very good cook. I have never, and I will never, kiss her. The only mouth I’ve taken lately has been yours, and after one taste, nobody else will ever do.” He let her see the truth in his eyes.
Her eyes widened. “You can’t say things like that.”
He didn’t see why not. It was time to explain things to her. “Did you meet Jesse?”
“Yeah. So far, I’ve met you, Jesse, Zachary, Zeke, Austin, Mac, and Ford. Who does that leave in your little He-Man Women Hater’s Club?” She gripped her water glass with her free hand.
“Doc, Boone, Nash, Levi, and Wyatt,” Trent said easily.
She chuckled, watching him over the rim of her glass. “You hear those names, right? I mean, it’s cowboy central. Did all of you grow up here in the wilds of Wyoming?”
If he explained the names to her, he’d have to explain everything, and that wouldn’t do. “Anyway, Jesse is a computer genius, and he managed to hack into all of the Montgomery records. He’s expunged any sign of you, as well as prepared a case file for the local police, who do not have a connection to Silas or his idiot kids.”
She stiffened. “Hacked? One of your friends, another cowboy, is a hacker?”
Sandra set the glasses of beer in front of them and hustled down to the booth at the far end.
Trent took a deep drink. “Yeah. Hackers are everywhere. Anyway, the key is that the law will soon be involved, and you’re out of it.” He set his beer down and released her hand. “I’ll deliver the information and make sure to get all physical records from the office before I do so.”
Her hand halted in reaching for her beer. “How do you plan to do that?”
His palm felt empty since he’d let her go. “I learned a certain skill set in the military, and I was well trained. I’ll break in, get any information that might implicate you, and be out before they know it.”
She shook her head. “The office has an alarm system and cameras.”
He barely kept from rolling his eyes. “Good. Then I won’t be totally bored.”
“Absolutely not.” Her small nostrils flared. “We are not breaking the law to fix things.”
They already had, considering the hacking. “I told you that this was out of your hands, and it is. Today is Tuesday, and I can’t go until Friday, so that’s our plan.” He couldn’t go until Friday because stupid Silas was out of town until then, and Trent needed to meet face-to-face with him to get his point across. “Until then, I’d really appreciate it if you’d continue working at the ranch. Once you’re clear of this, you can go wherever you want.” Of course, he was going to try to keep her close, but that had to be her choice.
“I don’t think so,” she murmured.
He sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but we found information that Charles and Brad are after you right now, and Marc Lewis is trying to put a hit out on you. We’re taking care of it, but you’re not safe anywhere but here right now.”
She turned so pale, a fine blue line showed on her temple. “A hit?”
He reached for her hand again. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re safe. Trust me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hallie super-cleaned Trent’s house the next two days, settling into a routine of cooking and then hanging out by the fire with him. Both nights different members of the lodge showed up to drink wine or beer and watch the fire, almost as if they wanted her to get used to them. The feeling of camaraderie was comforting, until she remembered there might be a hit on her head.
Trent worked the ranch both days, returning dirty, tired, and starving. He hadn’t kissed her again, and she told herself that made her happy.
It did not.
She tried to reason with him about going to Boise, but he refused to listen. On the other hand, if his plan worked, she’d be free of the Montgomerys as well as Lewis. If his plan didn’t work, she’d have to visit him in prison for breaking and entering. It was enough to make her a nervous wreck.
Thursday night found her curled into her chair with a glass of Chianti in her hand. Trent sat next to her, his legs outstretched toward the fire. She wasn’t surprised when Austin, Mac, and Ford loped around the side of the house and took chairs, having brought their own beer this time. Rumor had