The Protectors: Defending His Own / Guarding Jeannie. BEVERLY BARTON

mean anything to you now, does he?”

      “Lower your voice.” She had told Neil time and again that she couldn’t offer him more than friendship. She’d never led him on or made him any promises. Perhaps it was wrong of her to go out with him from time to time, but he was such a comfortable, nonthreatening date.

      “I’m sorry,” Neil said. “It’s just I’d hate to see him break your heart. You mooned around over him for years and all he could see was Whitney.”

      “Yes, Neil, I know. Can we please change the subject?”

      Deborah caught a glimpse of Ashe going from desk to desk, speaking personally to each Vaughn & Posey employee. Ashe looked up from where he was bent over Patricia Walden’s desk and smiled at Deborah. He’d seen her staring at him, watching while Patricia fluttered her long, black eyelashes at him. Deborah forced a weak smile to her lips.

      “Look at him flirting with Patricia, and her a married woman!” Neil sucked in his freckled cheeks, making his long, narrow face appear even more equine than usual.

      “Neil, close the door, please. We need to discuss the Cotton Lane Estates. I’m afraid we’ve allowed my situation to interfere in our moving ahead on this project.”

      Neil closed the door, followed Deborah across the room, waited until she sat, then seated himself. “We have the surveyor’s report. No surprises there. I’ve had Annie Laurie run a check on the deed. Everything is in order. Mr. and Mrs. McCullough have agreed to our last offer. I’d say, despite your problems, things are moving ahead quite smoothly.”

      “We should have had this deal wrapped up a week ago. Have Mr. and Mrs. McCullough come in today and let’s get everything signed, sealed and delivered. We’ve still got several months of good weather, so if we can give Hutchinson the go-ahead, he can move his crews in there and cut the roads we’ll need before we divide the land into one-acre lots.”

      “I’ll give the McCulloughs a call. Since he’s retired, they shouldn’t have any problem driving down from Decatur this afternoon.”

      “Fine. And thanks for handling things while my life has been turned upside down lately.”

      Neil smiled, that widemouthed grin that showed all his teeth. “You know I’d do anything for you, Deb. Anything.”

      The door opened and Ashe McLaughlin walked in, making no apologies for interrupting. “Make time at lunch to go with me to see Sheriff Blaylock. I want to arrange for one of his men to keep an eye on you tomorrow while I do a little investigating on my own.”

      “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Neil said. “Whenever you need to do your investigating, I’ll be more than happy to stay with Deborah.

      “Neil—” Deborah wanted to caution her friend, but she didn’t get the chance.

      “Look, Posey, I appreciate the fact you’re Deborah’s friend, but you’re a realtor. I’m a professional bodyguard. If I can’t be at Deborah’s side, I want another professional to be there. One of the sheriff’s deputies.”

      “I can assure you that I’d die to protect Deborah.”

      “That may be so, but once they kill you, what would keep them from killing her?” Ashe ignored Deborah’s pleading look that said not to crush Neil Posey’s ego. But Ashe didn’t give a damn about Posey’s ego. He simply wanted to make sure the man understood he wasn’t equipped to play hero. “Do you own a gun? Do you carry it with you? Have you ever killed a man?”

      “No, I don’t own a gun and I most certainly have never killed another human being.” Neil shuddered, obviously offended at the thought.

      “It’s all well and good to be willing to die to protect Deborah, but it’s just as important to be willing to kill, or at least maim an assailant, in order to protect her.”

      “I’ll arrange to go with you to see Charlie Blaylock,” Deborah said, her tone sharp. She wanted Ashe to know how displeased she was with him. There had been no need to humiliate Neil. “Thank you for your offer, Neil. I’d feel completely safe with you, but…” She nodded in Ashe’s direction. “Mother is paying Mr. McLaughlin a small fortune, so I plan to get our money’s worth out of him.”

      “Yes, well…I understand.” With shoulders slumped, Neil slinked out of Deborah’s office like a kicked dog.

      She marched across the room, slammed shut the door and turned on Ashe. “How dare you make Neil feel less than the man he is! What gave you the right to humiliate him that way?”

      “My intention wasn’t to humiliate Neil. Hell, I have no reason to dislike the man, to want to hurt him. My intention was to show him that he’s useless as a bodyguard.”

      “Did you have to do it in front of me?” She looked down at her feet. “Neil has a crush on me.”

      Ashe laughed. “That must be the reason Annie Laurie can’t get to first base with him.”

      Deborah snapped her head up, her eyes making direct contact with Ashe’s. She smiled. “I’ve done everything but offer to pay for their wedding to get Neil interested in Annie Laurie. He can’t seem to see past me to take notice of what a wonderful girl Annie Laurie is and how much she adores him.”

      Ashe stared at Deborah, his expression softening as he remembered another stupid man who had been so blinded by his passion for one woman that he’d allowed a treasure far more rare to slip through his fingers. Unrequited love was a bitch.

      “I’m sorry if you think I was too rough on Neil. Annie Laurie had told me he liked you, but I had no idea he fancied himself in love with you. I’ll tread more lightly on his ego from now on.”

      “Thank you, Ashe. I’d appreciated it.”

      A soft knock sounded at the door, breaking the intensity of Deborah’s and Ashe’s locked stares.

      “Yes?”

      Annie Laurie cracked open the door, peeked inside and held out a bundle of mail. “I’ve checked through these. The one I put on top looks odd to me. Whoever sent it used one of Deborah’s business cards as a mailing label.”

      “Hand me that letter and place the others on the desk,” Ashe said.

      Annie Laurie obeyed Ashe’s command. Deborah glanced from Annie Laurie’s worried face to the letter in Ashe’s hand. She waited while he turned the envelope over, inspecting it from every angle. He held it up to the light.

      “Does this look pretty much like the other letters you’ve received?” he asked.

      “The others were typed,” Deborah said. “This is the first time they’ve used my business card.”

      Ashe walked over to Deborah’s desk, picked up her letter opener and sliced the envelope along the spine. Lifting out a one-page letter, he laid the opener down, spread apart the white piece of stationery and read aloud the message, which had been typed.

      “Don’t show up in court. If you do, you’ll be sorry.”

      Deborah glanced at Annie Laurie who seemed to be waiting for something. “Is there something else?” she asked.

      Tilting her head to one side and casting her gaze downward, Annie Laurie smiled. “Megan stopped by to see you. She’s got Katie with her.”

      “Oh.” Deborah returned Annie Laurie’s smile. “I suppose everyone’s passing Katie around as if she were a doll. Tell Megan I’ll be out in just a minute.”

      Annie Laurie slipped out of the office, silently closing the door behind her.

      “What was that all about? Who are Megan and Katie?”

      “Megan is my secretary. She’s on maternity leave. Katie is her two-week-old baby girl.”

      Ashe shook his head. “You’ve just received another threatening