to multiple people who know this region of North Dakota forwards and
backwards. No one has even given me a lead yet. We could be wasting precious
time asking the wrong people.”
To his shock, her big blue eyes grew glassy with tears and her bottom lip
trembled slightly. “I never thought…oh, my god...”
He wrapped her in his arms, tight against his chest. “Shhh. Don’t second
guess yourself. You’ve been making the best decisions for each step you’ve
reached, but now we’re at a fork in the road. If we continue on with no clues and
no help, we’re not very likely to come up with anything. It’s been how many days
since you heard from Vivi? What if they’ve moved her in the interim? We’re
looking for a place with a lot of comings and goings, but we might have been
looking for the wrong thing. Maybe we need to look for a place that’s suddenly
empty after it was really busy.”
She didn’t hug him back, but she accepted the embrace and the comfort
offered and he figured that was a pretty good step. At least she wasn’t hissing and
scratching like a feral cat anymore. He’d never met a more prickly woman in his
life.
After several tense moments, she finally murmured something into his chest.
“Thank you. For helping me. I’d do anything to find Vivi. If you think the sheriff
can help us, then I’ll trust you.”
Unable to stop himself, he tipped her face up to look into her teary eyes. She
might be on the verge of crying, but not one damn tear slipped the confines of
her eyelids. Strength and determination shone in their deep blue depths, and his
heart ka-thumped in his chest. He suddenly became very aware of the way her
body pressed against his. Her breasts were firm against his lower ribs and abs,
and her sweetly feminine scent filled his nose. She was a delicious armful.
It took everything he had to release his hold on her and take a step back.
The devil in his head urged him to capture her plump lips and take what he
wanted, but that would just push her away even more. And besides, that’s what he
did with every woman he met. That’s why he was so goddamn lonely. He wanted
more from Franki. Something different.
“Come on. We’ll go back to the ranch for now, and I’ll reach out to Bran
later today. We’ll invite him out for dinner, and maybe we can present the facts to
my brothers and Bran all at once. With the think team on it surely we’ll come up
with some great ideas.”
Franki shook her head, “Wait, your brothers?”
“Oh yeah. This has just become a Crawley Creek operation, and no man is
left behind.” Stroking his finger across her tense jaw, he smiled at her. “Trust me,
Franki.”
It took a moment, but she finally nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
The one word answer cemented her place in his heart. If he didn’t succeed
in finding Vivi and keeping Franki he’d never be the same again.
Chapter 11
Franki felt sick to her stomach that evening as she walked down the beautiful
staircase at Crawley Creek. Not only had she bet her sister’s life on a family of
cowboys she barely knew, but she was also asking for help from a man she’d
directly insulted just hours ago. It was like she was living a nightmare. She wanted
nothing more than to wake up back home in St. Paul and pick up the phone to
call her sister for a long overdue girl talk. Hell, for that matter she’d rather wake
up four years ago and phone her mom to say I love you.
The scent of gril ed meat hung in the air, and as usual, the rumble of voices
drifted from the kitchen and dining room. It seemed there was always someone
around to talk to at Crawley Creek and she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it.
She was used to spending her time alone. Wrapped up in the comfort of the
familiar, and avoiding the judgement of others.
“Do you remember that time when Jenny Carlton brought her pet cat to
school for show and tell, and you brought Rocky the golden retriever that
backwards. No one has even given me a lead yet. We could be wasting precious
time asking the wrong people.”
To his shock, her big blue eyes grew glassy with tears and her bottom lip
trembled slightly. “I never thought…oh, my god...”
He wrapped her in his arms, tight against his chest. “Shhh. Don’t second
guess yourself. You’ve been making the best decisions for each step you’ve
reached, but now we’re at a fork in the road. If we continue on with no clues and
no help, we’re not very likely to come up with anything. It’s been how many days
since you heard from Vivi? What if they’ve moved her in the interim? We’re
looking for a place with a lot of comings and goings, but we might have been
looking for the wrong thing. Maybe we need to look for a place that’s suddenly
empty after it was really busy.”
She didn’t hug him back, but she accepted the embrace and the comfort
offered and he figured that was a pretty good step. At least she wasn’t hissing and
scratching like a feral cat anymore. He’d never met a more prickly woman in his
life.
After several tense moments, she finally murmured something into his chest.
“Thank you. For helping me. I’d do anything to find Vivi. If you think the sheriff
can help us, then I’ll trust you.”
Unable to stop himself, he tipped her face up to look into her teary eyes. She
might be on the verge of crying, but not one damn tear slipped the confines of
her eyelids. Strength and determination shone in their deep blue depths, and his
heart ka-thumped in his chest. He suddenly became very aware of the way her
body pressed against his. Her breasts were firm against his lower ribs and abs,
and her sweetly feminine scent filled his nose. She was a delicious armful.
It took everything he had to release his hold on her and take a step back.
The devil in his head urged him to capture her plump lips and take what he
wanted, but that would just push her away even more. And besides, that’s what he
did with every woman he met. That’s why he was so goddamn lonely. He wanted
more from Franki. Something different.
“Come on. We’ll go back to the ranch for now, and I’ll reach out to Bran
later today. We’ll invite him out for dinner, and maybe we can present the facts to
my brothers and Bran all at once. With the think team on it surely we’ll come up
with some great ideas.”
Franki shook her head, “Wait, your brothers?”
“Oh yeah. This has just become a Crawley Creek operation, and no man is
left behind.” Stroking his finger across her tense jaw, he smiled at her. “Trust me,
Franki.”
It took a moment, but she finally nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
The one word answer cemented her place in his heart. If he didn’t succeed
in finding Vivi and keeping Franki he’d never be the same again.
Chapter 11
Franki felt sick to her stomach that evening as she walked down the beautiful
staircase at Crawley Creek. Not only had she bet her sister’s life on a family of
cowboys she barely knew, but she was also asking for help from a man she’d
directly insulted just hours ago. It was like she was living a nightmare. She wanted
nothing more than to wake up back home in St. Paul and pick up the phone to
call her sister for a long overdue girl talk. Hell, for that matter she’d rather wake
up four years ago and phone her mom to say I love you.
The scent of gril ed meat hung in the air, and as usual, the rumble of voices
drifted from the kitchen and dining room. It seemed there was always someone
around to talk to at Crawley Creek and she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it.
She was used to spending her time alone. Wrapped up in the comfort of the
familiar, and avoiding the judgement of others.
“Do you remember that time when Jenny Carlton brought her pet cat to
school for show and tell, and you brought Rocky the golden retriever that
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