Guarding Hope - C M Steele Read online

  “I really have, but in a sense, I’m so happy. Thank you, Gage.”

  “Anything to make you happy, darling,” he added, tossing her a wink while smirking as if he was only goofing around, but Gage felt in his heart that he meant those words.

  She followed him into the kitchen, watching the way his ass moved in his perfectly fitted Wranglers. “Um, so you’re a rancher?” she questioned, hoping to make some sort of small talk to avoid the real topic at hand.

  “I will be. I used to be a prosecutor, but I turned in my briefcase for this.” He spanned his arms out wide, gesturing to the house and land. The house was magnificent and had recently been made over. “I had a lot of this place remodeled before I threw in the towel completely. Now, I’m working on getting my cattle and a bunch of hired hands.”

  The house was extremely quiet for anyone else to be inside. And from what little she saw, there wasn’t another soul around. “How long ago was that? I don’t see anyone else around.”

  “It’s only been six months since I gave it up. And there ain’t no one else around but a few of the crew members. My momma lives down the road on a part of the property, but that’s about it. No wife or kids.” He opened the fridge, then lifted his head above the opened door and asked, “Do you want a soda, tea, or water?”

  “Some tea if it’s cold and sweet.”

  “Is there any other way?”

  “There is. And it’s not pleasant.” She rolled her eyes, remembering the tea party she had to host for her father’s friends. The ladies took their tea hot with a side of lemon like they had a cold or something. After taking one sip, Hope knew that it was either iced sweet tea or no tea at all.

  “That look has an interesting story behind it,” he remarked, placing a large glass pitcher with the light brown colored sweet liquid onto the kitchen island. Then he turned around to pull out two large glasses, giving Hope another view of his backside.

  She’d honestly never been this interested in a man before. A thought hit her, and she knew it was wrong, so she pushed it back away. If she lost her virginity to him, then she wouldn’t be worth the sale. A part of her knew that it had nothing to do with her predicament, but rather with the fact that her body lit up in Gage’s presence.

  “Um…sorry. Not really. I tasted hot tea with just lemon, and I’m sure it was just a cup of dirty water.”

  He chuckled heartily, making Hope blush, which he noticed as he poured the drinks. His distraction was obvious as the tea spilled over onto the surface. “Ah, shit.”

  “Wasting all that precious nectar.”

  Gage immediately thought about another precious nectar he wanted to make a mess of. He’d been fortunate that the kitchen island was between them. He didn’t want to scare the already hesitant young woman.

  “I know. It’s a sin. However shall I make it right?” he sighed, pressing a hand to his heart.

  Hope rolled her eyes at his antics, wondering how in the world someone could be that perfect. Then another awful thought crept into her mind. She needed to leave this place. She couldn’t risk putting him in danger. They would go looking for her. Someone somewhere would recognize her.

  “Maybe you can drive me out of town?” she offered, scrunching down one side of her face.

  “Where were you planning to go?” he asked as he cleaned up the mess with a dark green kitchen towel.

  “I don’t know. Somewhere far away.”

  “I say you were because you’re not going anywhere. Your pretty little ass is staying put. I can see that look in your eyes. I’ve seen it on many of the defendants. You’re itching to bolt, but I’m going to tell you the world out there isn’t kind, and by the manhunt out there for you, I doubt you’ll be safe on your own. Fuck, even if there wasn’t a host of pieces of shit roaming the state for your ass, there are tons of perverts that love to attack a defenseless little girl.”

  “I’m not a little girl.” She slapped her hands on her waist, huffing at him, which made her perky tits bounce and jut forward, destroying his integrity one movement at a time.

  Leaning forward with his forearms on the island, he grunted out, “Honey, I am well aware of it—more than you probably understand.”

  Reading his intent, she gasped. “Huh, so that’s it. I’m with a pervert, and well, you want first dibs.”

  He reached out and tapped her chin with one finger. “Get your mind right. I’m here to protect you. I can’t say that I don’t want to spread you out on this counter and taste every inch of you, but I’m not going to make a move until you want it.”

  “What if I said I wanted you to do it?”

  “That’s good. And I knew that, but I’m not talking a one-time thing. I’m talking a lifetime. If you’re not ready for that, well then, you can just relax and carry on here as my guest, but you’re not leaving.” He raised the drink to his lips and guzzled the entire glass of tea in one long gulp, releasing a contented sigh. “Drink up. You have a lot to tell me about this whole damn thing.”

  She sipped on the tea, attempting to delay the conversation.

  “You can start talking now or wait, but you will have to tell me before I let you leave the kitchen.”

  “You sound like my father.”

  “I’m nothing like that piece of shit. I’m trying to help you out, but I need to know what the fuck I’m up against.”

  Hope dipped her head down, looking at her lap as she decided her next move. She took a deep breath and another drink before working up the courage to explain why she ran. “My dad was in the process of selling me off to Alfonzo Navarro.”

  “Sell you for what?” Gage’s eyes narrowed, and his chest markedly rose and fell as he realized what was going on.

  “For two million dollars to be Navarro’s virgin mistress.”

  “What?!” he roared. His fist violently slammed onto the granite countertop, startling her.

  “Well, I escaped. I told you I was a lot of trouble,” she reminded him.

  He crossed around the island and stood in front of her chair. Without saying a word, he cupped Hope’s chin, tipping her head up, and then he closed his mouth down on hers. Moans escaped their lips as his hand slid into her hair, pulling her closer to him.

  Gage was the first to reluctantly pull back. “Fuck. You’re trouble, but it has nothing to do with Navarro or your father. You’ve done fucking ruined me for anyone else. And no matter how much I want to drill your pussy until you’re bred with my heir, this isn’t the time.” He took another step back and adjusted his evident erection. “Excuse me.”

  Gage left the room to get ahold of his emotions. From the second he saw Hope, he’d thought of her as someone special, and he had to get to know her. But now Gage was certain that she was the one, and someone threatened to take her from him. He’d find a way to bury Navarro and Cummings so deep they’d never be found.

  Entering his home office, he saw the reminder on his desk calendar. He was due to head out to another cattle auction in Kingsville in three days. Shit. He would have to miss this one. There wasn’t any way he’d leave Hope here unprotected, and he couldn’t take her because there were a lot of people out looking for her.

  The screen door slammed open, sending Gage running from the other room to see Hope standing in the middle of the room with her bag in her hand. He closed the distance quickly, slipping his arm around her waist and holding her tightly against his body. His heart raced, thinking she’d fled.

  “I’m not going anywhere. I just wanted to grab my bag.”

  “You should have told me. I don’t want you roaming outside.”

  “Roaming? It was like twenty feet away from the house.”

  Gage cocked his brow, unmoving.

  “I get it, but I’ve been a prisoner since my mother died. As scary as today was, I’ve had the first taste of freedom in forever.”

  “You’re going to make me kill your father. Let me show you to your room.” He bent down and stole a kiss, leaving Hope weak in the knees.
r />   “My room?” she rambled.

  “Yeah. Come on.” Gage grabbed the hand of the still-stunned Hope and walked her upstairs. He opened the first door right off the top of the staircase. “This is my room. If you need me, I’m just right here.”

  Hope stared into the large room with a king-sized bed in the middle between two windows with matching nightstands. A hint of jealousy crossed her face before she looked up at Gage.

  “Where will I sleep?”

  “Over here.” He directed her to the room next to his, twisted the doorknob, and led her inside. “This is your room until you’re ready to be mine. Then you’ll never spend a night without me wrapped around you.” Gage realized he was pushing way too fast, but he couldn’t help himself. It just kept pouring out of his mouth every chance he had.

  Gage moved away from the door to give her the space to walk in. “Are you hungry?”

  “A little.”

  “I’ll get dinner started.”

  “I can help with dinner.”

  “Just get settled. Then we can talk. I need a moment, okay—and don’t go outside without me again. Understood?”

  Chapter 7

  Hearing a truck ride over the gravel, Gage looked out of his living room window. Seeing his foreman’s truck, he darted up the stairs to warn Hope. He barged through her door, forgetting to knock, only to find her coming out of the shower with just a large towel wrapped around her.

  “Shit. I’m sorry,” he said, but he didn’t look away like he should. In fact, his eyes lingered over the spot on the towel where she tucked into her cleavage.

  “Is there something you needed to tell me?” she asked, staring at the huge bulge forming in his jeans.

  “Shit. Yes. I need you to stay upstairs. My foreman is coming up to the house. I’ll call you down when he’s gone.”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  He turned around and walked toward the door. “Fuck. Too damn sexy,” he growled, closing her bedroom door just as Bill knocked on the front door.

  Rushing down the stairs, Gage opened the door and greeted his foreman while panting. “Hey, Bill. Come on into my office.”

  “You all right?”

  “Yes. Sorry. I was getting ready to jump in the shower.” The faint sound of the shower running could be heard by the stairwell, so he led him down to his office.

  “I won’t keep you. We’re good for the night. The fences around the property look great. And tomorrow we’ll be moving the cattle to the pastures on the right of the house.”

  “That’s great. The supply delivery will be here tomorrow. What time will you all be coming back in?”

  “I’m about to take them back into town, and we’ll be here at six to get started.”

  “What do you think? Can we keep them on permanently?” Gage sat down and pulled out his checkbook and ran over the numbers to double check that they matched what he sent to his accountant. It would be easier for him to do the checks here, but he didn’t have the time or the knowledge to do payroll checks. That position needed to be filled quickly.

  “Yeah, I’d say they are good to stay.” He passed the stack of checks to Bill to distribute.

  “Good. A lot of the bunkhouse already is set up. You can have them clean it after their workday, and then we can get them in there if they want that.”

  “They better. I don’t want to drive out every morning to pick these bastards up.”

  “Now, go enjoy your shower and whoever she is.” Bill winked and walked to the door with a chuckle.

  Before he grabbed the handle, Gage stammered out, “What makes you think there’s some woman here?”

  “Because you would have turned the shower off, and that bag in the front room is a woman’s bag. It’s not my business who you bring into your home.”

  Gage became defensive because for the first time in his life, he let a woman into his family home, and he wanted to keep her there. Hope wasn’t just some random hookup, and Gage didn’t want people to believe that either. “She’s gonna be my future wife, but we have some complications. I need to keep this under wraps.”

  He lifted his hand, halting Gage’s explanation. “Enough said. I don’t need to know anything if you’re not ready, and I sure as fuck will mind my own business.”

  “That’s great to know. Also, if you see anyone lurking around the property, call me immediately.”

  “Do you mean the two thugs in the suits with a black SUV?”

  He caught Gage by surprise again. Being an attorney, he had to know all the potential tricks the defense had in store, but he hadn’t been keeping up with that method like before. “Yeah.”

  “Yeah, when I went in town to grab us some lunch, they flashed her picture around. Don’t worry. I’ve got no time for Baxter Cummings and his goons.”

  “You know them?”

  “Oh yeah. I fired one of his associates’ cousins, and that’s when I suddenly had that accident, leaving me out of work for a whole damn year.”

  “Fuck. Maybe that’s something we could use against them,” Gage offered, tapping his chin as he thought about the possibilities of getting rid of Cummings legally.

  “No. I’ve tried, but they claim my accident was just that. They know how to do things corruptly.” His face drooped and his shoulders slumped as Cummings got the better of him.

  “Well, I want to install more surveillance around here,” Gage smirked, standing up and clapping Bill’s back.

  “Maybe you should do more to fence off the main house.”

  “I’ve considered it.” Gage had already lined up a security company owned by one of his friends to come set up the cameras. They’d be at the ranch tomorrow.

  “Well, I’ve got to get these boys home so I can get some fucking sleep. Be careful.”

  Once Bill drove off, Gage took the stairs two at a time to see her. “Hope, can I come in?”

  “Yes.”

  Gage opened the door and saw her sitting on the bed looking so beautiful. He gasped, staring at the way her long red hair rested on her right shoulder in a loose braid.

  “He’s gone. Sorry it took so long. I sent him on his way.” Gage gave her a crooked smile, hoping she didn’t get upset with him. He couldn’t explain how she changed him, but she meant more to him than he understood.

  “No, it’s fine. I know that I popped into your world uninvited.” She bit her bottom lip.

  “You are more than welcome, Hope. In fact, I don’t want you to leave.” The tension between them grew with every word and look.

  Unsure of what to say to his promise of keeping her, she muttered out a denial. “You’re going to want to send me packing when I become too much trouble.”

  “We’ll see. Now, how about some food?”

  “I can go for that.”

  Chapter 8

  Jimmy wrung his hands together, rocking from one foot to the other as he waited for Cummings to tell him to enter.

  A roaring, “Enter,” ripped from behind the closed oak door. Jimmy stole a glance at his partner John and shook his head as he turned the knob slowly, hoping to delay the truth. He feared Cummings because a man willing to sell his child to feed his drug habit could do anything to someone. It pissed Jimmy off that he’d become so weak.

  Cummings stood up and looked around Jimmy and John, then sat back in his chair and leaned on his elbows. “Well?”

  Rubbing the back of his neck, Jimmy responded, “Boss, we didn’t have any luck. We’re thinking she jumped on the back of someone’s pickup truck, but we don’t have surveillance footage, so we can’t tell where she went.”

  Cummings slammed his fist down on his desk, then stood straight up while pulling a gun out. Both men took a cautious step back and waited for Cummings to get his breathing under control long enough to speak.

  “Damn it. You were supposed to have her delivered to Navarro. She was handed to you on a silver platter, and you couldn’t pull her off the damn bus. I should shoot you both right now,” he snarled, walking
around his desk and looking for control of his temper.

  John pleaded his case, blurting out, “It’s not our fault. By the time we got there, she wasn’t anywhere to be found. The bus driver left her there, stranded as fuck. It should have been easy. There was only a handful of people around.”

  Cummings lurched at him, grabbing John by the throat. “Whose fault is it? This is the second time you lost her.”

  His grip tightened around John’s neck until he choked out, “Mine.”

  “It’s both you motherfuckers’ fault. You better fucking find her before Navarro’s men do because she’ll be his for nothing then. He’s already asking for my head. If you don’t, I’ll be putting your heads on a platter. Understood?” He released his hold on John.

  Jumping back and rubbing his neck, John’s eyes never left Cummings. There would be no way he’d turn his back to him. “Loud and clear,” Jimmy responded.

  Both men fled the office as soon as humanly possible. Several of Cummings’s other goons shared commiserating looks with Jimmy and John. None of them wanted to be on that assignment.

  The two hired goons walked out to the SUV while looking over their shoulders. There was no guarantee that Cummings wouldn’t kill them for failing. As they pulled out of the estate, Jimmy said, “We should check with the people of the town nearest the gas station.”

  “Yeah, maybe someone gave her a lift,” John tossed out.

  “I bet. Why the fuck can’t she just accept her fate and take the dick?” Jimmy banged the steering wheel in rage. Letting his anger come over him, he continued to rant, “Pussy’s pussy. I don’t know what the hell is so good about virgin pussy. They don’t know what to do with it and they fucking cry when you steal it.”

  “Well, then we better get a move on. Navarro’s going to know she’s not cherry if someone else gets to her first. A tight-ass body roaming around alone, she’s liable to get picked up by a crazy fuck like you.”

  They arrived in the first town east of the gas station, looking out of place with their well-tailored suits and catching glances of the residents. Getting nowhere, they moved to the next town. For six hours, they roamed two towns, questioning every soul around. No one had seen her and were genuinely surprised. That’s when they ran into the town Sheriff, Ray McCain.