to kiss her mouth, she would have pulled him to her willingly.
After that, it took a long time for her to drift into a restless sleep. She woke several hours later with a start and stared into the darkness, heart pounding. She held her breath and strained her ears to listen. Yes, that was definitely the sound of the back door opening. She turned her head to check the bedside clock. One thirty-two. She heard shuffling, then the sound of someone walking—no, tiptoeing—past her door.
She sat up and switched on the lamp. “Parker, is that you?” she called.
“Yes. Go back to sleep.”
Instead, she got up and went to the bedroom door and opened it. Parker stood in the hallway, hair rumpled, shoulders slumped. Her first instinct was to demand to know where he had been, but she stifled the words. “You look tired,” she said instead.
He shrugged. “I’m okay.” He turned away. “Good night.”
“Wait,” she said. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
He stopped, but didn’t look back at her. “What is it?”
“Rob Allerton is here,” she said.
“Yeah. You already told me he’s in town. So what?”
“No—he’s here.”
He did turn this time, and craned his neck, trying to see past her into her room. “Here?”
She flushed, even though the suggestion that Agent Rob Allerton would be in her bed was preposterous. “He’s upstairs. In the Grizzly Suite. He has a reservation for a week.”
“Okay.”
She leaned forward, studying her brother more closely. He needed a shave, and he had the beginnings of dark circles under his eyes. Was he really just tired, or was something more going on? She pushed the thought away. She had to trust him. “You’re okay with him being here?”
“I guess his money is as good as anybody else’s. And it’s not like I’ll see him much, between work and school and stuff.”
Stuff. What stuff? But she didn’t ask. “It’s probably a good idea if you stay out of his way as much as possible,” she said.
“Don’t worry. I will.”
“He didn’t make a reservation here because of you,” she said. “He didn’t even know I owned the place.”
“Right.” He smirked.
“He didn’t,” she protested.
“You can believe that if you want. I think Agent Allerton knew exactly what he was doing.”
She resented everything his words—and that smirk—implied. “I actually asked him to leave, but there’s another reason he needs to be here right now.”
Parker leaned one shoulder against the wall, arms folded across his chest. “I’m really tired, sis. Can we make this quick?”
She wet her lips. He was probably going to find out sooner or later. Better she tell him rather than have him hear the gossip from someone else. “Someone took a shot at me while I was hiking up by Eagle Mountain Resort yesterday,” she said.
He straightened. “What?”
“I saw two men on the resort property. One of them spotted me watching them and tried to shoot me. Later, a car—possibly with the same two men inside—drove by here and someone shot at me again. Rob pushed me out of the way. As it is, the front door is ruined and will have to be replaced.”
“Sis! What have you done?”
“What have I done? I haven’t done anything.”
“You must have done something to tick off these guys enough to try to take you out.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she said again. “But until the authorities can track down those men, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Rob to stay here. He does have some experience with situations like this.”
“You mean he’s got a gun and he knows how to use it.” Parker shook his head, as if trying to clear it, then looked at her more closely. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” A little shaky still, but she was determined to get past that. And her little brother’s concern touched her. “I really think Rob scared them away yesterday,” she said. “And now the sheriff’s department and probably other law enforcement agencies are looking for them. I don’t think they’ll bother me again.”
“I hope not.” He ran one hand through his hair. “You say you were up by Eagle Mountain Resort the first time? This morning?”
“Yes. I was on the hiking trail that runs alongside the resort. You remember—we went up there right after you moved to town.”
He nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me about it this morning?”
“I didn’t want to worry you. And I certainly didn’t think they would track me down here.”
“It’s not hard to find anybody in a town this small,” Parker said. “Maybe you should go away for a while, until this is all over.”
“No!” The word came out louder than she intended. She lowered her voice. “I’ll be careful, but I won’t put my whole life on hold and hide.”
“What were those guys doing up at the resort?” Parker asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I saw them carrying a big wooden box into a hole in the ground.”
“That underground chamber where Gage and his girlfriend were trapped a couple months ago?” Parker asked.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’m going to try to find out.”
“Don’t go up there again,” Parker said.
“If I do go, I won’t go alone,” she said.
“Get Rob to go with you. Or better yet, stay home.”
“I don’t want Rob to go with me. Maybe Gage can come.”
“Rob wants to be your bodyguard, why not let him?” Parker yawned.
“Go to bed,” Paige said. “And don’t worry about me.”
“I figure I probably owe you a little worrying.” He patted her shoulder, then turned and shuffled down the hall to his room. Paige returned to her room and bed, but didn’t go to sleep. She was going to end up back at the resort sooner or later, she knew. She wouldn’t go alone, but she wouldn’t sit here doing nothing and waiting for others to solve this mystery.
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MAYA RENFRO