Chapter 1
Ellie Jameson slipped off the Greyhound Bus in the early morning mist and shivered. The bus terminal in Denver smelled of exhaust and grease from a nearby fast-food restaurant and Ellie’s stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since Kansas, which was…the day before, she thought, or maybe the day before the day before.
The bus driver climbed down the steps behind her and opened the luggage compartment.
“Which is yours, miss?” he asked, tired but not unkindly.
“The big bag right behind that hard case. I’ve got a bike in there.” She hiked her backpack higher on her shoulders. She didn’t tell him about the sleeping bag stuffed in the bike bag.
He nodded. “Planning on doing some mountain biking?”
Technically, she was, but probably not in the way he thought, so she nodded and smiled. “I’m headed for a place outside of Lyons.”
“Pretty country,” she heard him say from inside the bus’s compartment as he pushed the hard-sided suitcase aside and grabbed the black bag. “Here you go.” He set the bag on the pavement and arched his back, stretching before he got back on the bus.
“Thank you. Drive safely.” Ellie dug into her pocket and took out some crumpled bills to give him a tip. She was down to her last fourteen dollars—a lucky number and a good sign, she liked to think. She took the five, then decided to add two dollars more. Seven was lucky too.
He watched her count out the money, then waved her off. “Don’t need a tip from you, miss. Take care.” He turned and climbed back up the steps. A couple other people had gotten off but only had carry-ons. Ellie watched them head into the terminal. Each person had someone waiting, who greeted them with hugs and took their bags.
Ellie had no one.
No, worse than no one. She had her family behind her. She prayed they’d stay there.
Ellie wheeled the bag away from the bus to a metal bench and sat down. Water dripped from a corner of the roof into a puddle where a couple of sparrows darted around the bigger pigeons for a drink. One ran straight in and threw water over its feathers, reminding Ellie that she was also in desperate need of a shower.
As the bus pulled away, she unzipped the bag and pulled it down from around the folded-up bike and the sleeping bag. Both belonged to her oldest brother. She didn’t want to imagine his face when he found his stuff gone. He was bad enough on a good day, let alone on a day when he woke to find her gone with his things. Nope, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how red his face must have been, or how loudly he’d yelled, not caring if he woke up everyone else, or how he must have stomped through the house to see what else she’d made off with—a bag of chips, a box of power bars, her own clothing and a few sundry items, and of course the letter, though none of them knew about that.
And here she was, imagining exactly what she didn’t want to imagine. Funny how her brain worked that way.
Ellie reached into another jacket pocket and took out a crumpled plastic wrapper. She shook out the few cake crumbs left and watched the birds run for them. It brought a smile to her face.
“Whatcha doin’?”
Ellie turned her head and looked up at a man in a nice suit. He was fairly tall, thin, and he had a ton of gel in his hair. His tie had the tiniest spot of grease on it.
“Just feeding the pigeons,” Ellie said. She quickly looked back down and went back to pulling the sleeping back out of the bike bag.
“You need a place to stay?” he asked.
“No-I’m-good-thanks.” Her answer came out as one word. She stood and held up one short end of the sleeping bag to roll it up. He stood about a foot taller than her.
“Let me help you.” Before she could protest, the man bent down and took the other end.
“I’ve got it. Please let go.”
He straightened and held his hands up, palms out, and took a step back. He was still smiling at her. Her gaze flicked up, then back to her hands as she folded the bag in half to roll it.
“I just don’t want to see the end of that nice sleeping bag get all wet and dirty,” the man said.
Ellie said nothing. The sleeping bag wasn’t new or even particularly nice.
He chuckled. “Of course, if you’re sleeping rough, it’s going to get dirty, isn’t it?”
She already had, and it did. “I’m visiting my cousin,” Ellie said.
“Oh,” the man said, folding his arms. “Does she make you sleep in the yard?”
Ellie flicked her gaze up to him then back down. She had the bag almost rolled up into a tight cylinder that she could attach to her backpack. The bike was still folded up in the bag. Lightweight and fancy and nicer than anything she’d ever owned.
“I don’t think you have an aunt or a place to stay, little girl.”
She cringed at those two words. Ellie was in her twenties, not a little girl, though her small size often made people look twice.
“Why don’t you come with me?” he coaxed in a cooing voice that put the pigeons to shame. “I have a nice place, a closet full of nice clothes. Hot food.” He lowered his voice. “You came out here for the,” he pressed his thumb and index finger together and put them up to his pursed lips, then inhaled loudly, “am I right? I have plenty of that too, and other things.”
She barely shook her head.
“Don’t deny it, sweet face. A lot of kids like you come out here for that. And you know what? They end up sleeping on the street where not so nice things happen to them. That doesn’t have to be you.”
Ellie bent and reached into the bottom of the bag.
“You’re a sweet little thing, so let me help you.” The man took a step forward and reached for her, then stumbled as he danced backward.
Oh yeah, she’d taken one more thing from her brother that was sure to really get him mad. Ellie pointed the .38 special as steadily as she could at the tiny grease spot on the man’s fancy tie.
“I don’t do drugs and I’m not interested in becoming a prostitute.” She held his gaze as she added, “Now go away.”
He left her alone to unfold the bike and pop the wheels on. She folded up the bag, stuffed it into the top of her backpack as best she could, and mounted the bike. As she pedaled away, she told herself that the sweat trickling down her back was only from exertion.
I was aiming at a grease spot, not at a man. A grease spot…
Chapter 2
Jon “Bear” Behr rolled into Lyons early one afternoon when the aspen leaves were just beginning to turn golden. He’d driven right past the turnoff that led to his old friend’s ranch. Sean Volker wasn’t there, would never be there again. He’d heard about Sean’s death of course, and it wounded him to the soul. Growing up, Sean had always been the funny one in their group of friends. He could make all of them practically piss themselves laughing over the stupidest shit.
Yeah, there was something about the friends you made as a kid. Back when the world was huge and you had yet to find your place in it, it was good to find your people, the ones who always made you laugh and had your back. Maybe that’s why Bear had loved being a Ranger so much—a second chance at that deep, good friendship that was so hard to find.
He pulled into the coffee shop parking lot overlooking the St. Vrain. Riversong had been there forever and he missed the taste of their coffee. Or, maybe it was the mountain air that always made it taste better. Probably both.
He stopped in for a to-go cup. The man behind the counter turned and Bear recognized him as the owner, though he was starting to get on in years. Sonny, yeah, he was pretty sure the man’s name was Sonny. Bear started to say hello when he realized Sonny didn’t recognize him.
I’ve been gone that long he thought. When Sonny looked him up and down and frowned, Bear self-consciously ran a hand through his shaggy hair. His beard was hardly better. Been a long time since I’ve had a trim, too.
“Hey, friend,” Bear said. “I’d like a large eye-opener, black, to go. Please.”
The man’s eyebrows rose. “Took that off the menu a while back, but I’m happy to make it for you. But if you don’t sleep for three days, that’s on you.” He turned and grabbed a jar of some high-octane, extra-caffeinated beans. After he ground them and started the espresso machine, he asked, “You from around here, or has it just been a while since you visited?”
Both. “Born here.”
Sonny poured black coffee into a large to-go cup and added the fresh triple shot of espresso, then turned to give Bear another look, trying to place him.
“Well, near here.” Bear scratched his beard. He didn’t really feel like going into details. He pulled a twenty out of his wallet and laid it on the counter instead.
“Mind letting me park my truck here for an hour? I’d like to go and pay my respects to the St. Vrain.”
Sonny nodded. “We aren’t too busy right now. Parking lot’s empty enough.” He set the near-lethally caffeinated coffee on the counter and pushed the twenty back toward Bear. “Parking’s free.”
Bear shook his head. “Keep the change. ’Preciate it.”
Sonny grabbed a slice of banana bread and set it next to the coffee. “Welcome home.”
Bear took his coffee down to the river where he’d talk to Sean.
He grinned as he remembered the gang of boys he grew up with. They’d all loved the river. It was a place where they could run free like a pack of lost boys or wild animals. In fact, they’d given each other animal nicknames. Sean was Hawk, for the wounded hawk he’d nursed back to health one summer. With his last name, Bear’s nick was an obvious choice but his friends told him it fit his personality too—that he was big and quiet, preferring to mull things over before acting. But when roused, well, you didn’t want to fuck with him.
Out of all of them, Sean had loved the river the most. No surprise he’d become a Swick in the Navy where he could spend all his time messing around on boats. If Sean wasn’t home, you could find him somewhere along the river. So, that’s why Bear chose to come down to the St. Vrain before visiting Sean’s sister Arden and paying his respects.
Bear got down to the river’s edge and sat cross-legged on a wide, flat stone. He sipped his coffee quietly and watched the water. Someone had stacked a pile of smooth rocks one atop the other so he focused on that and tried to bring back the feeling of being a kid, splashing in the water and laughing with his friends. They dared each other to do the craziest things, not a lick of sense among them. Bear grinned even as his heart felt like it was beating inside an iron box. Sean would laugh at him if he admitted to missing him that much.
“Sorry I wasn’t here sooner,” he whispered to the water, where a small school of minnows darted in the shadow of the big stone. “Sorry we didn’t get one last chance to say goodbye.”
A crackling noise got his attention and he looked down in time to see a squirrel attempting to open the plastic wrap around his slice of banana bread.
“Well, you’re a brave little cuss, aren’t you?”
The squirrel jumped back when Bear picked up the banana bread and watched him unwrap it. Bear broke off a piece and stretched out his hand.
“Here you go.”
The squirrel didn’t move. Bear laughed. “Oh, now you’re gonna be shy, huh? Come on, buddy, you can have it.”
Finally, the squirrel darted forward and grabbed the banana bread out of Bear’s hand. It quickly disappeared into his mouth and he scampered back onto the rock, begging for more, making Bear laugh again. He broke off another piece and offered it carefully. The squirrel took it, and like so many wild creatures Bear encountered, trusted him enough to let Bear run a careful finger down its fur.
“Holy shit, it is you,” Bear heard from behind him as the startled squirrel ran up a tree. “St. Francis, friend to the animals.”
Without turning, Bear said, “Only assholes who want broken noses call me Francis.”
“Only your best friends know that’s your middle name, asshole.”
Bear turned to see one of those old best friends grinning at him. Shane Foti. Known to their friends as Elk.
Bear uncrossed his legs and stood up smoothly. “Shane.”
“Good to see you, Bear.” The men hugged, clapping each other on the back. Shane grabbed and yanked a handful of Bear’s hair. “But what the hell is this?” He laughed. “And that beard. You a mountain man now? We need to rename you Grizzly Adams?”
“I was always a mountain man,” Bear said.
“Not so much now. Good to see you, man. Been a while.”
Bear detected a hint of judgment but he let it go since he probably deserved it. It had been a long time since he’d set foot in Colorado. “Yeah. I wanted to come pay my respects to Arden.”
“But you came down to the river first?”
Bear shrugged. “You know. Hawk.”
Shane nodded as his expression turned serious. “Because you missed scattering his ashes along here this summer?”
Bear tried not to flinch at that. He’d had no idea.
But Shane caught him out. “You didn’t know about that, did you?”
He shook his head.
“Arden said she’d tried to get a hold of all Hawk’s old friends to tell them. Hard to do that when she doesn’t have an address.”
“That’s because I don’t have an address.”
Now Shane looked surprised. “What, seriously? You doing the van life or something?” His mouth turned down and his brow furrowed. “It’s not mon—”
Bear waved him off. No, it wasn’t money.
“I’m solid. I just decided to take a vacation, see the country after getting out.”
“Bear. It’s been years. After a while, that goes from a vacation to a lifestyle, man.”
He only shrugged.
“So you haven’t been up to the ranch yet.” A statement, not a question.
“No.”
“Obviously. Shit’s changed, my brother.”
Damn. I should have come sooner.
“Changed? Arden all right?”
“Arden’s fine. But if you wanna go up and see her, I’ll have to call you in first.”
Now that was a head-scratcher. “Call her first?” A thought came to him. “You guys…close now or something?”
Shame erupted in laughter. “What, you think I broke the pact we all made not to date Arden? Jesus, Bear, Hawk would come back and haunt my ass if I did that.”
Bear grinned, remembering the promise Hawk made them all swear to keep. Not that he’d been the least bit interested in dating his friend’s little sister. He didn’t think any of them had been, not really. As sweet and pretty as she was though, he couldn’t blame Hawk for wanting to nip any fights over her in the bud.
“So what’s changed then?”
Shane looked away as he considered his words. “I’ll explain on the way there.”
Puzzled, Bear said, “I have my truck here. You need a ride or something?”
“No, man. It’s best you come in with me.” He clapped Bear on the shoulder. “It’s been a rough summer and we’ve got a lot to catch you up on.”
***
Bear couldn’t believe what Shane was telling him as they drove the shiny new SUV up the road leading to the ranch. At first he thought Shane was pulling his leg. Arden was engaged to a man whose company had bought out the entire neighborhood on the mountain—including the ranch she swore never to sell? No way. But Shane was dead serious. So Bear wasn’t sure about this Kyle McGuire guy. Was he engaged to her just for her ranch? Shane wasn’t acting like that was the case, and he would sure as hell be just as protective of Arden as Hawk himself. They all would.
“I’m working for Kyle now, as you can see,” Shane told him. “Bodyguard work.” But Shane couldn’t fool him. He heard something else behind those words. Bear was quiet but he was no dummy. Shane was former military so there were probably some off-the-government-books jobs going on there.
Not Bear’s problem.
“Everybody’d love to see you. How long you planning on staying?”
Bear’s guard started to creep up. “Depends.”
“We could all go out for a beer, you know? Be good to get the whole gang back together.”
“Mm.”
Shane drove another minute before speaking. “If you’re planning on staying a while, Kyle’s looking for people he can trust,” he said. “If you need work.”
Bear grunted.
“Or…we could use you, too. Like in the old days.”
Bear cleared his throat and crossed his arms, remembering now why he’d avoided Colorado.
“We’re at it again. But it’s not the same without you. We were a team, Bear.”
“That was a long time ago. We were all kids.”
“And we did some good, man. Sometimes, I think we did more good as a group of teenagers than—”
“I didn’t come back here to be recruited,” Bear said, his voice louder than he’d planned, but maybe it would get the point across.
Shane pulled the SUV over and looked at Bear. “You turnin’ yellow? Should I call you Pooh Bear?”
“Fuck you.” Bear refused to look at his friend. He stared out the window instead, where a circling hawk suddenly dove for a mouse or some other small creature in the tall grass ringed with trees.
“Same old Bear.” Shane pulled back onto the road.
Up ahead, Bear spotted a gate and gatehouse. “That it?”
“Yep. No getting past the gate without an engraved invite.”
Bear side-eyed him.
“Told you, rough summer.”
“In Lyons?”
“Times change, brother.” Shane’s voice sounded regretful.
Times may have changed, but Arden hadn’t. She was waiting on the porch of the ranch house, bouncing on her toes with the biggest, warmest smile on her face. A tall man stood next to her, wariness obvious on his face. He had a dog on a leash—what looked like a gold and black mottled Lab.
“Bear!” Arden shouted as she ran toward him, barely giving him a chance to get out of the SUV. His fears that she’d hate him for missing Sean’s memorial evaporated. Big smile on his face, he opened his arms, picked her up, and swung her around.
“It’s so good to see you, Bear!” He put her down and she gave his beard a tug. “At least I think that’s you under all that hair. What’s that all about?”
“Can’t find a barber I like,” Bear joked.
The man who’d been standing on the porch beside Arden had made his way to them along with the dog. He offered his hand.
“I’m Kyle McGuire,” he said.
“Already heard good things about you,” Bear said, shaking his hand as they sized each other up. “Jon Behr.”
“But everyone just calls him Bear,” Arden said, her silvery-gray eyes shining. “He was one of Sean’s best friends.”
That hurt, even though he knew she meant nothing malicious by it.
Kyle’s expression changed once Arden mentioned her brother. “In that case, you’re more than welcome here.”
“For as long as you’d like,” Arden added, making Bear wonder what Shane had told them when he called up. “I’ve already got dinner going, and we have plenty of room here, if you’d like to stay for a few days.”
“Careful, or Arden will have you moved in,” Kyle joked. “Just look at me.”
Arden laughed. “And you showed up uninvited at that.”
“Uninvited?” Bear asked, frowning.
“Stick around and I’ll tell you the story.” Arden bent to pet the beautiful Lab. “It all has to do with Camo here. He’s the reason we’re together.”
Bear bent down to scratch the dog’s head. Camo looked up at him with soulful eyes. “I’d love to hear the story.”
“Then come on in.”
And that was how Bear found himself changing his plans and staying a while.
***
Bear was enjoying the warm Colorado autumn day when the commotion started.
From his vantage point where he was working on the roof, he could see across the entire yard to the Rockies beyond. Everywhere he looked was drenched in forest greens, golden and white aspens, and dotted here and there with red and orange scrub oak. Someone somewhere had a fire going and the air was tinged with woodsmoke winding through the earthy smell of fall leaves. The sky was an overturned blue bowl sheltering it all.
Bear hadn’t been sure how he’d feel about returning home after all his wanderings, but now that he was here, it felt good. He'd be sad to leave again, but it was best he did. If he kept on moving, he could maybe outrun whatever it was that chased him inside.
But, Colorado wouldn’t be a bad place to hibernate for the winter, either.
He shook that thought away. No, he’d best move on down to Texas for the winter after he finished up work on his old friend’s ranch. Well, Arden’s ranch, now that her brother and their parents were gone. Bear missed his friend Sean, missed teasing him about becoming a Swick instead of an Army Ranger as Bear had done. And of course, Hawk had teased him right back, calling Bear Smokey the Park Ranger.
Bear took a deep breath. He was sad that he’d missed Sean’s memorial. It was only by chance that he’d returned when he did a couple weeks ago and decided to look in on her. Sure, she still grieved, but Arden was thriving, thanks to Kyle. That made Bear happy and he knew Sean would’ve been happy too. Kyle was a good man—for a SEAL. Bear chuckled.
Once they got to know each other, Kyle offered him a job with his security company but Bear said no thanks, he was out of that game. He just wanted to work with his hands building things now. Sawdust instead of blood, nails instead of bullets. Kyle understood. They had work for him around the ranch and the safehouses that were part of the huge mountain property, so Bear happily took that. It would keep him in pocket money and out of trouble.
But now it looked like trouble was coming his way.
He heard some branches breaking in the woods at the edge of the yard, not random but steady like something was making its way through the woods. It wasn’t deer; they were quiet animals. Elk, maybe, but they also tended to be more careful than this. No, this sounded human. And it was headed straight for the house.
There was one big problem with this scene. The roads, the forest, the house, all the land on top of this foothill belonged to Watchdog. No one was supposed to be able to just tramp through the woods, and no one had told Bear to expect visitors to the safehouse he was working on. Especially ones coming up behind through the woods.
Bear made his way carefully to the edge of the roof and the top of the ladder. He half slid, half climbed down the ladder quickly and turned to face the intruder. His gun was just inside on the counter next to the back door, but he wanted to see who or what he was dealing with first.
And what he saw confused him before it made him chuckle.
At first, he thought a girl was pushing her bike through the underbrush to the safehouse, until he realized that he was looking at a young woman dwarfed by the pack and sleeping bag on her back. The bike was a nice one, sleek and expensive looking, but not one you’d take over rough country. The woman was working hard to wrestle it under the weight of that pack, which kept snagging on low hanging branches like the trees were teasing her. Her face was red and her sweaty hair clung to her cheeks and forehead. She looked like she was about ready to punch the first thing she came across. The thought of Bear being that first thing, and imagining one of her small fists coming at him, was what made him laugh.
She stopped and looked up and something about her face brought back his childhood in a nostalgic rush that made him want to say Finally, there you are to this complete stranger. When she caught sight of him, her eyes grew round until she looked like a fox caught in the headlights. She was real pretty, even pissed-off, and the closer Bear ambled toward her, the prettier she got. No—make that gorgeous, in a sweet way. Big brown eyes to go with that reddish-brown hair. Soft-pink lips, slightly parted. An honest, open face that for some reason stirred up vague memories he desperately wanted to remember.
She’s the blooming warmth from whiskey spreading in your chest on a bitter cold winter’s night.
Bear didn’t know where that thought had come from, but he pushed it out of the way. This woman didn’t look like a threat, but she really didn’t belong here as far as he knew. He needed to be cautious.
Her chin lifted by degrees as he came closer until she was looking up into his face.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Same question,” Bear answered. “You first.”
“I’m Walter Sanders’ niece. This is his house.” She looked around. “Did his daughter sell it already?”
Bear tilted his head. “You’re his niece?”
“I am.” She nodded. “My family is estranged, so I didn’t know he’d passed away, otherwise I would have come to the funeral.” She paused and asked, “I’m sorry, did you know my uncle?”
She was a naïve little thing, telling him all that.
“No, not well. Sorry for your loss. But you’re trespassing.”
She swallowed and took a step back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, and the road is blocked off, so I took a little path I knew—”
From the road in front of the house, they heard tires crunching on gravel—a big vehicle coming in hot, followed by doors opening and raised voices.
“Sounds like you’re in trouble now,” Bear said.
Poor thing looked terrified. Her red face paled and she looked around wildly, then down at the bike.
Yup, it was like Bear suspected—she’d stolen it. His heart dropped. He didn’t want to think badly of her, but thieves were thieves. He wondered if she’d come to town like so many others, hoping to live rough in the beautiful state with great weather and legal drugs. The backpack and sleeping bag, her old clothes, they all spoke to that.
“Come on. It’ll go easier if you don’t run. Lemme help you.” He reached out as if he were trying to tame a nervous fox, which he’d done when he was younger. Foxes, racoons, even a skunk once. Bear had a way with strays and wild things, and right now, this woman looked like a little of both. She studied his hand like she couldn’t quite trust it, like someone who’d been struck, and his heart opened to her.
“Not gonna hurt you, I promise. Gonna help you, but you gotta trust me. They’re good men you’re hearing—friends—but they’re low on trust and patience right now.”
“Not the police?”
Bear sighed. “No.” He didn’t want to add that the police might be a better deal for her, all things considered. “Come on. I got you.”
He watched her weigh her options as she looked into his eyes and he realized he ached for her to make the right decision and trust him. The voices were coming closer and they’d soon be around the house. Kyle and Shane shouted Bear’s name and he turned his head to face the oncoming men when he felt her hand in his like she’d just laid a live wire across his palm. He turned back to see her gazing up at him—afraid but trusting. He folded his fingers over her hand, swallowing it up.
Kyle and Arden’s dog, a retired military working dog named Camo came running around the house first to inspect the newcomer. The yellow-and-black-mottled Lab took one look at Bear and evaluated the situation.
No threats here Bear silently projected. Camo was one of the smartest dogs he’d ever met. Message received, Camo sniffed at the woman with his tail wagging. She let go of Bear’s hand to pet Camo as she gave him a smile.
“Camo!” Kyle called the dog back over and Camo looked reluctant to leave her, which tickled Bear. That dog was devoted to Kyle. Whoever this woman is, she must be someone special Bear thought to himself. There was a certain spark to her that he saw even through her fear.
Bear turned toward Kyle and Shane. He held up a hand, signaling that all was well. Kyle gave him a look full of suspicion and rightly so. Shane was more at ease, but still holding himself like a man ready for a surprise attack. Bear understood that feeling down to his bones. But in this case, he was positive they were safe from anything harmful.
“Friend of yours?” Kyle asked, eying the woman.
“Just met,” Bear answered. “This is,” he paused, realizing that he didn’t know her name, “Walter’s niece.” Saying those words, something akin to an old memory stirred and was gone, like a fish stealing a gulp of air from the surface of a lake before diving to the bottom.
“Walter’s niece?” Kyle looked at Shane, who squinted at the woman.
“Elinor.” she said. “Ellie, like my cousin, Ellen. Walter’s daughter?” She looked at Kyle first, but when her eyes landed on Shane they stayed there. Then she looked at Bear again and tilted her head ever so slightly.
“What are you doing here?” Kyle demanded, and she stepped back. Bear reached out on instinct and grabbed her arm to steady her.
“I need to talk to Ellen.” She twisted and reached for a pocket on her backpack.
“Stop right there,” Kyle said. “Bring your hand back where I can see it.”
She froze and Bear felt her tremble. She slowly turned back with one hand in the air and the other still holding the bike up. “I’m not armed.” Her voice quavered.
“Maybe, maybe not. But I know you had a gun at one point and I just want to make sure you aren’t going for another in your pack.”
A gun? Bear’s eyes widened as he looked from Kyle to Ellie then back at Kyle.
“We watched her stashing it in the woods on the cameras, right after we caught her sneaking onto the land.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Ellie said. “I didn’t realize…I thought maybe my cousin still lived here, that there was a new road or something up to the houses since there’s that gate—”
“The gate for Watchdog, which is my company.” Kyle crossed his arms. “This is my land and one of my houses and you’re trespassing.”
Shane laid his hand on Kyle’s arm. “I recognize her, boss.” He looked at Bear. “Don’t you?”
Bear studied her again. He was sure he’d remember if he’d met Ellie before.
“She was just a little kid though,” Shane continued. “Not that I wasn’t one too, last time she was here.”
Ellie smiled and nodded. “I was five or six last time Mama brought us to visit. Me and my big brothers.”
Shane frowned and nodded. “I was fourteen. Your brothers were assholes.”
Bear grinned. Shane always told it like it was. No mystery why his nickname was Elk, the way he ‘bugled’ whatever he felt like saying.
“My brothers are still assholes,” Ellie said matter-of-factly. “And they’re bigger now.”
Bear chuckled—couldn’t help himself.
Kyle gave Bear a sharp look. “You remember her?”
Bear studied Ellie. That little piece of memory teased just under the surface. “A little, maybe?”
Ellie squinted back. “And maybe you’re familiar to me, but I doubt you had that beard when we were kids, so it’s hard to tell.”
Chuckling, Bear ran a hand over his thick, black beard. She had a point. It’d been a while since he’d had a trim. His hair was just as shaggy.
Shane stepped forward. “I’m Shane Foti. This is Jon Behr.”
Ellie smiled and nodded. “I remember you guys now. I knew Sean better than I knew his friends, but I mostly played with Arden. She was a little older than me.”
Kyle lifted his chin. “So Arden would know you too?”
Ellie nodded. “I think so.” She looked around like she just remembered where she was. Bear watched all her bravery drain out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I thought my cousin still lived here. I need to talk to her.”
“Negative,” Kyle said. “First, you’re coming with us.”
Ellie looked up at Bear and there it went—his heart melted a little more. He had her trust.
“Don’t think she meant any harm,” Bear said at the risk of being fired and escorted off the land.
“Why’d you have a gun and why’d you hide it?” Kyle asked.
“Had it because I was traveling alone from Illinois,” she answered. “Hid it because I didn’t want to upset Ellen.”
Kyle looked her up and down, taking in her shabby clothes. “Why’d you come?”
She glanced at Bear. “I think I’d like to tell her that. If I can.”
Kyle crossed his arms. “I want to see some ID.”
“That’s in my pack. Can I get it?” She started to reach for the same pocket as before.
“Stop. Bear, take that pack off her.”
Ellie froze like she was used to being in trouble—maybe the kind that involved fists. Bear tried not to growl as he took hold of the bike. He gentled his voice instead.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to take your things.”
Ellie gave him another trusting nod. He laid the bike down, then helped her wiggle out of the pack. It was more bulky than heavy. Felt like it might be full of clothes. He reached into the pocket and found an old wallet. He opened it and saw only a few dollar bills, no credit cards, and a driver’s license. He took the license out, glanced at it—Illinois like she said—and handed it to Kyle.
Kyle studied it, then held it up and compared the photo to Ellie’s face.
“Did you know your uncle passed away recently?”
Ellie flinched and Bear felt a deep dark stirring of anger. Kyle was a good man, he knew that. But seeing this little woman flinch like that did something to him that he didn’t like.
“She knows, Kyle. Why she’s here, ain’t that right?” He jutted his chin at Ellie. “Just wants to pay her respects is all.”
Ellie switched her gaze to Bear and nodded carefully.
“Sure the two of you aren’t friends?” Kyle asked.
“We could be,” Ellie answered quickly. “We crossed paths as kids, I guess.”
Bear’s anger eased, and he chuckled again. How did she do that? “Kyle, why don’t we take her on up to the ranch and Arden can have a sit-down with her?” He lifted the pack. “I can hang on to this in the meantime.”
“Don’t want a potential stranger in my home right now,” Kyle answered. He turned his attention back to Ellie. “We’re gonna take you down to the office. I’ll call Arden and she can stop by, get a look at you. If you’re who you say you are, then we’ll contact Ellen.” He leaned forward. “Until then, I’ll consider you a trespasser.” He turned to Shane. “Think you can find that gun?”
He nodded. “Yeah, give me a sec.”
Ellie started to say, “I can—” but Kyle cut her off with a sharp shake of his head and her mouth snapped shut like a steel trap. Bear couldn’t help feeling protective of her, surrounded as she was by men twice her size who didn’t feel like messing around.
Shane disappeared into the woods and reappeared a few minutes later with a gun. Yup, it was a .38 special.
“Fully loaded,” Shane said, handing it over to Kyle, who checked it, then eyed Ellie.
“I was traveling alone,” she said just above a whisper.
“By bike?”
“Some of the way. Some by bus. I have the ticket.” She was trembling again. Bear held back a growl.
Kyle looked at her, then at the bike. His eyebrows lifted then he blew out a breath through his nose. “Let’s go.” He turned, Shane beside him. Camo dropped back to trot beside Ellie and she bent to give his ears a quick scratch. Bear picked up the bike and wheeled it on her other side.
She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and smiled up at him. Just a little ghost of a smile, but there all the same.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Bear only nodded, not trusting himself with words. He only hoped she was who she said she was, and meant no trouble.
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