Chapter 1
Chapter One
SHAW
Crazy Mountains, Montana — Present Day
Breathing in the crisp, mid-May morning air, I detect just a hint of winter’s remnants as I watch the sun rise while sipping my first cup of coffee before getting ready for the day. Spring is officially here, which means a lot of work around the ranch.
My operation isn’t anything too big or fancy, and for the most part, I handle the day-to-day operation myself, but I do have one full-time and a couple of part-time ranch hands, plus my housekeeper, Rita.
She does more than just clean up after me; she also cooks and helps with the books when I’m too busy to.
“Mooooo.” Marilyn is off in the distance, calling for the calf she lost.
Mari is a unique heifer. When I retired to Eagle Rock, Montana, a little over a year ago, she was my second purchase at a slaughtering auction.
Her pain resonated with me. Her all-consuming emptiness controlled me for a time after my last mission, which left me too injured to remain an active-duty Delta Force operative.
My hip was shattered in a bombing two years ago, and I had to have a complete replacement.
Even now, the residual pain still irritates me.
Coming to the Crazy Mountains of Montana and buying this ranch is one of the few impulsive things I’ve done in my life. My friend, Draven Banks, convinced me this was just the place I needed to recover and move on with my life. I came for a visit and never left.
At the sound of Rita preparing breakfast in the kitchen for me and my full-timer, Kane, I head inside to see if she wants help, which I already know she’ll refuse.
The great thing about Rita is that she’s more like a mother, and the only family I have around.
My parents are retired, cruising the world one ship at a time.
Well-deserved, too. My father was an Army man, like me, until he retired at forty and realized he was good at the stock market.
After spending twenty-five years buying and selling things I’ll never understand, he finally called it quits for good, and I’ve never seen them happier.
“Morning, Rita.” I kiss her cheek as she whisks up some eggs.
“Morning, Shaw. You have a message on the machine in your office.”
She never ceases to amaze me. First thing she does is check messages because I like to enjoy the sunrise each morning before work picks up; she, however, keeps me organized.
“I’ll go check them now. Holler if you need me.” After refilling my coffee, I enter my office, shut the door, and push play on the machine.
“Hey, Remington, it’s Draven. Look, I’ve got a big favor to ask. I’ll be there in the morning to discuss the details. Have the coffee on.” As the message ends, I hear his truck in the driveway.
The only favors Draven asks me for are when his security company, Banks Protection Services, needs an extra hand. Guess I’m playing bodyguard this week.
Going back the way I came, trying to ignore the twinges of hip pain, I grab an extra cup, pour in the steamy black liquid, then head out to meet my buddy at the front door. “Morning, Draven.” Handing him the coffee, we take a seat in the front porch chairs. “What’s this favor?”
“Always straight to business with you, huh?” I shrug, not one to mess around. “You remember me telling you about how Nina and I came to meet?” I nod. Nina was the body double for some whacked-out celebrity with a stalker.
“Well, Lorie has a cousin in some trouble, and she recommended us to the woman’s mother. I don’t have all the information yet; we’re still running background checks on both women, but it sounds like she’s picked herself up a stalker too.”
“You need me to go out there?” I assume "there" is Hollywood, and while I’d rather not, for Draven, I would.
“No. But if she could stay here for a couple weeks? We’re fully booked and spread a little thin right now. The pay is more than generous.”
I shoot him a look. Money is never the reason I help him, and by the way he raises his hands, he knows that too.
“When is she arriving?” I sure as hell hope she’s not as self-centered as Lorie was.
“Seriously?” He’s always shocked when I say yes so quickly, so I simply nod. “She’s getting on a plane now with her mother and manager. They’ll be landing in a couple of hours.”
“Mother and manager?” I raise a brow in question.
“She’s some sort of pageant girl or something.
They aren’t staying. I wouldn’t do that to you.
” He chuckles, no doubt recalling how he and Nina came to be.
“I told them that over the phone, but they said she can’t travel alone or some BS.
I don’t think they believed me when I said they couldn’t stay. I’ll be insistent that they leave.”
“How old is she?” The way he talks, she sounds underage. Which means the mother, at least, might have to stay.
“Her license says twenty. She can stay by herself. It’ll make protecting her that much easier too.
I’ll be back with them after they’ve been picked up from the Great Falls airport and brought to the office to fill out all the required paperwork.
I’ll have the surface background checks completed for you as well. ”
“Sounds good.” I shake his hand as we stand, then take his empty cup. “See you in a bit.”
Watching Draven leave, a ball of lead settles in my gut. I’m already sure this will be a pain-in-the-ass assignment. If the girl is anything like her cousin, I may come to regret my quick acceptance.
Rita flashes me an inquisitive look as I enter the kitchen to find Kane at the counter eating his breakfast, waiting for an explanation of what’s happening.
“We’re going to have a guest for a bit.” Kane raises a brow, shovels another forkful of eggs into his mouth, and washes it down with a gulp of hot brew.
“A beauty queen with security issues. I don’t have all the details, so let’s make sure the ranch is secure today before she arrives later this afternoon or evening. ”
Kane tips his hat, thanks Rita for breakfast, and loads his dishes into the dishwasher before leaving out the back door to do as I asked.
“Well?” Rita’s tone tells me she wants more details.
“I don’t even know her name yet. Seems like Draven was hired on the fly, too quickly to make any kind of assessment. You’ll know as much as I do once the girl arrives.”
“Should I make up a room close to yours since she needs protection?” A hint of something glints in her eyes, telling me that she’s plotting, and I likely don’t want to know what about. “Never mind, I’ll pick.” She’s gone before I can protest.
Sighing, I scarf down a quick breakfast, clean up after myself, and meet with Kane to help out and ensure the girl is as protected as possible while in my care.