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“I didn’t think you’d stand up for her like that, Dad.”
The old man squints at the sun, something he does when he’s thinking about his answer to a hard question. “She’s one of us now. Best to treat her like it. No one hurts one of my own. That’s a promise.”
The front door opens. Carl steps out, rifle still in hand. “Is he gone?”
Dad nods for his truck. “Take Houston, follow him out of town. Put some pressure on. I don’t want him coming back.”
Carl nods and jogs toward the bunkhouse, but with all the staff coming out at once, he doesn’t have to go far. Questions start firing like weapons, but I only care about one. And it’s mine.
“Getty,” I take the old ranch hand’s shoulders, “where did Mom and Sunny go?”
His jaw clenches, clearly still unsettled. “Rhett, what’s happening around here? Was that true? Is she a killer?”
I could admit the truth, tell them I don’t know the first thing about Sunny’s past. I could lie and say she’s a saint. But in the time I waver between the two, Dad steps in.
“That man, if you can call him that, wasn’t an agent, Getty. If he was lying about that, he was lying about everything else.” He waits for Getty to nod before he says “Sunny is one of us now, that’s all that matters. Most of you have a past, and we’ve been happy to forget it, haven’t we? It’s time to extend that to her as well.”
I’d almost forgotten what Getty looked like six years ago. Drowning every sorrow in alcohol, he’s the last one to say Sunny doesn’t deserve a fresh start. Bowing his head, Getty says, “They didn’t think they’d make the beach. They’re in the cabin.”
My heart sinks knowing how close they came to being discovered. Who knows what he would have done when he found Sunny, but Mom would have been expendable. I could have lost her. My stomach clenches at the thought and what I risked in that moment of asking her to help. I can’t anymore. My family is too precious to me. I have to keep Sunny safe on my own.
“Go check on them.” Dad’s voice brings me back around. “I’m going to take a couple guys and check the perimeter. I’d hate to think we might have more rats hiding in the grass.”
My feet can’t get me there fast enough. But before I arrive, the door bursts open and Sunny runs for me. She throws herself into my arms, pulling close, tears falling fast. I wrap my arms around her, clutching her against me, trying to assure her that I’d never let anything happen. I peel her back, holding her face between my palms.
“You’re okay. We’ll keep you safe,” I assure her. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I should go,” she says. “Please, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I try to grin but the thought of her leaving weighs it down too much. “You’re not going anywhere.”
If I could dive into the gratitude and happiness in her eyes, I would. I’d paddle all around those pools of blue and stay for the long haul. “Thank you.”
Pulling her into my arms, she clutches me tight again. I bury my head into her hair, breathing in that strawberry scent. When I look up, I notice Mom watching me, a smile warming her cheeks. She got the same look the first time my cousin met his future wife. She always said she knew it by the way he held her. I look away, not wanting to deal with any of that. All that matters is Sunny is still here, and I’m not letting her leave any time soon.
Chapter 21
Sunny
“I promise, Rhett. I “I promise, Rhett. I can get ready alone.” I raise my voice enough that he’ll hear me through the closed door. “You don’t have to babysit me
this close.”
“Yeah? I don’t know. Mom said that guy, Monroe, had you rattled. He sounds like bad news. I might sleep on the couch tonight.”
“Don’t be silly.” I try to keep my voice calm. He doesn’t need to know what even hearing Monroe’s name does to my nerves. “You need sleep.”
“And like I’ll get it not knowing if you’re okay?”
I straighten the red checked flannel over my black top. It’s not my normal, but I’ve never been to a bonfire on the beach. Around here, I figure I should try to look ranching-cute. I slip my feet into my boots and take a final glance in the mirror. Hair in a high ponytail, ends curled and makeup darker than I normally wear it, I look closer to my real identity. Except the hair. The deep red won’t give me away at all.
I only have one thing left to do. I pull a bag from the closet and kneel in front of my dresser. Pulling open the bottom drawer, I fish out the bag with the gun and pictures inside. Exhaling my stress, I shove it in the bag. I’ll have to find somewhere to hide it on the beach. With Monroe poking around, and who knows who else, I can’t let it fall into his possession. I hate keeping things from Rhett, but it’s for his protection. The shoulder bag matches my outfit, no one would ever suspect. Moving to my feet, I grasp the doorknob and pull it back, not at all surprised to find Rhett leaning against the frame.
His eyebrows both rise with appreciation. Taking a half-step back, he takes in the whole outfit, from flannel to jeans with the holes in the knees. “You’re learning how to fit in around here, that’s for sure.”
“No more designer jeans,” I wink, “it’s all about that flannel.”
He gives me his elbow and I link my arm through it. Always a gentlemen, I’d expect nothing less from him.
