Chapter 7
Silver yawned as she stepped out of her bathroom into her spacious bedroom. At a movement in the hallway outside her open door, she yelped and took a quick step back, wrapping her robe tighter.
“Just me.” Dustin materialized in the doorway, his large frame taking up most of the space.
“Oh.” She pressed a hand against her racing heart.
He’d changed into joggers and a crew neck and looked like he was a famous athlete who’d stepped out of a locker room. “Sorry to startle you.”
“It’s okay.” She’d hoped that by this point in her life, she wouldn’t be afraid of every little thing, triggering the fear from that break-in all those years ago. But she couldn’t forget, and she supposed the recent threatening letters were only making the anxiety worse.
Dustin’s brown eyes studied her face, as though he could see her fear and was trying to understand it.
She supposed that sooner or later she would need to tell him about the trauma she’d experienced when she’d had to hide in the closet while the thief had prowled through the house and then come into her bedroom. But she didn’t want to say anything more tonight.
She’d already had to reveal much more than she’d wanted to after dinner earlier. When Dustin had finished grilling her about the men she’d dated, he’d moved on to her ranch employees, including Paula, her housekeeper, as well as Beryl.
Isaac had asked her questions too. Through it all, she’d realized that Dustin and Isaac were as different as a German shepherd and a calico kitten. Even so, they made a good team, each of them bringing their expertise to her case.
They’d conversed for a couple of hours before she’d started yawning and Beryl had called an end to the inquisition. Silver had gone to her office, spent a little time looking over her schedule for tomorrow and responding to emails, before she’d headed up to shower and get ready for bed.
Beryl had assured her that Franklin had made living accommodations for the protection agents during their stay at the ranch. So Silver had expected both Dustin and Isaac to retire for the night. She hadn’t anticipated seeing Dustin in the hallway or in her doorway.
Now, as he watched her, she tried to compose herself, tried to shove away her concerns, tried to make herself as nonchalant as possible.
Especially because he was so good-looking, with all those muscles along with his dark hair and eyes .
. . and his confidence, which could easily melt any woman’s heart.
He glanced around her room, a mixture of boho browns and sage green with hanging plants, rattan lanterns and baskets, and bright cream pillows, rugs, and blankets—and every lamp on, as usual.
He seemed to be taking in every detail, his gaze stalling on a framed photo on her dressing table of her and Dad—a picture they’d had taken at a formal fundraiser dinner earlier in the spring.
“Just did a walk through the house to make sure everything was in order.” His gaze shifted to the bedside table and the stack of self-help books she had there with titles like: How to Change Your Anxious Thoughts, Killing the Fear Giants in Our Lives, and Overcoming Worry in Ten Easy Steps.
“Thank you, Dustin.” She tied the belt of her bathrobe, which was covering her pj shorts and tank top. While the robe was light and silky and perfect for summer, it barely concealed the shorts and left her legs exposed.
Not that she minded if Dustin saw her bare legs. But for a reason she didn’t understand, she felt strangely self-conscious. Maybe because her hair was damp and hanging in long waves over her shoulder and she wasn’t wearing any makeup.
“I’ll do a quick sweep of your room and then get out of your way.” Although his words were a statement, he waited in the doorway as though he wanted her permission before coming in.
She nodded. “Oh, sure. Do your thing.”
He hesitated only a moment before pushing forward.
She wasn’t quite sure what doing his thing entailed, so she stepped aside and lowered herself to her dressing table chair, hoping to stay out of the way of whatever examinations he needed to do.
First, he strode to one big window then the other, checking if they were locked. Then he took a simple flashlight on his keychain and examined her walk-in closet before crossing to the bed, lifting the bed skirt, and shining the light underneath.
She knew she shouldn’t be staring at him, that she needed to at least pretend to be busy with something else, but she couldn’t make herself look away as he scrutinized her room.
He was so efficient and methodical, and somehow his simple presence there made her feel safe, like nothing could harm her.
When he finished looking in the bathroom, he moved to the center of her room.
“So what is your verdict?” she asked. “Will I survive the night?”
He glanced down at the tablet he’d used earlier to record her answers to all his questions. “I’ll be up for the first shift from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m., and then Isaac will take over from 3 a.m. until 9 a.m.”
“So you operate on six hours of sleep?”
He glanced at her sideways as if her question was the most ridiculous he’d ever been asked. “Six is all I need.”
“It doesn’t seem like enough.”
“I learned to go days without sleep as an Army Ranger.”
Army Ranger. Oh yeah. That. When he’d left her to enlist in the Army and told her he’d be too busy becoming an elite Ranger to have time for a relationship.
“That’s great you can utilize your Army training in your current job.” She tried to make her response chipper and without any resentment. Because she wasn’t resentful anymore, was she?
He started toward the door. “I’ll be downstairs in the spare room off the kitchen that Beryl said we could use.”
“Good to know. Does that mean if I scream, you’ll be able to hear me?”
He paused in the doorway. “Is there a reason you might scream?”
“Oh, you know. If someone sneaks in and tries to kidnap me or something like that.” Even though she was making light of the situation, she knew it was no joking matter, not after what she’d already lived through.
Dustin squared his shoulders, giving her his full attention. “No one is getting in your room, Silver. Not with us here.”
“Of course not.”
He was silent for a beat. “Isaac installed cameras outside that give us a view of every angle of the house, barn, driveway, and mailbox. No one is coming near you without us seeing them.”
She couldn’t keep from expelling a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Really?”
“If even a bat flies past one of the cameras, we’ll get an alert.”
She released another breath, this one easing the tension in her shoulders. How long had the tension been there? Since the first letter from the stalker? “Could I see the cameras?”
“I can’t show you where they are outside because we don’t want any of the staff knowing and trying to interfere with them. But I can show you the screen we have that reports on all of them.”
“I’d love to see that.”
He touched something on his tablet and pulled up a new screen. Then he flipped it around. At least a dozen live-streaming video boxes filled the screen. One was of her bedroom windows, another of the front door, and more.
He was right. The cameras would catch anyone lurking around.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“You’re right. You can see everything.”
“You’ll be completely safe at night.”
“Wonderful. Thank you for this, Dustin.” She waved her hand at the screen. “You’re very thorough.”
“It’s my job to be.”
“You always were so thorough. This line of work seems to suit you well.”
He gave a slight shrug.
“Franklin said you’re the best at it. And now I can see why.”
“I have coworkers who could have done this assignment just as well as me.”
“That’s what I told him. But he insisted he wanted to hire you.
And I’m glad he did.” She really was. Even if their initial meeting had been awkward, they seemed to be moving past that.
“I can tell you’ll do a good job, and hopefully you’ll figure out who my stalker is soon so that you won’t need to stay long. ”
“Already eager to see me go?” One side of his mouth quirked up. Was it the beginning of a smile? His smiles had always slayed her. Maybe it was for the best if he kept his smiles tucked away while he was here.
“It’s been nice to see you, and I’m glad to know you’re doing well.
But I have my life now. I’m content with what I’m doing, and I don’t want to rock the boat any more than it already has been.
So I won’t be offended if you solve the case quickly and leave soon.
” If he didn’t already know she had no intention of renewing anything between them, then hopefully her statement would confirm that.
“Good to know.”
“I’m honestly not looking for a relationship right now, not so soon after Daddy’s death.”
“That makes sense.”
Although she wasn’t grieving as much as she had the first couple of weeks, she was still trying to get used to a life without him in it. There were times when his absence hit her hard.
Even if she had been ready to get into another relationship—which she wasn’t—she had to stay far away from Dustin. He wasn’t husband material, and she was too old to date for the sake of dating.
When she started dating again, she wanted to get more serious about marriage and finding someone who wanted the same things out of life that she did, someone who was willing to settle down—maybe on the ranch.
She wanted a man who was ready to have kids and a family.
And she wanted a partner who would want to be present with her and not so busy with his career that he didn’t have time for his family.
As much as she’d loved her daddy, she didn’t want to marry someone like him.
Some of the tight lines in Dustin’s forehead seemed to dissipate. “Looks like we have the same goal. Because my plan is to solve the case and leave quickly too.”
Had he been concerned she would be attracted to him again and want to pursue him? “Don’t worry, Dustin. I’m not interested in you anymore. What we had was a childhood crush that is long gone.”
Framed by thick lashes, his dark eyes narrowed slightly.
“You do agree, don’t you?” she asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Good.”
“Good.” The muscles in his jaw flexed.
She could feel her own muscles tightening. “Then surely we can make an effort to get along during your short time here.”
“I’ll be keeping our interactions to a minimum, like I do most clients.”
Disappointment pricked her, although she wasn’t sure why. “That’s not what I meant, Dustin. I don’t want you to ignore me.”
“It’s not ignoring. It’s staying in the background.”
She sighed. “You don’t have to stay in the background. I’d rather that we at least get along and be friendly to each other—”
“We won’t be friends, Silver. That’s not part of my job description.”
“A person can be friendly without having to be friends.”
“I’m never friendly, especially while I’m working.” He spoke so matter-of-factly that she knew he was telling the truth.
“What a sad way to live.”
“It’s my job.”
She cocked her head and studied him.
His shoulders had tensed again, and his expression was hard.
“I’ve only been around you a little since you arrived, but I can easily see you’ve let your job control your life, so that your job and your life are indistinguishable.”
“That’s what makes me the best.” He tucked his tablet under his arm and moved to leave.
“It’s also what makes you need to loosen up a little and learn to enjoy life.”
“I’m fine just the way I am.”
“You’re not fine, and I guess it’s up to me to show you that.”
He came to an abrupt halt.
She wasn’t exactly sure why she felt like it was up to her to show him that he needed to find some happiness outside of his work, but she did.
In fact, the idea of brightening his world brought her a sense of sudden inspiration.
She supposed she did find purpose in helping others.
After all, that’s exactly what her equine therapy ranch was all about.
But was she overstepping herself by resolving to help Dustin?
He pivoted enough that he could pin his dark eyes on her. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Think about what?” She tried to keep her voice innocent.
“Turning me into your next project.”
“Of course not.” She wouldn’t turn him into a project, but she did plan to help him as much as she could over the next few days while he was at the ranch. It was the least she could do since he was helping her.
He held her gaze for several more heartbeats.
The dark brown—almost black—was like a force field with a magnetic pull.
She was like a flimsy spaceship in a sci-fi movie, being drawn into the dark depths of the moon-sized battle station.
She had to put on the brakes or try to reverse her course.
Or she risked being swallowed up and hurt.
She shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold. The pull to him sent delicious tingles through her—tingles she didn’t want to resist, tingles she wanted to revel in.
“Keep to the professional boundaries, Silver.” His voice was low, almost husky. And magnetic too . . .
Something about it seemed to have that same strange tug on her insides. And something about it only strengthened her desire to free him from the cage he’d placed himself in, so he could live more fully.
“Goodnight, Dustin.” She gave him her brightest and most cheery smile. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He held her gaze a second longer, a warning glint there, then he stepped into the hallway. As his footsteps led him away from her room and began down the stairway, she pressed a hand against her chest to find that her heart was pounding at triple its usual tempo.
“Dustin McQuaid,” she whispered. “What are you doing to me?”