Rancher On the Line Read online

  Her mother did her ‘parenting time’ as she’d called it. Once Catalina graduated high school, her mother moved to Florida and the last picture of her on her social media page was of her on a yacht with a group of overly tanned people from a singles group she’d apparently joined. Faye reclaimed her maiden name, Dodd.

  A surprising tear rolled down Catalina’s cheek thinking about her family. Her grandmother was the only constant in her life. If she was honest with herself, her mother had checked out years before the move.

  Catalina needed to take a catnap. The only time her emotions got to her was when she was tired.

  Dane walked Eric outside as she closed her laptop and set it on the coffee table. She curled up on her side and closed her eyes. By the time she opened them again, it was dark outside.

  She bolted upright and glanced around, trying to break through the sleep fog and get her bearings.

  “You’re okay,” the soothing masculine voice came from across the room. It slid over her and through her, waking up places she didn’t know existed until meeting Dane.

  “How long did I sleep?” A blanket slid off her and onto the floor. She reached down to pick it up, realizing he must’ve placed it over her while she slept.

  “It’s almost ten o’clock,” he said.

  “At night?” She’d lost the whole day. The kitchen light flipped on, bathing her in light.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said, needing a cold shower to shake her out of the half-asleep fog. “But I’d like to wake up first.”

  “There’s coffee or more Coke if you’d rather have one,” he said.

  “I grabbed the last one this morning. Did you leave?” Panic tried to close her throat up and make it impossible to breathe.

  “I said I would stay with you.” There was a twinge of hurt in his voice. He seemed more than a little wounded she would doubt his word.

  “Right. Your brother was here. He must’ve gone for supplies,” she said. “Sorry.”

  “No need to apologize.” There was a vacancy to his voice now that she hadn’t picked up on before. Did it have to do with talking about his family? The blankness in his eyes threw her for another loop.

  “Is everything okay?” She rubbed her blurry eyes, adding caffeine to her list of wants.

  “Peachy.” His one-word response sent up another alarm, which triggered a memory.

  Lucas had done the same when he came home. She’d given him space and the emotional distance grew as he seemed to sink deeper and deeper into a pit she had no power to pull him out of.

  “For all intents and purposes, I’m putting my life in your hands.” She cleared her throat. Finding the right words wasn’t easy and she was so far out of her comfort zone right now.

  “Agreed.”

  “I hope you’ll forgive me for being so forward but I want to help.” She barely got those words out before Dane was up pacing in the kitchen.

  “And I’m suddenly your pet project?” he shot back.

  “No. But we are going to be spending time together—”

  “So I can help you.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Let’s keep that part straight if you don’t mind.”

  “I was just trying—”

  “To what?” he cut her off. “Armchair shrink me?”

  “No.”

  “Good,” he said. “Because you need to get one thing straight. I don’t need your help.”

  Those words spoken with so much fire made her want to curl up in a ball. She wasn’t sure why she cared so much about Dane, except that she did. From somewhere deep inside, she was already attached to this man. She needed to know he was going to be all right when this was all said and done.

  After a few breaths meant to calm her nerves, she stood up. She wrung her hands together, unsure of what she was going to say or do once she got to him. Rather than debate her next actions, she just rolled with what felt natural.

  The room was small, so she essentially blocked his exit. He stopped dead center of the room and practically glared at her. There was so much intensity in his stare…and pain. There was no way she could walk away without at least trying no matter how hard he pushed her away. She would never be able to forgive herself if she did it again.

  Another deep breath, and she placed her hands on his chest and locked gazes with him.

  “If I’m putting my trust in you, then you could at least do me the courtesy of being honest with me, but if you’re not okay and are off your game, I need to know. Because it could affect me and I have a child to make it home to.”

  “Believe me when I say none of this will impact your safety. You have my word on that point,” he promised as he clenched his back teeth.

  “I don’t know what happened in your past, Dane. You certainly don’t have to tell me. I’m just sorry for whatever you’ve had to endure because I see a strong person here.” She had no idea where the words were coming from. She was speaking from the heart, hoping some of her words resonated. “And I think you’re amazing.”

  Dane clenched his back teeth again, and a storm brewed behind those pure blue eyes. He gripped her hands at the wrists and issued a sharp sigh.

  When he didn’t respond verbally, she pushed up to her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Then, she turned and walked away.

  Dane stood there for a long moment, vacillating between anger and shock. The words struck a chord. The kiss had been tender. And then anger flooded him again. He didn’t need to be fixed. Besides, it was too late. He couldn’t break down those walls if he wanted to. They were too embedded. Pain was all he knew, especially when it came to his father. Thinking about Brodie Firebrand caused Dane’s hands to fist and anger to roar through him.

  Being forced to keep his father’s secret had messed with a young boy’s mind. Remembering caused all kinds of pent-up frustration to flood him.

  The water turned on in the other room, breaking into the heavy moment. He shoved those thoughts down deep, where they belonged, forcing himself not to replace them with thoughts of Catalina naked in the shower.

  Dane dropped to the floor and fired off fifty pushups. He needed to work off some of his frustration or risk losing his temper, which wasn’t something he would allow himself to do with Catalina. Her words struck him in a dark place—a place he didn’t want or need to shed light on. Anger ripped through him like a spring tornado. He refused to let the rage win. Sit-ups were next, followed by burpees. He’d do anything at this point to work off the excess energy. Being inside all day hadn’t been good for him.

  As soon as he heard the water shut off in the next room, he finished his workout and shouldered his rucksack. The minute Catalina stepped into the living room, he made a beeline for the bathroom, gripping the strap of his rucksack so tight his knuckles turned white.

  Her voice kept creeping into his thoughts during the workout. Her strong but somehow delicate tone embedding itself in his mind. She was special. There was no doubt about it. And based on their conversation earlier, he doubted Lucas told her nearly enough. The man might have spoken highly of her when he was around other guys, but did he ever tell her how beautiful and intelligent she was?

  Because the sadness behind her eyes said she hadn’t been loved anywhere close to the way she deserved. And it wasn’t Dane’s mistake to correct no matter how easy it would have been to dip his head down and claim those pink lips of hers.

  “Help yourself. There are readymade dinners in the fridge,” he practically grunted as he walked past her.

  Being in the same house with her without touching her was going to be more difficult than it should be.

  “Okay,” she said, her voice trailing over him.

  Shower. Cold. Now.

  As much as Dane tried, he couldn’t run enough cold water to cool his hot temper. Normally, he didn’t have a problem with containment. So, he’d have to watch himself around her.

  By the time he exited the shower and dried off, he’d managed to think about at least one other thing besides Catalina. The way his brother wanted to step up and help had reminded him of the good parts of being a Firebrand. It had been a little too easy to block those out while overseas. The memory of his father and grandfather’s actions had choked out all that was good.

  Dane needed to fix it. When this was over, he planned to go see his mother. Maybe even stay at his home on the ranch. Or, just to stick it the Marshall who never liked anyone in his house, maybe he’d stay at the main house instead.

  The thought made him smirk. Sounds like he just figured out his next step when he secured Catalina.

  By the time he entered the main living rooms, the smell of his mother’s homemade meatballs hit him square in the face. He might have suppressed a whole lot of things about being brought up a Firebrand, but his Italian mother’s meatballs weren’t one of them.

  “These are amazing,” Catalina said, lifting one off her plate with her fork. “You should try them.”

  “They’re an old family recipe,” he said, managing a much calmer and more collected voice now. “And they smell just like the last time I tasted them four and a half years ago.”

  “You haven’t been home in over four years?” Her mouth fell open.

  “When you’re over there it just gets easier and easier to stay there.” The admission surprised him.

  “Lucas came home less and less over the years.” She pushed the meatball around with her fork. “I never asked why. I just thought he was working through things and life would somehow get back to normal once he got out.”

  Was that the reason she’d pushed him to talk earlier? Dane heated a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, listening to what Catalina had to say.

  “He slipped away from me,” she said softly.

  H
is unspoken question was answered with her statement.

  She didn’t look up at him and he suspected she was trying to hide tears. Catalina, he was beginning to realize, was one of the bravest people he would ever meet. She was taking on her boss, putting her own life at risk to stop her program from getting into the wrong hands, and she single-handedly went into hiding while finishing coding. All of this after giving birth and finding a place to hide her son.

  “I don’t think you hear this nearly enough.” He took his plate out of the microwave and joined her at the table where she’d set out two places. “But you’re also an amazing person, Catalina. Lucas was lucky to have you.”

  “Thank you,” she said, not looking directly at him. Her appreciation for the compliment came through in her voice. “At least now I have you here and I’m rested. Dinner was the best meal I’ve had in…I can’t remember how long. All I need now is caffeine and I can get back to cracking at the code.”

  Dane’s cell buzzed, and the alarm sounded. He must have made a face because Catalina dropped her fork.

  “What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Someone is coming. We have to go.”

  9

  “How much time do we have?” Catalina hopped up and was on her feet in two seconds. She picked up her plate and started toward the sink.

  “Leave the dishes,” Dane said, already moving toward his military-issue bag. “We have to go now.”

  The careful emphasis he placed on the last word caused her heart to drop. She set the plate back down on the table and rushed toward her backpack. The laptop went in first followed by the lap desk. She scrambled into the next room and joined Dane who was already gathering up her toiletries and clothes, tossing them inside her suitcase.

  Less than three minutes later, they were crouched down low and moving toward the door.

  “Key,” he said, holding out his flat palm.

  She reached inside the side pocket of her backpack, located it, and then handed it over.

  “Eric will move your rental.” He tossed the key toward the sedan, linked their fingers, and then headed toward the tree line in the opposite direction.

  Normally, Catalina wouldn’t hand over keys to a rental car to a near stranger, except it felt like she’d known Dane for years already. She tried to chalk it up to him being familiar because he’d served in the same unit as Lucas, but it wasn’t true. Lightning had struck the minute she’d seen Dane, and she’d known he was going to be an important person in her life. Could he be in Luke’s as well?

  Branches slapped at her face as Dane pushed the pace through the trees. He seemed to know exactly where he was headed, while she couldn’t be more lost. Her lungs burned, her stomach cramped, and her thighs screamed, but he kept pushing. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dark. There was no light out here.

  When she slowed and he practically dragged her, he urged her to keep moving. She refused to be the one to slow them down. All she had to carry was a backpack. He’d taken the suitcase along with his own bag, and still managed to hold her hand.

  His eyesight must be near perfect, and adaptable because hers was just beginning to adjust to the darkness surrounding them. All she could hear clearly was the snap of twigs underneath their shoes and the slap of branches.

  Dane finally stopped and tugged her down until she crouched low. He seemed to have barely broken a sweat meanwhile, she sounded like a steam engine roaring down a track. She squeezed her side, trying to abate the cramp. No use.

  Questions surfaced. Where were they? Who was coming? How long were they going to stay in the woods? Would they be able to return to the cabin? Did she forget anything that could identify her? Instinct told her to keep quiet.

  She’d been so close to fixing another bug in the program before crashing on the couch. An answer came to her while in the shower a little while ago. Her fingers itched to get back to coding. The caffeine boost was no longer needed. Adrenaline had done the trick. Blood pulsed through her veins and her heart thumped inside her ribcage.

  “We’re spending the night out here,” he finally said. His voice was low and gravelly. “How much battery do you have?”

  “Enough to code for five hours and thirty-five minutes,” she stated. “I should have been plugged in this whole time. Then, I would have more.”

  “I have an auxiliary charger. Let’s hope that gets you through until morning,” he said. “We’ll have a new plan by then.”

  “Hold on a minute. We can’t sleep out here…can we?” she asked, panic building. The most outdoorsy she’d ever been was the occasional picnic or outdoor concert. Even then mosquitoes seemed to consider her a favorite meal.

  “Do you have a better idea?” His voice was a study in calm.

  Right. He was used to living in much worse conditions. It was hot. She was sticky. Complaining would do no good. Plus, it wouldn’t change the situation. Issuing a sharp sigh, she said, “No.”

  Her brain picked that moment to remind her she hadn’t thanked him for everything he was already doing for her. This didn’t seem like the right time to bring it up, so she set the thought aside with a promise to tell him later.

  “When I say we’ll stay out here, I didn’t mean in this exact spot,” his tone softened when he must have heard the panic in hers. “Follow me.”

  This didn’t seem like the right time to point out the obvious fact she didn’t have much of a choice. Unless she wanted to be stranded in the woods and eaten by mosquitoes or whatever else was out there and decided that she’d taste good.

  But, hey, she refused to complain. She could do this and much more. Chin up, shoulders back was pretty much her life mantra. It had gotten her through Lucas’s funeral, through a pregnancy on her own, and through childbirth. Being the snack of a mosquito wasn’t going to take her down. Period.

  After walking until it felt like her feet might fall off, she saw a structure in the trees. Her heart galloped. “Are we…?”

  She couldn’t bring herself to finish the question while she was unsure if she could handle the disappointment if the answer was no. A treehouse? Aside from taking her back to good memories in her childhood, it had four walls and a floor. There’d be no sleeping on the ground because, last she checked, there were all kinds of hazards there. Fire ants to name one. Getting bit by one of those stung like crazy. She’d already thought of mosquitoes but those could fly. But, hey, beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  Plus, being in the trees would put them in the breeze.

  “How do you know about this place?” Catalina asked. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark a while ago. She should have kept track of how long they’d been walking and from which direction instead of placing her complete trust in Dane.

  But it was Dane Firebrand. If she couldn’t trust him, she might as well cash in her chips. He was one of the most honorable people she’d ever met and the few times Lucas had mentioned him, he had nothing but respect for the man. He’d said things like, “He’s quiet but I never question whether or not he has my back.”

  Whoever Lucas had complete faith in was good enough for Catalina. Of course, her instincts said she could trust him too. There was something special about the man.

  “I grew up around here. Remember? Hang on. I’ll be right back.” He surveyed the area before climbing the wood posts that had been screwed into the tree. Thankfully, the treehouse wasn’t too high in the air in the event they need to make a quick exit. Being up there would give them a height advantage too. Dane could keep an eye out while she coded.

  Dane climbed back down, a little lighter this time. His backpack was missing. When he climbed up the second time, he took her suitcase with him. His third trip, he insisted on being the one to carry her backpack up.

  “After you,” he said after surveying the area again, a constant reminder of the danger they were in.

  Catalina climbed up and scooted across the flooring. A piece of scrap carpet had been placed on top of the wood planks. It was surprisingly comfortable. The treehouse was one room with windows that allowed the breeze to come through. Other than that, the place was sparse. There was a small chest on one side and that was it as far as furniture went. Not surprising.