This Thing Called Love (Forget-Me-Not Ranch Book 2) Read online

  “But he’s probably a repeat offender,” Kyler argued. “There’s got to be a way to bring him down.”

  Oh, no. He wasn’t going to try and fix this for her. That’s not why she’d told him her story. “I don’t want to bring him down. I want to live my life.” She had been living her life just fine before yesterday.

  “I’ll hide out at the ranch for a few days. He won’t find me there. He’ll move on eventually.” And if he didn’t, she would have to. She’d picked up and moved on before. She could do it again.

  * * *

  “I didn’t realize you needed a degree in rocket science to put a playhouse together.”

  Kyler stared at the directions that might as well have been written in a different language for how helpful they were. He stared at the different pieces of wood and screws and bolts he and Nash had laid out in the grass behind Agatha’s house.

  His friend laughed. “Wait until we try to attach the swing set. I have a feeling that’s gonna require a doctorate.”

  “Definitely don’t have one of those.” And Kyler’s bachelor’s degree happened to be in agricultural science, not in engineering. “This is gonna take us a week.” And yet…he’d power through simply to see the smile on his niece’s face when she got a look at it.

  “We don’t have a week,” Nash reminded him. “Agatha, Mack, and Emery are taking Bri to a movie, then out shopping in Steamboat. That likely gives us only about six hours tops.”

  “Right.” That’s why they’d brought the cooler of beer out with them. It was going to be a long afternoon. Not that he would mind—being outside, hanging out with his friend, doing something for his niece. That was all worth whatever headaches this playhouse would cause. Besides all that, it might give him a chance to think through Emery’s situation. He couldn’t tell Nash—not when she was so determined to let things blow over, but he still couldn’t it go. There had to be a way to help her without putting her in danger. So far, he hadn’t come up with any brilliant ideas, but he’d keep thinking on it.

  “I can’t thank you enough for all this, “Kyler said, rifling through Nash’s tools to find the right drill bit. “Your aunt didn’t have to buy Bri a playhouse.” With the frilly pink wood trim and the flower boxes for the windows, it sure looked expensive.

  “When Agatha gets her mind set on something, don’t even try talking her out of it.” His friend lined up two of the boards so Kyler could drill in a couple of screws.

  There. Step one complete.

  “Besides,” Nash said, “She thinks it would be good to have here long term. For kids who come to visit the animals. For families who are looking to adopt animals. It makes sense to have one anyway.”

  Yes, but they likely wouldn’t have gotten it yet, considering his friend had told him how slowly the funds for the ranch were coming in. “Have you guys been seeing more donations come in?” he asked. He and a few of his buddies from the circuit were regular supporters but it took a heck of a lot of cash to run a place like this.

  “Not like we’d hoped,” his friend admitted. Nash lined up two more boards and Kyler drilled the screws into place. “In fact, I’m thinking about starting a boarding program for bovine athletes. A place where the best of the best can be cared for and trained and well fed during the off season. That could bring in some serious cash.”

  “That’s brilliant.” Kyler set the drill aside. Two steps down about five hundred to go. “You already have all the connections. Nash had built an impeccable reputation as a veterinarian on the rodeo circuit. “Everyone would be lining up to put their animals in your care.” He picked up the drill again while Nash knelt and rifled through the supplies to find the pieces they would need for the third step.

  “Yeah. It’ll take some work to get it up and running.” His friend paused and glanced up at him. “In fact, I’ll need a manager for the program so I can focus on the medical side. Would you be interested?”

  “Oh.” Wow. Kyler set down the drill again. “I guess I haven’t thought about moving permanently.” To keep things as normal as possible for Bri he’d moved into his sister’s house. “We’ve been taking it one day at a time.” More like one hour at a time some days.

  “Totally understandable.” Nash took care of drilling the next section into place. “But keep it in mind. If you’re looking for a change. If you think Bri would be happy here, we’d love to have you on board.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.” If he only had himself to consider he’d say hell yes right now, but he’d have to talk it through with Bri. They couldn’t make any permanent changes like that without making sure she would thrive.

  “The offer is open ended,” Nash said, walking to the cooler.

  Once again, thanks didn’t seem like enough. “I don’t know what—”

  The hum of an engine cut him off.

  “Wonder who that is.” Nash handed him a beer and Kyler turned toward the driveway right as a black Jeep flew around the curve. He couldn’t see anything through the windshield, but after what had happened with Emery in town earlier that morning, he had a bad feeling.

  The Jeep parked in front of Agatha’s garage. Kyler followed Nash around the side of the house, and, sure enough, a familiar man got out the driver’s side door.

  Now that he knew the history, Kyler had to hold himself back from marching over there and starting something he’d be more than happy to finish. Emery had trusted him to keep her secret, and he couldn’t betray her. He had to play this cool.

  “Can I help you?” Nash approached the man first while Kyler hung back a few steps. At least Emery wasn’t here right now.

  “I’m looking for a woman who’s thought to be in the area. Kelly Pryor.” The man pulled a tattered picture out of his back pocket. Kyler studied it, trying to keep a neutral expression. The picture looked nothing like the Emery he knew. The woman staring back at him had short blondish hair and a slender face. Almost too skinny.

  “There’s no one by that name around here,” Nash said. He took an extra second to look at the picture. “But she kind of looks like—”

  “That lady we saw in town the other day,” Kyler interrupted before Nash could say Emery’s name. His heart pounded harder and he gave his friend a glare so he’d go along with him. “Remember? We stopped to talk to her at the store. She said she was just passing through town though.”

  Nash eyed him, but kept his mouth shut, thank the good lord.

  The man stuffed the picture back into his pocket. “That so?”

  “Yep” Hell, he’d never been a good liar, but Emery’s life could depend on this one. “Sounded like she was on some kind of cross-country voyage or something. She seemed like a free spirit.” He might’ve used that term to describe Emery before he’d found out she was a prisoner to her past.

  “When did you see her?” The man addressed the question to Nash.

  “Oh.” His friend shot Kyler a desperate look. “I guess I can’t really remember. Was it two days ago?”

  “Yep.” Kyler made sure he didn’t look away from the man’s face. “Definitely two days ago.”

  The man gave them each a quick assessment. Kyler held his breath but still didn’t look away.

  “If you see her again, here’s my card.” He handed Nash a business card and then turned around, got into the Jeep, and left.

  “You want to tell me why a private investigator is looking for Emery?” His friend asked, handing over the business card.

  He took it and studied the name. Matt Pearson, Private Investigator. Would that Nick guy who’d assaulted Emery really hire an investigator to find her? “I can’t tell you. It’s not my place.”

  Nash gave him a good long look. They’d known each other a long time, and he’d like to think his friend trusted him. “Is she in some kind of trouble?” he finally asked.

  “Not with the law,” Kyler answered in case that’s what Nash had been concerned about. “Look, I promised her I wouldn’t say anything.” He decided to level with his
friend. “But I will tell you one thing. She needs us to look out for her right now.” Because she had no one else.

  Chapter Seven

  “This has been the best day ever!” Bri made the declaration when they parked Agatha’s SUV in front of the house.

  Emery shared a look with Mack from the backseat. Wait until she saw the playhouse the men were supposed to be building while they were gone. Hopefully they’d finished. She couldn’t see much on the backside of the house. “What was your favorite part?” she asked the girl as they climbed out of the car.

  “The ice cream!” Bri’s whole face broke out into a smile. “No, wait. I think it was the movie and the popcorn!”

  Not for her, man. The popcorn and the ice cream were swirling with the anxiety that had settled in her stomach. It had been wonderful to escape this area for a few hours, to be able to walk around a town without worrying who would see her. But now that they were back, she couldn’t stop thinking about the horrible man who seemed to be stalking her.

  “Well, it’s about time.” Nash walked across Agatha’s expansive green lawn, followed by Kyler.

  Emery’s stomach seemed to flip at the sight of him, but she couldn’t tell if it was attraction, nerves, or if she simply regretted telling him her secret.

  “Uncle Kyler!” The girl threw herself into her uncle’s arms, only adding to the gymnastics in Emery’s midsection.

  “I missed you.” The cowboy lifted his niece into a hug that would’ve made even the most cynical person let out an awwww. “Did you have fun?” he asked, setting the girl back on the ground.

  “We had so much fun!” Bri started to chat about all of the things they’d done that afternoon, and Kyler lowered to one knee, oohing and ahhing as he listened. If Emery had randomly met him on the street, she never would’ve guessed he had such a soft spot for his niece, but every time she saw them together, she could see how much he loved Bri.

  “Well, we have a surprise for you,” Kyler said when Bri finished chatting. “Why don’t we all go around the back of the house?”

  “Okay!” The little girl couldn’t seem to stop grinning. It was a stark contrast from her facial expression when Emery had first met her. “You’re coming too, right Emery?” Bri asked.

  “Well…” She had a ton to do and she wanted to make herself scarce in case any uninvited visitors showed up at the ranch. “I don’t know—”

  “You’ve got to see it.” Kyler’s grin was every bit as irresistible as his niece’s. “Took us five hours, fifty-six minutes and thirty-eight seconds to put the thing together.”

  “Yeah,” Nash added. “We should all admire it for a good long while.”

  “You boys are brilliant,” Agatha sung, leading the charge around the side of the house.

  “I guess I could take a few minutes to check it out.” Emery peered back over her shoulder at the ranch’s winding driveway. She had a feeling she’d be looking over her shoulder a lot.

  “You’re going to love it, Bri.” Kyler hoisted the girl up so she could sit on her shoulders. “Miss Agatha and Miss Mack and Mr. Nash really outdid themselves.”

  “I can’t wait to see.” The girl patted her uncle’s head affectionately while Emery walked alongside them. “Thank you for bringing me here, Uncle Kyler,” Bri murmured. “I love it here.”

  “I do too.” Emotion weaved into the words, and Emery saw it in his eyes too.

  Geez, these two were so sweet together…she’d forgotten her heart could feel things like this.

  They rounded the corner of the house, and while Emery was still looking at Kyler, Bri let out a yelp. “What is that?”

  “It’s a playhouse.” Agatha ran toward it as though she was ready to relive her childhood. “Isn’t it lovely?”

  Emery wasn’t a bit surprised when the older woman sat on one of the swings and started to pump her legs.

  “It’s like a castle!” Bri flailed and climbed her way down from Kyler’s shoulders, falling so he had to catch her in his arms. Once her feet hit the ground, she flew away from them and ran right through the bright pink front door.

  “Wow.” Emery stopped to admire the house-like structure. It had two stories with a tower on each side and turrets. A swing set attached to the top of the house, complete with three swings. “I had no idea it was this elaborate from the pictures on the box.”

  “Yeah, me neither.” Kyler laughed. “I’m sure glad no one was around to watch Nash and I put it together. Talk about a humbling experience.”

  Emery found herself laughing too. She wasn’t sure how it would feel talking to him again now that he knew the worst parts of her past, but the way he looked at her told her he saw past the secrets, past the pain she’d been through. He was comfortable to be around, easy to talk to. It had been a long time since she’d felt safe with a man…

  “Hey, there’s something I need to tell you.” Kyler’s voice dropped to a low murmur.

  “Okay.” Anxiety ballooned in her chest.

  The man kept his eyes on Bri, who went down the slide that came out of one of the windows. Agatha was still on the swing and both Nash and Mack were snapping pictures on their phone. “That guy came to the ranch earlier. While you were gone.”

  The blood seemed to drain from her face, she could feel the vertigo, the swell of fear. “Did you talk to him?”

  “Yeah.” Kyler turned his face to hers. “We told him we’d never heard of anyone named Kelly Pryor, but Nash recognized you in the picture he showed. I saved it and told the guy we’d seen the woman in town, but she was just moving through.”

  For the second time that day, Emery’s lungs seemed to fill with gravel. “Do you think he believed you?”

  “I’m not sure.” He reached into his pocket and handed her a small business card. “He said he was a private investigator.”

  She read the man’s name, his title. “I don’t believe him.” That wasn’t Nick’s style—to hire someone in an official capacity. Unless he’d made up some lie about her and the investigator didn’t know he wanted to hurt her. It didn’t matter either way. He couldn’t find out she was staying here. “Even if he is an investigator, he’ll tell Nick where I am.” And then Nick would come after her himself. She watched Nash pushing Bri on the swing next to Agatha’s. “Wait. Does Nash know? Did you tell him?” Oh, God. She’d probably have to leave the ranch—

  “I only told him you needed people to watch out for you. But I won’t give up your secret, Emery. It’s safe with me.”

  Safe. He did make her feel safe, and yet… “I don’t need people to watch out for me.” She’d gotten along fine on her own these last few years. She’d managed.

  Kyler faced her fully, gazing into her eyes for a few enduring seconds before he spoke. “Since when is it a bad thing to need people?” He shook his head. “I’ll tell you what…back home in Texas, I was failing with Bri. She hardly spoke. She never smiled. I hadn’t heard her laugh in so long I couldn’t remember what it sounded like. But coming here…being with Agatha and Mack and Nash…” he paused, his eyes searching hers. “And you…it only proves we all need people.”

  Something in his gentle tone dissolved the sudden rise of stubbornness. “I’ve never been able to need anyone.” Not even when she was a little girl. She’d been on her own. Emotionally, at least.

  Kyler continued to stare at her—directly in the eyes, and she swore some power passed between them. It was like he had the ability to pry her heart open, even when she didn’t want him to. “I don’t have much of a family left,” he said. “And neither does Bri.” His gaze drifted back to his niece, who was chasing Mack around the playhouse. “But I hope—for both of our sakes—we can build a new one.”

  “I hope you can too.” But she couldn’t be part of it. Not the way she had to be on her guard. Not the way she had to be ready to run off at the first sign of trouble.

  She couldn’t risk giving her heart away and then being forced to leave it behind.

  * * *

&nb
sp; “I’m gonna be a animal doctor and a biker chick when I grow up,” Bri informed Kyler, while she wiped down the freshly-washed Harley with a microfiber towel.

  “Really?” He held back the threatening laughter. According to her facial expression, she was dead serious. “And how do you even know what a biker chick is?”

  She lifted her shoulders in one of her adorable shrugs. “It’s a girl who rides motorcycles. I’m definitely gonna ride motorcycles.”

  “Good.” Kyler stood back and admired the shiny paint job on his Harley. The trip from Texas on the trailer had taken a toll with the dirt and grime, but after a good washing it looked brand new. “Hey, let’s take it out for a spin.”

  “Okay!” Bri ran to his truck and grabbed the two helmets. The pink one he’d bought for her was still a little big, but the sales guy had shown him how to make the chinstrap tighter. “This’ll be great.” He’d been dying to get the bike out ever since they’d driven over that first mountain pass on the way here.

  “Look!” Bri pointed over his shoulder. “There’s Miss Agatha and Miss Emery!”

  Even just hearing the woman’s name brought a surge of anticipation. He lined up the helmets next to the bike and followed Bri to meet them at the edge of the lawn.

  Emery seemed to hover a few steps back, but Agatha greeted Bri with a hug. “I’m so glad we found you,” the woman said. “Emery and I just finished the chores and I need help feeding the goats.”

  Kyler forced himself to tear his gaze off Emery. “Thanks for the offer, but Bri and I were gonna take the bike out for a—” He caught sight of his niece’s disappointed expression. Oh. Right. She had other friends now. “You want to go feed the goats, don’t you?” he asked.

  A weak nod made it obvious his niece didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but he never wanted Bri to miss out on anything because of him.

  “Go feed the goats.” He gently nudged her in Agatha’s direction.