One to Keep

  “How could he possibly be cold?” Nate asked with a smirk. “He’s

  been running ever since the PI called him yesterday morning. I don’t

  think his heart’s settled down once since he got that call. He had

  everyone in Bliss on their toes five minutes later.”

  Stef sent Nate his best “shut the fuck up” look.

  Jen turned to Nate as the limo pulled up. “Really? I wish I could

  have seen that. Tell me something, how is she, really? Is Callie

  happy? Has Rachel had her baby yet? Did Stella find someone to

  replace me? I mean, I know she did, but I just…I missed everyone.

  More than I realized.”

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  23

  The driver popped out and opened the door. Stef got in and turned

  back to help Jen.

  Nate softened slightly as he settled into the seat across from them.

  He looked slightly out of place in the elegant limo. Sometimes it was

  hard for Stef to remember Nate came from money. “Callie’s really

  doing great. She and Zane are having the time of their life driving me crazy. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Rachel is due in a couple of

  weeks. Stef brought in a doctor. We have a nice clinic now.”

  “Well, I had to, or Max and Rye were going to drive me crazy.

  Why Rachel ever let them read those What to Expect books, I have no idea. They’ve been paranoid. And Max has become quite the medical

  expert. He’s diagnosed Rachel with everything from GERD to

  preeclampsia. I expect Ebola is next on his list of things his pregnant wife is dying from. I had to bring in Dr. Burke to save poor Rachel

  from Max keeping her on bed rest.”

  Jen laughed. It was practically music in Stef’s mind. “I can’t

  believe I missed that. Has Mel made sure the baby is safe from alien

  probes?”

  “Naturally. He’s consulted with Dr. Burke about making the birth

  completely alien free. The doc is a tolerant man. He’s also good with

  electronics. He’s modified the Detector 5000 to warn us if an alien

  invades Rachel’s womb.”

  “Excellent.”

  Jen turned her face to the window as they drove toward the

  airport. He watched her carefully. He wondered if she was sad to

  leave Dallas. He’d been inside her tiny apartment on Good Latimer. It

  was a studio space, but it looked like an art bomb had gone off inside.

  There were canvases and three different easels, each set up to catch a different type of light. Everywhere he’d looked there were signs of

  her creativity. Sketchbooks were littered through the place as though

  she wanted one anywhere she sat in case an idea hit her.

  The limo fell silent as Nate played around on his cell. He was

  probably texting Callie or Zane, who would immediately call Stella,

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  and the grapevine would be in full bloom. In roughly five minutes,

  everyone in Bliss would know he was bringing Jen home. They

  turned up Mockingbird, and Stef thought about his own work. He’d

  only managed two canvases while she’d been gone, each a portrait of

  a slender brunette with flashing green eyes.

  How was he going to keep his hands off her?

  Minutes later, the limo rolled to a stop right on the tarmac.

  “Wow, a private jet?” Her eyes were wide as she looked at his

  father’s corporate jet. Stef helped her out of the limo.

  Nate was shaking his head. “The rich are different, girl.”

  Stef felt his jaw drop. “You flew in corporate jets most of your

  life, asshole.”

  Nate winked and tipped his Stetson. “I don’t know what you’re

  talking about. I’m just a country sheriff.” He disappeared up the steps.

  Jen turned and stared at him for a moment. She bit at her bottom

  lip, tugging it into her mouth. “Stef, this is a bad idea. We don’t work.

  You know we don’t.”

  He stood there, unable to confirm or deny the allegation. He didn’t

  want to do either because that would mean making a decision, and he

  wasn’t ready for that.

  She came close and went up on her toes. “But I want you to know

  that I’m grateful you came for me. It’s the nicest thing anyone ever

  did.”

  She kissed his cheek, her lips warm on his cold skin. Then she

  turned and managed the stairs into the jet.

  Stef reached for the keys to the handcuffs as he followed her. He

  had no intention of leaving her that way. She wouldn’t go back to

  Bliss in cuffs, although no one would question it there. Bliss was

  different from Dallas. It was why he’d dug it at a young age. He

  turned and looked at the city he was born in. It wasn’t home anymore

  and hadn’t been for a long time. It was just a place where his father

  summoned him from time to time. It was a prison to do time in until

  he could get back to his real life.

  One to Keep

  25

  The pilot was waiting at the top of the steps.

  “Mr. Talbot, if you’ll take your seat, we’ll be ready to go in a few

  moments now that all four passengers are aboard. Mindy will be our

  flight attendant. I believe she’s already getting your father his drink.

  Please let her know if you need anything at all. We’ll set down in

  Alamosa at roughly noon Mountain Time.”

  Stef felt his whole body start to sink into the floor. He ducked into

  the jet, his mind racing.

  Please, no. Let it be a case of mistaken identity. Please, let it be some executive who’s just catching a ride. Not my father. He couldn’t handle his uptight father right now. He didn’t need another lecture on fulfilling his family duties. He didn’t have Callie with him to act as a buffer. Crap. He didn’t have Callie anymore. His mind raced. Callie was married. She probably wouldn’t be able to play the role of his

  longtime girlfriend to keep his father off his back.

  Or would she? Stef had bankrolled Zane’s bar. Hell, he was the

  whole reason those three had gotten together in the first place. They

  owed him. It wasn’t like he was taking her away. He would just

  borrow her from time to time to placate his father. That shouldn’t

  bother anyone. Callie had been doing it for years. His father believed he’d stayed in Bliss because he was deeply in love with Callie

  Sheppard. He would probably be upset to find out she was now Callie

  Hollister-Wright.

  But it would be okay, because it wasn’t his elegant father who had

  a perpetual stick up his aristocratic ass. The pilot was misinformed.

  “Hello, son.”

  His father sat across from Nate, a broad smile on his face. He

  wore a sweater and jeans instead of his usual three-piece suit.

  Sebastian Talbot looked older, softer than Stef had ever seen him. He

  wore his hair very short, and it was gray. His father had always had a stylist darken his hair.

  “Dad.”

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  Sophie Oak

  Jennifer’s whole face was lit with glee. She held her hands out.

  No one could possibly miss those shiny cuffs. Nate was back to

  texting furiously. For a badass ex-DEA agent, he’d become a terrible

  gossip.

  “I was just telling your father all about how you kidnapped me

  and how you’re a righteous pervert,” Jen explained.

  His dad shook a finger at hi
m. “And I told her that wasn’t how I’d

  raised you.”

  “You didn’t raise me.” It was true. His father had left him behind

  in Bliss to be raised by a nanny. Although now that he thought about

  it, he’d really been raised by Bliss. Mrs. Harper had let him spend

  night after night at her house. Callie’s mom had taken him shopping

  and taught him to drive. And Stella, well, Stella had been his mom in

  every way that counted.

  Sebastian shrugged. “Well, I’m sure I left a note for your nanny.

  One always believes that not allowing your child to turn into a

  righteous pervert is implied. It can be hard to find good help.”

  “What are you doing here, Dad?” Stef uncuffed Jen and gently

  showed her to a seat.

  His father leaned forward, his face serious. “I’ve come with a

  request, son.”

  “And you couldn’t just e-mail me? My cell works. How did you

  even know I would be here?”

  “I had to approve the request for the jet.” Gray eyes assessed Stef.

  “I knew this might be the only time I got to see you. You’ve been

  busy the last few times I asked you to come back to Dallas.”

  “I have several projects due.” It was true. He had a couple of

  commissioned works he needed to finish. He didn’t bother to mention

  he hadn’t worked on them because he couldn’t get Jennifer out of his

  brain. “I apologize, but I couldn’t get away. Now, please hurry and

  tell me what you want. The plane is about to take off.”

  “I’ve got cancer, Stefan. Prostate cancer. I’ve been in chemo and

  radiation, and I’m in remission, but it could come back. I’ve come to

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  27

  beg you to marry Callie. I want to see you settled and happy before

  anything happens to me.”

  Nate stopped texting, his phone falling to the floor and his mouth

  hanging open. “What did he say?”

  Stef felt his world spin. His father had cancer. His father had gone

  through therapy, and he hadn’t been there. Of course, his father hadn’t asked him to be there, hadn’t even told him he was sick, but it didn’t matter. Guilt gnawed at his gut.

  Of course, he had another problem. Shit. His father wanted him to marry Callie. Nate and Zane might have a problem with that.

  “And I’m not getting off the plane, son,” his father said, settling

  back in his seat. “I’m coming to Bliss with you, and I’m not leaving

  until I get what I want.”

  The plane started to taxi down the runway. Stef felt like he was

  trapped inside a coffin. Everything was coming unraveled. His well-

  ordered world was coming back to bite him in the ass. His father had

  been sick and could be again. Nate glared at him, obviously waiting

  for an answer. His father, who had lost his damn mind, leaned over

  and patted his hand.

  Jen let loose with a long, robust laugh. “God, I missed Bliss.”

  Stef felt his stomach turn as the plane took off. He gave Nate a

  shake of his head. Nate frowned, and Stef was grateful when he sat

  back, obviously willing to leave this argument for a more private

  time. Stef sat back and watched Dallas fall away. His mind wandered

  back to that night with Jen. That was when it had all started to whirl out of control.

  If only he could change it all.

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  Sophie Oak

  Chapter Three

  Six months before

  Stef walked into the Bliss County Sheriff’s Office with blood on

  his hands. He gripped the shotgun he held like an old friend. Despite

  the fact that the threat seemed to be over, he couldn’t come down. He

  felt the adrenaline racing through his system. It made him ragged and

  jittery.

  “Hey, Stef, you got the keys?” Max, one of his best friends, ran to

  catch up to him. They had driven back together, he, Max, and Max’s

  twin, Rye. Each had been silent in the car, as though they all had to take in what had just happened.

  Stef reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys Nate had

  given to him before he’d been loaded into the ambulance to go to the

  hospital. Stef had replayed the whole scene in his head a hundred

  times. A pair of rogue DEA agents had taken Callie hostage and

  offered to trade her for Zane, who had information that would lead

  them to millions of dollars worth of drug money. No one had been

  willing to give up Zane except Zane. Nate had set up a plan to take

  out the agents. It had gone well until one of the bastards had captured Nate. Stef had thought he held the ace when he caught the man’s

  partner and offered an exchange. The bastard had simply shot his

  partner between the eyes and held on to Nate.

  He’d had a hand on the man when he died. Leander. Stef thought

  that was his name. It was all a jumble, but the blood was clear. It

  clung to his hands. The image was burned in his brain. The DEA

  agents were dead. Mel and Nate had been shot. Callie was worse for

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  29

  the wear. His sweet, pacifist friend had been forced to kill a man to

  save her loves, Nate and Zane.

  Everyone he loved was alive, but he was still shaking inside.

  “Max! Where is Rye? Oh, god, where’s Rye?” Rachel’s shout

  broke through his dark thoughts. He could hear the panic in her voice.

  Rye pushed him aside as he ran toward his brother and their wife.

  “I’m fine, baby. I’m fine. We’re all fine.”

  Stef stood in the doorway, watching as Max opened the little cell

  he’d placed his pregnant wife in to ensure her safety. He’d shoved

  Jennifer in with Rachel. She had no place walking into an ambush

  with a shotgun, and he didn’t trust her not to follow him. She was as

  stubborn as the day was long, and she loved Callie.

  Max and Rye surrounded their wife. They hugged her and kissed

  her, whispering words of comfort to her. Their hands found her belly

  and rested on the child growing there.

  “Where are the sheriff and Zane and Callie?” Laura Niles was on

  her formidable heels as he stared at the cell. Jen stood inside,

  watching him with hooded eyes. He could still remember the way

  she’d cursed him as he locked her inside.

  He spoke to Laura, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Jennifer.

  “Hospital. Mel’s with them. No one is critical. Nate was shot, but it

  was in his shoulder. He doesn’t want anyone visiting until tomorrow.”

  Stella patted his back as she walked past. “I’ll head down anyway.

  Someone will have to sit with Mel. And maybe translate for him. He

  has a theory about the aliens taking over pharmaceutical companies. It could go really poorly for those doctors.”

  Laura hurried after Stella. “I’ll keep you company, Stella.”

  Marie and Teeny had been left behind, too. They were one of

  Bliss’s oldest couples and ran the Trading Post together. Nate’s

  deputy, Logan, called them both Mom. After Max assured them

  Logan was all right and was simply handling the paperwork with the

  feds, they decided to stay on and man the station so the men could get some rest.

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  Sophie Oak

  Rest. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do that. A weird, angry
>
  energy was thrumming through his veins. He wanted to hit

  something—or fuck someone. Not someone. Jennifer. Sinking

  himself into Jennifer’s soft body would take away the pain.

  He shook off the thought. He couldn’t use her like that. It would

  mean something to her. Hell, it would mean something to him, and

  neither one of them was ready for that. She was so damn young, so

  impetuous. Tonight had certainly proven that.

  “Come on, Jennifer. I’ll take you home.” He owed her that, at

  least. She was so beautiful, even with mascara running down her

  cheeks. She took a hand wipe from Teeny and washed off her face.

  He would have to stay away from her. He couldn’t ask Max or Rye to

  take her home. He had to do it himself, but he needed to keep his

  distance, or he would make a mistake they would both regret. He

  could feel it.

  “Fuck you, Stef.” She shoved her way past him.

  Volcanic rage threatened to overtake him. It wasn’t about her, but

  she was going to take the brunt unless she stopped pushing him. Hell,

  she’d been pushing him for a year and a half, ever since she waltzed

  into Bliss and declared she’d come to learn from him. She’d wanted

  him to teach her his techniques.

  Stef didn’t teach. Not art at least. Now the finer points of

  Dominance and submission, that was another story. The Dom in him

  responded to her lack of respect. He followed her as she strode out of the building.

  The early autumn air was already taking on a distinct chill at

  night, but it did nothing to cool Stef’s blood. Watching her walk away spurred his instincts to track her down. She walked quickly, as though she knew the danger she was in. Stef followed, blood pounding

  through his system. His thinking brain kept reasoning that he would

  just follow her and make sure she got home all right.

  But that dark, dirty part of him knew what this was—a hunt that

  would end with him taking her down.

  One to Keep

  31

  He quickly opened the door to his Land Rover, stashed the

  shotgun, and followed her. Her shoes clicked on the sidewalk as she

  passed the town hall and rushed across the street. He knew exactly

  where she was going. Her tiny apartment was over the diner. Stella