had been beneath her thighs and very nearly touching the side of her breast.
Now that she had time to think beyond defending her life, she realized the cowboy Hank had sent was everything a girl could dream of—tall, dark and handsome. Add a brooding, mysterious look in his blue eyes and he was devastatingly appealing.
She hadn’t felt like this since…before her husband, Troy, had been killed in Afghanistan, a month before she’d delivered Lily. Four years ago. A wave of guilt washed over her for thinking such thoughts about a man who wasn’t her husband. But, then, Troy had been dead a long time, she hadn’t. The man downstairs had triggered a strong physical response she thought she’d never feel again.
Kate sucked in a deep breath and let it out, the tips of her nipples tight little points poking at the sheer fabric of the nightgown. She reached for the hem, telling herself that wearing the gown was asking for trouble.
Her hands stopped before they could lift it over her head. Who was she kidding? The man wasn’t interested in her any more than she should be interested in him. He was there as the hired help. Hank had promised protection for her and Lily until they could figure out who was responsible for the break-in in Houston and now at the Flying K Ranch.
As she lay down on the sheets, her thoughts drifted to the man sleeping on the couch downstairs. He’d had a strange look in his eyes when he’d seen Lily. His brows had furrowed into a fierce frown, scary in its intensity. It hadn’t looked like an angry frown so much as one of great pain and sorrow. What would cause such a look on a man’s face?
She didn’t know. In fact, Kate didn’t know much of anything about her hired gun. Hell, she didn’t know anything about Hank Derringer for that matter. This area was rumored to have a big drug cartel influence. Had she asked for help from one of the local mafia?
Kate lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what she’d done by bringing Lily here. Not that she’d been any safer in Houston. Not after her apartment had been ransacked.
A yawn nearly dislocated her jaw, forcing Kate to give up trying to make sense of all that had happened. Tomorrow she’d ask the questions burning in her mind. Who the hell was Ben Harding and what kind of hired hands did Hank Derringer provide? Even more importantly, did he have any hired hands that were a little older and less attractive?
Kate rolled over and punched her pillow before settling down. Her bruised cheek reminded her of the intruder and her near miss with death. She reached out and looped her arm over her daughter, pulling her close. If anything happened to Lily, she’d never forgive herself.
Tomorrow she’d start her search for answers.
Chapter Three
A knock on the door brought Ben off the couch and up on his bare feet in seconds. He must have fallen asleep after tossing and turning on the narrow couch. Every noise had kept him awake until way into the wee hours.
The sun shone through the filmy curtains, lighting his path through the boxes and furniture. From what he could see of the front porch, two men stood there in tan uniforms.
The local law enforcement.
As he pulled the door half-open, footsteps sounded on the stairs behind him.
“Who is it?” Kate descended the flight of stairs in a light blue baby-doll nightgown, pulling a robe over her shoulders that only came down to midthigh. Her creamy legs and the glimpse of her breasts through the thin material of the gown had Ben’s jeans tightening.
With the door gaping, he had no choice but to open it the rest of the way.
The two men in tan uniforms stared at him, then their eyes drifted to the woman on the stairs behind him.
A flash of anger burned through his bloodstream and Ben moved to block their view as much as he could. “Can I help you?”
The bigger man stepped forward. “I’m Sheriff Fulmer, this is Deputy Schillinger. We’re here to see Katherine Langsdon.”
Ben’s eyes narrowed. “For what reason?”
The sheriff’s lips pulled up on one side in a sneer. “Now, I guess that’s between me and the lady.”
“It’s okay, Ben.” Kate laid a hand on Ben’s arm and stepped up beside him. “I wanted to call on them this morning anyway. We had a break-in last night.”
“Sorry to hear that. Can you describe the perp?”
She shook her head. “No, he was wearing all black and a black ski mask.”
“Not much I can do to help without a detailed description.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Then why did you come out?”
“Ms. Langsdon, as the only living relative of the late Kyle Kendrick, you have been served.” The sheriff handed her a thick envelope, his face poker-straight.
“What?” She took the packet, her cheeks blanching, making the bruise stand out even more.
“What’s this all about?” Ben slipped an arm around Kate as she opened the envelope, every protective instinct on alert in the face of the sheriff and his deputy.
“Back taxes? The will said nothing about back taxes.” She looked up at the sheriff.
“Sorry, Ms. Langsdon, I only deliver the bad news, I don’t create it. Your father was the one who didn’t pay. Since he left the ranch to you, you’re responsible now.”
Ben didn’t like the sheriff’s tone or the way the man hit her with the notice so soon after coming to her father’s ranch.
“Twenty-seven thousand?” She snorted softly. “I can’t afford twenty-seven hundred.” Kate stared at the paper in her hands. “That would completely wipe me out and then some.”
The sheriff shrugged. “You might consider selling this dump. Pretty young woman like you will find it difficult to manage a place this size all alone.”
It was all Ben could do to keep from punching the sheriff for his patronizing words. Ben barely knew Kate, but any woman would resent the sheriff’s inference that a woman couldn’t run a ranch.
“I’m not alone.” Kate clutched the envelope to her chest, her chin rising. “I have Ben.” She edged nearer to Ben.
His chest swelled, his arm automatically tightening around her middle, pulling her closer to him.
The sheriff’s brows rose. “Hired hands don’t always stick around.”
“He’s not the hired hand. He’s…” Kate’s hand waved, in search of the right word.
Afraid she’d say he was her bodyguard, Ben finished for her, “I’m her fiancé. We will be working the ranch together.”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say your last name was?”
Ben’s lips twisted. “I didn’t. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” He moved to shut the door.
The sheriff
