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A chuckle worked its way out of me. “Not particularly, but thanks.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “You know we’re here for you no matter what, so if you want to talk about it—”
I held up a hand. “I know.”
Daniel smiled. We all knew. It was part of being a Resting Warrior. And it was part of what made Daniel a good leader—he noticed things, like if we were the slightest bit off, and was willing to lend an ear if we needed it. But I knew any of the guys would do the same, if I went to them and asked.
“Keep an eye on Noah,” Daniel said.
“I will.” He was nowhere to be found at the moment, though I wasn’t surprised. Noah had his hands full with a different, complicated situation. One of our previous clients had been dragged into some trouble, and Noah felt bound to help him and his sister. While that was going on, it was a risk to split our group, but Lucas and I would hold things down while the guys made the delivery.
“You’re sure all three of you need to go?”
We rarely went anywhere overnight alone—old habits from our team days—but three was also rare.
Daniel nodded, walking with me toward the stable where Grant was already gathering the horse. “Call me paranoid, but with all this stuff about the Riders and animals going to bad places, I want us to be prepared and cautious.”
I understood that. The Riders, the gang Noah was trying to pin down, had a laundry list of possible crimes to their name. Given the ranch they were taking the horse to was a client we’d never worked with before, I understood Daniel’s instincts for caution. “Makes sense.”
Grant led the horse out, followed by Cori, his fiancée and the local vet. “I’ve got it.” Daniel took the bridle. “You can say goodbye.”
Cori blushed, but she smiled as Grant released the horse and turned to her instead. Grant and I were similar. He had a similar interest and…need for control. Especially in the private areas of our lives. I would never pry or overstep to ask how that was going, but the way Cori looked up at him when he pulled her in was a look I craved.
Complete trust and adoration. In a single look, I saw Cori’s knowledge that Grant would never harm her. Even unintentionally. She had good reason to believe it—he’d proven he would protect her, even at the cost of his own health.
I wished I could trust myself not to hurt someone. But the walls of my bedroom had too much spackle on them from me fighting nightmare opponents for me to believe I was ready.
Behind me, Daniel shut the door to the horse trailer. “Ready?”
Grant kissed Cori quickly, running a hand through her hair before he jogged to the truck and jumped inside.
I waved. “Call me if you need something.”
“Will do.”
The crunch of the dirt and gravel was loud in the quiet of the morning, a small cloud of dust caught by the sun coming over the mountains.
Mara was a ways down the road, working on some repairs to one of the floral and garden beds that were her domain here at the ranch. She waved to the truck as it went by and then waved to Cori and me as well.
“Things going to be boring around here with them gone?” Cori asked, jingling her keys in her hand.
I shrugged. “Probably quieter at the very least, with Liam gone.”
She laughed. “That’s true. I have to get to town for an early appointment. See you around?”
“Sure thing.”
“Oh.” She snapped her fingers, turning back to me. “It’s Wednesday. Means it’s pickup day, right? Maybe I’ll see you at Deja Brew, then. I’m stopping there on the way to the clinic.”
I froze. It was pickup day. I hadn’t forgotten—it wasn’t something I would forget easily. But I didn’t realize other people tracked it as closely as I did. “Maybe you will,” I said. “Might as well get an early jump on it.”
I let her drive off before getting into my truck and starting it up. Cori likely wouldn’t mind my following her into town, but given what had happened to her, Evelyn, and even Lena, I liked to give the women in our community space.
The ride into the town was quick and easy, Garnet Bend still waking up. I parked in front of Deja Brew, the town’s favorite coffee shop and bakery, owned by Lena Mitchell.
She was visible through the windows of the store, helping Cori get her coffee and making conversation with the couple of other customers in the store. Her face lit up talking to people, no doubt clear to anyone in the vicinity she was enjoying every second. She was a talented baker and businesswoman, and I could easily say Resting Warrior would be different if she hadn’t befriended us early on.
Hell, it was Lena who’d convinced the town that a bunch of grumpy ex-military guys who bought a ranch and built walls around it weren’t crazy or ridiculous. And just like the first time I ever laid eyes on her, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
