Chapter 16
Taylor was a hot mess. She was supposed to be working on the project plans for the next phase of accommodations being built on the ranch, but instead, she was preoccupied with wondering if there’d been any progress in the investigation into her father’s abduction.
Apart from a phone call from Special Agent Livingston to confirm the Las Vegas field office was now on the case, she’d heard nothing for over forty-eight hours.
She couldn’t even scratch the itch she had to check the mailbox—if anything did arrive for her, the USPS would contact Livingston first, then he would let her know, so she could collect it under the watchful eye of his team.
She took a deep breath and blew it out, hoping to clear her mind.
“That was a big sigh—I swear I heard it in the corridor.”
Her gaze swung from the computer screen to the doorway of her office, her mental load instantly eased by the sight of Rhys standing there, looking eminently edible in a short-sleeved shirt and jeans.
Butterflies looped-the-loop in her stomach, their acrobatics enhanced by his bare forearms. Not to mention how those arms had held her after they’d made love the previous night.
Her man had the stamina of a Triple Crown winner.
“That doesn’t surprise me. My concentration is shot, and I have to get this order for the new cabins finalized. I’d like to complete the job today.”
Rhys pushed away from the door frame and in three long strides covered the distance between them. “Does it have to be done today? Could it wait until tomorrow?”
“It could,” she admitted. “I don’t really have a deadline for it. I just want it off my plate as soon as possible, because there’s still a lot to do and?—”
“And why don’t we take a break?” He held out his hand.
Oh, she was so tempted. Taylor’s gaze swung from Rhys to the computer screen, then back to Rhys. “What did you have in mind?”
“How about a drive down to the creek, sit in the shade for a while, and I’ll do my best to distract you? It’s nearly lunchtime anyway.”
Taylor stood and stretched, feeling the nag of muscles that had been stuck in one position for too long. She looked down at the monitor, watched the file she’d been working close safely, then locked the screen. “Okay, you convinced me.”
Not that she needed too much convincing. Advice from the FBI had been to remain on the ranch property, to avoid becoming an unwitting target for anyone sent to do her harm. Taylor was already getting stir-crazy.
Rhys held her hand as they made their way through the ranch house and out to the pickup.
She couldn’t help but sneak the odd glance at him under the cover of her sunglasses.
The handsome Welshman had ended up stealing her heart, so when she thought about how they’d been at daggers drawn from the moment they met, she couldn’t help but smile to herself.
Life was full of surprises.
After holding the door for her and settling her into her seat, Rhys went around to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel.
“You want to tell me what you were smiling about just now?” he asked.
“Smiling? Who’s smiling?”
“Don’t play the wide-eyed innocent with me, Ms. Markham,” he warned with mock sternness.
“How can you tell? The wide-eyed thing, I mean. I’m wearing shades,” she pointed out.
“I can hear it in your voice. So, what were you smiling about?”
Taylor pressed her lips together. She had the ideal comeback all lined up. Of course, it would massage his ego, but as consequences went, she could live with it.
“To tell you the truth, I was congratulating myself. Why, you ask? Because I’m the lucky woman who gets to jump your bones whenever I want, that’s why.”
A second or two of silence followed her declaration, then he burst into deep, rumbling laughter. “Always happy to serve, ma’am.”
And he did. Very, very well.
As they left the main house behind, Taylor started to relax a little. They were safe on the ranch; she was with the man she loved… what more could she ask for?
The creek was one of Charity’s favorite locations on the ranch, but she didn’t mind sharing it with Taylor and Rhys.
When Rhys brought the pickup to a halt under the trees at the top of the slope down to the water sparkling in the sunshine, Taylor took a few moments to take in the lush, green view.
She sighed again, but this time, it was a sigh of contentment.
“You sound better already,” Rhys observed. “Why don’t you go down and find us a nice spot?”
“To do what?”
He shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Watch the world go by?”
“Okay. I think I know somewhere, over in that direction.” She pointed to the left. “While I’m doing that, what are you going to do?”
“You’ll see. Trust me.”
She had no problem doing that.
The heat was like a furnace as she crossed the short patch of open ground to the stand of trees providing welcome shade by the river.
For a moment, she wondered if she should have left a trail of breadcrumbs for Rhys to follow, but thought better of it.
He was a trained special forces operator, so he could probably track her anywhere.
She was watching the water tumble over the rocky bed when she heard Rhys behind her. She turned, to see him carrying a large cooler and a blanket. “What’s all this?”
“Lunch. Good choice, by the way.”
He set the cooler down a few feet away from her, then shook out the plaid blanket before laying it out beneath the trees.
“You planned all this? What if I’d said no?” She wouldn’t have but she was curious about his fallback plan.
“I’d have charmed you into agreeing. No question.” He was almost smug about it.
Taylor folded her arms. “You seem very certain.”
“That’s because I am. Now, are you going to argue, or are you going to join me on the blanket and see what Charity’s packed for us?”
“Charity did this?”
He nodded. “I happened to mention what I was planning and she volunteered to help. And when I say help, I mean…”
“You mean she took over.” Taylor chuckled. She knew her friend too well.
“You could say that,” he agreed wryly.
Rhys wouldn’t let her help as he set about unpacking their picnic—box after box of sheer deliciousness, along with a selection of soft drinks.
The food was as delectable as it looked, and afterwards, Taylor flopped onto her back and groaned in satisfaction.
“That was amazing. And just what I needed. Thank you.”
Rhys quickly cleared everything up and stowed it back in the cool box. “My pleasure. I enjoyed it too. Especially the company.”
With the cooler pushed to one side, there was nothing between them. Rhys made himself comfortable beside her and joined her in gazing at the bright blue sky between the leafy branches arched over them. He shifted to get more comfortable. “Next time, I’m bringing pillows.”
She chuckled again. “I like the sound of that.”
“Pillows?”
“Uh-huh. And doing this again. Especially when the situation with Pops is resolved.”
She couldn’t help herself. Taylor hadn’t intended to spoil their interlude by bringing up the reason for her “house arrest” at the ranch, but the words slipped out before she could stop them.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Rhys murmured. “I’m planning to make a trip back home before the end of the year. By then, this will be settled. How do you fancy coming with me?”
Her heart nearly skipped a beat. What did he mean by home? If it was just back to the UK, she was all for it, but if he meant “home” as in going to see his family, that was a whole different ball game. She erred on the side of caution.
“Rhys, I… I don’t want to intrude. Time with your family is special, especially when they’re thousands of miles away and you don’t get to see them often.”
He lifted the hand he was holding and pressed the back of it to his lips. “A flying visit, just to say hello and show my face. We can tour the country for the rest of the time.”
When he put it like that, she couldn’t really object. “Okay,” she agreed cautiously. “So long as the situation with Pops is cleared up, and… hey, I could always stay at a hotel while you see your family.”
Rhys rolled onto his side, resting on his elbow. “You’d really do that?”
She wouldn’t like it, but she’d do it to make his life easier. “Well, yes?—”
“You’d really make me face my mother’s wrath on my own because I left you at a hotel? You don’t know many Welsh mothers, Ms. Markham. I’m not having that, and I know for a fact she won’t have it, either.”
Taylor wasn’t sure whether his stern expression was for real or not. “We could see how it goes,” she offered. “I mean, meeting your family would be lovely and all, but it’s a serious move, if we’re still seeing each other by then.”
“Oh, we will be,” he stated unequivocally. “No doubt about it.”
His confidence gave her a warm feeling inside. The visit could be months off, and yet he was so certain they’d still be together. Her lips curved into a small smile. “I like the sound of that, too.”
“Good.” He resumed his former position. “So do I.”
Silence settled around them, apart from the sounds of nature. Taylor wished her mind could be as calm, but she couldn’t stop trying to analyze all the ways the situation with her father’s kidnapping might work out. Most of them weren’t reassuring.
“Okay, spit it out. What’s on your mind?”
He was that tuned into her? “I know Special Agent Livingston told us to be patient, but I can’t help wondering what’s going to happen and when.
I’m frustrated about not being allowed to check the mailbox.
What if there’s something waiting there?
What if it’s a message from the kidnappers, and there’s a deadline? What if?—”
“What if you slow down, take a breath, and switch off the worrying?” Rhys leaned in for a soft, sweet kiss.
“First of all, an unauthorized visit to the post office could screw up whatever the FBI are planning. Second, you know the post office has been instructed to contact the Feds if anything arrives; if and when they need you, they will contact you, and if and when they do contact you, I will be by your side every step of the way. The Las Vegas field office is working on the kidnapping as we speak, and don’t forget—it’s not just any kidnapping.
There are factors that could impact national security, so that will give added urgency to the case.
Like I said, as soon as they have any news, or there’s anything they need from you, they’ll be in touch. ”
Taylor sighed. “You’re right. The last thing I want is to make things worse.”
“That’s better. All we need to do is sit tight and wait. I understand how frustrated and worried you are, and how much you want this to be over, but the only way we’re getting there is with patience.”
“I know. And I’m sorry to bring it up again.”
“Hey. None of that.” He kissed her forehead. “Better to get it off your chest. We both know this isn’t going to be easy, but it won’t go on forever. It can’t.”
He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Now, how about if I make good on my promise to distract you? Like this?”
He opened with a deep kiss. At the same time, he flicked open her shirt buttons and palmed her breast over her lacy bra.
She hummed with pleasure. “Good idea. Distract me some more.”