Kate’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”
No. Ben’s gaze went from Lily to Kate. For a tough cop, used to facing down danger on the streets of Austin, he was more terrified of these two women than any criminal he’d ever confronted. “I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll just bed down in the barn.”
“No.” Kate stood and swayed, her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
Before he could think through his actions, Ben was there, steadying her with a hand under her elbow, the other around her waist.
“Stay here. In the house.” She leaned into him for a moment. When she’d steadied, she pulled away and looked up into his face. “Please.”
Her green eyes pleaded with him, her hand on his arm burning a path through his defenses. How he wanted to leave, but couldn’t. Despite his vow to never care again, he’d proved over and over he just couldn’t honor that vow after all. Killing the high-powered child murderer was evidence. Damn Kate and Lily for making him care. “I’ll stay on two conditions.”
Her shoulders straightened. “Anything.”
He scooped up the gun she’d dropped earlier and handed it to her. “First, put this away, take it to a pawnshop or learn to use it.”
She took the gun from him, keeping her body between the gun and her daughter’s curious eyes. “Check. I’ll learn to use it.” Her chin tipped upward. “And the second one?”
His gaze swept over her, taking in the smooth lines of her shoulders, the gentle swell of her breasts and the curve of her thighs peeking out from under the terry cloth. If he had any hope of staying neutral in this situation, he had to put distance between himself and Kate. She was too damned attractive.
He forced an uninterested rise of his brows. “If I’m going to get any work done around here, you have to keep your clothes on around me.”
Kate gasped, hugging the towel closer, her cheeks flaming red.
“I’ll be on the couch downstairs.” He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door between them with a firm click.
Kate stared at the barrier between them for a long moment, stunned at the cowboy’s abrupt words and departure. “As if I planned to be standing in front of him in nothing but a towel,” she mumbled.
“Mommy, why was I in the closet?” Lily’s hand slipped into hers and tugged, dragging Kate’s mind back to what was important. Her daughter.
She scrambled for an answer that wouldn’t scare her small daughter. “I thought it might be fun to pretend to be camped in a cave in the mountains.”
Lily tipped her head to the side as if debating whether or not she believed Kate’s lie. Then she smiled and pulled Kate toward the closet. “Will you camp in the cave with me, Mommy?”
“Oh, baby, I don’t think so. I’m pretty tired and bed sounds more comfortable. You can sleep in the closet, if you want.”
Lily stared from the bed to the closet and yawned, her eyelids sagging. “No, I’m tired, too. Maybe tomorrow.”
Kate grabbed the blankets from the floor and flung them across the bed as best she could, tucking Lily in on the side away from the door.
As she pulled out a pair of pajamas that would fully cover her body, she thought of Ben Harding’s condition. A spark of defiance shot through her and she replaced the pajamas in the drawer, reaching for the filmy light blue baby-doll nightgown she’d bought one hot, impulsive day in Houston.
She slipped the silky garment over her head, letting the towel drop to the floor, and recalled the feeling of being held in Ben’s strong arms as he effortlessly carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. Her skin sizzled where his hands had been beneath her thighs and very nearly touching the side of her breast.
Now that she had time to think beyond defending her life, she realized the cowboy Hank had sent was everything a girl could dream of—tall, dark and handsome. Add a brooding, mysterious look in his blue eyes and he was devastatingly appealing.
She hadn’t felt like this since…before her husband, Troy, had been killed in Afghanistan, a month before she’d delivered Lily. Four years ago. A wave of guilt washed over her for thinking such thoughts about a man who wasn’t her husband. But, then, Troy had been dead a long time, she hadn’t. The man downstairs had triggered a strong physical response she thought she’d never feel again.
Kate sucked in a deep breath and let it out, the tips of her nipples tight little points poking at the sheer fabric of the nightgown. She reached for the hem, telling herself that wearing the gown was asking for trouble.
Her hands stopped before they could lift it over her head. Who was she kidding? The man wasn’t interested in her any more than she should be interested in him. He was there as the hired help. Hank had promised protection for her and Lily until they could figure out who was responsible for the break-in in Houston and now at the Flying K Ranch.
As she lay down on the sheets, her thoughts drifted to the man sleeping on the couch downstairs. He’d had a strange look in his eyes when he’d seen Lily. His brows had furrowed into a fierce frown, scary in its intensity. It hadn’t looked like an angry frown so much as one of great pain and sorrow. What would cause such a look on a man’s face?
She didn’t know. In fact, Kate didn’t know much of anything about her hired gun. Hell, she didn’t know anything about Hank Derringer for that matter. This area was rumored to have a big drug cartel influence. Had she asked for help from one of the local mafia?
Kate lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what she’d done by bringing Lily here. Not that she’d been any safer in Houston. Not after her apartment had been ransacked.
A yawn nearly dislocated her jaw, forcing Kate to give up trying to make sense of all that had happened. Tomorrow she’d ask the questions burning in her mind. Who the hell was Ben Harding and what kind of hired hands did Hank Derringer provide? Even more importantly, did he have any hired hands that were a little older and less attractive?
Kate rolled over and punched her pillow before settling down. Her bruised cheek reminded her of the intruder and her near miss with death. She reached out and looped her arm over her daughter, pulling her close. If anything happened to Lily, she’d never forgive herself.
Tomorrow she’d start her search for answers.
Chapter Three
A knock on the door brought Ben off the couch and up on his bare feet in seconds. He must have fallen asleep after tossing and turning on the narrow couch. Every noise had kept him awake until way into the wee hours.
The sun shone through the filmy curtains, lighting his path through the boxes and furniture. From what he could see of the front porch, two men stood there in tan uniforms.
The local law enforcement.
As he pulled the door half-open, footsteps sounded on the stairs behind him.
“Who is it?” Kate descended the flight of stairs in a light blue baby-doll nightgown, pulling a robe over her shoulders that only came down to midthigh. Her creamy legs and the glimpse of her breasts through the thin material of the gown had Ben’s jeans tightening.
With the door gaping, he had no choice but to open it the rest of the way.
The two men in tan uniforms stared at him, then their eyes drifted to the woman on the stairs behind him.
A flash of anger burned through his bloodstream and Ben moved to block their view as much as he could. “Can I help you?”
The bigger man stepped forward. “I’m Sheriff Fulmer, this is Deputy Schillinger. We’re here to see Katherine Langsdon.”
Ben’s