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He turned her in his arms and lowered his face until their lips were almost touching. “Any regrets?”
She rose and brushed her lips across his. “Only that my boots are still wet.” She stared up into his eyes, a frown denting her forehead. “And you?”
His lips twisted into a teasing smile. “None. I happen to like soggy boots.” He winked and kissed her for real. Not a brush across the lips. More of a lets-go-back-to-bed kind of kiss that rocked his soul and kind of scared him.
What was he doing? He was there to protect her, not to get into her pants.
It was a little late to be remembering his place in this relationship.
Hell, he’d have to tell Londyn’s mother he couldn’t work for her anymore because he was sleeping with her daughter. In turn, he’d have to tell Hank he fired himself from the job. Not a great start as a Brotherhood Protector.
He stared down at Londyn as she stroked her mare’s nose and realized he didn’t care. If losing his job was all that was keeping him from Londyn, it was a small price to pay.
Then, another thought occurred to him. What did he have to bring to the relationship? Londyn had only signed onto the film to save her ranch from foreclosure. If Nash didn’t have a job, he had no way of helping her come up with the money to pay her way out of a financial hole.
“Just curious,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me, but how much money do you need to pay the back taxes and the mortgage on the ranch?”
“A lot,” she said with a frown. “More than I’ve earned in my lifetime.” She stared up at him. “Why?”
“Just curious.” He didn’t want to pry and make her uncomfortable, but if he could help, he would. While he’d been part of Delta Force, he’d deployed more than he was ever home. He hadn’t had time to spend the money he’d made. When his bank account had gotten too full, he’d had a financial advisor invest it. He didn’t really have an idea of how much he had squirreled away. Maybe enough to get Londyn’s ranch out of debt…?
Her frown deepened. “Why do you want to know how much?”
He smiled. “I told you. I was just curious.”
She continued to stare at him, her frown deepening. “If you have some lame idea of cashing in your savings to pay off my debt, forget it.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I wouldn’t let my mother help me, and she probably has a lot more money than you. If I can’t find a way to save my ranch, I don’t deserve to keep it. I have to find a way to do this.” She poked a thumb at her chest. “Me. Not my mother. Not my lover. Me.”
Nash held up his hands. “Sorry. I just was trying to think of a way to help.”
“You are helping by protecting me from whoever is fucking with me. Keep me alive long enough to get through this gig, and all my problems will be solved. Do you understand?”
He popped a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am. Message received.” She might not tell him what he wanted to know, but he was positive Swede could get that information.
A twinge of guilt tugged at Nash’s gut. If she wanted him to know the amount, she would have told him. She didn’t want anyone’s help.
Still, he wanted to know to have an option in his back pocket should her plans fall through. The ranch meant a lot to her. It was her home.
Nash understood what it was to have a home. He’d grown up in a good one. He knew that if he had nowhere else to go, he could go home to his parents, no matter where they were, and they would happily take him in.
The exterior barn door opened, and a shaft of daylight spilled into the interior.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.” Dan Mitchell entered the barn and crossed to stand with Nash and Londyn. “Your mare appears to be recovering well.”
Londyn nodded. “She does. We’ll be leaving soon to take her back to my ranch in Montana. Thank you so much for all you did to help us find her and to put us up for the night.”
Mitchell’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. “You don’t have to thank me. I felt bad that you slept in the barn all night. How was it? Did you get too cold?”
Londyn’s cheeks turned a ruddy red.
“Not at all,” Nash answered for her. “And we were able to keep tabs on Butterscotch. She even ate all the grain and hay your men left for her.”
“Then she’s definitely on the mend.” Mitchell grinned. “You should have breakfast before you hit the road. Cookie made enough to feed the entire film crew, even though most of them left last night.”
“Oh, we don’t want to impose,” Londyn said.
“If breakfast is half as good as the sandwiches Cookie left for us last night, we’d love to join you,” Nash said. “And if he has more of the grapes he packed in with the sandwiches, we’d love to take some with us for a snack on our drive north.”
Londyn snorted, her cheeks turning an even brighter shade of red.
