The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance by Katherine Logan (i am reading a book TXT) 📕

“No way in hell,” the knight said. “We’re looking for James Cullen Fraser. Have you seen him?”

The question was like a punch in the gut.

Damn. They’re here.

She knew…or hoped…that sooner or later, someone would show up to take her back to the future, but not today. She wasn’t ready. But why were they here? If they stopped by Elkhorn Ranch, Mrs. Sewall would have told them JC went to Kentucky.

“It depends on who’s asking,” she said.

“JC’s my cousin,” the knight said. “My mother married his half brother Kevin.”

Ensley cocked her head and looked into those damn green eyes again, and she shivered at the intensity of his glare. “The way I understand family trees, that makes him your uncle, not your cousin.”

The knight gave her a blank look. “He’s younger and shorter. I refuse to call him uncle.”

What an asshat.

JC had dozens of cousins, so she wasn’t surprised she hadn’t met this one, and with his attitude, she was glad she hadn’t.

She needed to talk to them and didn’t want Norman hanging on her every word while his finger twitched near the trigger. She turned her horse around and said in a low voice to him, “I’m safe with them. The tall guy is my husband’s cousin. I’ve never met him, but I have to explain why James Cullen went to Kentucky without me. You can go on. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

Norman glowered at the three men. “I don’t know, Miss Ensley. They don’t look so reputable.”

She turned to look back at the men. “They don’t, do they? Well, I’ll just shoot them if they misbehave. How’s that?”

Norman plunked down on the bench seat, stored his rifle, then picked up the reins. “If I hear gunfire, I’ll come back and help ya bury ’em.” He snapped the reins. “Git-up.” And the wagon rolled away. “I’m goin’ slow,” he called over his shoulder. “And I’m not lettin’ ya outta my sight.”

“I’ll be right behind you.” She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake trusting these guys. Just in case, she didn’t lower her rifle. “Let’s walk the horses so Norman won’t worry.” She maneuvered Tesoro in line with the others. “So the big guy is James Cullen’s cousin. Who are you two?”

“I’m Tavis Stuart, a distant cousin of the Frasers and VP of Global Security for MacCorp.”

“Are you a Marine? You look like one.”

“Navy SEAL.”

“Is that once a SEAL always a SEAL?”

He gave her a heart-melting smile. “Something like that, ma’am.”

She leaned forward and looked at the guy on the other end, riding the bay. “Who are you? You sound like you’re from New Orleans.”

“Originally, yeah, and I’m not a cousin. Name’s Remy Benoit. I’m Elliott Fraser’s personal EMT and bodyguard.”

Ensley looked behind her. “Where is he?”

“Who?” Remy asked.

“Dr. Fraser. If you’re his bodyguard, shouldn’t you be guarding him?”

Remy smiled, and she honestly couldn’t decide who was sexier—Remy or Tavis. They both had killer smiles. But if the knight could manage one, his just might be sexier than the other two.

“Elliott and his wife traveled back to MacKlenna Farm. We had no idea where you would end up—here or there. So we drew the long straw.”

“This was the long straw? Good God.” She returned her rifle to its scabbard, confident now that the men wouldn’t harm her. “You know you could be sipping mint juleps at the farm. Instead, you’ll end up participating in a roundup.”

“The hell we are.” The knight then said to Tavis, “If Elliott wanted me to go on an adventure, why in the hell didn’t he take me with him?”

“Why would he want to? You’re an asshole,” Remy said.

Ensley covered her mouth to stifle the laugh gurgling up. “What’s your name, JC’s cousin?”

“Austin O’Grady,” he grumbled.

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Surely not.

This can’t be the same man who sent me a manuscript. The same man I told to resubmit when he got his life figured out. The same man I didn’t google.

“The basketball player?” she asked.

“Yeah, so what?”

Of all people. Did his agent mention my name?

“Ah, no reason.” She snuck a quick look at Tavis, and he winked. Why? Was it a sign or signal, or was he flirting with her?

“You know who I am,” Austin said. “So, who the hell are you?”

“Your attitude sucks. But you know that already, right?” There’d been an inkling of regret that she might have rejected his manuscript too quickly. But if she’d known about his attitude, she would have put the rejection in a special delivery envelope marked extra-special delivery. The thought of working with him repulsed her. Why the hell did they even bring him along?

“I don’t care what you think about my attitude. I just asked who the hell you are.”

“Chill,” Tavis said.

She guided her horse over a little bit to get out of the fight zone before the Navy SEAL challenged the knight to a fight to the death. When the challenge didn’t come, she said, “I’m a friend of JC’s. We went to Harvard together, and my cousin is one of his best friends.”

“What’s his name?”

“George Williams.”

“I think I’ve met him before. He came to a game with JC when we played at Madison Square Garden a few years ago. Is he a Wall Street guy?”

“Yep. He works at Morgan Stanley.”

Austin dropped back, then rode up next to Ensley, sandwiching her between him and Tavis. Her horse was almost as tall as Tavis’s, but the two men still dwarfed her, and she almost felt like their prisoner.

Norman was maybe twenty-five yards ahead of them and would hear her if she screamed, but she’d feel better if he was closer. She nudged Tesoro with her knees, and he moved into a trot. The men did the same.

“So you traveled with JC?” Austin asked.

“No. He came after me.”

“Why’d he do that? I mean, how’d he know you’d traveled back here? When women go missing the way you did, Elliott calls a family meeting and tells us what’s going on.