on the top of her head. “And don’t worry about Mike. I’ll keep an eye on him, too.”
She drove up to the ranch and tried not to think too much about Mikey’s choices. Technically, he was an adult now, and she couldn’t stop him from forming a relationship with his father, but even the thought of it stressed her out. Sean could be charming as hell as long as he held all the power, but God help you if you disagreed with him. She still had the scars to prove it.
She parked her car in the shelter of the barn and went into the house to pick up a set of keys for Juan’s truck. She paused in the immaculate kitchen. Should she let the Garcias know what was going on with Conner, or leave them to enjoy their trip to Las Vegas in peace? Juan hadn’t been away from the ranch for five years and had been really looking forward to watching the rodeo. Even as she pictured Juan’s excited face, she already knew she wasn’t going to bother him.
A scrabbling sound at the back door made her spin around and clutch the keys to her chest.
“Who is it?” she squeaked like some kind of too-stupid-to-live actress in a horror flick.
A low whining sound reached her straining ears. She rushed toward the door and opened it, only to be bowled over by a huge gray and white wolf.
Even as she shrieked, the wolf licked her face and she recognized Conner’s dog. Her trembling fingers found his collar and eased him off her chest.
“Hi, Loki, what’s up with your master? Have you come to get help?” she whispered as she crouched beside him and stroked his head. “Or maybe I should start calling you Lassie?”
CHAPTER TWO
Where the hell was the rest of his team? Conner O’Neil peered through the thick, choking smoke and tried to make out anything that looked like a person. Even as he started to retreat, the oil refinery blew up, sending him up into the air like he weighed nothing and slamming him against the cliff wall. His whole body shuddered as the screams of his fellow soldiers reverberated in his ears and he desperately tried to work out which way was up again.
“Mr. O’Neil?”
He jerked upright, his heart pounding so hard it was about to crawl out of his chest, and stared blankly around. The sound of his panicked breathing smothered everything until he forced himself to control it. He wasn’t in Afghanistan, he wasn’t in danger, and he wasn’t at war.
He focused his wavering gaze on the cabin door and the constant knocking sound. Did he have the energy to get out of bed, walk over to the door, and tell whoever it was to have some respect and shut the hell up? He decided he did and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Even as he struggled to right himself, the door flew open and Beth Baker came charging in.
“Are you okay?” She rushed toward him.
He put out a hand with the intention to ward her off, but she grabbed hold of it instead.
“Oh my God, you’re burning up! How long have you been sick?”
She gently pushed him back down on the bed, which was fine by him as he was about to fall at her feet anyway. He retained just enough energy to glare at her.
“What are you doing here?”
She pulled up the only chair and sat beside him. “You didn’t pick up your supplies. Maureen was worried about you.”
“So what?”
“As you’re on my employer’s ranch right now, I decided to come and see how you were doing.” She placed a hand on his forehead and frowned. “You’ve definitely got a fever.”
“It’s goddam hot in here.”
She fixed him with a penetrating stare. “There’s no need to curse, okay? I get it.”
“Then why don’t you turn that pretty little ass of yours right around and go the hell away?”
She blinked hard and stood up. For a second he couldn’t decide whether to be elated that she was going, or ashamed of his behavior. He closed his eyes, aware that his strength was disappearing, and contemplated what he’d do if she really did walk out. Loki needed food and water. Maybe if he asked her nicely, she’d take his dog back to the ranch with her when she left.
Even as Conner made plans, he was aware of something being off. Where was Loki? He cracked open an eye and looked around the