Chapter 10
For staying up into the early hours of the morning, Dax still felt refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to face the world.
Making love with Liliana might have been a mistake, but he couldn’t regret it. Not for a single minute. She was fun, sexy and so passionate, he’d had a hard time keeping up with her. Still, he’d given it his all, finally falling into a deep sleep a couple hours before the alarm went off.
They showered together and dressed for the day, stopping to kiss, snuggle and hold each other between putting on jeans, shirts and shoes.
When they finally made it down to the lobby, Rachel was waiting with Kujo and Six.
“Oh, good,” Rachel said. “I was about to come get you. We’ll have to hustle to get to the diner by six.”
“I’m ready,” Liliana said, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. She hadn’t stopped smiling since the alarm clock had gone off.
Rachel gave her a pointed stare. “You’re super happy this morning. What’s got into you?”
Liliana’s cheeks flushed a bright pink. “Nothing. It’s a beautiful morning in Wyoming. Can’t a girl just be happy?”
Rachel looked from Liliana to Dax and back to Liliana. “It’s him, right? I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy. Ever. He must be treating you right.” She winked at Dax. “Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop.”
Dax caught the shadow fleetingly crossing Liliana’s face before it disappeared behind her practiced smile.
He hated that her happiness dimmed at Rachel’s words.
He hated that, all too soon, he’d have to stop doing what he was doing to make Liliana happy.
It was all a farce with some temporary, mutually agreed-upon benefits.
Her earlier good mood had done something to Dax.
He found himself glad that he was partially responsible for her happiness.
If things were different… If Liliana wasn’t going into politics and eventually moving to D.C…
. If he was someone more in league with the pretty candidate, he might consider breaking his promise never to marry.
Liliana needed a man of her caliber. Someone who could mix and mingle with powerful people—not a combat veteran more comfortable in a worn pair of jeans than a suit and tie.
Some of the joy of the day faded at the thought of Liliana marrying a stiff-suited attorney or politician. Someone she could show off in the big city.
Dax had no desire to live in or around D.C. Too much traffic and hot air. If he were the right man for Liliana, he’d do it. She deserved someone who would have her back in the dog-eat-dog arena of government.
With Liliana on his arm, he stepped out of the resort lobby into the cool, mountain air and drew in a deep breath.
The more time he spent in Montana and Wyoming, the more he loved its wide-open spaces, crisp, clean air and Liliana.
He glanced down at her jet-black hair, smoothed back in a loose ponytail at the back of her head. With her high cheekbones and brown-black eyes, she was stunning.
He wanted to take her back up to their suite, rip off her jeans and crisp, white blouse and make love to her all over again.
She chose that moment to look up at him and smile.
His heart squeezed hard in his chest.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“You don’t want to know,” he said softly.
Liliana chuckled and leaned into him. “It’s probably the same thing I’m thinking. If I wasn’t committed to a day of campaigning, we would.”
He grinned. “What you’re saying is that I won’t convince you to play hooky and go back to the room for the rest of the morning.”
She looked up at him, her eyes flaring. “You’re tempting me.”
“Stop it, you two,” Rachel called out. “You need to focus on winning votes, not whatever you did behind closed doors.” She held up her hand. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. It would only make me even more envious.”
“I had the valet bring our vehicles around.” Rachel stopped next to a dark gray sedan. “This is my ride. We’ll take separate vehicles so that I can get back early enough to make sure everything is ready for tonight’s fundraiser.”
Kujo stepped forward. “I’d offer you both a ride in my truck but, as well-behaved as Six is, he sheds. You won’t want to be covered in dog hair when you’re meeting the public.” Kujo walked Six around all three vehicles, circled back to his truck and loaded Six into the back seat.
Liliana and Dax continued past Rachel and Kujo’s vehicles to Dax’s truck.
He opened the passenger door for Liliana and helped her up into her seat. “If I haven’t already told you, you look just as beautiful in your jeans and boots as you did in your dress last night.”
She leaned down and kissed him. “Thank you.”
“It’s a smart choice when meeting the working folks. It’s one thing to look professional, but it helps that you can look approachable as well.”
She smiled. “That was the plan.”
“And you look natural. Not like a city girl playing dress-up in western clothes.”
Her lips twisted in a wry grin. “I grew up in jeans and boots, and I can ride bareback or in a saddle. We were all over the reservation on horseback.”
Another reason to love this woman. She was badass.
Love.
As Dax rounded the front of the truck to the other side, he pressed a hand to his chest to ease the knot forming there.
So many years ago, he’d sworn off commitment and marriage. In the short time he’d known Liliana, she’d blown a hole right through his promise to himself. He’d thought more about a lifetime with one person in the past twenty-four hours than he’d ever done before. Not just any person. Only one.
Liliana.
He slid into the seat beside her and started the engine. “Ready for a day of smiling and kissing babies?” he asked.
She nodded. “Bring on the babies. They’ll be voters someday, too.”
He followed Kujo and Rachel into town and parked outside the diner that was the locals’ favorite.
“We can get something to eat while we’re here,” she said. “The food must be good, based on the number of cars in the parking lot.”
Dax studied the vehicles and the people entering and leaving the diner. “Did you advertise this meet-and-greet to anyone?”
Liliana shook her head. “I didn’t want this to be a big deal. I wanted to meet the real locals, not the outsiders who’d want to gawk at the congressional candidate.”
He felt a little better, knowing this wasn’t a staged event. If Jason wasn’t the only one out to get Liliana, that person wouldn’t have known she’d be at the diner this morning. He wouldn’t have had time to set charges or a surprise attack.
Nonetheless, Dax was glad to see Kujo and Six walking around the outside of the diner.
Rachel joined them at the door. “Ready?”
Liliana squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and smiled. “I’m ready.”
For the next two hours, Liliana shook hands, smiled and greeted every patron of the diner, the staff, owner and cooks. She sat with customers while they drank coffee and talked about things that concerned them.
They left smiling, thanking her for listening.
She made them promise to vote, even if it wasn’t for her.
When the steady stream of customers slowed to a trickle, Rachel herded them out the door and onto Main Street where Liliana went door to door, meeting business owners and their customers.
Throughout the morning, Liliana smiled, attentive and gracious.
Dax’s chest swelled with pride at how good she was with people and how genuine her concern was for their wellbeing.
“There’s a parade this afternoon for the start of their county fair,” Rachel said. “I arranged for a local to drive you in the parade in a rented convertible with banners affixed to either side.”
“You’re amazing, Rachel,” Liliana said. “I don’t know how you fit all you do into a day. You should be the one running for congress.”
“No thank you. I like being ground support for your launch. I don’t have to stand in front of people and talk all day. Besides, I like planning and organizing. It’s my superpower.”
“It definitely is a superpower.” Liliana hugged Rachel. “I’m glad you decided to come to work with me.”
“Me, too. It’s been a challenge I’ve enjoyed.
” Rachel dug in her purse and pulled out a powder compact, a tube of lipstick and a brush.
“Here. Freshen up. Your car should be arriving right about…” she glanced up, “now. There he is. Good. And the banners are perfect. The voters will see your name in bold colors and remember it when they go to the polls.”
“Should I walk alongside the car?” Dax asked.
Rachel shook her head. “No way. Ride with Liliana. The public will want to see her fiancé. I’ve already posted to social media about the two of you and the fact you’re a combat veteran and Navy SEAL. There’s been so much more interaction since that post that I think they’ll be looking for you.”
Dax nodded, glad he’d be in the vehicle with her. If anything happened, he’d be right there.
As it was, the parade went off without a hitch, until the last block before the floats dispersed.
Liliana had smiled and waved the entire time with Dax waving beside her.
Dax could see the end in sight at the next block. People were climbing down from floats, laughing and smiling.
As the convertible in which Dax and Liliana had been riding slowed, a delivery truck shot out of a side street, headed straight for the convertible.
Dax didn’t have time to warn the driver. He flung himself over the back of the seat, grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it hard to the left.
Instead of T-boning the convertible, the delivery truck clipped the front end and spun them around. Still draped over the back of the driver’s seat, Dax was thrown into the front passenger seat and slid onto the floorboard.
He pushed up in time to see the delivery truck ram into the side of a building.
Dax turned to where Liliana had been sitting on the back end of the car with her feet in the seat. She wasn’t there.
“Liliana!” he yelled.
“I’m okay,” her muffled voice came from the back seat.
Dax leaned over the back of the passenger seat to find Liliana on her back on the floorboard, looking up.
“Are you all right?” Dax reached down, grabbed her hand and helped her to sit in the back seat.
Liliana nodded. “I was lucky the impact knocked me forward into the car and not out onto the pavement.” She glanced around at the people darting around. “Was anyone hurt?”
The driver was unharmed, and there had been enough distance between their vehicle and the floats before and after them that no one on the floats was hurt.
“Do me a favor and stay down,” Dax said. “I want to check out the truck and see if the driver is still in it.”
After Liliana sank low in her seat, Dax hopped out of the convertible and ran toward the truck, circling around behind it to come up on the passenger side. He climbed up on the step, yanked open the door and stared into the empty cab.
At first, he thought the driver had escaped. Then he noticed a block had been affixed to the gas pedal.
The truck ramming into their convertible had not been an accident. Someone had rigged the accelerator and jumped out before the truck took off, heading straight for their car.
Dax hurried back to the convertible, afraid the attacker might make another move while Liliana was a sitting duck in the car.
“Is the driver okay?” Liliana asked.
Dax shook his head. “There wasn’t one. Someone rigged the truck to ram into us. Whoever did is probably long gone.”
He called 911 and reported the incident. Liliana called Rachel who’d gone back to the resort to make sure the stage, mics and sound system were working correctly for Liliana’s speech that night.
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Rachel exclaimed after hearing about the accident. “Can you get to your truck?”
“Yes,” Liliana replied.
“I’ll let Kujo know to meet you at your truck to check it before you get in.”
Liliana relayed Rachel’s message to Dax.
They had to wait around until the police came to investigate and collect latent prints. They left as the tow truck arrived to take the delivery truck to an impound lot where it would be further investigated.
Liliana and Dax walked the few blocks back to where they’d parked his truck and met the driver of the convertible at the beginning of the parade.
Kujo stood with Six near the tailgate. “Glad to see you two made it. Rachel told me what happened.”
Dax nodded toward his truck. “Anything?”
Kujo shook his head. “Six didn’t find anything. As far as we can tell, your truck is safe.”
Dax pulled Liliana into the circle of his arms. “Good. We’re headed back to the resort.”
“We’ll take the lead,” Kujo said.
Dax helped Liliana up into the truck and closed the door.
The drive back to the resort was blessedly uneventful. When they arrived, the manager was quick to appear.
“We heard what happened,” the manager said. “We’re so sorry the incident occurred in our little town. It’s usually a quiet, safe place. Is there anything we can do to help?”
“No,” Liliana said. “I just want to get into the hot tub for a while before the event this evening.”
The manager stood beside the truck, wringing his hands. “In light of the attack today, do we need to cancel the fundraiser?”
Liliana shook her head. “No. We should be okay. No one can drive a truck up into the banquet hall. Not easily, anyway.”
Dax wasn’t sure the fundraiser was a good idea. Not with someone still making Liliana a target.
If he had his way, Dax would take Liliana into the mountains and hide her away until after the election. Someone really didn’t want Liliana to make it to election day, and he’d come close to succeeding.
Dax wasn’t certain he would be enough to protect Liliana.
When he had a spare minute alone, he’d call Stone and get his opinion.
Since spiriting the woman off into the mountains wasn’t an option, he might need help keeping her safe.
The attacker was using whatever means were available and didn’t care if anyone else got in the way.