Rocky Mountain Dreams & Family on the Range by Danica Favorite (summer beach reads txt) 📕

as a married couple before traipsing off to California for fun, and Trevor seemed happier than Lou had ever seen him. Now that they’d been married a bit, Trevor seemed better.

Marriage wasn’t for Lou, though. No way, no how.

He scanned the guests, looking for one in particular. Mary might accuse him of not caring, but it wasn’t the truth. No matter his past, he didn’t stand by and watch children get hurt. Women, either. Josie’s mama might be dying and frail, but some low-down, evil one had handled her roughly. He’d seen the faint purple smudges on her wrists when she’d hugged Josie.

It only took a call to find out Mrs. Silver was a widow, but she had a brother who happened to have been busy traveling recently. Who happened to be staying in this very hotel tonight. And his last name happened to be Langdon. It was pretty obvious this fellow was the same guy who’d been lurking in Burns.

Why the man hadn’t stayed with his sister, he didn’t know, but he aimed to find out. So he waited, checking his watch every few minutes. The brother had been described as tall, brown-haired, strange blue eyes that bordered on purple. He matched the description of the man who’d come to the ranch.

And the man who’d recently been accused of murder in Burns.

He needed to know what this man did for a living, but above all, he needed to make sure Josie and Mary were safe from him.

“Sir?” A young man addressed him from his right.

“Yes?”

“I’m Special Agent Smith.”

Smith. The name clicked. “You’ll be escorting Miss O’Roarke tomorrow?”

“Reporting in. We’ll be leaving at nine o’clock and our expected arrival time is—”

“Have you ever done this before, Agent Smith?” Lou cut him off. He looked far too young to be protecting Mary.

“I served in the war effort.” Agent Smith gave him a level look. “Appearances can be deceiving. I’m well equipped to take care of your lady.”

“She’s not my lady,” he said by rote, breaking their visual standoff to scan the lobby again.

“I beg your pardon, sir, but I saw you at dinner.”

He cocked a brow, meeting Smith’s look square on, hiding his surprise. “And what did you see?”

The agent shrugged. “It wasn’t business, that’s all.”

Lou grimaced. No, their dinner hadn’t been. This one might do after all. He hadn’t noticed him once, and that ability to blend would aid in keeping Mary safe, should the need arise. Lou gave him a curt nod. “Very well. Telephone headquarters when she’s safely home.”

“Will do.” A quick nod and Smith left.

Lou pulled out a stick of Wrigley’s and continued his surveillance. Chewing thoughtfully, he crossed his ankles and waited several more hours. Langdon never showed up.

Or he’d missed him, just as he’d missed Agent Smith at dinner.

Heading upstairs to bed, tiredness riding his back, the realization that he’d lost his mark plagued him. He was too caught up in emotions. Could only see Mary.

His attention had been on her—not a good thing, but he didn’t know how to stop it. And then she’d had the nerve to bring up God.

He turned the corner and entered the corridor. God.

Did he really blame God for losing Sarah and Abby? In the haze of anger and pain, yes. But then he thought of Mary, a woman who hadn’t known Jesus growing up. Who’d been abducted and mistreated, deeply so, and yet somehow still managed to find peace in the way he no longer traveled. How was that possible?

Yep. This job was messing with his head and causing him to lose focus. The sooner he sold the ranch, the better he could work and forget all this malarkey.

He ticked off his goals in his head as he walked.

Tomorrow he’d find Langdon at breakfast, have a little word with the upstart, then he’d finish up his work at headquarters. Track down the shooter, cuff him, maybe get some more information from him before heading home. Sell the ranch. Start a new job, far away.

The list was supposed to reassure, but as he let himself into his empty hotel room, he didn’t feel anything at all.

Chapter Eighteen

Mary woke before the sun. She enjoyed the silence of morning, nothing but the birds and their early songs. Normally she felt refreshed, but today, the morning she’d be heading back to the ranch, unease beset her.

Lou had been married. And begotten a child. How could she not have known? He’d kept this secret from everyone. Were Trevor and James aware of this? Was she the only one in the dark? No wonder he didn’t care to hear of God. No wonder the sight of Josie pained him.

Feeling a tad sick to her stomach, she swung her legs out of bed. Quickly she packed her meager belongings, made her bed, took care of toiletries and then glanced at the clock. Still too early. She had many hours until the agent arrived at her door.

And what then? Go home and search for a new job? Try to get that loan at the bank so she’d have the capital to open a business with? She could stay at the ranch with the new owners, but was that what she really wanted?

Gripping the handle of her suitcase, she opened her door and slipped into the hall. Perhaps they’d be serving breakfast. She could do with a strong pot of coffee.

The lobby was empty when she entered it, though the heady scent of maple syrup permeated the air. Her mouth watered at the thought of pancakes.

Josie loved them.

What would Josie eat this morning? And with whom? Alone perhaps, since her mother was ill. She paused as an idea so beguiling, so dangerous she could hardly believe it, flirted with her thoughts. Her suitcase grew heavy as she stood and pondered the burgeoning plan.

Lou would be furious with her and yet...he had no charge over her decisions any longer. Swallowing hard, a disconcerting excitement building, she marched through the lobby, left a note for Lou and then