Roped In (Armed & Dangerous #2)(9)

“As much as she likes you, I’d say you’ll get her tamed in no time,” Tyla claimed. Her smile faded as she slipped her phone into her back pocket.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I need to go out of town for a couple of weeks. I know it’s short notice, but it’s something I really need to do.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I hope so. I’ll know more once I get to California. Can you handle this one without me?” she asked, nodding toward Snowflake.

Snowflake bumped me again and I laughed. “I think she likes me better than you anyway. Now get the hell out of here, I have work to do.”

Brows furrowed, she studied me, no doubt wondering if I’d be okay without her expertise. “All right, I’m leaving. I’ll call you when I’m coming back into town. And you know Ryker is always around the corner if you need help with anything.”

I pointed to her car and chuckled. “Go already. There’s no need to worry about me.”

As much as her help was needed, I wasn’t going to make her think she had to stay. She waved at me as she backed out and took off down the long driveway, a cloud of dust following in her wake.

My grandfather had handled the ranch on his own for years. I could do the same. He specialized more in training horses, than herding cattle, but I liked doing both.

After closing up the barn, I started for the house. The sound of gravel crunched in the distance, and at first, I thought it was Tyla coming back, but it wasn’t her car. It was a black SUV with tinted windows. Lifting my hat, I wiped the sweat off my brow and lowered it back down. If it was Singleton, he was stupider than I thought.

Body tense, I was prepared to fight. However, when the car door opened, I couldn’t help but grin. “You’ve got to be shitting me. What the hell are you doing here?”

Logan Chandler, a good friend of mine and one of the best undercover agents I knew, waltzed toward me with the biggest smile on his face. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” he joked, extending his hand. “Please tell me you haven’t turned Brokeback on me?”

“Fuck no. You know me better than that.”

We shook hands and he chuckled. “You’re right. Last I recall, you had a new piece of ass every week, especially after things ended with Brooklyn.”

“That was a long time ago, brother,” I said, slapping him on the shoulder. Brooklyn was the only serious relationship I’d ever had. I loved her, but f*cked it all up. Now she was gone and happy with someone else. I hadn’t talked to her in almost a year. “So what brings you all the way out to BFE? You’re not the type to make house calls.”

Releasing a heavy sigh, he glanced back at the car, then to me. “Can we go inside and talk? I could use a beer about now.”

I focused on the car, but couldn’t see anyone. “Who’s in there, Chandler?”

“It’s a long story, which is why I need the beer.” He followed me inside and I grabbed us both a beer out of the refrigerator. Once he guzzled his down, he looked out at the car again, biting his lip. “Whatever you do, don’t kill me.”

I lifted the bottle to my mouth and froze. “Fuck me. What did you do?”

He turned around, smile gone. “I brought you something, or better yet . . . someone.”

It didn’t take long for everything to fall into place. I should’ve known. Slamming my beer down, I pointed angrily at the car. “Take Miss Hollywood back. I don’t want her here.”

Logan lifted his hands and stepped back. “Why won’t you take this job? You’re the only one trusted and available to keep her safe.”

“Bullshit! What about you? You f*cking take her.”

He shook his head. “I’m leaving on another mission tomorrow. Anyway, you’re the one Robert wants. Hadley’s dad is one of the richest men in the country and he’s willing to pay big money for your services.”

“I don’t want his goddamn money.”

“You sure about that? Think about what you could do to this place if you had ten million laying around,” he replied.

My eyes bulged. “You’re shitting me.”

“Nope. And trust me, I’d guard her body for next to nothing. She’s hot as hell.”

“Looks aren’t everything. She’s Hollywood, and this,” I said, gesturing to my farmhouse, “ain’t exactly the Ritz-Carlton. Her kind won’t fit in here.”

Logan shrugged a shoulder. “You’d be surprised. She’s not as bad as you make her sound.”

Clenching my teeth, I stormed to the window. “I’m not going to be her servant, and she won’t find any maids here. I’ll keep her safe, but that’s it. I won’t be at her beck and call. If she wants to stay, she has to live by my rules. Got it?”

He joined me by the window. “Don’t be so hard on her, Evans. Her bodyguard was just killed and her boyfriend is in critical condition. She’s in a bad place right now.”

“Since when did you turn soft?” I grumbled.

“She has that effect on people. You’ll see what I mean.”

I scoffed. “Just make sure her father pays up.”

He patted me on the shoulder. “He’s good for it. Once he hears from me, he’ll give you a call to transfer the money.”