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“You need anything?” Nicole closed the door to thetruck. “I’ve heard you go through a lot of beer lately.”
“We’re fine. And I certainly won’t ask you to do our groceryshopping. The truth is neither one of us has much appetite right now.” Grim hitthe button to lock the truck as the new guy got out and shut his door.
The morning after the debacle at Subversion, they’d hadbreakfast with Kimberly Kent and it had been decided Harlow Dawson would be oneof the bodyguards who watched after Nicole when she left the ranch. Harlow wasknown around town, and everyone would think she was simply there for a visit.She could work remotely and had told Grim she kind of needed a break fromDallas for a couple of weeks.
The other guard was a young man named Landon Vail. He was ahandsome twenty-something who’d recently left the Navy and taken a job at thesecurity firm his parents used. He knew how to ride and was quickly beingbrought up to speed on ranch work.
Two weeks later and he and Josh were still sleeping alone.
Harlow moved in beside Nicole—who appeared to be her newbestie. She gave Grim a grin. “Yes, you looked like you were wasting away atdinner last night. You barely ate a whole side of beef.”
That got a chuckle from Nicole. He noticed her hand comingup to play with the small diamond on her new necklace. “I’m constantly shockedby how much they can eat.”
He wished he’d been the one to give it to her, but Jack had.It had been part of his very generous apology. Nicole hadn’t taken it off inweeks.
“Well, I have to eat with the other ranch hands.” Landon wasnearly as tall as Grim and looked right at home in jeans, a T-shirt, boots, anda Stetson. “You know what they like to cook? Chili. I’ve had chili three nightsthis week. And the old guy won’t let me cook. My father is a chef. I literallylearned how to cook in gourmet kitchens, but no, some eighty-year-old dudenamed Cookie won’t even let me help.”
He felt for Landon in this case. Cookie was stubborn and hecould only make a handful of meals, but he’d been around forever. “I’ll letJack know you’d like to help.”
“Well, you might not ask me to do your grocery shopping, butyour mother has no such problem.” Nicole pulled out the list his mom had givenher. “I think she’s trying to fatten me up. I’ve been told she usually makeseveryone eat super healthy, but she’s got the makings of a lasagna andenchiladas.”
“We’ll work out harder,” Harlow promised. “You boys stay outof trouble. We’ll meet you here in half an hour or so.”
Harlow started for the store, but Nicole looked back. “Textme if you think of something you need.”
She turned and followed Harlow in.
“That woman scares me,” Landon said with a shake of hishead. “She’s hot. Super hot, but scary. Are you sureyou want her teaching Nicole? I saw them practicing how to take out a man’sballs yesterday.”
In addition to acting as a bodyguard, Harlow was teachingNicole self-defense, and she’d seemed to have taken to the subject. Theysparred on the big lawn under the oak tree that had been there for years.
“I want her safe. Teaching her self-defense seems like thesmartest thing we can do. Although I’m not sure I know any of those moves,”Grim admitted. “I was taught to shoot, but the punching part came naturally.”
Landon’s lips spread in a smile sure to have every woman inthe area panting after him. “Yeah, I think that’s a masculine trait, but if youwant to learn how to punch more effectively, I’ll give you a lesson. Inaddition to being an excellent chef, my father was a Navy SEAL. I didn’t gointo Special Forces, but he made sure I learned how to fight. Of course hetaught my sister, too. I understand the need, but do those two have to talkabout a man’s balls so much? It seems rude. There are other places to hit.”
But none as effective.
Nicole didn’t seem to notice Landon most of the time. Herobliviousness of the handsome bodyguard gave him some hope.
“I’m going to leave her self-defense tutoring to Harlow,” hesaid. “Come on. I’ve got a date with some puppies, and then we need to grab thefeed Jack ordered.”
“That’s the only date you’re going to have if you don’t stopbrooding and start showing off your masculine wiles, Grim. The way I see it weknow each other well enough…” Landon began.
Grim shook his head and kept walking toward the Willow ForkAnimal Shelter. It was a small but well-kept building. It housed the variousstrays they found around the county. “We don’t.”
“…for me to give you some advice.” Landon didn’t miss abeat. “The way I heard it you and Josh were pretty hot and heavy with Nicolebefore the whole incident thing happened. Now she’s pissed but she’s alsostuck, and you two are not handling this well.”
“I don’t need advice.”
“It seems like you do. I don’t think longing looks are goingto work on her,” Landon continued.
“I’m giving her space.”
“What you should do is give the girl a show.” Landon stoppedand held up a hand. “Now hear me out.”
He didn’t want to, but he had to admit he was curious.
Landon took his silence as assent. “I work with this guy.He’s in investigations but everyone knows him. Nicest man in the world, and hiswife makes the best cupcakes. I mean she could give my dad’s pastry chef a runfor his money.”
