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All the men but Hays smiled at her.
“She sounds just like Jacey,” Walker said fondly.
“Please,” she begged. “I’m only trying to protect you.”
“And we’re going to protect you,” Hays said, sliding his arm around her waist again. “Clint?”
“Yes, sir.” Clint gestured back toward the foyer and an open staircase.
“Don’t you worry about anything, sweetie,” Millie said, smiling at her. “My boys could protect the President from the Taliban without a sweat. You get some rest.”
“Night.” Jared tipped his head to her, touching an invisible cowboy hat, a true cowboy gentleman.
“Goodnight,” Elizabeth managed.
“Night.” Easton and Walker each lifted a hand goodbye.
Elizabeth let Hays direct her up the stairs and down a wide hallway to the left. “Mama and Dad’s room is downstairs along with the living areas, kitchen, an office for the ranch, and a security center,” Clint explained. “There are four suites up here and a game room and theater.”
“Do Easton and Walker have rooms on this floor?” Hays asked.
“No. They have each built their own cabins on the property.”
Elizabeth briefly wondered how large the property was. Easton had said twenty-thousand acres, but being raised in a city it was hard to visualize how expansive that might be. Her parents’ estate in Virginia had five acres of trees and horse barns. That seemed like a large property to her, but it wasn’t even in the same league as this mountain escape.
Clint pointed to the two doors in front of them at the end of the short upstairs hallway. “You’ll take these two suites. No one else is staying on this floor currently but the two of you. Elizabeth, there are some clothes in the closet for you and toiletries in the bathroom.”
“How did you …” They hadn’t planned on her staying here. How could they have? Eight hours ago, everyone had thought she was her mother reincarnated.
“We prepare for every contingency.” He shrugged. “Now I don’t think I have to tell you this, but even on the ranch you cannot go anywhere without Hays by your side.”
She blinked up at Hays. That seemed an easy concession to make. Was that for her protection or because they still didn’t trust her? Hays was her assigned bodyguard. If only she could guard her heart. She’d already hurt Hays enough. She wasn’t willing to endanger him even further by falling for him and giving her father one more target to manipulate her with.
“Of course,” she said to Clint. “Thank you for all you’re doing for me.”
“It’s my job.” The sheriff flashed her a rare smile and then pivoted and walked back down the hallway and disappeared down the stairs.
Elizabeth found herself alone with Hays. She clasped her hands together to keep from instinctively reaching for him. Fourteen years ago, she could have grasped his shirt, tugged him close, and …
She couldn’t let herself think about the only happy moments of her life. She had no right to be touching or kissing him now. They’d both been through too much pain. Healing and happiness weren’t on the agenda.
Glancing up at him, she found his deep-brown gaze honed in on her.
“Liz.” His voice was soft and husky. He wrapped his hand around hers. It was a tender, unassuming touch that shot thrills clear through her. “There’s so much to say, so much I want to ask.”
Elizabeth nodded. She could imagine. But did she have any answers for him? Letting herself fall for him, as if she were innocent and had any hope of a future, was ludicrous. Anything she did to grow close to him, especially revealing the depravity of her father and her past, would only endanger him. The darkness inside her would destroy his goodness.
“I …” She had no idea what to say to him.
“You’re exhausted,” he supplied.
“Definitely.” She stayed ramrod straight as she’d been taught, but she let herself feel the warmth and strength in his fingers and bask in the longing for her written in his dark eyes.
“I bet.”
Hays didn’t say anything for a beat, and she could only focus on his gaze, lost in his eyes.
“Knock knock,” he said softly.
