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Words branded her lips, too strong to withhold. With urgency, she caught his gaze and held it captive.
“I’m in love with you, Hunter. So in love with you.”
“Fuck, baby. I love you too. More than I can ever express with words—but I’ll damn well show you every day of my life.”
* * * * *
Hunter dragged the rake over the floor of the horse stall, gathering the scattered bits of straw they used for bedding. The low scraping noise turned into a soothing song. Along with the few birds that flitted through the barn rafters, the noises of the ranch seeped into Hunter’s soul.
For years after his parents died, he’d stopped thinking of himself as a city boy. He was just lost, aimless. Searching for something more. Something bigger to be a part of. The military had served him well in that capacity. It provided him with a home, a family.
He’d only been at the ranch for a short time, yet it was crazy how much peace this job, this land, gave him. Everything hung in the balance with Sean Gracey and the loan shark, but he had no doubt in his mind that he and Colton could handle any strikes about to come.
Years of special ops had given him a strong sixth sense and he could feel forboding thunder rumbling in the immediate future. Something big was coming—it was just a matter of time.
Armed with the information about Gracey’s gambling problem, he planned to sit down with Colton as soon as possible and come up with a game plan. First, he was going to face Gracey about his problem. He wasn’t going to coddle the man, not after he almost got Meadow killed in that attack. And Ivy hadn’t exactly been safe in Europe, hung out to dry when he failed to pay the bill for the credit card she was using—her only financial means in a foreign country.
Hunter of all people knew how bad that could have turned out. The mere thought of her selling off belongings to complete strangers…
He clamped his hands harder around the rake handle, fists curled in preparation for a fight that wasn’t coming. Dragging the rake across the floor again and again, he wrestled the anger rising inside him.
“Hart.”
He raised his head at the sound of his name. Peering over the side of the stall, he spotted Colton in the doorway of the barn.
“What’s up, man?” He clenched the upright handle.
“State cops are here. Thought you might want to hear what they have to say.”
“I do.” He set the rake in the corner and walked out, dusting his hands off on his jeans as he joined Colton at the exit.
One look at his friend’s fierce expression told him all he needed to know. Their investigation wasn’t going well.
He stripped off his leather gloves and stuffed them in the back pocket of his Levi’s. Colton ducked under the doorframe, and he did the same. Blinking at the brighter sunshine, he scanned the parking area in front of the garage. A police cruiser sat among the ranch trucks and an ATV.
He cast Colton a sidelong look. From the corner of his lips, he muttered, “Any idea what’s going on?”
He shook his head but gave no reply.
As they approached the officer, the man widened his stance and studied them. Hunter was accustomed to the wariness on the guy’s face. His size alone intimidated much tougher men than this one. Add Colton to the mix, and it was no wonder the cop was looking at them with extreme caution. Even unarmed, the pair of them could easily overpower the lawman.
Colton gave the officer a nod of greeting. “You’ve met Hunter Hart.”
The officer nodded. “Good to see you both again. I’m here to share some information about the suspect in question.”
Hunter folded his arms. “We’re listening.”
“We’ve got his trail. It looks like he fled to Canada.”
Fuck. Hunter flicked his gaze to Colton.
“He entered the country legally?”
“Yes. We got a read on his passport. Two days ago, he entered through border security with no red flags to their personnel.”
“Any idea how long his stay is?” Hunter was already forming a plan in his mind. Listing the supplies he’d need…gathering ammo. How long would it take to run this guy to ground—and make sure he never came for the Graceys again—made a slow revolution through his mind.
“Can we get him extradited?” Colton seemed to be of the same mind as him, only with less work involved. If the authorities brought the loan shark back to the States, Hunter and Colton wouldn’t need to go far in order to stop the man from terrorizing their women.
