concrete evidence, which I doubt you do, then take it to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff is a no shit kind of gal who will listen to you, but again, only if you have honest to God proof.”
“That’s what I’m trying to find, and I’ve had some experience with the sheriff. I also tried to talk to some of the veterinarians and a couple of my clients, but they refused to say anything.”
“Why should they? You recently moved to Missoula and no one knows you. What you’re actually doing is ruffling feathers with corporations that make more money than God, but they live by their reputations. Even the hint of impropriety and they’ll be shunned from the auctions altogether. Ranching is a very serious and lucrative business.”
“That much I know. A lot of money to be made and lost.”
As she shifted her glass from one hand to the other, I could easily tell there was a hell of a lot she wasn’t telling me.
“You’re hiding something,” I stated.
“Not really. I don’t have any smoking gun. Yet. But I assure you that I will find one.”
“I didn’t think you had one. You need to stop, Danni. You’re only going to get yourself hurt.”
“I’ve never stopped pushing forward before. Why should I now?”
“Because some of the ranchers you’re accusing are hard-ass men. They won’t give a shit who you are or why you’re accusing them. They just might shoot to kill. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Danni jerked up from the couch, immediately moving toward the front window. “You don’t understand. This is important to me.”
I rubbed my forehead, taking several deep breaths. “No, I don’t, at least not completely. That’s because you’re not telling me everything. Why is this so important to you? Because your friend told you that something is going on? Because some jerk tried to tell you that Big Meadow is running a criminal operation? That doesn’t sound like the intelligent woman who’s sparred with me for two days.” I studied her pensive form and my instinct kicked in. “Wait a minute. Did someone threaten you?”
Danni palmed the glass as Zorro inched closer to her, nuzzling against her leg. “It doesn’t matter, Mustang. I already told you. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
I’d spent my entire life defending my country, learning early on that various methods of evil destroyed the basic concept of humanity. While everyone had demons haunting them, whatever this bratty filly was going through threatened to derail her entire career.
If not her life.
I barely managed to shove my glass on the table before moving toward her. She instantly bristled when I eased behind her, crowding her space. As I placed my hands on her arms, she moaned, her fingers white-knuckled from pressing them against the glass.
“Don’t, Mustang. This can’t happen. We’re not good together.”
An overwhelming feeling of desire mixed with an intense longing to protect her. There was no rationalization that I was able to grasp onto. I didn’t know this girl, had no way of ascertaining how deep the level of shit she’d gotten herself into, but my irrational side didn’t care. I pulled her against my chest, refusing to give in to her bratty attitude or her level of defiance. My hunger was far too significant.
So was my need to dominate her.
“This is going to happen, Danni. In fact, I think you long to have a controlling force in your life, one that allows you the ability to let your guard down.”
“Not true,” she whispered.
“One thing you need to learn is that lying to me isn’t going to do you any good. I have no problem turning you over my knee anytime, anywhere. So you need to listen to me. While you’re right in that we don’t know each other very well, you need to learn to trust someone. Whatever you’re hiding is only going to get you killed.”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
Very slowly I eased her hand from the glass, intertwining our fingers together. She shivered from my touch and I could see her reflection in the glass, the uncertainty in her eyes. Everything about her was bold and opinionated, yet at this moment she seemed more vulnerable than I could have imagined. What the hell was the girl locked inside and why? Who was she really afraid of?
As I eased Danni’s hand to her side, she swayed back and forth. Every savage desire I’d felt before bridged the surface, my heart thudding to the point I had difficulty breathing. I