Montana SEAL (8 page)

“I want to change into something fresh.” Sadie hurried after Fin, leaving Hank in the kitchen, drying the last plate.

He wandered into the hallway where the photographs of the family had hung ever since he could remember. When he’d visited Fin and Sadie, he’d waited in the hallway, staring at pictures of the McClain family, working the cattle, playing football, on vacation or gathered around the Christmas tree, smiling and laughing.

Hank had vague memories of a time when his family had been happy. When his mother was still living. She’d been the life force that held the family together. After she died, his father had gotten meaner and crankier, never finding anything nice to say about anyone. Especially Hank. No matter how hard he’d tried, he couldn’t please his father. For many years, he’d busted his ass for his father’s acceptance. Now that he was grown and had gone through all he had to become a SEAL, he had to give the credit to his upbringing. If his father hadn’t been so hard on him, he might not have made it past the first week of BUD/S training.

Pausing in front of Sadie’s senior picture, his pulse quickened and a rush of longing filled his chest to the point he felt it might explode. This was the photograph he’d carried in his vest for years until it disintegrated. Sadie was the woman who’d held his heart and gave him a reason to live through the worst firefights. Even knowing he couldn’t compete with her co-stars, he dreamed of being with her some day. Never had he thought it would be so soon. Now that he was with her, he didn’t want their time to end.

Fin appeared beside him. “She was such a brat back then. I don’t know how you put up with her.”

“Hey.” Sadie joined them in the hallway and slapped her brother’s arm. “That’s no way to talk about your sister.”

“I didn’t do it until I knew you were eavesdropping.” Fin rubbed his arm. “You didn’t have to hit me so hard.”

“Baby.”

“Brat.” Fin pulled his sister into his arms and hugged her tight. “It’s so good to have you home.”

Sadie smiled up at her brother. “It’s good to be here.” Her smile faded. “I’m just sorry Carla couldn’t stick around.”

Fin’s face darkened, and he set Sadie at arm’s length. “It worked out for the best. She gets a little too flustered when company comes to stay with us, and her mother is always happy when she goes to visit.”

“Are you two all right?” Sadie whispered.

Hank heard the worry in her voice.

“We’re fine,” Fin said. “Now, let’s get going. Joe will be one beer ahead of us if we don’t get there soon.”

“I’ll drive,” Hank said. “Might as well put the miles on the rental, since I have unlimited miles.”

“You won’t get an argument out of me.” Fin held the door for Sadie. “I call shotgun.”

“I swear we could all be back in high school,” Sadie said.

Hank disagreed. Though their words were spoken like they had been eleven years ago, each of them had gone through a lot. From taking on more responsibility, learning new skills and suffering the loss of loved ones, they’d weathered storms and come out stronger.

Hank drove the curvy roads a lot slower heading back into town than when he’d driven out earlier.

Fin joked, “You’re driving like an old man. What happened to the kid with the lead foot on the accelerator?”

“Let’s just say I’ve encountered my share of obstacles. Driving like my hair’s on fire doesn’t hold the same appeal.”

“Realizing your own mortality?” Fin nodded. “I don’t ride the orneriest horses anymore. I’ve learned to tame them, rather than break them. Actually, I guess I learned there was a difference.”

Talking with Fin and Sadie felt like old times. Before Hank knew it, they were pulling up in front of the Blue Moose Tavern.

Hank hopped out and held the rear door of the SUV for Sadie, and then held her hand all the way into the bar.

Joe met them with back-thumping hugs. A cheer went up from the occupants of the room for the hometown hero and the local celebrity. After a few minutes of handshaking and hellos, they finally settled at a table in the corner.

About the time Hank sank into his chair, he spied Sadie’s agent, entering the tavern.

Sadie must have seen him as well. “Damn,” she muttered.

“Say the word and I’ll throw him out,” Hank said.

“No. I can handle him. He’s really one of the best agents in the business.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know when to back off.”

“True.”

When Raymond spotted Sadie, he made a beeline for their table.

Sadie straightened in her seat. “Here we go.”

“Sadie, I’m so glad you’re here, tonight,” Ray said as he came to a halt in front of her. “I hope you’ve had time to consider the contract.”

Her lips thinned. “Ray, I told you, leave it until I get back to LA.”

Hank leaned forward and gave the man a glare that made most SEALs new to the unit cringe. “Listen to her, Ray,” he said in a deep, threatening tone.

Ray frowned at Hank, and turned back to Sadie. “I have the document in my car. All I need is a signature.”

“Ray,” Sadie said, her voice smooth, controlled, “you’re fired.”

“It will only take a second for me to get the papers,” Ray went on. “You can sign, and I’ll be on my way back to LA in the morning.”

Hank stood and placed himself between Sadie and Ray. “Maybe you didn’t hear Miss McClain. She said you’re fired.”

Raymond blanched and stepped backward. “You can’t fire me.”

Sadie rose to stand by Hank. “I can, and I did. Now leave me alone.”

Ray looked from Sadie to Hank. He opened his mouth and snapped it shut. “We’ll talk when you get back to LA.”

Sadie crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t change my mind.”

Joe chose that moment to join them. “Sorry I’m late. I had something come up with one of my deputies.” He stared from Ray to Sadie. “Everything all right here?”

Ray dragged in a breath and let it out on a huff. “Everything’s just fine. I’m leaving. But this isn’t over.” He performed an about face and left the tavern.

Joe’s brows sank. “Was it something I said?”

Sadie shook her head. “It wasn’t you.”

Hank slipped an arm around Sadie. “You handled that well.”

“Yeah, but now I need a new agent.” She shook back her hair and smiled. “But that can wait until I get back to LA. I’m here to visit with my friends.”

Someone fed money into the jukebox, and a cry-in-your-beer love song filled the room.

Hank leaned close. “They’re playing our song.”

“We had a song?” she asked.

He winked. “We do now. Dance with me.” When she hesitated, he added. “It’ll reinforce our cover.”

Still she hesitated. When a cowboy got up from a barstool and headed straight for her, Sadie grabbed Hank’s hand and pulled him toward the dance floor. “Show me what the navy taught you about dancing.”

“Go easy on me. I’m not fully recovered.” Though his injury gave him a recurring twinge of pain, and he couldn’t do a decent squat without tearing open the newly formed scar tissue, he could sway to a slow song and hold his girl in his arms.

His girl.

Profound yearning filled him as he pulled her into his arms.

Sadie slipped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. Her warmth pressed against him, made Hank long to be away from the crowd, in a room by themselves where they could peel away their layers of clothing and make love like they used to beneath a summer’s moon shining down from the big Montana sky.

No words were necessary—just touching, feeling, and breathing in the essence of Sadie. When the song came to a close, she lifted her face.

He took her offering, his lips closing over hers in a long, deep kiss that heated him from his toes to the tips of his ears, filling his heart until he was sure it would burst.

A lively song replaced the slow one, and several younger couples hurried onto the dance floor.

“What was the name of that song?” Sadie asked.

“I don’t know.” He took her hand and led her back to their table. “Why?”

“I want to remember it.” Rather than take her seat, she glanced around the barroom. “I’m going to find the restroom.” She stepped away from him.

“I’ll go with you,” he said.

Sadie raised her hand. “Don’t worry. I won’t go outside without you.”

Hank stood while Sadie weaved through the tables. When she disappeared down the hallway leading to the restrooms, a panicky feeling filled his chest.

“Sit.” Fin patted the chair beside him. “I ordered a beer for you. The waitress is coming.”

Reluctant to let Sadie out of his sight for even a moment, he lowered himself into the chair.

A waitress arrived with four longneck beers.

As she set the bottles in front of them, Hank leaned around her to keep an eye on the darkened hallway. He knew it took women longer to make use of the facilities than men, but the longer Sadie took, the more anxious Hank became. Finally, he pushed back from the table and stood. “I think I’ll hit the head.”

Fin ducked and grinned. “As long is it’s not mine you’re aiming at.”

Hank shook his head. “Navy-speak for latrine.”

“Oh. Gotcha.” Fin tipped his head in the direction Sadie had gone. “I’ll be on my second beer by the time you two get back.”

Hank hurried through the crowded tables and chairs and was blocked once by a waitress carrying a huge tray of drinks. The longer it took to get across the room, the faster his pulse beat. Where was Sadie?

S
adie wet
a paper towel and blotted her face with the cool dampness, her insides still on fire from the dance with Hank. Desire raged through her, making her want to take him home to her bed and make love to him until night turned to day. And then they’d start all over again.

She’d never intended for her trip home to be a reconnection with her first love. It was about grounding herself and giving herself time to think about the next steps in her career. She was at the top of her game, but reaching the top wasn’t nearly as satisfying as she’d expected it to be. What was success without love?

Every night, she went home to the gorgeous, spacious mansion she’d purchased in the Hollywood Hills. She could buy anything she wanted, but she found she couldn’t buy love. For the past couple of grueling years, working on the sets of her latest movies, she’d dreamed of going home to Montana. Now that she was there, she didn’t want to leave.

And it all had to do with Hank.

She stared at herself in the mirror. “How the hell can I live without him?” she whispered to the anguished woman in the glass. Maybe if she let herself succumb to her desires, she might find that having what she thought she couldn’t have would diminish the heart-wrenching longing she’d lived with for over eleven years.

Butterflies fluttered in her belly. She glanced once more into the mirror, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.
Yes.
She’d make love with Hank—assuming he still wanted to—and get him out of her system.

In the back of her mind, she knew it was like lying to herself, but her heart pushed her forward and out of the bathroom. She turned toward the bar, but was stopped when a dark cloth was flung over her head, a gloved hand twisted her arm up behind her, and cold hard metal pressed into her back.

“Scream and I’ll plug a hole through your back,” a gravelly voice said behind her.

Unable to see her assailant or where she was being taken, she danced on her toes to lessen the pain in her arm. A door opened, and she was shoved out into the cold night air. Fear and desperation spiked through her. If she didn’t put up a fight, her captor could take her anywhere, do anything, and perhaps even kill her.

Sadie refused to go down without a fight. As the door swung closed behind her, she planted her heels in loose gravel, backed up and twisted around, hoping that if the gun went off, it wouldn’t hit her square on.

The person holding her arm grunted and stumbled backward.

Sadie jerked free, swept her arm wide, connecting with the weapon. Metal clattered against pavement. Her heart hammering against her ribs, she swept the cloth off her head and spun to face her attacker.

Dressed in dark, baggy clothing and wearing a black ski mask, her attacker dove for the gun. With the man between her and the doorway, and not wanting to stick around to take a bullet, Sadie did the only thing she could. She ran.

Racing to the end of the building, she ran around the side and turned toward the street. Footsteps pounded behind her, making her run even faster. If she could make it to the front of the tavern, surely someone would be there to help, or she might make it back inside before being shot dead.

As she rounded the corner, she plowed into a soft, pudgy man. He staggered backward and fell to the ground with a grunt, still holding her, his hands gripping her arms.

Afraid the gun-toting attacker would round the corner at any moment, Sadie yelled, “Let go of me.” She struggled to get free, but couldn’t untangle herself.

B
y the time
Hank made it to the hallway where the restrooms were located, his gut told him something wasn’t right. The door to the ladies room opened and a woman exited, frowning at him.

“Was there another woman in there with you?” he asked.

Her frown deepened. “No.” She scurried past him and ducked back into the barroom.

Hank shoved the door open to the ladies room. “Sadie?” The room was empty, and every alarm bell inside Hank rang loud and clear. Back in the hallway, he noticed an exit sign over the door at the end. Without hesitating, he rushed toward it and burst out into the night. The alley was empty, but a woman’s voice sounded from around the front of the building.

“Let go of me!”

Dear God, it was Sadie.

Hank sprinted for the front of the building and found Sadie struggling to her feet, the cameraman from earlier that day on his knees, trying to stand.

Closing the distance between them, Hank pulled Sadie into his arms and hugged her briefly and then shoved her behind him. Rage fueling him, he grabbed the collar of the photographer and jerked him to his feet. “Go inside, Sadie, and call 911.”

“But I didn’t—” the man stammered. “I was minding my own—”

Hank’s fists tightened and he half-lifted the guy off his feet.

A hand grabbed his arm, and Sadie said, “Not here.” She pulled him through the entrance to the tavern.

Hank held onto the photographer, dragging him along.

Once inside, Sadie said, “Let go of him, Hank. He didn’t do anything.”

“What do you mean?” Hank snarled at the man. “He tried to hurt you.”

“No, I ran into him, and knocked him over.” Sadie tugged at his arm. “Please, put him down.”

For a moment, Hank glared at the guy then slowly lowered him to his feet. “You better have a good story. What happened?”

“I was about to go into the tavern to find something to eat when I heard someone running around the side of the building. When I turned around, Miss McClain plowed into me, and knocked me on my ass.”

Hank glanced from the man to Sadie.

Sadie nodded. “It’s like he said. Let him go. He did me no harm.”

With a narrow-eyed glare at the man, Hank released the fist he had bunched in the front of the man’s shirt. “Leave, before I change my mind.”

The rotund photographer dove for the exit, the door slamming shut behind him.

Hank turned his attention back to Sadie.

Her face was pale and she trembled.

“Why were you outside?” Hank asked. “I thought you were in the restroom.”

“I was. When I came out, someone threw a scarf or bag over my head, stuck a gun in my back and shoved me out the back door.”

Hank’s gut clenched, and he slid an arm around her waist, cinching her to his side. “I knew I should have gone with you.”

She leaned into him, her arms circling around his neck. “I would never have thought someone would attack me in the tavern.”

“I see I can’t let you out of my sight for even a moment.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s report this to the sheriff. They’re going to want a full description of the assailant.”

Sadie shook her head. “It was all a blur. The man wore baggy black clothing, black gloves and a black ski mask. I couldn’t even tell what color his eyes were.” She snorted. “I was too busy running to stop and ask.”

“We have to find out who’s targeting you and put an end to it.”

“You’re telling
me
? I thought all I had to worry about was paparazzi showing up shooting photos of me. I’d take the photos any day. Bullets can be a little more difficult to overcome.” She leaned her forehead against his chest. “I can’t live like this.”

“Me either.” He tipped her chin up and dropped a kiss onto her lips. “Come on. Let’s talk to Joe and then go home.” Hank led her back to the bar. Joe and Fin surrounded Sadie at the bar. The bartender offered a free round, but no one felt like drinking. Especially, Hank. He’d failed her by not escorting her across the room. In such a short amount of time, she’d been accosted, and nearly kidnapped or shot. What if she hadn’t been able to knock the gun out of the man’s hand? Hank’s heart dropped to the pit of his belly, and he felt ill.

Thirty minutes and a slew of questions later, Hank was in the front seat of the SUV with Sadie sitting behind him. They had just pulled away from the tavern and were on their way back to the ranch.

“Damn, Sadie,” Fin said, turning to look at her in the backseat of the SUV. “Who the hell would want you hurt? You’re a national treasure. Everyone loves you.”

“Obviously, not everyone,” she said.

Hank glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, her lips quirking on the corners. “I’m alive.”

“And that’s what matters,” Hank concurred.

Sadie stared out the window. “I can’t remember making anyone angry enough to want to hurt me.”

“Could it be a jealous rival? Someone who didn’t get the part that rocketed you to fame?” Fin asked. “How could anyone be mad at you? As kids, even
I
couldn’t stay angry with you for long.”

She smiled at her brother. “We had our fights.”

Fin’s jaw hardened. “Yeah, but this is worse.”

Hank glanced in the mirror at Sadie’s pale face, illuminated by the streetlights.

“Well, we have to let Joe do his job,” Sadie said, her voice even. “I’m just ready to be home. Out of harm’s way.”

When Hank pulled up to the McClain house, he shifted the truck into park. “Stay here until I check the house.”

Sadie touched his shoulder over the back of the seat. “You don’t think whoever is doing this will show up here, do you?”

“I don’t want to risk it. Wait until I give the all clear.” Hank climbed down from the SUV and closed the door. He half-hoped the perpetrator was there. He’d choke the life out of the man for putting the look of fear into Sadie’s eyes. The bastard would die for that.

Hank circled the house, checking the bushes, behind the trees and finally climbed the steps of the porch. With the key Sadie had given him earlier, he unlocked the back door and entered. Moving silently, he cleared each room, much as he would have done as a SEAL, only he didn’t carry a weapon. That would change. Fin had to have a pistol he could use while he was there.

He continued checking. Nothing moved and no one lay hidden in the closets or under the beds.

He walked out the front door and down the steps to open the SUV door for Sadie. “It’s safe.” Normally, Sadie wouldn’t have waited as long a she had for him to check every room in the house. She’d have declared it nonsense. That she had remained in the vehicle the entire time, spoke to the level of fear she must be harboring.

Hank held the door until she was out of the vehicle and standing beside him. Using his body as a shield, he hurried her into the house. Fin brought up the rear, closed the door and twisted the deadbolt.

Sadie stood in the hallway, a shiver rippling across her body. Even in the relative safety of the house, she didn’t move out of the curve of Hank’s arm.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Fin hung his coat in the closet. “I have to get up early and check on a fence in the high pasture before the snows come.” As he turned to head of the stairs, he paused. “I’m glad you’re all right, sis.”

Which left Hank holding Sadie in the foyer from where they hadn’t moved since they’d walked through the door.

“Want me to build a fire?” Hank asked.

Sadie shook her head. “No.” She walked away from him, rubbing her arms. “I’m cold, but a fire isn’t going to warm me.”

“Do you want me to stay up with you until you’re ready to go to bed?”

She turned to face him. “No.” Sadie closed the distance she’d put between them and rested her hands on his chest. “I want to go to bed, now.”

His hands rose automatically to rest on her hips, like they used to when they were teens. “I’ll walk you to your door and check your room again.”

“That would be nice,” she said, staring up into his eyes.

Hank swallowed hard, pushing back the rush of lust threatening to overwhelm him. He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips. Then he led her up the stairs to her room. The one beside his. “Wait here.” He entered, checked the closet and under the bed. “All clear.” When Hank straightened, Sadie no longer stood at the door. He turned and almost bumped into her.

“Stay with me, Hank.” Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, pushing them through, one at a time, until she reached the hem.

His pulse pounding and his cock swelling, Hank dragged in a deep breath and let it out. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Never more certain.” She shrugged out of the blouse, letting it fall to the floor. Her hands moved to the button on her jeans.

Hank grabbed her hands and stopped her from flicking the rivet open. “I thought you wanted to keep this all business.”

She nodded. “I was wrong. That one dance proved it to me.” Sadie wrapped her arms around his neck. “I have a life in LA. You have a life with the navy. But while we’re in Montana, we can be together.” She leaned up on her toes, her lips a breath away from his. “Take it or leave it.” With a brush of her lips across his, she whispered. “Please. Take it.”

Hank hesitated. What Sadie offered was a temporary arrangement. A fling with an old lover. On the one hand, it made Hank feel cheap, like he wasn’t good enough to be with her forever. On the other, he couldn’t resist the heaven of her naked flesh pressed against him. “What about tomorrow? Or the end of the few weeks we’ll both be here?”

She brushed her lips across his again. “I don’t want to think about the future. I want to live now. With you. Inside me. Tomorrow is another day. We’ll worry about it then.”

“I have a feeling I’ll regret this,” Hank muttered, even as his hands gripped her hips and pulled her against his swelling desire. “But right now, all I can think about is holding you in my arms.” He claimed her lips, his tongue plunging inside her mouth to caress hers, slipping along the length. She tasted of salted peanuts, beer and her own sweet essence, and Hank wanted to drink his fill.

In a frenzy of movements, she unbuttoned his shirt, and he shoved her jeans over her hips and down her legs.

“Oh, my.” Sadie ran her fingers over the tattoos covering his shoulders and back. “I love the tats.”

He brushed his fingers down the length of her neck, over her collarbone and down to her breast. “I love everything about your body.”

Soon they were naked, breathing hard and laughing. He lifted her in his arms and laid her across the bed. Then he straightened and forced himself to say, “This is your last chance to back out of this. As it is, I’m almost too far gone to stop, now.” His cock stood rigid, jutting forward as if reaching for her sex.