Grayson never should have listened to the wily old rancher, he thought as he led his class of recruits across the South Lawn of the White House. The chairs had already been placed in the Rose Garden for an informal awards ceremony, and his students were in attendance merely for observational purposes.
Somehow, Rider King had talked Grayson into convincing his director and the director of the protective detail assigned to the White House that the recruits needed practical, real world application of their training in the most boring of circumstances.
It just so happened that the boring circumstance Grayson deemed most suitable for the training was one in which former Second Lady Sherilee King was to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her contributions to philanthropy.
Not that anything was all that boring when the entire King family came together.
Briefing all the agents on duty and the president’s chief of staff had been one of the most awkward presentations Grayson had ever endured. But if things went according to plan, nobody would know the real reason he’d staged such an unbelievable scenario.
“Precision has landed,” Grayson heard in his earpiece as he herded the recruits to the observation area. That meant Tessa was on the premises. But they still had a few minutes before everyone took their seats. It wasn’t until he saw the news cameras setting up that Grayson realized there’d be no going back after this.
He spotted Rider King near some foliage outside the west colonnade, the gray felt Stetson he wore for “fancy occasions” making him stand out above everyone else. Grayson strode over to the older man and asked, “Sir, are you sure this will work?”
“Not if Freckles catches me out here, it won’t.” Rider held out a circular tin of chewing tobacco to Grayson. “Want a dip?”
“I don’t mean sneaking out here for a wad of chew.” Grayson tried to ignore the pounding in his temples. “I meant this plan today with me and Tessa.”
“Considerin’ you haven’t found any other way to get her attention...” the old man started then shrugged. “I don’t see how it could hurt your chances none.”
“But won’t Mrs. King be upset that we’re upstaging her award ceremony?”
“It was Sherilee who thought of this idea in the first place, son. I’m just a good soldier who does what I’m told.”
“Oh hell.” Grayson looked upward, hoping a freak thunderstorm would engulf him. But the April sky was a clear blue.
Mrs. King walked up at just that moment and used her little purse to swat the container out of her brother-in-law’s hand. “Rider King, you know full well that tobacco products aren’t allowed on government property.”
Rider jumped back. “Damn it, woman, I thought you were Freckles. That sounded exactly like the kinda thing she would say.”
Mrs. King’s eyes darted back and forth between him and the half-empty tin. She sighed. “Carry on, then.”
Grayson wanted to commend the older man on his well-played reverse psychology, but Tessa’s mother turned her attention to him instead. “It looks like all the camera crews are in position. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready, ma’am. However, I do have just a few concerns about the execution of this particular strategy.”
Mrs. King gave him a chilling look. “You changed your mind about Tessa?”
“No, it’s not that at all. I love your daughter, ma’am, and I wouldn’t be here right now if I didn’t want to be with her.” Grayson waited for Mrs. King’s pursed mouth to relax before he continued. “Remember when Davis Townsend came out to the ranch to propose to Tessa? Wasn’t that your idea, too?”
“Of course it was.”
“Well, that didn’t work out so well. Why would this time be any different?”
Mrs. King rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about? Davis did exactly what I wanted him to do and Tessa reacted exactly as I’d expected. She’d been dragging that breakup on for way too long and sometimes we just need to rip the Band-Aid off, if you know what I’m saying.”
“So you knew she’d break up with him?” he asked, bewildered.
Mrs. King’s sigh was one of exasperation. “Obviously. The trick was getting Townsend to bring his press secretary along. Tessa doesn’t mind the cameras when it’s for work. But she hates all that extra publicity just to show off.”
“But then why are we...” Grayson started and Mrs. King swatted at the air, dismissing his confusion as if it was an annoying fly.
“If Davis had truly cared about my daughter, he would’ve foregone the cameras and kept things private. But he wasn’t willing to step outside his comfort zone for her. But you, Agent Wyatt? You’re willing to make a real sacrifice. That’s the ultimate gesture.” Mrs. King looped her arm through Rider’s. “Now, let’s all get into position.”
Grayson looked toward the sky again, wondering if there had in fact been a thunderstorm, because Mrs. King’s reasoning left him in a fall-out shelter of confusion.
He should have been comforted by the woman’s faith in him and this plan. But no other mission had been as important to him as this one.
He couldn’t lose Tessa for good.
“And none of this would have been possible if I didn’t have the loving support of my family behind me,” Tessa’s mother said into the eight microphones affixed to the podium. Shutters clicked all around them, and Tessa fought the urge to look around at the Secret Service agents hovering in the background to see if any of them might be Grayson.
But he was long gone and her plan to get over him by diving into a charitable endeavor had backfired. Planning the fundraiser with Maddie and Mrs. Wyatt only made Tessa miss Grayson all the more.
“Come on up here, kids,” her mom said, and Uncle Rider gave Tessa a nudge.
What? This wasn’t part of the plan. The president was supposed to award her mom the medal, her mom was supposed to give a brief speech, and then they were supposed to meet in the West Wing reception area for light refreshments and some informal pictures. Nobody was supposed to be called onstage.
Tessa’s eyes shot to Marcus who was already halfway to the podium with a sullen MJ in tow. Next, she looked at Dahlia and Finn, who were both refusing to make eye contact with her as they took turns pushing one another to the front of the pack. She finally got Duke’s attention.
“What’s going on?” Tessa asked under her breath as they joined their siblings. “Mom never goes off script.”
“Remember what Dad said the first time he taught you how to jump into an eddy in the Snake River?” Duke replied, but the crowd was clapping politely and he had to pause so that he could smile and wave to the cameras aimed in their direction. Her brother glanced at something behind Tessa and then finished, “Just tuck your knees up and roll with it.”
Tessa barely had time to process his words when she felt herself being lifted into the air. An oomph escaped her lips as she bounced against a solid chest. Then she saw who that chest belonged to and all the air left her body.
“This gets easier every time I do it,” Grayson said into her ear as he turned toward the wall of lenses zooming in on them. He cradled her in his arms as reporters yelled out questions, but the only thing she could hear right that second was her pounding heart. And him. “But I have no problem practicing it over and over again until I get it right.”
“What are you doing here?” Tessa tilted her head as she looked between Grayson’s face and the entire press corps assigned to the White House. She tentatively wrapped her arms around his shoulders for balance.
“Well, I thought I could go back to my own life and you could go back to yours. But I was absolutely lost without you,” he said, and Tessa was glad he was holding her because her legs would’ve turned to jelly. “So, I’m making another daring rescue. Except this time, I’m rescuing myself.”
Another wave of shuttering cameras peppered the air and she lifted her brow. “Isn’t this the part where you usually sprint us off to safety?”
“I want them to look their fill and take as many pictures as they need.” Then Grayson kissed her, right there in front of her family, and the president and the entire world watching from home. When he finally pulled back, he stared into her eyes as though they were the only two people there. “I love you, Tessa King, and that’s not something I ever want to keep to myself again.”
Tessa’s chest couldn’t contain all the pounding and excitement racing through her heart. She’d known that he cared for her, but she hadn’t thought he’d be willing to give up everything else in his life for her. “But what about your job?”
“I transferred to the JJRTC to become an instructor. Apparently, the recruits seem to think that my unfounded celebrity status somehow means I actually know what I’m teaching them.”
“And the notoriety?” She bit her lower lip.
He hefted her closer to him. “You told me that being with you meant that I had to accept being in the spotlight. It’ll be a learning curve for me, and I can’t always promise that I’ll do or say the right things when the cameras are rolling. But I’d rather be by your side than anywhere else in the world. This is my way of proving it to you.”
Tessa pulled his face to hers and kissed him again. “I love you, too, Grayson. I promise to hold on to you this time, to be your protector and to try to shield you whenever I can. If things ever get too overwhelming, we can always go hide out at the ranch.”
Just when she thought her heart was going to burst, her family closed ranks around them, making the moment even more special because they were all a part of it.
Uncle Rider tugged his cowboy hat lower on his head and asked, “So, who planned the exit strategy?”
“Well, you guys told me I couldn’t bring the horses.” Finn threw her arms up. “So I thought someone else was planning it.”
“Don’t look at me.” MJ shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sheriff Big Brother over there is still holding my driver’s license hostage.”
Everyone began speaking at once and, as her family argued among themselves, Tessa asked Grayson, “Are you sure you know what you signed up for?”
“Not really. When it comes to you and your family, I’m finding that all my rules and careful strategizing can easily be blown off course. You’re the only assignment I want, though, so it looks like I’ll just have to hold steady.”
“Then let’s get out of here.” Tessa smiled at him before giving him another kiss.
Grayson walked her through the Rose Garden, over the South Lawn and toward the Ellipse. “I didn’t want to leave any of the planning to your family, so I took the liberty of securing a transport vehicle for our dramatic exit.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I love you, Agent Wyatt, but there’s no way I’m getting into another hearse with you.”
He barked out a laugh and she felt his chest vibrate against her.
“Don’t worry.” Grayson nodded toward the helipad. She turned to see the small green helicopter with the Buster Chop’s Chopper Rentals logo on the tail. “I got the next best thing.”
Look for Dahlia’s story, Making Room for the Rancher by Christy Jeffries
The next installment in her new miniseries, Twin Kings Ranch, on sale March 2021
Wherever Harlequin Books and ebooks are sold.
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Child Who Changed Them by Tara Taylor Quinn.