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Footsteps clambered up the stairs until Cal’s head appeared. His chest rose and fell rapidly. Cal’s face was blotchy with red as he wheezed. “The old barn is on fire.”
A quiet, almost indiscernible gasp came from Jessica’s direction.
Brock spun toward him. “Have you called the fire department?”
Cal nodded. “They’re on their way. Tate and Finn are trying to contain it.”
Sean, Brock, and Ian exchanged glances. It was like this unspoken understanding between them. They needed to help with the fire, but if they did, the house would be left without protection.
“I’ll go. You two stay here with Mom and Jessica.” Sean adjusted his hat and hurried past Cal down the stairs. Cal followed after him. A door slammed shut and silence filled the air between them.
Brock heaved a sigh, rubbing his neck. “I’m going to tell Mom.” He turned and headed down the stairs.
Ian clenched his fists at his sides. He hated this—not being in control over anything. The bad guys were closing in, his brothers wanted to boot Jessica from the house, and Jessica wanted to lay down her own set of rules. What had happened to his original plan?
He backed up against the hall wall, refusing to look toward Jessica. One glimpse of her worried eyes and he knew he’d be done for. He’d go right to her and tell her everything would be all right when there was no guarantee of that. Then he’d do what she wanted just to make her feel safe.
What had gotten into him? If this was love, he didn’t like it. Nausea churned everything within him. At any moment he could lose the contents of his stomach all over the hall floor.
“Ian?”
Her soft murmur wrapped around his heart, squeezing it tight and making it hard to think straight. His head still pounded from their earlier confrontation. He wasn’t ready for another one. But it wasn’t like he could just ignore her at this point.
He dragged his hand down his face, still not looking in her direction. “What?” he muttered.
“I think Brock is right.”
His eyes shot open and he faced her. “What?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be here anymore.”
Ian took two steps toward her, stopping a few feet short. “No. You’re both wrong. You’re in just as much danger out there as you are here. There’s no one who is more invested in your safety than me.”
“And maybe that’s the problem.”
His head reared back. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
She hugged herself, her hands trailing up and down both arms. Jessica’s gaze dropped to the floor. “You’re so worried about keepingmesafe that you’re disregarding the safety of your family and your ranch.”
“What? No, I’m not. That’s crazy.”
Her blue eyes shot to meet his. “Is it?” She shook her head. “Think about it, Ian. You brought me here without knowing exactly who those men were. But you knew they were dangerous. You didn’t ask your family what they thought. You just pushed this on them. Now the bad guys are getting closer and threatening you. More than threats—they’re actually destroying your property. And all because of this.” She held up the flash drive. “It’s got to be important to them.”
His focus shifted to the device in her hand. “That’s why we need to get the authorities involved.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
Relief washed over him. Ian straightened. She was willing to listen to reason. “Great! I’ll make a few phone calls.”
She shook her head. “This can’t involve you guys. I don’t want a target on your back. Or anyone else that lives here for that matter. I have to do this myself.”
Ian shook his head vehemently. He took another step toward her. “I can’t let you do that. They already know we’re involved. I don’t think you wandering off to take care of this on your own is going to make much of a difference.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I still think I might be able to convince them that they want the flash drive more than they want to hurt me.”
The muscles in his body constricted once more, making every part of his body ache. “You can’t seriously be thinking of contacting those men and speaking to them. That’s gotta be the craziest plan I have ever heard.”
Jessica scowled at him. “I’m not going to let you put your family at greater risk. We barely know each other, Ian. The fact that you’re more concerned about me instead of your family is very unsettling. You need to protect the people youloveand who love you back.”
