Colby Law. Debra Webb

along, not since she was old enough to have a mind of her own anyway. The best he recalled, she’d been damned independent since the age of six. His heart swelled a little more at the idea of what had been hidden from her all these years. He hated like hell to be the one to turn her life upside down like this, but he sure wasn’t allowing anyone else to do the job. He owed her that much. He’d hurt her, but he’d made the only choice he could at the time. Nothing he said or did now would change that tragic fact, but he had to protect her.

      He couldn’t not protect her.

      Her daddy wasn’t going to like it. The last exchange between Gus and Lyle had been several degrees below amicable. The old man would be livid when he learned Lyle was back. The one thing Lyle could absolutely guarantee was that he wasn’t walking away this time. For Gus or any other reason.

      Wrestling aside his emotions, Lyle focused on what he’d come here to do. Whatever happened from this moment on was his responsibility. Whether she liked it or not. That part he’d just have to figure out. This battle between her and Gus had gone too far, if all he’d discovered was accurate. That was a whole different ball of wax and complicated an already dangerous situation. It pained him that she had been fighting a man like her daddy alone all this time. Lyle had left seven years ago when he should have stayed. He dropped his head. Staying hadn’t been possible, no matter how he looked at the past. Things had been far too volatile. He’d had no choice but to leave.

      By God, he was here now.

      Sadie had a soft spot for animals, all of them. He surveyed the herd of furry critters lounging around his feet. Apparently she’d made it her life’s mission to save every one she could, especially those involved with the rodeo that, for one reason or another, were neglected or otherwise abused. That decision had made a lot of folks unhappy around here, particularly Gus Gilmore. She’d gotten more than one, including her daddy, fined by the rodeo association for crossing the line when it came to the treatment of the animals they owned. Many times the incidents were mistakes or oversights, but others were intentional acts intended to ensure a crowd- pleasing performance. The latter could prove hazardous to the person or persons who got in the way.

      Lyle stared at his hat, turning it in his hands as if an answer could be pulled from there, but there was no easy answer. Sadie’s troubles with the ranchers were the least of her problems right now. Making her understand that reality without revealing too much too soon would be the hardest part. Her cooperation was absolutely essential, but he despised keeping anything from her for any reason.

      The fact was he couldn’t protect her fully if she didn’t cooperate. The situation presented a precarious balancing act. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her again. Or to let anyone else hurt her. Unfortunately, whatever happened, protecting her from the shocking truth was not possible. She had to know all of it, eventually.

      Movement beyond the end of the house caught his eye. He watched her march out to the barn, her shotgun still propped on her shoulder. She’d captured her long, silky blond hair into a haphazard ponytail that hung to the middle of her back. She’d worn it that way for as long as he could remember. The scrap of leather she used to tie it back always ended up barely clasping that gorgeous mane below her shoulders, as if she didn’t possess the patience to bother with securing it adequately at the nape of her neck. Her grandmother had scolded her about never staying still long enough to properly brush her hair, much less prepare a suitable ponytail. The memory of running his fingers through her hair warred with the logic required to stay on track. He banished those snippets of lost moments the same way he’d been doing for the past seven years.

      The dogs, one by one, got up and moseyed out to the barn to see what their master was up to. Lyle stood, settled his hat into place, and followed. Her soft voice stopped him at the wide-open barn doors. She’d set her shotgun aside and filled a bucket with feed. One by one she served the stabled animals. Chatted softly with each one and gave the old horses a scratch behind the ears. When she’d finished she walked right past Lyle and released all but one horse into the pasture.

      The barn and the house were a little run-down. In all likelihood there was fencing that needed mending. Had she been trying to handle this place all alone the better part of the time? The thought made his gut clench. Damn Gus Gilmore. Lyle shook his head. Damn him. She hadn’t deserved the raw deal she’d gotten from him anymore than from her daddy.

      Sadie made eye contact with him as she strode back to the front of the barn. “You haven’t left yet?” Her arms went over her chest as her chin lifted in challenge.

      “I’m afraid leaving isn’t an option.”

      “You’re something.” She shook her head, fury blazing in those green eyes her grandmother had sworn came from her Irish roots. Lyle knew different. Sadie was the only one of the Barker girls who had her biological mother’s green eyes. “You take off, stay gone for seven years and now you show up needing my help. I don’t know what you’ve been smoking, but I think you’d better find some place to clear your head.”

      “Like I said before—” he folded his arms over his chest, matching her stance and, partly, to keep from grabbing her and shaking her or worse, kissing the hell out of her “—I was wrong.”

      “Like you also said,” she echoed, “you were wrong about a lot of things, but that changes nothing.”

      “I really need your help, Sadie. This isn’t just about Gus.”

      A frown furrowed her soft brow. Damn, she looked good in those work-worn jeans and that pink button-up shirt that hugged her body the way he had dreamed of doing for too many years to count.

      “All right, I’ll bite. What’s this about then?”

      At least her question was a step in the right direction. “The trouble involves you, too.”

      She rolled her eyes and made a sound of disbelief. “I don’t believe you. Besides, I’m always in trouble. What’s new?”

      “This could get ugly fast.” Urgency nudged him. “There’s no time to say what I need to say the polite way.” Might as well spit it out. “I’ve been sent here to protect you 24/7, until this is over.”

      He’d expected her to get her shotgun, maybe rant at him a little more, and attempt running him off. He was prepared for that kind of reaction. He wasn’t set for her laughter. The sound burst out of her. “You really are out of your mind, Lyle McCaleb. You should go now, before I lose my sense of humor.”

      He had one last ace up his sleeve. “You think you’re unhappy to see me.” He chuckled. “Imagine how Gus will feel when he finds out I’m back.” Lyle grinned, couldn’t help himself. “He’s really going to hit the roof. You know how much he hates me. I’ll bet word has already climbed its way up to that pedestal he lives on.”

      That gave her pause and maybe a little anticipatory pleasure. It flashed like a neon sign across her pretty face. “I’m not saying you can stay or even that I believe anything you’re saying,” she countered, but her resolve had weakened ever so slightly. He heard it in her voice. “But I’ll hear you out and then I’ll make my decision.”

      “Rumor has it you’re out here all by yourself.” That worried him the most.

      Anger darkened the features he knew by heart, yanking the step he’d gained right out from under his feet. “I don’t appreciate you checking up on me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

      “I’m just doing my job, Sadie. My orders are to make sure you’re protected. To do that I have to know what I’m up against.”

      Suspicion made an appearance amid the other emotions visibly tugging at her. “Who sent you here? You working for the law again? I thought you went off to be some hotshot security specialist.”

      The Colby Agency never failed its clients, particularly not where their safety was concerned. Yes, he was here representing those high standards. He supposed one could reason that he was operating under Colby Law. “The answer’s complicated, Sadie. There’s no simple