The Protective Warrior Read online

  “Are you afraid of heights?” Brad asked.

  “No.”

  “Good, you’ll love this.”

  They hiked for about ten minutes. MacKenzie watched the mountain bikers descending the trails and wanted to try that, but when Brad gestured toward a tower with a zipline, she squealed in delight and pointed at the first tower.

  “Really?”

  Brad grinned, took her hand, and walked her to the tower. “I thought you’d like this.”

  “I’ve always wanted to do a zipline.”

  He beamed at her.

  Their guides were both teenagers, one was average height with curly brown hair poking out from his beanie, a grungy t-shirt and cargo shorts. The other was a tall kid with spiky blond hair and preppy clothes. “You our private tour?” The blond kid asked.

  Brad nodded.

  “Great. You all ready?”

  “Yes!” MacKenzie shouted.

  They both laughed at her exuberance and the dark-haired boy helped them into harnesses and gave them advice and safety details then they climbed onto the tower and the blond flew across to the adjoining tower as the other kid hooked up MacKenzie.

  She jumped off the tower and soared through the air. Squeezing her eyes tight and just reveling in the sunshine and the wind and the smell of pine trees, she leaned back, spread her arms wide, and laughed. The ride was over much too quickly as she slowed then jerked to a stop at the next platform.

  She waited for Brad then climbed over a rope bridge to the next tower. This time she opened her eyes and took in the gorgeous view of the green valley below. The little town, the river and small lakes, and all the mountains and forested areas looked like a postcard. She loved it here. Part of her wished she didn’t have to leave, but it was inevitable that her stay here wouldn’t be long.

  There were five separate ziplines and three bridges. They rappelled to the bottom of the last tower and she was disappointed the tour wasn’t longer. When she finished, the blond helped her take off the harness at the bottom of the tower. She waited for Brad. He arrived with a whoop and a large grin. He seemed to really enjoy life.

  Brad stepped out of his harness, walked to her side, and rubbed her arm. “Pretty cool, eh?”

  “It was fabulous. Thank you for bringing me up here.”

  He nodded, looking pleased with himself. They didn’t say much as they walked back to their vehicles through the party-like atmosphere by the lodges. Being back on the ground and not flying through the air, she felt like she’d deflated. How sad to come back to reality and the problems she was facing. If only she could escape on that mountain: zip-lining, biking, hiking. She’d be safe and love every minute of it. She’d take Isaac with her. She smiled at her wishful thinking.

  They reached her car.

  “Thank you. I loved that.”

  “No problem.” He swung open her door. “Can I talk you into dinner tonight too?”

  MacKenzie shook her head. “No, but thanks again.”

  “Maybe tomorrow.” His smile was forced, but she didn’t have any desire to commit to anything. He didn’t seem to be the villain Haley and Isaac thought he was, maybe he’d changed or maybe they were wrong, but he still wasn’t her choice for someone to have dinner with. She’d ruined that choice when she’d yelled at Isaac last night.

  “Thanks.” MacKenzie shut her door and drove away, looking back at the beautiful mountainside and trying to ignore the man watching her go.

  Isaac had a pounding headache after one of the worst days of his life. Branding cows again was bad enough, but the worry over MacKenzie and why she’d turned away from him just ate and ate at him like a worm burrowing through the dirt, chomping and processing but never accomplishing much.

  He tried to work in his shop after downing a protein shake for dinner, but he was making a mess instead of art. Taking off his welding gear, he stepped outside the open door. He told himself it was for a breath of fresh air, but he really knew it was so he could watch Haley’s house and see if MacKenzie was all right. He didn’t know why he cared so much. If she didn’t want to heed his and Haley’s warnings, she got what she deserved going with Brad. His stomach rolled. No. No one deserved what Brad was capable of.

  Her car was there and a light on in the living room. At least she was home safe. Glancing around quickly, he didn’t see Brad’s four-door truck. Another relief.

  He heard a rustle in the bushes around the side of Haley’s house. Isaac’s spine pricked with the sense of danger. MacKenzie had reacted very strongly to him being on her porch a few nights ago and his dad walking past the next night. Was someone after her? Was she afraid of something tangible? He knew she was hiding something from him.

  Isaac slipped into the shadows around the back of the house, stealthily following whoever was stalking MacKenzie.

  He saw a tall shadow rise up and peek through the gap in the blinds in the bedroom. Whoever that pervert was, they were going down.

  The front door opened and MacKenzie came out onto the porch, holding a pitcher of water. She carefully poured water on the outside flowers, her eyes darting to the shadows. Before Isaac could get close enough to grab the intruder, the guy jumped onto the porch and slurred, “MacKenzie! I came to see you.”

  Brad. That loser. Isaac rushed around to the porch.

  MacKenzie grabbed onto the screen door, yanking it open.

  “Hey, pretty woman.”

  “You’re drunk,” she screamed at him, trying to escape into the house, but Brad grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the porch.

  “I just wanna have a little fun.”

  Isaac wasn’t going to let this go any farther. He tackled him from behind. Brad roared and flipped over, swinging wildly, his blows weak and ineffectual. Isaac drove his fist into Brad’s jaw. Brad crumpled and covered his face, whining, “Don’t hit me. Don’t!”

  Isaac dragged him to his feet. “You’re drunk and you’re trespassing.” He gave him a shove off the porch. “Don’t come around MacKenzie again.”

  Brad’s eyes were full of hatred, but he was plowed enough he could barely walk away. “I’ll get you soon, Kenzie.” He laughed.

  Isaac rushed down the porch steps. Brad yelped and scuttled off their property. Isaac let him go. A few seconds later, Brad’s truck motor flared and he gunned down the road without any lights. Isaac pulled out his phone and dialed Josh’s number.

  “What’s up?”

  “Brad just tried to attack MacKenzie. He’s driving toward town, drunk and with no lights on.”

  “I’ll catch him. Does she want to press charges?” Josh sighed loudly. “Don’t know if she wants to go through that, it might turn into a case of he said, she said with Brad.”

  “I know. If you can catch him driving drunk that’ll be enough, right?”

  “For sure. Nobody can dispute that. Plus, it’s a second offense. He’ll have to serve time.”

  Josh hung up before Isaac could thank him. The thought of Brad in jail was very comforting. Retribution, finally.

  He turned to MacKenzie. She was pressed against the door frame, quivering.

  “I’m sorry,” he began. “I tried to warn you.”

  She gave a little shake of her head and a sob escaped before she flung herself against his chest. Wow. That was a good outcome for him.

  Isaac held her close, stroking her long hair and murmuring soft words, “It’s okay. I’ve got you. He won’t hurt you.”

  After a few minutes, she shakily pulled away and gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you, Isaac. I treated you horribly and you did try to warn me.” She shook her head and then rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

  Isaac was startled for half a second but recovered quickly, matching her kiss for kiss and pouring all his understanding and protection into her, mixed with desire and passion that he’d never felt in his life. He wanted this woman. He wanted to take care of her, be with her, get to know her. He tried to tell her all of that with his kiss. Her response was
strong. He slowly backed her against the doorframe. Threading her hands through his hair, she stepped up onto the ledge and changed the kiss with the added height. Isaac could hardly think straight as he savored each sensation.

  She pulled away, breathless. “Thank you,” she whispered again.

  Isaac grinned. “That was the best thank you I’ve ever had.”

  She took a step into the house. “I’m going to, um, go inside now.” She released a cute little giggle and touched her lips with her fingers.

  Isaac wanted to ask if he could follow her inside like the whipped puppy he was, but she was much too appealing to him. After a kiss like that and the adrenaline of fighting Brad, he wasn’t too logical in his thinking. He didn’t want to prove himself to be as low as Brad, trying to push things too far or too fast with her.

  “Can I see you tomorrow?” He didn’t reach out and touch her, though every part of him wanted to.

  MacKenzie tucked her long, dark hair behind her ear and nodded quickly.

  “I’ll be close by, in my shop, if you need me,” his voice was low and husky, but that couldn’t be helped.

  MacKenzie smiled. “Thank you.”

  The thank you had such sincerity in it. He imagined she was thanking him for watching over her, fighting Brad for her, and that kiss.

  “Anytime.” Isaac tilted his chin up to her then backed away. He tripped on the first porch step and had to grab the railing to steady himself. MacKenzie giggled slightly behind him.

  “That’s pretty low,” he said, “Making fun of the man who can’t see straight after kissing you, Mac.”

  She laughed louder. “I’m just glad to see there’s some vulnerability in that huge body.”

  “Only for you.” He winked and walked away with his back straight and what he hoped was a manly walk. He heard her door close after he rounded the corner of the house. Pumping a fist in the air, he was grateful for Brad’s drunken revelry for the first time in his life.

  9

  Haley’s dad gave MacKenzie her check Saturday morning before she left to open the store. “You been kissing that boy of mine?” he asked.

  MacKenzie’s eyes widened and she gripped the check tightly. “Maybe.”

  “Ha! I thought I saw some smooching on the porch.” He leaned closer to her. “Well, don’t give in too easily. Make that punk work for it.”

  “You can count on me, sir.” She mock saluted him.

  He nodded. “I always liked you.”

  MacKenzie laughed and almost skipped to her old car, singing as she drove into town. Isaac’s dad was a tease and she liked laughing with him.

  She found a friendly cashier at Clark’s Market who knew Haley and was willing to cash the check, not even asking for i.d. MacKenzie was thrilled to have almost a thousand dollars cash. She could escape. Then she thought of Isaac. He’d rescued her last night and then kissed the bejeebees out of her. How could she leave him or leave Haley’s store unattended after all her friend had done for her? Did she really have to go tonight? A few more days couldn’t hurt. She’d keep watching the news and pray for Squire’s capture. It was rumored he was back in the country, but there had been no indication that anyone knew where she was. Maybe if she just kept laying low it would be okay. She couldn’t miss that date with Isaac tonight.

  He texted her on the phone Haley had given her.

  Meet you at your front porch at 6:30?

  I’ll be there.

  Wear a swimsuit.

  Were they going back to that beautiful lake to swim again? That’d been fun. She hurried home after work and changed into one of Haley’s swimsuits. Thank heavens they were close to the same size and Haley had told her to use anything of hers until MacKenzie’s luggage came. She claimed it’d gotten lost on the flight.

  She waited on the front porch, nervous and excited. Isaac strode up, wearing a t-shirt and board shorts. The striations in his arms and calves had her checking him out time and time again. My, oh, my, he was fit.

  “Hey, Mac,” he called out. “You ready?”

  “Ready and waiting.” She was so grateful he’d let them slip back into the comfortable relationship they’d been developing before she flipped out and yelled at him the other night. If he tried to press her about why she’d been scared, she didn’t know what she’d do, but for now she was going to enjoy this easy friendship. Or maybe it was more than friendship. She’d told him she didn’t kiss her friends.

  Isaac helped her into his truck, which had two large paddle boards sticking out of the back. They drove a little ways east of town and parked next to a walking bridge and a slow-moving river. After unloading the paddle boards onto the riverbank, he pulled out some sub sandwiches, a small veggie platter, and water bottles. They sat on his tailgate to eat.

  “Someday soon I’d like to take you out to a real restaurant.” He studied her as if gauging her response. “Tomorrow night?” His voice pitched up hopefully.

  MacKenzie grinned as she reached for a carrot and plunged it in ranch. “Maybe. Depends how tonight goes.”

  Isaac winked. “I’ll try to be on my best behavior.”

  They ate the simple dinner, sharing stories about each of their childhoods. It made MacKenzie miss her parents and sisters, but being here with Isaac was definitely helping avert any homesickness. They cleaned up their food and Isaac carried one of the paddle boards into the river. He helped MacKenzie up onto the board, his hands at her waist to steady her. MacKenzie thrilled at his touch and the timbre of his voice, hardly listening to his instructions. He handed her the paddle. “You feel okay?”

  “Sure. This should be easy.” She tossed her hair and tried to look overconfident. “I’m a Spartan racer, remember?”

  He chuckled. “Good point.”

  “Plus, this river’s like half a foot deep and hardly any current.”

  “Right here it is.”

  He maneuvered his board into the water. MacKenzie used her paddle to push off, enjoying the slow-moving current and the crystal clear water flowing below her. There was a bike trail off to their side and she could hear the bikers talking as they sped past. The wildflowers next to the river and stands of pine trees were beautiful. Isaac stayed behind her and she paddled to make her board move faster with the current.

  “You doing okay?” Isaac asked.

  “Great.” MacKenzie turned her torso to give him a smile, but threw herself off balance. Before she could recover, she’d toppled off the side of her board into the knee-deep water. She caught herself before falling all the way in, so she didn’t get too wet. The water was bracingly cold like the snow had just melted off the mountain and rolled down this path. She barely held in a gasp of shock.

  “You all right?” Isaac asked anxiously. “Can you get back on?”

  “I’m fine. Thanks.” After all her bragging about being a Spartan. She’d been joking, but this was just plain embarrassing. She climbed back onto her board as Isaac maneuvered closer. She must’ve not been centered because the board flipped out from under her and she flung backwards, knocking into Isaac. He gave a surprised grunt as he fell into the water, MacKenzie sprawled next to him, dunking herself completely.

  MacKenzie pushed her wet hair out of the way and laughed. Isaac joined in. He helped her to her feet. They were both wet and their boards were floating away.

  “Sorry. I should’ve taught you better,” he said. “Were you paying attention to my instructions about balancing your weight evenly as you get on?”

  MacKenzie glanced down and bit her lip. “I was distracted.”

  “By what?”

  She bravely lifted her gaze, took his hands in hers and placed them on her waist like they’d been when he instructed her. “You touching me.”

  Isaac’s eyes widened. He pulled her in closer. “Oh?”

  “Maybe you should instruct me again.”

  “Maybe later,” he murmured, lowering his head and kissing her.

  It was much, much later when they were able to catch up t
o their paddleboards and continue the journey down the river.

  10

  MacKenzie sat on the couch late that night, so scared she could hardly stay in the seat. Saying goodnight to Isaac had been sweet torture. His kiss lit up her world and she wished they could continue, dating and kissing, simply enjoying being together and getting to know each other. He was a great guy. She’d read him wrong at first and wished she could take that time back so they could have more time together, but it wasn’t to be. Despair ping-ponged through her.

  She clutched her money in one hand and a sack of food in the other. She’d written Haley a short note, semi-explaining why she’d had to leave and another note to Isaac thanking him for the wonderful time and hoping she could see him after her life settled down.

  Right now she was anything but settled. She’d found a report online, after Isaac had left her with one last kiss, that Squire’s private jet had been found outside of Denver, but the authorities were uncertain where his current location was. MacKenzie broke into a cold sweat just thinking about Squire being that close. Did he know where she was? Was he even now heading her way or was it a coincidence? It was close to five hours drive time to Crested Butte from Denver. She couldn’t afford to wait and see.

  She studied out the window and finally saw the lights turn off in Isaac’s trailer. She fidgeted and prayed as she waited another half an hour then slipped out the front door and into her car. Wishing her car was quieter, she hoped that Isaac was sound asleep and wouldn’t hear the motor fire.

  As she drove slowly out of the ranch yard, she couldn’t help glancing back, or the tear that rolled past her lids. If only she’d never witnessed that murder and wasn’t running for her life. But she wouldn’t have been here in Crested Butte if not for all the crazy circumstances leading up to her trip here. She wouldn’t have rediscovered how wonderful Isaac was.

  Her car hit a pothole and there was a loud clank under the hood. Black mud sprayed onto her windshield. MacKenzie slowed down and used the washer fluid and wipers to clear the window. Man, it was thick. It hadn’t rained in days so the mud must’ve been sludge. She tried to bring the car back up to fifty-five, no way was she speeding and risking getting caught tonight, but the darn thing wouldn’t respond. It seemed to go slower and slower until the engine died completely.