Her lips beckoned him. His deception stopped him. What was he doing? He couldn’t keep kissing her, confusing her until he came clean. He sat back with a mental slap upside his head. A romance with her wasn’t an option until she knew everything.
She blinked. “What is it?”
“I... Look, there are some things we should probably talk about.”
“What?”
“My reason for being here, for one.”
Now it was her turn to frown. “You’re here to help me on the ranch, right?”
“Well, yes...”
“Then what are you talking about?”
Would she send him away? Would she hate him forever? Would she leave herself open and vulnerable to whoever wanted her dead? Once again those thoughts stilled his tongue.
“I—”
The knock on the door sent waves of relief through him. He needed to keep his mouth shut. “I’ll get it.”
He turned to see Brody Mac standing on the front porch. Nathan opened the door and stepped back. Brody Mac walked inside and pulled his hat off. “Hi, Becca.”
“Hi, Brody Mac. I’m glad to see you back here. Is everything all right at home?”
“Yes. I think so. My daddy left, so my mama is singing again. She only sings when she’s happy.”
“I see.”
“I just came to tell you that I’m going on an overnight field trip with my class so I won’t be here tomorrow.”
Becca nodded. “Thanks for letting me know.”
He shuffled his feet. “Did Nathan help you out?”
“What?”
“The other day. I saw him in your office. He said he was doing something to help you. I like that, Becca. I want you to have all the help you need because I like you. I can help you more if you need me to. You just have to tell me, okay?”
Becca gave a slow nod, her brow furrowed, and Nathan’s heart dropped into his boots. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to give Clay a call and see if we can get an escort to Nashville.”
“Okay.” He could feel her eyes following him as he stepped into the den. He dialed Clay’s number.
“Hello?”
“We’ve got a problem.”
“We sure do.”
Nathan frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Larry Bowen had nothing on him to tell us if he was working with someone else or not, at least nothing that would help us ID someone, but he had ten thousand in cash.”
“Whoa.”
He lifted his eyes to the blank spot where Becca said she wanted to hang his stocking. His heart ached, his deception killing him. She trusted him, had invited him into her home and her life—maybe even her heart? And here he was, lying to her.
“Nathan? You there?”
Nathan blinked and focused back on Clay. “I’m here. So, you think that money was for taking out Becca?”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind.” The stone-cold fury in Clay’s voice echoed the rising emotion in his own chest.
“Clay, maybe we can take this in a different direction,” Nathan said. “Time to go on the defensive.”
“What are you talking about?”
Nathan explained their idea about confronting Becca’s father.
Clay sighed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I really don’t have the manpower, especially with Trent still in the hospital. With Bowen’s death, I’ve called for help on the state level. Investigators should be arriving within the hour.”
“Good, you’ll need them.”
“Exactly. Which means that right now I have two open deputy positions to fill and only three deputies to cover the entire town of Wrangler’s Corner. I’m sorry, Nathan, I can’t help you out on this. At least not today.”
Nathan pursed his lips. “It’s okay, I understand.”
“But...”
“But what?”
“Give me a few minutes to think on it.”
“Fine. You think, but don’t hang up yet.”
“What else is going on?” Nathan sympathized with the weariness in the man’s voice.
He walked to the kitchen and saw Becca wiping down the countertops. Nathan returned to the den. “Brody Mac spilled the beans about me being in Becca’s office the other day. She’s going to ask me about it and I’m going to have to tell her the truth. I won’t lie to her.” Not anymore.
“I know. Just try to delay answering if you can. Can you distract her?”
“Distract Becca? That’s a good one.”
“Right.” Clay sighed. “Do what you have to do on that score. Let me see what I can do with getting you an escort to Nashville. Talk to you shortly.”
Nathan hung up and closed his eyes. Now might not be a bad time to pray. He walked into the kitchen. “Clay’s working on getting us some protection to get to Nashville.”
“Good.” She turned and opened her mouth.
His phone buzzed. “Hold on. It’s Clay calling back.” He lifted the device to his ear, grateful for the timely interruption. “Hey.”
“All right. Since the state people are going to be here shortly, Lance is going to follow you to Nashville. What time do you want to leave?”
Lance Goode. Amber’s husband. “As soon as he can get here.”
* * *
Becca wasn’t sure what to pray. On the one hand, she wanted to know who was trying to kill her. On the other, she certainly didn’t want it to be her own father. Anxiety twisted inside her. She was glad Lance was driving. He’d decided they should take the cruiser to make a statement to anyone who might have the idea to cause them trouble.
Nathan sat in the front seat and she almost wished she’d asked him to sit in the back next to her. It would have made it easier to hold his hand.
But no. Sitting in the back was good. It would give her time to think and not be distracted by Nathan and the fact that she was attracted to him.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t in Wrangler’s Corner for the long haul and she was. At some point, he’d return to Nashville and to the job he’d left to heal.
Brody Mac’s words came back to her. What had Nathan been doing in her office? She wanted to know but didn’t want to bring it up in front of Lance.
Knowing she could blow the whole surprise thing if her mother decided to tell her father, Becca decided it was worth taking a chance on. She shot a text to her, stating where she would be and at what time. Becca didn’t mention seeing her father, just that she would be at the hospital. Sadness engulfed her. She wanted to see her mother. To hug her and talk with her. But as long as her father demanded her mother not speak to her, she wouldn’t. For someone who could rule the courtroom with strength and passion, she was a complete wimp when it came to standing up to her control-freak husband.
“You okay?”
Becca glanced up to see Nathan looking back at her. She nodded and swiped the stray tear that had escaped. She cleared her throat. “I’ll be okay. I just want this over with.”
“Yeah.”
What was she going to say? Hi, Dad. Did you hire someone to kill me? Oh yes, that would go over well. She grimaced.
“Becca?”
She raised a brow.
“Don’t stress over it.”
“Don’t stress over it?” She laughed. “I wish I could take that advice.”
She fell silent, going back to her mental rehearsal of what she was going to say to her father when she saw him for the first time in a year. The day she’d closed on the ranch, he’d showed up at the bank to let her know she was no longer a part of his family, no longer welcome in his home. As far as he was concerned, she no longer existed.
She’d only admitted to herself and her counselor in Nashville that she’d nearly caved. Had been very tempted to fall into her childhood and teen pattern of following his commands. But Lisa’s words rang in her ears from one of their earlier counseling sessions. “Only you can decide for you what you truly want. Whether it’s using that medical degree you worked so hard for or branching out and trying something new, it’s something only you can decide with God’s direction. You control your future, not your father.”
And the truth was, she’d prayed about it but had never gotten a clear sense of whether or not it was the right thing to do. So, she’d gone with it. Resigned from her position at the hospital, bought the ranch in Wrangler’s Corner, and now look where she was. Had it all been a huge mistake? From where she sat now, it certainly looked like it.
She blinked when Lance turned into the parking lot of the hospital. Time had passed quickly between her thoughts and her vigilant mirror watching.
Lance pulled the vehicle into the police parking spot by the entrance to the emergency department. She’d chosen this entrance because the nearest elevator went straight to the second floor. Which was where she would find her father.
Her knees shook and she clenched her fingers into fists to stop the fine tremor.
“Becca?” Nathan’s soft voice jerked her from her thoughts. “You okay?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
“Now you sound like me.”
She flicked a glance at Lance who stood at the door, waiting. “I’m just nervous. Do you know what it took for me to stand up to my father—my parents—and walk out of the house after I told them what I planned to do?”
She’d been living with them and saving money. It had worked out well. They had a guesthouse separate from the main house, and she’d been very comfortable there. They also had the barn and the horses that she often worked with on her days off.
But it wasn’t enough. She wanted her own place, her own horses. And they simply didn’t understand that.
“I imagine it was pretty tough.”
“That’s one way to put it. I was so scared of how they were going to react that I went ahead and packed my car just in case.”
“And?”
“It was a good thing I did.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” When her father had ordered her from the house, she’d simply walked out, climbed into her Lexus and driven away.
She’d cried all the way to Wrangler’s Corner, but she’d closed on the ranch the week before and it was time to get busy working it to get it ready for business. She’d sold her Lexus and bought a truck that was much more suitable for ranch living.
And now she’d come full circle.
“You don’t have to go in there,” she said. “I can ask him myself.”
“No.” He raised a brow and she shook her head. “Let’s get this over with.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
His hand closed around hers as she stepped from the car. She was very glad he was with her.
She led the way inside the building, her steps sure even while her heart beat like a wild bird trapped in a cage. She’d never been good at confrontation and truly, had she not done the counseling with Lisa, she wouldn’t be doing this. But, she’d finally come to the conclusion that her relationship with her parents was worth fighting for—but only if her father wasn’t trying to have her killed.
She found his office, her feet automatically walking a route she’d taken many times. The door stood open. She drew in a breath and felt Nathan’s hand at the small of her back. His strength bolstered her own.
She stepped forward and rapped her knuckles on the open door. The man at the desk looked up and she faced her father for the first time in a year. She didn’t bother trying to smile at him. “Hi, Dad.”