Chapter 3 #2
She scanned the menu. “Grilled cheese sounds good.”
“Great.” He rose and placed their order.
Then he crossed over to sit beside her. Archie was stretched out on the floor in front of the door like a furry sentinel.
“I’m the second youngest of nine kids. We lost our parents six years ago in a plane crash and have turned their former upscale dude ranch into a mission of doing search and rescue for the community. ”
“Nine kids!” She couldn’t imagine.
“Yeah, I know.” He grinned. “Maya is the oldest, she’s married to Doug Bridges who works for the DEA, and they’re expecting their first baby around Christmas.
My brother Chase is second oldest, he and his wife, Wynona, have a son, Eli, and they’re expecting after the first of the year.
Jessica is next, she’s married to charter pilot Logan, and she is also expecting. ”
She placed a hand on her belly, thinking she’d be in good company with his sisters.
“My brother Shane is fourth in line; he’s married to Libby. My sister Alexis is married to Griffin Flannery; he’s an FBI agent.”
Bailey found that interesting. Maybe that was why Trevor carried a gun and seemed to think and act like a cop.
“My twin brothers, Joel and Justin, are next. Joel just married Trina, and they have a son, Ben, which is really Trina’s nephew they adopted. And Justin married Raine two weeks ago.”
“Everyone’s married but you?”
“Me and my younger sister Kendra are still single. We’re starting to feel a bit left out,” he said dryly.
“I must admit, I’ve come to love my new in-laws.
For years, we’ve dedicated our lives to serving the community, which has been amazing.
But it’s also nice to see the Sullivan family expanding.
I believe our parents are smiling down from us in heaven. ”
That was a nice image. Then she remembered her nurse. “How does Emily fit in?”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about Emily and Owen. Emily is Doug’s sister. She and Owen have a chocolate lab puppy named Bear and are training him as a SAR K9. Owen does construction and has been helping with updating the cabins at the ranch as our family expands.”
It was a lot of names, considering she couldn’t remember her own. “I hope there’s not a quiz.”
“Nope. I’m only telling you about my family because I want you to feel comfortable with me.” Trevor’s gaze turned somber. “I will never hurt you, Bailey. And I promise to protect you and your baby.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “Thank you.” Pregnancy hormones or a delayed reaction from her amnesia—either way, she was grateful for Trevor’s support.
And she wished more than anything she could remember him.
Archie jumped up to stare at the door seconds before he heard a knock. His K9 let out two staccato barks, but since it wasn’t his alert, Trevor wasn’t worried. Still, he took a moment to use the peephole, before opening the door.
“Room service?” The young man held a tray.
“I’ll take it.” Trevor set their meals aside, pulled cash from his wallet, and tipped him. “Thanks.”
“Have a good night.” The kid pocketed the cash and left without looking back. Trevor glanced at Archie who’d already lost interest in the delivery boy.
“Smells good,” Bailey said, struggling to get up from the sofa. He would have offered her a hand, but she managed on her own. “I hope the grilled cheese settles my stomach.”
He nodded as he uncovered the dishes. His burger was huge compared to her grilled cheese. He took a seat beside her and reached for her hand. “I’d like to say grace.”
“Oh, ah, okay.” Bailey looked adorably flustered. “I guess I didn’t remember that,” she quipped.
He gently squeezed her hand, then bowed his head. “Lord Jesus, we thank You for keeping Bailey and her baby safe in Your care. We ask You to bless this food and to continue to cover us with Your strength and protection. Amen.”
“Amen,” Bailey murmured. She glanced over at him. “I feel bad that I forgot to pray.”
He hesitated, unsure how to respond. He’d always prayed before meals, that was something ingrained in the Sullivan family since they were little kids.
But he knew Miles and Bailey weren’t raised as believers.
“I don’t think you need to feel bad for having a head injury.
Just know that God is watching over you and your baby.
If you need extra support, I hope you lean on Him in prayer. ”
“Thanks. I will.” She seemed to accept his advice in stride. Maybe she’d feel differently once her memory returned. “I find it comforting to know God is watching over us.”
“He is. And I’ll pray for you too.”
She flushed. “Um, thanks. I’m not sure I remember how to pray.”
He wasn’t sure she ever had but decided this wasn’t the time to mention it. “Just talk to Him with your heart. He’ll know what you need.”
“What I need most is my memory.” She took another bite of her grilled cheese. They ate in silence for a few minutes.
Trevor wished he’d asked more questions while they’d been on the phone earlier that evening.
She’d mentioned Black Hat, thinking the guy was following her.
Then she also talked about the black truck.
But that was all, she hadn’t mentioned anything else.
He wondered what she’d thought about her husband’s death.
Miles claimed the police had ruled it an accident.
Yet now that she’d been forced off the road, he found that difficult to believe.
Unfortunately, he’d kept his distance when Bailey and Clark were married, mostly because he’d never liked the guy.
Not that Clark had ever been rude or mean to him.
Or to Bailey, as far as he knew. There was just something about the guy that bugged him.
If he were honest, he was secretly annoyed Miles had warned Trevor away from his sister back when they were in high school.
As if Trevor wasn’t good enough. Then a few years later, Miles had seemed to think Clark was the perfect guy for her.
Sure, the guy co-owned the Sweet Water Pub and Grill, and he seemed to have plenty of money, but so what?
That fact alone didn’t make him a good husband.
Miles hadn’t appreciated the faith Trevor and his family had been raised with.
Faith in God and believing that Jesus died for their sins was more important than money.
Which he knew was easy for him to say, especially now.
He knew Miles and Bailey had been raised by a father who drank too much and couldn’t hold a job.
They’d grown up poor, which had colored their attitude toward life.
He and his siblings hadn’t known how wealthy their parents were until they’d died, leaving millions of dollars in a trust. Maya and Chase had decided it was best if nobody knew the details about their financial situation to keep money grabbers at bay.
The rest of the siblings had agreed with the plan.
Using Maya’s expertise as a K9 cop, they’d eagerly trained their respective dogs to be experts at search and rescue.
Maya had brought a professional trainer to the ranch to work with them.
They’d cross-trained their dogs to search for gold, which was gunpowder and gun oil, as well as for people.
Only Alexis’s K9 was trained to find cadavers, and she’d used Denali in disaster sites across the country.
The fee for their service was a bag of dog food. Some people wondered how they managed to support the ranch, but often those they’d rescued had overcompensated by donating several bags of dog food.
In Doug’s case, he’d donated eighty-one bags, which was still their top donation. Not to mention a joke among the family.
Would Miles have approved of Trevor dating his sister if he’d known about their trust?
Maybe, but Trevor thought that was a stupid reason to approve or disapprove of a relationship.
He’d grown up seeing how much his parents had loved each other and knew he’d never settle for anything less than what they had.
“I’m going to get some sleep.” Bailey’s voice interrupted his tumultuous thoughts. “Good night.”
“Good night. I’m here if you need anything.” He stood as she picked up her purse and walked to the bedroom. When she softly closed the door behind her, he glanced down at Archie. “We’re going to guard her, boy. Okay?”
Archie thumped his tail on the floor in agreement.
He set their tray of dirty dishes out in the hallway, then realized he needed to take Archie out. He glanced at her closed door. It wouldn’t take Archie long, so he didn’t disturb her. Sleep was probably the best thing for her.
Would Bailey’s memory return in the morning? He prayed it would.
“Come, Archie.” He made sure he had the key, then stepped into the hall. Archie trotted beside him as they walked to the side exit. Trevor glanced through the glass door before going outside.
“Get busy, Arch.” They used that term to tell their dogs to do their thing. Another training tip from Maya.
Each of their dogs were amazing when it came to SAR missions, and it was rare for them to fail in finding their victim.
When Archie finished, Trevor held the door open for him. He turned to scan the area, narrowing his eyes when a car engine started up. In the dark, he couldn’t tell what kind of vehicle it was, other than the headlights were square and set up high enough that they could belong to a truck.
Lots of Wyoming residents drove trucks, so that fact alone wasn’t cause for concern.
Yet Trevor stood there for a moment, waiting for the truck to slowly roll past. It was a dark vehicle, but again, impossible to say for sure what color.
Black, dark gray, gunmetal gray, or even a dark blue or green.
He was being paranoid. There was no way for the driver of the truck who’d rammed into Bailey to know where they were staying.
“Let’s go, Arch.” He led the dog back down the hall to their suite. Using his key, he entered the room, then double-locked the door behind him.
Then he made sure the curtains covered the window and shut off the inside lights. He stood to the side of the window, watching through a crack in the curtains to make sure the dark truck didn’t return.
It didn’t. He let out a sigh and stretched out on the sofa. There was no point in opening the sofa bed. He doubted he’d be getting much sleep.
“Lie down, Archie.” He waited for his K9 to stretch out along the sofa. “Good boy. Guard.”
Labs weren’t known to be attack dogs, but it wasn’t that long ago that his brother Joel’s K9, a black lab named Royal, had alerted on a bad guy’s scent, growling a warning when the guy was in the area. He firmly believed Archie would do the same thing.
He pulled his weapon from its holster and placed it on the end table beside him. His brother Chase made them do target practice every few months to keep their skills sharp. He’d never been put in a position to use his weapon, but recently while helping his brother Justin on a case, he’d come close.
And he wouldn’t have hesitated to use deadly force if needed.
The same way he wouldn’t hesitate now.
He must have slept for a few hours because Archie’s growling woke him from a sound sleep. Trevor bolted upright, going from sleepy to wide awake in seconds. He grabbed his handgun and slid into his shoes. A quick glance confirmed Bailey’s bedroom door was still closed.
Archie was staring at the door, his hackles up. Not a good sign.
Moving silently, Trevor crossed to the door to peer into the hallway. He couldn’t see anyone out there but knew the person could be standing off to the side, out of view.
Archie continued to growl. But then his K9 abruptly turned his head and stared at Bailey’s door.
“What is it?” He was torn between the possible threat outside their room and whatever had caught Archie’s attention in the suite.
Bailey’s scream had him bolting toward the door. Archie barked and growled as he flung the door open. A man was half in and half out of the window.
Trevor leveled his weapon at the stranger who was dressed in black. No cowboy hat this time, though. “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
Rather than stopping, the guy ducked out of the window and disappeared. Trevor spared Bailey a quick glance, noting she was in the bathroom doorway as he ran forward. “Get him, Arch!”
Archie leaped through the open window. Trevor had to fold himself in half to get through, but then he sprinted after his K9. He hadn’t seen a weapon in the guy’s hand, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t armed.
Most people in Wyoming carried a weapon.
As if reading his thoughts, the crack of gunfire rang out. He ducked and jutted to the side, seeking refuge behind a small tree.
“Archie, come!” He didn’t want his dog to be in the line of fire.
His K9 whirled and returned to his side. The rumble of a car engine made him realize the guy was about to get away. “Stay, Archie.” With that, he darted out from behind the tree and ran forward, trying to get a glimpse of the license plate.
But it was too late. The big black truck was already careening around a corner. He stared after it for a long second, before turning to jog back to his K9. Was it the same one he’d noticed earlier? He didn’t know. Yet being found at the hotel wasn’t good.
He needed to get Bailey off-grid. From this point forward, he wouldn’t trust anyone outside his family.
Not until he understood exactly what was going on.