It took every ounce of strength Ridge had to refrain from smiling. Dang, but his mark was cute. The gun was a nice touch, and she looked like she knew how to use it. Raising his hands slowly up to shoulder height, he kept his palms facing outward. No need to spook her. Her finger was way too close to the trigger.
“Ms. White?”
Her eyes narrowed at his use of her name. He took in every inch of her, from head to toe. Mary Margaret was dressed like a tomboy in jeans, a T-shirt that didn’t hide a single one of her delicious curves, and a hunter’s vest. A battered straw hat shaded a portion of her face, but what he could see matched the photo he carried in his wallet. Something about her called to him in a way no other woman ever had. He wanted to see her smile, to watch her eyes light up with desire. Taste her lips to see if they were as sweet as they appeared.
“I ain’t buying whatever you’re selling, Bub, so get back in your car and skedaddle.”
Skedaddle?
“Alrighty. Guess I’ll be on my way. Tell Henry I came by, and you kicked me off the property.” He waited—one beat, two—and slowly lowered his hands as he turned, pretending he was going to leave. He made it all the way to four steps before she cracked.
“Wait.”
Remaining faced away from her, he stopped. Let her make the first move now. Retain the position of power. He hoped her curiosity would overcome her initial reticence to discover why he’d shown up on her property, invaded her space. His cover story would hold—it always had, because for the most part, it was the truth. Sticking with the actual facts made it easier to maintain when deep undercover. He simply had to remember Mary Margaret White was his target, a suspect like any other suspect, no matter how pretty the outside package.
“You know Henry?”
Ridge turned around and faced Mary Margaret. His intel knew her friends called her Maggie, but he wasn’t about to slip that little detail yet. One step at a time. Right now he had to bait the hook, get his little fishy caught and reeled in.
“We’ve known each other for several years. As a matter of fact, he’s the one who called me. Asked me to meet him here.”
“He’s never mentioned you.” The gun lowered, now pointed toward the ground, and he breathed a little easier. He didn’t think she’d shoot him by accident. Nope, he got the impression she knew her way around guns, and if she did shoot him, it’d be deliberate and she wouldn’t miss.
“Does Henry tell you about all his friends? Funny, he never really mentioned you at all. Except that he worked with you. Security.”
“That’s right.”
“Which happens to be my area of expertise.” Ridge motioned toward his shirt pocket, and after a few seconds, she nodded. Using two fingers, he pulled free a business card and held it out. “Henry called and asked me to come take a look around, see where things could be improved. Beef up what’s in place, and discuss adding or upgrading your current situation.”
She studied the card, before looking up and meeting his steady gaze. “Ridge Boudreau. Any relation to those Boudreaus over in Shiloh Springs?”
Ridge grinned at the way she said those Boudreaus. Not in a derogatory way, but more in a those-people-are-everywhere kind of way. Man, his momma would love Mary Margaret.
“Yes.” Let her make what she would of his monosyllabic answer.
“I’m pretty sure Henry has the security around my home and property up-to-date. I doubt there’s much you can do, Mr. Boudreau. Thanks, but no thanks.”
Ridge raised his brow at her dismissal, though he wasn’t surprised. Given the background the DEA’s computer experts uncovered on Miss Mary Margaret—Maggie to her friends—White, she was justified in being leery of strangers. Hence the shotgun greeting.
“Your choice. But you might want to let Henry know you’ve got about a half dozen issues with the front gate and fencing at the entrance. Oh, and the sensors on your ground floor windows are inadequate. Those motion detectors could be disabled by a child. Egress through your kitchen is laughably inadequate. Thanks for your time, Ms. White.”
“What? Wait a minute, Mr. Boudreau, I’ll have you know I have top-of-the-line security, which is upgraded several times every year.” The indignation written on her face was priceless, and exactly the response he’d expected. He’d sown the seed of doubt. Now he needed to play it cool, and let her take the initiative.
Come on, little fishy, chomp on the hook, and I’m gonna reel you in.
“I’m sure what you have is adequate for most homes. But are you looking for adequate? Henry told me you needed the best protection money could buy, and trust me when I tell you, right now what you’ve got wouldn’t stop a determined person gaining access. For a professional? They’d barely break a sweat.”
Ridge could practically see the wheels turning in her head, could almost predict what her next move would be—in fact, he was counting on it. He’d been doing this for a long time, though he didn’t usually have to pull out the big guns, but he would. Rafe owed him a favor, and Ridge didn’t have a problem calling it in.
“Ms. White, feel free to call the sheriff of Shiloh Springs. He can verify that I’m not only who I say, but that my credentials are legitimate. Although he might be a tad biased, since he’s my brother. I can also give you the number for FBI Special Agent in Charge Derrick Williamson of the Austin office. I’ve worked with him on security issues in the past, and he can also verify my identity and my company’s credentials.”
“I’ll do that, Mr. Boudreau.”
He nodded and turned to leave, but couldn’t resist one parting shot. “Give my best to Henry. Give me a call if you change your mind, and want me to take a deeper look at your security, Ms. White.”
Without another word, he walked down the long drive and back toward the front gate. He knew she watched every step until he was out of sight of the house, and he finally relaxed and gave in to the laughter he’d suppressed. He’d been pleasantly surprised with Mary Margaret, maybe even a little shocked. She lived alone with only one security person and a housekeeper who came in for a couple hours every day. The rest of the time she stayed isolated on her ranch. Not an easy task for somebody who was filthy rich. He had expected to find a shy, timid woman who jumped at every shadow. Instead he found a firecracker, willing to challenge him on every level. And he found himself enchanted.
Climbing behind the wheel of his truck, he profoundly hoped she’d didn’t turn out to be the mastermind behind one of the biggest drug-running operations in Central Texas.