Navy Seal Protector. Bonnie Vanak
a garage sale. Nick sat on the blue-and-white-striped sofa with the stain on the back that she’d hidden by pushing it against the wall.
He gazed around at the landscape paintings on the bright yellow walls and the vase of daisies she’d placed on a round table by the front window.
“Place looks real good, Shel. You’ve made it into a home.” His glance landed on the art easel and the board upon it, tucked into a corner. Nick pointed to the landscapes. “Did you paint those?”
She nodded, folding her arms across her chest. Painting had been a favorite pastime, but with the long hours she worked lately, it had to be set aside. Keeping her home mattered more.
A home she could easily lose, depending on his whims. “What do you want, Nick?”
He opened his palm, showing a piece of crumpled white stationery. “What’s happened at the Belle Creek that it’s losing so much money, Shel? Silas wants me to save it from foreclosure...or a sale to Beaufort.”
Honest, direct. Relief calmed a little of her jangling nerves. She took in the bleakness on his face, the firm set of his lips.
“Come into the kitchen and I’ll make us coffee.”
He squeezed into one of the two chairs in the postage-stamp kitchen, his big frame seeming to suck up all the space. Nick pushed a hank of dark blond hair away from his brow with an impatient gesture as she measured the grounds and started the coffee.
Too shaken by his nearness to sit, she leaned against the sink. “What exactly did Silas say in that letter?”
Nick shook his head. “Tell me what’s going on around here.”
“Same old Nick. Always your needs first before anyone else’s,” she countered.
He leaned forward, locking his intense brown gaze to hers. “No, Shel. I put your needs first ten years ago. ’Cause if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have walked out of here leaving you a virgin.”
Old hurts surfaced, needling her. “Maybe I needed to lose my virginity back then, hotshot. Did you ever think to ask?”
Intent flared on his face. “No need, darling. If I’d made love to you, I would have been inside you so deep that no matter who took you after that, the memory of me would always linger,” he said softly.
A furious heat crept up her chest, to her throat, warming her cheeks. Shelby hoped he’d think it was anger.
“Is this why you’re here, Nick? To taunt me with our past?”
Regret touched his face. “No. But I swore I would go to hell first before following through on what I wanted to do to you. Not what I had to do.”
As an apology, it sucked. Made him look noble and self-sacrificing while leaving her looking like a horny teenager eager to explore her newfound sexuality.
“You don’t have to worry about me anymore,” she said coolly. “The coals of that particular fire got stamped out long ago when you turned around and ran, never looking back.”
Now it was his turn for his cheeks to turn ruddy. Nick’s guilty gaze darted around the kitchen. Damn if he didn’t look like he did ten years ago, all adorable and contrite when he’d kissed her and confessed that he had condoms in his back pocket.
Condoms he’d never used with her.
She gestured to the paper. “What did Silas say to you?”
He shook his head, rubbed a hand over his chin. “It’s private. I need to know exactly why the Belle Creek is losing money. Miles and Mason said there was a break-in and Felicity’s jewelry was stolen right after Readalot died.”
Nick had been gone a long time. He didn’t know the troubles they faced. “I found Readalot in his stall. He was young, only eight, but he died during the night. The vet said it was natural causes. Maybe a heart attack. That was the first suspicious incident. He was very healthy. About two days later, someone broke into the house and stole Felicity’s jewelry. A couple of gold bracelets and her favorite sterling-and-emerald pin. Jonah Doyle and his men dusted, took notes, but found nothing.”
His gaze widened. “Jonah Doyle? He’s working for the sheriff?”
“He is the sheriff now. There have been other incidents as well, small things that are frustrating, but when you run a ranch, it all adds up. Fences broken, a horse trailer that was in perfect working order and suddenly had two flat tires. Stuff like that.”
Leaning back, Nick frowned. “Who is threatening the place? Why are almost all the rental stalls vacant? I did an inspection and the security system isn’t the greatest, but it works. So what’s going on?”
The coffee machine pinged, indicating it was ready. Shelby remained motionless, her heart hurting and her throat tight.
Nick lowered his voice, the deep, gravelly tone sexy and yet oddly soothing. “I want to make it right, Shel. I’m not back to hurt you, or anyone else. But I want answers. Now.”
Take-charge Nick. Maybe he could save the ranch. She pushed a hand through her unruly hair.
“Sabotage. I have no idea who is doing it, or how they gained access to the ranch, but it has to be someone very familiar with the workings. The security system...” he suggested.
She sighed. “It’s fake. Silas had me stop paying the monthly fee over a year ago to save money. It’s pretty bad, Nick.”
A low curse tore from his throat. “Tell me everything.”
“Beaufort isn’t the first developer to make Silas an offer. There have been others. He’s offering the least money, though. Silas refused. He said the ranch has been in the family for generations, and it would remain that way.”
“Stubborn,” he muttered.
She gave him a calm look. “Like someone else I know.”
Shelby fetched two cups, adding cream and sugar to hers, and added a sprinkle of cinnamon to Nick’s cup from the container on her spice rack.
“You remembered.”
He offered a smile that erased the hardness in his eyes, and made her lady parts ache with yearning. Same killer smile that could coax women into his bed, same charm that tamed the wildest horse.
Stay immune to that charm, Shelby. He’s dynamite.
She sat at the table, turning the cup around in her hands, the familiar tightness squeezing her stomach. This time, it was as much Nick’s nearness as her anxiety over the ranch’s failing business.
“Tell me exactly what your role is at Belle Creek,” he ordered Shelby.
“I handle the accounting, deposits, invoices and data entry for the farm. And payroll. Everything but the family’s personal finances.” Shelby sighed. “And the mortgage. I had no idea Silas had the ranch that much in debt.”
“How much did Silas pay you for that?”
Shelby shook her head. “Nothing, as of the last year. I stopped taking a salary and living off my waitressing job when I saw the income was dropping. I wanted to help save money.”
Nick stared at her. “Are you a saint?”
Anger surfaced, but she struggled with her temper. “No, I’m pragmatic. Silas gave me a place to live, rent-free. It was my way of paying him back.”
“I have a new offer to make.”
She listened intently. Maybe she wouldn’t get tossed out after all. Nick offered her a real salary, with a ten percent increase once the ranch operated in the black, and a five percent share in the profits. If he sold, he’d give her a flat cash fee of fifteen thousand dollars after all debts were settled. He intended to draft the agreement to have them work together to make the ranch solvent.
Jake would get the same offer.
“Jake