Daddy in Cowboy Boots (Montana Daddies #9) - Laylah Roberts Page 0,92

and hat, putting them away. The foyer was already pretty small, with Zander in here, it felt tiny.

Marisol really didn’t want to learn how to fire a gun.

“She should know how to use one. Everyone on the ranch should,” Zander countered.

“The ranch is a safe place to live.”

“Doesn’t mean trouble won’t come here. Always be prepared for the worst. I told Clint to build a safe room into each cabin. Didn’t listen to me. I have one in each of my houses.”

A safe room? Guns? Self-defense? One in each of his houses?

She looked at Linc in alarm. He smoothed back her hair. “Why don’t you go rest for a while, teeny. Read Caley’s book. I’ll put some leftovers in the oven to heat. We’ll eat in about forty-five minutes, okay?”

“Don’t you need me for this meeting?”

“I’ve got it.”

Zander gave her a nod. Linc led him into his office and she raced off gratefully. Even if she did feel a bit guilty about leaving Zander to Linc.

Linc led Zander into his small office. “Take a seat.”

“I don’t like to sit,” Zander replied, leaning against the back wall and staring out the window. Linc sat with a sigh. He hadn’t had much to do with Zander, even though the other man had worked for JSI for years.

Blunt and eccentric, Zander didn’t live here on the ranch. Nobody knew exactly where he lived most of the time. Doc had to go and help him a few months back when he was shot, but he said he’d been blindfolded before being driven to him.

Paranoid.

Rumors were he had his own small group of mercenaries that he led. Linc wasn’t sure why he even continued to work for Kent.

Anyway, none of that mattered right now.

“Kent told me everything he knows. Can you go over it in case he missed anything,” Zander said jumping straight into business. He didn’t really do small talk.

Linc told him everything that had happened with Tiger and Marisol.

“You want him taken out?” Zander asked bluntly.

Yes. Fuck. He didn’t want this asshole breathing the same air as his girl. But could he order his murder and live with that on his conscience? “I’d like to know where he is. Maybe deliver a message.”

Zander just raised an eyebrow. “Guys like that, they don’t usually take messages like that well.”

“If we kill him then Saber will have all of his men gunning for us.”

Zander frowned. “Saber needs to go, too.”

“You know him?” It was weird Zander turning up like this. He never came to the ranch.

“Got some business with him.”

“So this is personal?”

Zander just stared at him. “My guys and I will find Tiger. Figure things out from there. Deliver a message. Marisol needs to stay here, under close watch. We can’t have them figuring out where she is. Gonna tell Kent to lock down everyone as much as possible. Nobody leaves the ranch alone.”

“Do you think that’s necessary?” Linc asked. “He doesn’t know where she is.”

“If he’s obsessed with her, he’ll be searching for her. And you’ve been seen with her recently. He might be a dumb fuck, but he’s not that stupid.”

Zander just grunted and opened the office door. Then he stilled. “You need a proper car seat for her.”

Before Linc could answer, he was gone.

25

“So he’s going to track down Tiger?”

Linc looked up from the whiteboard he was writing on to see that Marisol had barely touched her lunch. Shit. His fault. He knew better than to talk about anything upsetting when she was eating. Her mood affected her hunger.

“He is. And he’s the best tracker there is. He’ll find him.”

“He’s unusual,” she said carefully.

“I know. But if he says he’ll do something then he does it. Now, that’s enough talk about that. Eat your lunch, please. Or would you like Daddy to feed you?”

She pulled a face but spooned up some lunch. “But—”

“Marisol, I’m serious. That’s going down as a rule.”

“What is?”

“No serious talk while eating. Now, after lunch we’ll go through your rules then you can have a nap while I work. After your nap, would you like to read?”

She crossed her arms over her chest with a glare. “I don’t need rules. I definitely don’t need a rule about not talking about serious stuff while eating.”

“Really? Because you don’t seem to be eating.”

“Maybe I’m just not hungry.

“Or maybe you need Daddy’s help.” He dragged her plate over towards him, stealing her fork.

“Hey! Daddy!”

“Since you’re not eating, Daddy is going to help you.” He spooned up some food. “Open wide