over her head at Sam. Heather glanced back then moved quickly to place herself in front of him, close. He looked ready to kill. Instantly his arms went around her, and she almost laughed at the instinctive response. If she put aside the whole sharing issue, the August men could be rather endearing.
“I’m not going anywhere, Dillon,” Sarah told him with a vein of exasperation.
“Now why are you really here, because we both know you knew I wasn’t leaving with you.”
“Where’s that drink I was promised?” He turned and headed into Cade’s study after shooting him a veiled look.
“Keep your people out here, Rick,” Cade ordered as he headed into the room behind Dillon.
Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
64
“Cade.” Rick stopped him as he moved to pass. “Don’t keep information away from me, man. We can’t protect you, or catch this stalker if you start hiding things from me.”
Cade’s eyes narrowed. “My family is my life, Rick,” he bit out. “You’ll have everything you need to know, I promise you that. But some things are just not any of your damned business,” he bit out before stalking into the study. Heather stayed quiet. Sam led her into the room and she didn’t balk. Dillon looked like a man on a mission, and evidently his sister wasn’t the entire mission.
“I talked to the sheriff, earlier.” Dillon poured himself a stiff drink as the door closed behind Sam and Heather. “I found out about Tate and the explosion from him. But what they don’t know, and one of my hands told me, was that Tate had a friend. They aren’t certain who. One who knew quite a bit about your family and the situation here. One who promised Tate some interesting information.”
“How do you know about this?” Cade asked him, his voice dark, warning.
“Tate liked to talk when he drank, Cade. He told a lot of people he would have some interesting pictures soon. Pictures of the August men…” He paused, his jaw bunching as he glanced at his sister. “Explicit pictures from twelve years ago.”
Tension thickened in the room.
“If he had them, the sheriff would have found them,” Cade pointed out logically as he glanced at the others in the room. “Whoever’s behind this was using the bastard.”
“But he told a lot of men, Cade. Men who wouldn’t mind watching you fall. And he hinted that the person with the information was right under your nose.”
A pin drop would have echoed in the room, the silence was so thick, as all eyes turned to Heather.
“No.” She shook her head, feeling her hair swish against Sam’s chest as his arms went around her again. “Rick hand-picked this team. It has to be one of the cowboys.”
“It could be anyone,” Cade murmured.
“Cade, Rick needs to know about this,” Heather said firmly, as he watched her intently. “If there’s even a chance it could be one of his men, he needs to know.”
He drew in a deep, hard breath before nodding abruptly. “You’re right. But just Rick, Heather. And you better get ready to spend a hell of a lot more time with Sam than you have been so far.”
Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
65
Chapter Fifteen
They ran a ranch. Fences needed mending, cattle needed to be moved, horses needed shoeing and stables to be cleaned. Hay was being baled in preparation to stack within the barns and a thousand other details that needed to be taken care of. Days went by with no news, and no report of strangers or otherwise unusual occurrences. Sam was losing patience and control. Heather was with him damned near every second of every day and Rick watched him like a hawk.
The pressure was starting to get to all of them. He was sniping at Cade and Brock, and caught himself just short of sniping at Heather. He needed her too bad. The ache to touch her, taste her, was about to drive him crazy.
Sam knew Cade and Brock were chafing at the restrictions being placed on them within the house as well. They were all damned tired of stalking the
“I’m not going anywhere, Dillon,” Sarah told him with a vein of exasperation.
“Now why are you really here, because we both know you knew I wasn’t leaving with you.”
“Where’s that drink I was promised?” He turned and headed into Cade’s study after shooting him a veiled look.
“Keep your people out here, Rick,” Cade ordered as he headed into the room behind Dillon.
Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
64
“Cade.” Rick stopped him as he moved to pass. “Don’t keep information away from me, man. We can’t protect you, or catch this stalker if you start hiding things from me.”
Cade’s eyes narrowed. “My family is my life, Rick,” he bit out. “You’ll have everything you need to know, I promise you that. But some things are just not any of your damned business,” he bit out before stalking into the study. Heather stayed quiet. Sam led her into the room and she didn’t balk. Dillon looked like a man on a mission, and evidently his sister wasn’t the entire mission.
“I talked to the sheriff, earlier.” Dillon poured himself a stiff drink as the door closed behind Sam and Heather. “I found out about Tate and the explosion from him. But what they don’t know, and one of my hands told me, was that Tate had a friend. They aren’t certain who. One who knew quite a bit about your family and the situation here. One who promised Tate some interesting information.”
“How do you know about this?” Cade asked him, his voice dark, warning.
“Tate liked to talk when he drank, Cade. He told a lot of people he would have some interesting pictures soon. Pictures of the August men…” He paused, his jaw bunching as he glanced at his sister. “Explicit pictures from twelve years ago.”
Tension thickened in the room.
“If he had them, the sheriff would have found them,” Cade pointed out logically as he glanced at the others in the room. “Whoever’s behind this was using the bastard.”
“But he told a lot of men, Cade. Men who wouldn’t mind watching you fall. And he hinted that the person with the information was right under your nose.”
A pin drop would have echoed in the room, the silence was so thick, as all eyes turned to Heather.
“No.” She shook her head, feeling her hair swish against Sam’s chest as his arms went around her again. “Rick hand-picked this team. It has to be one of the cowboys.”
“It could be anyone,” Cade murmured.
“Cade, Rick needs to know about this,” Heather said firmly, as he watched her intently. “If there’s even a chance it could be one of his men, he needs to know.”
He drew in a deep, hard breath before nodding abruptly. “You’re right. But just Rick, Heather. And you better get ready to spend a hell of a lot more time with Sam than you have been so far.”
Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
65
Chapter Fifteen
They ran a ranch. Fences needed mending, cattle needed to be moved, horses needed shoeing and stables to be cleaned. Hay was being baled in preparation to stack within the barns and a thousand other details that needed to be taken care of. Days went by with no news, and no report of strangers or otherwise unusual occurrences. Sam was losing patience and control. Heather was with him damned near every second of every day and Rick watched him like a hawk.
The pressure was starting to get to all of them. He was sniping at Cade and Brock, and caught himself just short of sniping at Heather. He needed her too bad. The ache to touch her, taste her, was about to drive him crazy.
Sam knew Cade and Brock were chafing at the restrictions being placed on them within the house as well. They were all damned tired of stalking the
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