Chapter 5
“We brought food,” Mrs. Turnbill said as she handed Callie a large, covered dish.
The other three ladies followed Wanda and handed dishes to Cullen, Wyatt, and Owen, who were forced to step out onto the porch.
“Get the tea, Natalie,” Mrs. Turnbill urged.
Natalie turned, her legs feeling wooden and her stomach unsure if it should remain in her throat or plummet to her feet. This was how she’d felt since first seeing Owen again.
It was worse when that chocolate gaze of his landed on her. Then she couldn’t remember which way was right and which was left.
While they’d been cleaning, she’d had a task to focus on, something to do other than try to keep her hands off Owen. Now, there was company.
But that company made her think of those responsible for Virgil’s and Charlotte’s deaths. Were they lurking somewhere, waiting to strike again?
Her gaze landed on Owen. She didn’t want him to know how frightened she’d been up until he arrived. To realize that she’d been followed made her sick to her stomach.
What was this Ragnarok that people would kill for? Surely this wasn’t the only bioweapon Russia had. No. It meant that there was something special about Ragnarok.
“Natalie?”
She jumped, remembering that she wasn’t alone. The bioweapon was quickly forgotten as Owen’s eyes met hers briefly. She shot Mrs. Turnbill a smile, then the elderly lady said her name again.
It took everything she had to make herself walk to the back of the Suburban. Her hands shook so badly that it took two tries to get the doors open. Owen was the only man to ever make her so anxious. Even after all these years, he still had the same effect on her.
Natalie grabbed the two jugs of sweet tea and turned. She came to a halt when she found Wyatt standing there. She took in his thick beard, which hid most of his face, and his gold eyes trained on her.
There was a flicker of annoyance in those golden depths. “What are you doing here?” he demanded in a soft voice that did nothing to hide his anger.
“I explained that pretty clearly.”
His gaze remained locked with hers. “Is that the only reason?”
“I know you never liked me, Wyatt, but you were gone when Owen left. He’s the one who called it off. Not me.”
“You think I don’t like you.”
She blinked. Was that a question or a comment? And that’s all he was going to say about her statement? “I know you don’t like me.”
“I’ve never given that indication.”
Natalie shifted the gallon jugs. The handles were pinching her fingers. “Don’t worry. I’m not here for Owen.”
“Really.”
Again, she wasn’t sure if it was a question or not. Natalie moved around him. “Really.”
She walked up the porch steps and tried to hand the sweet tea to Cullen, but the youngest Loughman merely smiled and opened the screen door for her.
Natalie was pretty sure they had all lost their minds. She just wanted to give the tea to someone and get back to searching for Orrin and Ragnarok.
Mrs. Turnbill was setting the dishes in the fridge when she saw Natalie. She then glared at Owen. “Don’t just stand there, son. Help her.”
Mrs. Turnbill had a way of inflecting her voice that could get anyone into action thanks to her years as a teacher. Owen was no different. He reacted instantly, reaching for the tea.
Their hands touched. A tingling sensation rushed up her arm and into her chest. She looked up at him. Their gazes clashed, held, as heat and desire simmered between them.
Fourteen years hadn’t dulled the passion. It had only intensified it.
Natalie scrubbed her hands on her jeans and took a step back. She turned and found Cullen and Wyatt blocking the exit to the front door.
“I’m sorry about Virgil and Charlotte. They were good people,” Mrs. Turnbill told the boys.
Cullen’s smile was sad. “That they were. They were able to get a handle on all three of us as no one else could. They’ll be sorely missed.”
“I hope you find who did this,” she said.
“Seen anyone around town out of the ordinary?” Cullen asked her.
The old woman shook her head of white hair before looking at her friends. “No, we haven’t. Do you think whoever did this is still around?”
“We don’t know,” Owen replied.
Then it hit Natalie. She’d been young when Owen’s mother was murdered, but it had been the talk of the small town for months.
Everyone speculated that it was because of Orrin’s work with the military, especially when the FBI showed up.
As far as Natalie knew, Melanie Loughman’s case had never been solved.
Now there were two more murders after Orrin had returned to town. Coincidence? She doubted it.
She made her escape from the house after a few minutes.
She walked across the yard to the paddock and held out her hand to the filly.
The foal wouldn’t come to her, but the mare did.
Natalie rubbed the horse’s forehead. Owen had given her a love of horses.
She’d always admired the beautiful creatures, but she hadn’t known how much fun it was to ride until Owen.
“Nat.”
Her hand stilled and her heart missed a beat at the sound of his voice. She glanced over her shoulder as she continued to pet the mare, the foal coming closer before backing off at the last minute.
“Hi,” she finally answered.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk alone.”
She rubbed her cheek on the sleeve of her shirt. “I know.” She turned to face him. “You look good.”
His smile was warm. “So do you. I thought you were leaving this small town and never coming back?”
“Yeah,” she said with a small laugh. “It’s not as bad as I used to think.”
Dark eyes watched her.
She lowered her gaze to his sun-kissed skin. He always had a golden glow about him, but his tan was darker, speaking of many days outside. It fit the desert camo.
“So, a SEAL?” she asked. She’d found out from Callie. It hadn’t surprised her that he would be the one to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“Yep.”
That explained so much about him, from his bearing to his body and the way he surveyed things as if he were sizing everything up as a threat assessment.
Silence stretched between them, becoming almost awkward. She was searching for something to say when Mrs. Turnbill and the others walked from the house.
“Take care of yourself, Owen,” Mrs. Turnbill called as she got into the SUV.
Natalie used their departure as an excuse to go back into the house. Anything to get away from the emotions she was struggling with regarding Owen. “I should help Callie with all the food.”
She wasn’t surprised when Owen didn’t stop her. Though a part of her really wished he had.
It was hours later before she had a moment to herself. Her nerves were on end from the close proximity to Owen and the threat that hung over them.
Callie came up to her as she headed toward the front door. “The boys are in the living room talking.”
Good. Nat couldn’t handle another confrontation with Owen right then. “I think I’m going to head back to Mom’s house and shower. After that, I’m going to grab a glass of wine and try to sleep.”
“Stay here,” Callie urged.
She looked around the house. “I don’t think so.”
“What about the group who attacked?”
She walked onto the porch and down to her car with Callie beside her. “It’s just for tonight. I’ll gather my things and stay at the ranch after that. I just need—”
“To be alone,” Callie finished. “I understand.”
Natalie had felt the tension between Callie and Wyatt, but she thought better of mentioning it. “It’s just a few hours.”
“A lot can happen in a few hours.”
“I’m not that far, and I have my gun.”
Callie shook her head and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear. “Hey, Mark. Can you send someone to watch over Diane Dixon’s house tonight.” There was a pause from Callie. “That’s right. Natalie will be there. Great. Thanks.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said.
Callie shrugged. “I’m not losing anyone else. Precaution is key, my friend. A deputy should be there by the time you arrive.”
She could only smile as she got in the BMW. It was nice to have such a friend. She waved at Callie as she drove off.
After a long night of visitors, small talk, and fielding questions about when the service for Virgil and Charlotte would be, Owen walked out onto the porch hours before dawn with a cup of coffee.
Somewhere out in the night, Cullen kept watch. Owen stared into the darkness, recalling how vast the ranch was—and the many areas an enemy could hide.
As had been the case since the moment Natalie had come back into his life with all the force of a tornado, she crept into his thoughts and consumed him.
He wondered if she and Callie were together, talking about him. That was wishful thinking on his part. Natalie had done her best not to be alone with him again.
While he did everything he could to get her alone.
There was so much he wanted to know about their years apart. He wanted every detail, to see every picture, and hear her every thought.
After he’d left graduation night, he’d done everything he could to put her out of his mind. He’d gone on to have a life. In his mind, Nat had remained in Hillsboro. He’d never imagined her going off to St. Petersburg to work.
It made him realize that she’d also gone on with her life. In the back of his mind, he’d always known that. But he hadn’t known what she was doing. Now he did.
And it was a reminder that he wasn’t part of her life anymore.
The screen door creaked as it was opened, and Wyatt walked out. He came to stand beside Owen, the two staring silently across the land.
“I’ll take the next watch,” Wyatt said.
Owen sipped his coffee. “There’s a lot of land out there to cover.”
“Callie’s already thought of that. She was mumbling something about getting things in order earlier.”
“Those bastards will be back.”
“Without a doubt,” Wyatt agreed. “I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us. I don’t know what Callie has planned, but we need to get it implemented ASAP. She was damn lucky not to be here before.”
Owen was nodding his head when he recalled Nat mentioning she felt someone was following her. There was a high probability that she was being tailed, and Owen was going to find out tomorrow.
The screen door banged a second before the light switched on overhead. Wyatt whirled around, cussing as Owen took a step back out of the rays of light.
He looked to find Callie holding a leather bag that looked to be a cross between a briefcase and a purse. Her face was devoid of color.
“Callie?” Owen said, suddenly worried.
She swallowed and held up the bag. “This is Natalie’s.”
“So go bring it to her,” Wyatt replied.
But Callie was already shaking her head. “I can’t. She’s not here.”
Owen felt a stab of fear knife through him. “What do you mean she’s not here?”
“She went to get her things at her Mom’s. Natalie planned to stay the night there and come back in the morning.”
“Have both of you lost your fucking minds?” Wyatt demanded angrily. “Did you forget about all the blood we cleaned up earlier?”
Callie shook her head and gave him a withering glare. “Of course not, dickhead. I called Mark. He sent a deputy to keep watch.”
That made Owen feel a little better, but he still wasn’t happy that Natalie left. “What do you have?” he asked, nodding to the briefcase.
“She had some papers out earlier. I picked them up to put them back when I saw the file.”
Owen’s gaze dropped to the bag and the glimpse of pages he saw had been hastily shoved inside. “What did you see?”
“The bold red letters gave me pause. It’s something in Russian I looked up, and I’m glad I Googled it. It’s a classified document that isn’t addressed to Natalie.”
Wyatt lifted one shoulder. “It could be her work.”
“Or it could be that she accidentally picked up something she shouldn’t have.” Owen’s mind spun with possibilities, and he didn’t like any of them.
Callie said, “She never should have left the ranch.”
“I’m going after her,” Owen said. He didn’t need to hear any more. Natalie was in trouble.
After what had happened to his mother, Owen wouldn’t allow the same fate to befall Natalie. Not if he could do something about it.
He’d left her behind for this very reason. Nothing was going to stop him from getting to her on time. She wouldn’t die because of him or her connection to his family.
Wyatt tossed his coffee out, a grim look on his face. “They may be watching her house.”
“It’s time we put our skills to use then.” Owen turned on his heel. Whether he wanted it or not, Natalie was back in his life—at least for the time being.
He’d keep her safe. Just as he would find the people responsible and end their miserable lives.
“If y’all hurry, you can get her out of the house and back here within the hour,” Callie said.
Wyatt smiled. “My kind of mission.”