Wyoming Cowboy Bodyguard. Nicole Helm
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had no questions about how Vaughn had fallen for Natalie, but she did have some questions about the reverse.
“Unscathed.”
Natalie pursed her lips. “Physically. Which wasn’t all I meant.” She eyed her husband. “Coopers,” she muttered with some disgust, though Daisy knew—for as little time as she managed to spend with her family here due to her crazy touring schedule—Nat spoke with love.
The doorbell rang, Nora fussed and Nat and Vaughn exchanged the baby and words with the choreographed practice of marriage. It caused a multitude of pangs in Daisy.
Her divorce had started the press’s character assassination—thanks to Jordan’s team, who were desperate to keep his star on the rise.
Then the stalking had started, and everything had become a numb kind of blank.
But she could still remember marrying Jordan with the hope she’d have something like Nat and Vaughn had. That had been a joke.
“Sit down. You want to hold Nora for me? I’ve got to go check on Miranda.” Nat was maneuvering her onto the couch, placing tiny Nora into her arms and hurrying off to check on their other daughter as Vaughn and his brother-in-law ascended the stairs.
“Ah, the cavalry,” Daisy said with a wry twist of her lips.
“Good to see you again, Daisy,” Jaime Alessandro greeted. An FBI agent, married to Natalie’s sister, Daisy had met him on a few occasions. He was more personable than Vaughn, but the whole FBI thing made Daisy uneasy.
“Let’s get straight to it, then,” Vaughn said, taking a seat next to Daisy on the couch. Jaime settled himself on an armchair across from them.
“I’m sure you know how concerned Vaughn’s been even before the murder.”
Daisy eyed her brother. “No. You don’t say.”
Jaime smiled. Vaughn didn’t.
“We’ve been looking into some options, along with the investigation. As long as the stalker continues to evade police, the prime goal is keeping you safe. To that end, I have an idea.”
“That sounds ominous coming from an FBI agent.”
“How do you feel about Wyoming?”
“Cold,” Daisy replied dryly.
“I have a friend I was in Quantico with. He has a security business. I talked to him about your situation and he came up with a plan. It involves isolating you.”
“I was isolated before. The cabin—”
“Is isolated, but not completely off the grid,” Vaughn said of their old family cabin that had been vandalized during her last hiding stint. “It was traceable, and you’ve been easy to follow. We’re going to take extra precautions to make sure you aren’t followed to Wyoming.”
Daisy wanted to close her eyes, but she shifted Nora in her arms and looked down at the baby instead. “So you want me to secretly jet off to Wyoming and then what?”
“And then you’re safe while we find this guy. This is murder now. Things are escalating, which means everyone else’s investigation is going to escalate.”
“We can have you there by tomorrow afternoon,” Jaime said. “They’ll be ready for you.”
Part of her wanted to argue, but Tom’s lifeless body flashed into her mind. She didn’t want to die. Not like that. And more, so much more, she didn’t want Vaughn or his precious family in the crosshairs.
“Just tell me what I need to do.”
* * *
ZACH SIMMONS SURVEYED the town. It looked like every picture of a ghost town he’d ever seen. Empty, windowless buildings. Dusty dirt road that would have once been a bustling Main Street. You could feel the history, and the utter emptiness.
It was perfect.
He grinned over at his soon-to-be brother-in-law and business partner. “Still worried about the investment?”
Cam Delaney eyed him. “Hell yes, I’m still worried.” He scanned the dilapidated buildings and the way the mountains jutted out in the distance, like sentries, in Zach’s mind. This would be a place of protection. Of safety.
“This job’s a big one for your first.”
Zach nodded. He was under no illusions this wasn’t a giant challenge. Tricky and messy and complicated. He couldn’t explain to Cam, or anyone really, how thrilling it was to be out of the confines of the FBI’s rules and regulations. He wouldn’t take his time back as an agent for anything, but it had been stifling in the end.
So stifling he’d ended up getting himself kicked out.
This was better. Even if the first job was with some spoiled country singer star who’d gotten herself in a mess of trouble. Probably her own doing. But she was in trouble, and Zach and Cam’s security company was getting paid, seriously paid, to keep her safe.
“Laurel come up with any connection to you guys?” Zach asked, hoping Daisy Delaney’s last name was a coincidence. Not that he’d tell anyone, but all the Carson and Delaney coupling worried him a little.
He was technically a Carson, though his mother had run away from her family at eighteen and only started reconnecting this year. He told himself he didn’t believe in curses or the Carson-Delaney feud the town of Bent, Wyoming, was so invested in.
So invested, Main Street was practically split down the middle—Carson businesses on one side, Delaney businesses on the other. Then there was the curse talk, which said if a Carson and Delaney were ever friendly, or God forbid, romantic, only bad things would befall Bent.
But over the course of the past year Carsons and Delaneys had been falling for each other left and right, and while there’d been a certain uptick in trouble in Bent, everything and everyone was fine.
Which his cousins and their significant others had turned into believing it was all meant to be, and went on and on about love solving things.
Zach didn’t buy an inch of either belief—but still, the idea of a Delaney under his protection gave him a bit of a worried itch.
“She’s still researching. It’s giving her something to do now that she’s on maternity leave. Baby should come any day, though, so I’m not sure she’ll come up with any answers one way or another. You can always ask the woman.”
Zach shrugged. “Doesn’t matter either way.”
Cam chuckled. “Sure. You’re not worried about what might happen if she’s some long-lost cousin of mine?”
“No, I’m not. I’m worried about keeping Daisy Delaney safe from her stalker, assuming there really is one.” Because the Daisy Delaney case would set the tone for what he wanted to offer here. On the surface it would look like a ghost town. But below the surface it could be a place for people to find safety, security and hope while the slow wheels of justice handled things legally.
If he believed in life callings, and these days he was starting to, his was this. He’d been a part of the slow wheels of justice. He’d failed at protecting because of it. Now he’d do all he could to keep those entrusted to him safe.
“I should head off to the airport. You’ll do the double check?”
Cam nodded. “Is turndown service offered as part of the package?”
“Up to you, boss,” Zach said with a grin, slapping Cam on the back.
Cam eyed him, but Zach ignored the perceptive look and headed for his car. He didn’t need Cam giving him another lecture about taking things slow, having reasonable expectations for a fledgling business.
Zach had endured a bad year. Really bad. His brother had been admitted to a psychiatric ward, and his long-lost sister had forgiven