“I think that I can shed some light on that, Aaron,” Sawyer said. “Reid put a tracker on your truck, I’m guessing, while we were all tied up with the little fire he set at your condo. It was all just a way to get us out of the picture so he could put the tracker on.”
“Fuck,” Aaron swore. “We didn’t even think of that. So now what? He knows where we are. Do we just keep running?” Aaron was beginning to feel hopeless, and he knew that wasn’t going to help anyone. Everyone grew quiet. The only noise in the room was the crackling of the fire.
“The FBI has good intel that he’s hiding out in the mountains,” Clint grumbled. “They all belong to the ranch. I say we smoke him out. It’s time for us to do some controlled burns, and it’s safe to do them right now. How about we make him come to us?” Aaron was all ears. This was something that he was good at—setting controlled fires and burning. It was what he was teaching in California before he came back to find Sunny. He hada feeling that Clint was on to something. Aaron stood and started pacing.
“This just might work. But we will need some more help from the local fire company to make sure that we keep it controlled,” Aaron said.
Clint nodded, “They always lend a hand when it comes time for burning season. I’ll call down there now and set it up,” Clint said. Aaron knew that Reid wouldn’t come down without a little bait. Travis Reid was a man on a mission, and that was to kill him and his family. He was willing to be used to lure Reid down, but he wanted Sunny and Sadie as far away from danger as possible.
“I’m good with all of this, but I should be the one up on that mountain starting the fire. I’ve had the most training and experience with this kind of thing,” Aaron said. Tag started to object, but Aaron held up his hands as if telling his friend to give him a minute. “I also want for Piper and Lorna to take Sunny and the baby back to Harvest Ridge with them.” Tag and Sawyer started laughing. “Really, Aaron, have you learned nothing about women? Sunny won’t go anywhere without you, and I’m pretty sure that Piper and Lorna are dead set against leaving without her. So, I’d say you need to come up with another plan. Your woman isn’t going anywhere,” Tag said.
“Damn straight, Tag,” Sunny spat. All four men turned to find Sunny holding the baby standing in the doorway, determination clear on her face. “I’m not going anywhere. My place is by your side, Aaron. Or have you forgotten that we are a team now? Sadie needs both of her parents, not a mom and a father who played hero and got himself killed.” Aaron sighed, knowing that once Sunny made up her mind, there would be no changing it. He crossed the room and pulled Sunny and Sadie into his arms.
“I won’t risk you and Sadie, baby. You two are the most important people in my life. I need you to keep our daughter safe. Please go back to Harvest Ridge with Piper and Lorna,” he begged. He didn’t give a fuck that he sounded like a pussy begging his woman to do what he asked. Her and Sadie’s safety was too important.
“Aaron.” Sunny looked hesitantly at their daughter, and he knew she was carefully considering his plea. He knew that putting their daughter’s safety was low even for him, but he would do just about anything to keep his family safe. Finally, she nodded and gifted him with a smile, and he just hoped to God that he wasn’t making a mistake that could cost him everything.
Sunny knew that going back to town with Piper and Lorna was what Aaron wanted her to do, but dammit, she didn’t want to leave him to deal with this mess alone. She wasn’t sure that he realized that they were a family now, and he couldn’t go around barking orders and expecting her to follow them. They needed to make decisions together. But here she was, packing her and Sadie’s bags to do as Aaron ordered. It just didn’t feel right leaving him behind.
Norma Jeane refused to leave her ranch during the controlled burn. Clint tried to explain that things could get messy with Reid hiding out on her property, but she insisted that she wasn’t afraid to stand up to a bully. Sunny admired her spunk, but she was worried about Norma putting herself in harm’s way. Aaron and Clint met with the local fire marshal to go over the plans for the burn, and they all agreed that two days was enough time to get everything set up. That gave Sunny two days to convince Aaron that she should stay. She knew that Aaron wascapable of doing a controlled burn, but that didn’t help to ease her fear of something going wrong. Every time she thought of him out on the mountains surrounding the ranch, she felt panic and fear like she never had before. All she wanted was to stay with Aaron, but he was right—putting Sadie in danger wasn’t a smart plan.
She just wished that Aaron would hang back and let others handle Travis Reid, but that would not happen. For some reason, he felt responsible for Reid’s actions. After hearing about his two friends’ deaths, she knew that Aaron was blaming himself again. He wouldn’t rest until Reid was either behind bars or dead. The fact that he would do anything to make sure Reid wouldn’t hurt anyone else scared her. She didn’t want Aaron taking any unnecessary chances—she couldn’t lose him again.
There was plenty to do around the ranch to get ready for the burn. Cattle needed to be brought in from grazing, and the rest of the animals had to be secured. They weren’t permitted to start burning until all residents in town were notified. It was a big undertaking, making sure that everyone was safe. Aaron, Tag, and Sawyer were heading out to help round up the cattle. Sunny was hoping that Clint would let her tag along, but leaving Sadie for prolonged periods wasn’t happening. She watched as the guys all rode out of town, Tag and Sawyer in a gator and Aaron and Clint on horseback. Watching Aaron ride his horse out of town was sexy as hell. It was like watching an old John Wayne movie, but her real-life man-made her stomach feel like it was tied up in knots every time he looked at her. She shook her head as if trying to rid her mind of the dirty thoughts running through it and went back into the main house to find Piper. Her best friend hadn’t let Sadie go since she arrived. She was going to make a great mother.
“So, how are things going with you and Aaron?” Piper asked. Sadie started fussing, and Piper handed her to Sunny. She settled down as soon as Sunny began nursing her.
“Well, let's see. He’s bossy as hell, a complete caveman when it comes to Sadie’s and my protection, and he won’t let me help. Does that answer your question?” She looked at Piper, who was trying to hide her smile.
“Not really. I already knew what Aaron was like; I’m asking how things are between the two of you.” Piper sat back and waited her out. There was no use in hiding her feelings from Pipe; she could always read her like a book.
“I’m in love with him, and he says he feels the same way. But I’m also afraid that he’s caught up in the emotional roller coaster that we’ve been on this past month. He rolls back into town to find out that I’m pregnant, and then a week later, Sadie decides to make her entrance into the world, and he has to deliver her. And then, there’s the whole mess with this Reid guy and our lives being in danger. I don’t know that he’s had a chance to think about how he feels. What happens when all this drama ends and he realizes that he’s not in love with me, he was just following his instincts to protect us?” She looked down at her daughter and couldn’t help her tears; the thought of losing Aaron haunted her. Piper pulled Sunny into her arms, smushing Sadie between them, although that didn’t stop her daughter from eating. They both laughed at the exaggerated sucking noises coming from the baby.
“Sorry. She sure does like to eat, though,” Piper teased. She let Sunny go and sat back down across from her.
“She’s got her daddy’s appetite.” Sunny smiled down at her daughter. “I don’t know what I would do without either of them. In such a short amount of time, my life has changed so drastically. I'm not complaining—I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m just worried that it’s all going to disappear if I’m not careful. Idon’t want to put Sadie in harm’s way, but the thought of leaving Aaron has me tied up in knots.” Piper nodded. Of course, her best friend understood; she faced the same ordeals with Tag. “When I left for New York, I was running away from Tag because I was afraid of losing him.” Piper barked out her laugh. “Crazy, right? I was giving up the one person that I was terrified of losing. Looking back, it felt like I was doing the right thing. But now, I would do everything differently. I would have let Tag in instead of pushing him away. He changed my life, and now we are going to be a family.” Piper rubbed her little baby bump and smiled. “I couldn’t imagine life getting any better than this,” Piper whispered.
“Just wait until he or she is born. That feeling, magnified times a million, will be how much you love your baby. Watching Aaron with Sadie was one of the reasons that I let him back into my heart. I saw how loving and gentle he is with her, and I could slowly feel myself letting down the wall that I put up when he left town. I finally told him that I’m in love with him,” Sunny admitted.
“Well, it’s about damn time. I could have told you that a while ago. I think that you two need to sit down and have an honest discussion about what you both want. What do you want, Sunny?” She paused at Piper’s question. What did she want? She spent so much time worrying about how to tell Aaron that she was pregnant and then having to take care of the baby on her own, she didn’t give much thought to what she wanted.
“Um, I want a family. I want Aaron, Sadie, and me to be a family.” Sunny nodded her head as if agreeing with herself.
“Well, I think you should let Aaron know that you want him to be more than just the father of your baby. Who knows, maybe he wants the three of you to be a family too,” Piper said. “I’ll take Sadie tonight, and you and Aaron can spend some time alone together. You need to talk before we leave town, Sunny. You oweeach other that much.” Sunny knew that Piper was right. Hell, she was always right, and it was starting to bug her.
“Fine. You take the baby, and I’ll plan a romantic night for two. But if I spill my guts to Aaron and he sends me back to Harvest Ridge brokenhearted, I’ll need a lot of consolation ice cream sundaes.” They both giggled and started making plans. If she played her cards right, Aaron Steele wouldn’t know what hit him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Aaron spent most of the day helping to round up the cattle and get them back to the barns. He wanted to make sure that no animals were in the way of the burn. He surveyed the land to decide what fields were ready to be burned and what fields he wouldn’t touch. Clint helped lend a hand by showing him around. The thought that Reid was somewhere out there, possibly watching him, made his skin crawl. They had the main house heavily guarded, leaving just a few men to accompany them for the day. Reid was too smart to pull anything with everyone watching, but Aaron still felt restless. He wished that his old captain would just turn himself in, but he also knew that Reid was determined to finish the job. That was why he needed to send Sunny and the baby back home. He couldn’t let Reid get to them— the thought of that happening made him half-crazy. “You’re doing the right thing, sending Sunny and the baby home.” Tag was quietly walking the land with him. Sometimes, his best friend was so quiet that Aaron often forgot that he was there.
“I know, man. I just hated seeing the hurt in her eyes when I told her that she and Sadie needed to go back home. It wasas if she thought that I was sending her away because I didn’t want her. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.” Aaron stopped walking to look down at the tiny dots of the buildings on the ranch. This far up the mountain, even the giant main house looked like a child’s toy. All he wanted to do was march back down that mountain and show Sunny that he never wanted to lose her. Hell, he would never push her away again, but judging from the pain he saw in her eyes, he needed to prove that to her. He gladly spent the rest of his days proving to Sunny that he wanted and needed her—forever.
“I want to ask her to marry me, I’m just waiting for the right time.” Tag laughed and clapped Aaron’s shoulder. “I don’t find any of this funny, Tag.” Aaron felt stone-cold sober about asking her to be his wife, and Tag seemed to think he was joking around.
“I’m not laughing at the fact that you want to marry Sunny. I find it funny that you think there is ever a right time to bring that kind of question up. Hell, you two have a kid together—I’m pretty sure the right time was months ago. If you don’t do it soon, you’re going to push her out of your life. She needs to hear the words from you, Aaron. Tell her what you want. Maybe she’ll want the same thing.” Aaron could always count on Tag to give it to him straight. He was the closest thing that Aaron ever had to a brother. He considered Tag family.
“I think a little romantic dinner for two should do the trick. When we get back to the ranch, I’ll ask Sunny to have dinner with me, just the two of us. Will you and Piper watch Sadie?” Tag’s smile lit up his whole face.
