Tina Leonard - A Callahan Outlaw's Twins (5 page)

Fiona shrugged. “Seems to me we can’t do anything but wait.”

“I don’t wait well.”

“Neither do I. Still, you’ll heal. Your leg, your heart.” Fiona set her teacup in its saucer on the tiny side table. “Where will you go?”

Sloan would be here. There’d be plenty of Callahans on the premises. And Fiona and Burke. “I’m staying right here. I can work from my room. No one will come into this house. I’m safe as a princess in an ivory tower. And you need another female on the ranch to talk to.”

Fiona stood. “Good luck telling Jonas. He’ll read you the riot act and tell you that as his employee, you have to go. That your insurance is too high to run such a risk. And that he wants you directing the traffic flow of tiny bodies at your compound.”

Kendall smiled. “There’s an army of people at Hell’s Colony who will be delighted to have small feet running around.” In fact, it just might bring her mother and new husband home from the perpetual honeymoon they’d been on, leaving Kendall, Xav, Shaman and Gage to manage the compound and Gil Phillips, Inc.

“You know, Fiona, our business is moving large equipment in our cargo planes. Worldwide. If we ever needed to, we could always take the family out of the country, if this goes on for a while.”

She nodded. “I pray the day never comes. Surely the danger is just here at this ranch.”

Who knew what they were dealing with? Kendall certainly didn’t. “Is Sloan still downstairs?”

“Last I saw.” Fiona got up, carrying her teacup with her. “Do you need to talk to him?”

Kendall nodded. “Yes, thank you. If you don’t mind asking him to come back up for just a minute.”

“I’ll see you in the morning. Feel better!” She smiled at Kendall. “I don’t mind telling you that I’ll be glad to have another female on the ranch.”

“I suppose Ashlyn will be around somewhere,” Kendall said.

“I don’t know. We all do what the chief tells us. Well, everyone but you and me.” Laughing, Fiona left.

A moment later, Kendall heard Sloan’s footsteps on the landing. He poked his head into the room.

She frowned. “Come in, please. Shut the door.”

He did, and perched on the arm of the chair. “Talk, Blondie.”

“My name is Kendall. Not Barbie, not Blondie.”

“Gotcha.” He smiled, slow and dangerous, a reminder that she didn’t really know this man she was about to give all of her trust.

Kendall knew that, but she’d never run from a fight. “Sloan, after all the Callahans leave in the morning, I want you to take me somewhere.”

“Anywhere. Name it.”

“The spot near the canyon, where the new bunkhouse will be.”

He gave her a long look. “You don’t have to face it so soon. Give yourself some time.”

“I’ve lived a long time without you advising me. Either you take me or I’ll go by myself.”

“You can’t drive with those stitches.”

“Let me tell you something about me that you don’t know. I would bounce on one of the Callahan kids’ pogo sticks to get back there if I have to. It’s my job, and I will do it.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Jonas won’t like it.”

“It’s all right. I’ll play chauffeur. You rest.”

She closed her eyes, suddenly tired. “Thank you.”

She felt him near her bed, felt him peek at the bandage covering her stitches, run a palm over her calf, testing for changes in her skin temperature.

“Don’t you dare pull any of that mumbo-jumbo stuff on me again,” Kendall said. “I’m going to read a book, and I don’t want to go to sleep. I’m still teed off with you.”

He sat on the edge of her bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. She wished she could open her eyes to glare at him, but she was just so darn tired.

“Rest,” he said, and she said, “You’re annoying. Has anyone ever told you that?”

But when Sloan touched his palm to her cheek, she relaxed against his hand, drawing in his strength.

It felt good to have someone take care of her just for a moment. Not Kendall against the world... Right now, she let Sloan chase the unspoken fear away.

Tomorrow I’ll be strong again.

Chapter Five

Close, close.
The wolf was so close, its eyes fierce with anger and malice. It wanted his soul, wanted his lifeblood. Sloan jerked awake, his heart thundering.

He cursed under his breath when he realized he’d fallen asleep in Kendall’s bed, against the headboard, her head against his chest, her long blond ponytail trailing to his abdomen.

This was bad. In the military, snipers didn’t allow emotions to get in the way of the job.

His emotions were definitely becoming involved. He had to stop it from happening.

Carefully, he disengaged himself from Kendall, laying her slowly back in her bed. God, she was soft. So feminine. She acted so brave, but what had happened had wounded her, revealing the vulnerability she hid so well.

He went downstairs, knowing he had to make sure—damn sure—his unfortunate lapse didn’t endanger his senses, his assignment, or her.

“Hey.” Jonas filled up a coffee mug, slid it his way. “Let’s talk, cousin.”

Sloan followed him into a large den filled with dark brown leather furniture and a huge TV. Toys were stacked in a playpen in the corner. Clearly, this room was one of the children’s hangouts, no doubt because of its proximity to Fiona’s kitchen. Jonas put a tray stacked with his aunt’s fresh-baked cookies on the coffee table in front of them. Sloan perched on a chair, wanting a direct face-to-face with his cousin.

“We pull out at 0500. Cover of darkness is essential,” Jonas said. “We hope that whoever might be spying on the ranch won’t see us leave.”

“Good idea.”

“We’ll be using a series of vehicles. There’ll be too many of us to follow, if they should see us leave. As the chief said, divide and conquer.”

“Wise strategy.” Sloan nodded.

“Some of us will pass around Diablo, double back here. Rafe has the jet ready. Some of the children and wives will travel on it to Hell’s Colony. The vehicles we plan to leave in town. I’m asking you to get them back here when you can.”

“No problem.”

“I’ll show you the firearms we have on the ranch. The chief knows where everything else is. Money. Whatever.”

Sloan blinked. “We won’t need money.”

“Someone has to run the ranch.”

“Fiona will be here. And Kendall is your employee, right?”

Jonas nodded. “But we all agree we’d feel better with a Callahan heir handling ranch transactions. I don’t mean grocery store bills and things that affect the household—Fiona and Burke have been doing that for years. I’m talking about whatever needs to be done to make certain this ranch is kept secure.”

“I understand.” Jonas wanted them to have whatever they needed to protect the houses, livestock and the wild Diablo mustangs.

“There’s a cache of silver in the basement. It has a specific purpose.” Jonas looked at him. “You can get the rest of the info on that from the chief. That’s just between you and me, cousin.”

Sloan nodded again.

Jonas gave him a hard stare. “I also charge you with convincing Kendall to eventually come to Hell’s Colony. I know she won’t leave the ranch now, but that was the drugs talking. It’s important that she not be here. She could have been taken, or worse. It’s not safe for her.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“If you have to hypnotize her again, do it.”

Sloan shook his head. “She asked me not to. Actually,” he said, “she didn’t ask me. It was more like she commanded me never to do it again.” The memory of her ragging him about it made him smile. She refused to admit that she’d been in shock and pain, and relaxing helped. He admired the fact that she would choose pain over giving up any independence. “I can’t do it. She’s not a willing subject.”

“She’s not a willing subject about anything. Why do I always have stubborn women around me?” Jonas asked. But the question was rhetorical, Sloan knew. Jonas was crazy about Fiona, about his wife, Sabrina, who was rumored to have a very stubborn streak, and even Kendall.

“Strong men draw strong women,” Sloan said.

“Lovely. Just once I’d like to have a ‘Yes, Jonas’ type of female in my life.” He got up to pace, so Sloan reached for a cookie, biting into it with pleasure. The simple pleasure of a home-baked cookie was something he hadn’t had in years. Not since—

“Sloan.”

“Yes.” He straightened, focusing on Jonas again. “I’m listening.”

“Whatever you do, you can’t let Kendall run you around.”

Sloan hesitated. “Meaning?”

“She’s bossy. She thinks she can handle herself. And handle anything. The truth is, she doesn’t really know much about what’s been happening here over the past four years. She doesn’t know much about the family.” Jonas paced some more, his body darkly silhouetted in front of the huge window where the moon shone into the den, touching the furnishings with dim light. “She knows a little, but not enough to convince herself she can’t go about her duties the way she used to. I know Kendall. She’ll decide she imagined the whole thing, that she hurt herself on the jeep. Like maybe a big bird flew over and startled her or something. The next thing you know, she’ll be back out there, making plans for the new bunkhouse.”

Sloan swallowed. “I’ll get her out to Hell’s Colony somehow.” It would be for the best.

He looked at Jonas. “I think I have an answer to your problem.”

“I would love to hear it,” Jonas replied, appearing relieved. “Please share.”

“Fire her,” Sloan said.

Jonas looked stunned. Then he laughed. “That’s perfect.”

Sloan felt bad, but saving Kendall from Kendall was paramount.

“Wish I’d thought of it.” He got up, slapped Sloan on the back. “I’ll leave you to take care of that tomorrow morning, after we’re gone, cousin.”

Jonas walked out. Sloan grimaced, the delicious cookie no longer appealing.

It was going to be a long night. The dream wolf had long been his nocturnal companion, a shadowy fear that kept peace at bay and shredded his sleep.

But he’d rather face the wolf than the woman who was going to be none too happy when he told her that her services were no longer required.

* * *

“W
HAT
?”
Kendall exclaimed in a shriek. She glared at Sloan. “What do you mean, I’m
fired?
”

Damn Jonas for leaving this mission to him. Sloan leaned against the wall in Kendall’s room and shrugged—although the last thing he felt was calm and uncaring.

“Fired. Out of work.”

Her blue eyes narrowed on him. “You did this.”

He sighed. “I did.”

Kendall threw the nearest thing that could be used as a projectile, which happened to be her hairbrush, since he’d caught her in the middle of trying to fix herself for the day. The brush bounced off the wall, not one inch from his face. “I’ll have you know my services command hundreds of thousands of dollars. If I call up any of the corporations who’ve tried to lure me away from Gil Phillips, Inc., in the past year, I’ll have a position in thirty minutes, and a salary that would make your head swim.”

He nodded. “Your right to do so.”

She shot a heart-decorated flip-flop at him, followed by its mate. They both missed, but she was getting warmed up, and Sloan figured the next time she’d peg him.

“Get out.”

“I’m under orders to get you to Hell’s Colony.”

“Orders? I’ve been
fired.
I
don’t take orders from Jonas Callahan anymore, that supercilious ass.” She hopped out of the bed, her face creasing with pain as she tried to stay off her foot. “And you promised to take me out to the canyons, though I see now you’re not a man of your word.”

She hobbled to the landing. “Jonas!” she yelled down the stairwell.

“He’s gone. They’re all gone.”

She hopped back into the room, staring at him. “What do you mean, they’re all gone?”

“There’s no one on the ranch but my family, and Fiona and Burke.”

“Oh, my God.” She sank onto her bed again, and Sloan felt sympathy for her. He knew how it felt to lose everything. “I didn’t know they’d leave this soon. No wonder it’s so quiet. I thought the children were all watching a movie in the bunkhouse or something.”

He shook his head. “They left before the sun was up this morning.”

“I can’t believe it. And yet I’m relieved.” She gazed at Sloan. “And you’re supposed to fire me so I’ll leave, too.”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Jonas was too chicken to do it.”

“I’ll bet.” Kendall sat silently for a moment. “You’re both chickenhearted weasels. But at least you told me to my face.”

“I’m a gentleman.”

“Whatever.” Kendall didn’t look at him. “I’m not leaving.”

Sloan’s heart sank. He should have seen this coming. No wonder Jonas had gone off like a dog not eager to see a bathtub. Swallowing hard, Sloan stared at Kendall, reading her face. She was thinking, thinking hard—and he was in trouble.

“
You
hire me,” Kendall said.

“What?” He blinked, automatically stiffening.

“You’re in charge here now. You hire me.” Kendall raised a brow, challenging him.

“I can’t do that.” Sloan shook his head. “I have no authority to make hiring decisions.”

“This is a combat zone. You can make decisions without Jonas’s okay.” Her determined expression said she wasn’t about to let this go. “Besides which, you want me here.”

His gaze snapped to hers. “I don’t—”

“Yes, you do.” She crossed her arms. “You’d feel a whole lot better if you could keep your eyes on me.”

His eyes and some other things. Sloan resisted his errant thoughts. “No can do, sweetheart. Be a good girl and mind your ex-boss. He knows what’s best for you. Me, I’m just an interloper.”

“You’re a tough guy,” Kendall said. “And tough guys like to do things themselves. You want to protect me, don’t you?”

He wasn’t falling for the boost to his ego. “You’ll be safe in Texas. Where you belong.” He got up, went to the door. “I’ll have one of my brothers take you to Albuquerque so you can catch a plane.”

“Sloan.”

He wished he didn’t have to stay in here with her any longer. She was winding tendrils of temptation around him, and the worst part was, he knew she was doing it. Didn’t really want to stop it. “Yeah?”

“I’m staying. I’m going to stick it out with Fiona and Burke. This may not be my home, but I’m not giving up the job I’ve already put several months of work into planning. And you wouldn’t, either, if you were me.”

His mouth flattened. “You have to leave. All the rest of it I’m not getting drawn into.”

He walked out, feeling a ball of tension knot his neck. Everything she’d said was true: he did want her here. He did think he could do the best job of protecting her. But she’d be safe in Texas, where Jonas said her family had a compound.

The problem was, Kendall knew he’d thought up the plan to fire her, so she knew Jonas still wanted her to finish his bunkhouse—when the danger passed. She didn’t consider herself to be in danger, so she saw no reason not to go on with her whatever-the-hell-it-was that she did. Decorating or something. She was fiery like his sister, Ashlyn, and Sloan had plenty of experience with that.

So he knew what the next step was.

“Ashlyn, go upstairs and keep an eye on Kendall for a while, please.” He walked past his sister, who’d stationed herself in the kitchen near Fiona and Burke, who seemed pretty content to ignore everything that didn’t have anything to do with baking and cooking. “Don’t let her talk you into anything. She’ll probably try.”

“Sure.” Ashlyn slid off the barstool and left the kitchen.

Fiona glanced his way. “Problems?”

Sloan took the sack she handed him, which he assumed contained a lunch. “No problems. Thank you for this.”

She nodded and he left, not one bit happy with the blonde upstairs. She was right: he didn’t want her to leave.

But she was going to, whether he liked it or not.

She didn’t understand about the wolf.