Her Billionaire Protector (Texas Ranch Romance Book 2) Page 8

  “Yes, we can wire the majority of the funds anywhere you want it to go. The first million will be in cash. I will wire the rest at the drop-off location, and you can verify on your end. Where do you want to carry out the exchange?”

  “Once I see the money has arrived, I will tell you where she is,” the voice replied.

  Colton’s response was full of ire. “There is no way, buddy. If we don’t get the girl, you don’t get the money.” A soldier handed him a note.

  We have the location. It’s close. Agree to his terms, we are on our way.

  “If we do that, you will come down on top of us before we can leave the country.”

  “What do you suggest, then?” Colton tried to drag out the conversation.

  “Put the money in a black briefcase. There is a green trash can in front of the feed store in town. In one hour, put that briefcase in the can.” The voice sounded victorious.

  “I have a brown briefcase, will that do?” Colton knew that right now was the most dangerous time for Elsie. He was trying everything he could to slow down the phone call. They probably wouldn’t kill her before they got the money, but they could move locations. “If you hurt her, I will make it my life’s mission to hunt you down and kill you.”

  “Brown is fine. But don’t try anything if you want to see her alive.”

  Elsie could hear furniture being moved and men coming and going. She needed to move now. She quickly broke her ties and stood up and stretched. If she could get out before more men appeared, she felt sure Richard would not stop her. With her ear to the door, she waited to hear the last of the instructions to place bombs in the city. As the cars drove away, Elsie quietly opened the door a crack.

  She was surprised that the deranged man looked pretty normal, like someone you’d pass on the street. How did he keep all that evil intent hidden inside?

  He turned away, and she slipped out of her room, moving to sneak down the hall. But as soon as she was through the door, he whipped around to face her with a gun in his hand. “Did you think I didn’t hear you moving around in there?”

  He raised his arm to fire, and Richard rushed through the side door, putting himself between her and the bullet. He was shot in the neck. Elsie rushed forward and grabbed the man’s gun hand and broke his wrist. She elbowed him in the neck, crushing his wind pipe. He fell to the ground, and she grabbed his hair and slammed his head into the floor, knocking him out. She quickly grabbed the ties and secured his hands and feet.

  Kneeling down next to Richard, she assessed his condition and rolled a jacket up tightly and placed it under his neck to put pressure on his wound. “Richard, do you know the locations of those bombs?”

  He nodded his head weakly and pointed to the computer.

  Elsie ran over to the desk and searched the desktop. She found maps and locations which she emailed immediately to Henry to give to the commander. There were no phones, so she knelt back down next to Richard and helped him put pressure on his neck.

  “Richard, you need an ambulance. Is there a phone here anywhere?” Elise tried to make him comfortable, but he had lost so much blood she knew he probably wouldn’t make it.

  His color was fading, and he whispered, “I told you, you don’t play army right.” He shut his eyes for the last time.

  “Oh, Richard,” Elsie cried. “Thank you, you saved my life.”

  A small smile formed on his lips, and he was gone.

  Just then, the front door banged open, and ten men rushed in. Elsie jumped behind the door, but when she realized it was the military, she slumped down into a chair.

  “Are you okay, ma’am?”

  She shook her head. “Did you get the email? There are men with bombs on their way to the city.”

  “Yes, we are on it.”

  “How close am I to the Rio Lago ranch?” Elsie asked as they took the man she’d tied up into custody.

  “This ranch is located directly behind the resort. I am instructed to take you over there immediately.”

  “Can I take some time to freshen up a little first?” She washed her face and hands of Richard’s blood. Her clothes were a lost cause. When she came out, they drove her over to the ranch.

  Colton was beside himself, sitting at the ranch house, not able to participate in the rescue. He paced up and down and was making his parents nervous. The phone rang, and his father answered. “Great, that is great.” He turned and smiled at Colton. “She is safe.”

  Colton headed down the porch steps. “I will be back, Dad, I just need a minute.”

  “Sure, son.”

  He didn’t want them to see the tears of relief flowing down his face.

  Chapter 19

  The military jeep drove up to the ranch door, and Elsie got out and ran to the arms of her grandparents.

  “So, Grandpa, do you have any other errands you would like me to take care of?”

  Her grandfather wrapped her up in his arms, tight. “Elsie, I think that will do for the time being. We love you. I don’t know what we would have done if we had lost you.”

  “I love you too.” She buried her face in his shoulder. Then cringed as she realized her clothes were still covered in blood.

  “I better change.” Elsie ran upstairs to shower and put on some clean clothes. When she came back down, she realized she hadn’t seen Colton.

  “Is Colton in town with the military?”

  “No. They wouldn’t let him. They said he was too emotionally involved.” Her grandfather pointed to the lone man walking around the lake.

  Elsie started jogging around the lake, feeling that same sense of freedom she always felt from running. She ran faster as she realized she was truly free and there was Colton. Her heart was ready to burst with anticipation. How would he react when she told him she wanted to raise a family with him? She knew without a doubt that he was the man for her. Did he feel the same way, or was he still hung up with his anti-marriage nonsense? These thoughts filled her mind as she ran closer.

  It was a beautiful day. Her heart was bursting with happiness. Life was good.

  Colton had stopped halfway to sit on the bench they’d found behind the trees. He looked up just as she reached him. “So tell me,” he asked, “is this one of those vacation moments that we are supposed to take advantage of?”

  “Yes!” Elsie laughed and sat on his lap and kissed him. She felt herself falling deeper in love with every moment. She was in his arms and she desperately wanted to stay there forever. He just held her so tight she could hardly breathe.

  “Elsie, will you marry me? I can’t live my life without you. Please, say yes.”

  Elsie was crying she was so happy. “Yes!” She laughed. “I’m glad you asked. I was planning to take you away with me by force.”

  Colton raised his eyebrows.

  “I did overpower you at the airport,” Elsie reminded him.

  “Really? I seem to remember I flipped the tables on you.” Colton laughed.

  “Oh, you know I let you do that.”

  They sat on the bench, and Elsie told him everything. They talked about their future plans. Colton shared with her how much he loved his ranch. “I hope you will like it, Elsie, but if you don’t, I will live wherever you want.”

  They walked back hand in hand to the ranch house. As they walked up the porch, everyone was smiling expectantly. “What’s up?” Colton asked.

  Colton’s father said, “Well, Colton, you know your mother.”

  “Has she hired another band?” Colton asked.

  “An orchestra, actually, coming tomorrow evening.” His father walked over to sit by his mother in the rocking chairs. They actually smiled at each other. Now this was a change for the better.

  “What for?” Colton was getting a little worried, but it would take a lot to spoil the happiness he felt.

  “Your wedding reception!” Now everyone on the porch was smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

  Elsie smiled at Colton. “Did you plan this?”

  “Of
course not.” His eyes searched her face. “But it’s not such a bad idea. Our families are here, and they all look pretty happy. Can I announce our engagement?”

  “Yes, do it!”

  Colton raised his hands to quiet the group. “We are feeling a lot of love from all of you right now. I just asked Elsie to marry me, and fortunately, she said yes!”

  Everyone cheered and came over to hug and congratulate them both.

  Janice patted the sofa. “And now we will share our plans.”

  Colton groaned. “Of course you have plans.”

  “Now hush. We have been having fun making all the arrangements. Elsie, your grandmother and Mary are supervising the wedding cake. In about an hour, eight wedding dresses will arrive for you to try on.”

  “Excuse me?” Elsie looked shocked. “Did you plan our wedding?”

  “Of course, dear.”

  She met Colton’s gaze. He said. “We can do whatever you want, stop this steam engine before it goes any further, or hop on and enjoy the ride.”

  She smiled shyly. “I say we enjoy the ride.”

  Colton couldn’t be happier, and the light in her eyes was all he needed.

  His mother continued almost as if they hadn’t spoken. “Excellent, now, at ten tomorrow morning, you will get married at the church in town and then come back here for a family luncheon, which we are having catered from Houston. That evening there will be a Texas BBQ, and the orchestra and dancing will follow dinner. You can dance all night if you want to. Your father has booked the ranch for the next two weeks for your honeymoon if you want to stay here. We were thinking maybe we would all stay here too.” She smiled. “Now, that is negotiable of course.”

  Elsie spoke up. “Grandpa, would it be possible for us to use the cabin for our honeymoon the first week, and then come back here the following week for a family reunion? That way everyone on both sides can get to know each other.”

  Chip agreed. “That is a great idea. We were all thinking of staying here for a couple weeks anyway. Adding the immediate families that second week on both sides is a wonderful plan.”

  Everyone agreed.

  Elsie and Colton went up to their rooms and collapsed on Elsie’s bed. “What do you think about this, Colton? We can call it off, if it’s not what you want.”

  “I am a little nervous, but did you see my parents out there? They were sitting together and actually smiling. Now, that was encouraging.” He reached over and took her hand. “I love you, Elsie Warner. I have no life if you are not in it.”

  “Life is a buffet, Colton. You pick and choose important moments to focus on. I choose all the happy times.” Elsie stretched and sat up.

  Colton smiled knowingly and pulled her back next to him. “Is this one of those happy moments?”

  “Colton, seriously, we are getting married in the morning. I want to take the horses out along the river road and have a picnic before your mother has me trying on wedding dresses all afternoon.”

  Elsie turned and pecked his cheek and then jumped away as he tried to grab her hand to pull her back down. They were both laughing when Henry knocked on the door.

  “Hello, Henry, I see you are smiling this morning. Another matchmaking success.” Colton got off the bed and shook Henry’s hand.

  Henry set down a picnic basket Mary had made for them.

  “We couldn’t be happier.”

  Epilogue

  (One Year Later)

  Chip and Cathy Warner purchased the ranch behind the Rio Lago Ranch Resort. Mary and Cathy became good friends, and Henry and Chip set up a golfing appointment every Monday morning at the country club. They built a bridge over the river and used golf carts to travel back and forth for visits.

  Colton’s parents, Skip and Janice, fell in love again when they met their new grandson, Chase Reed. Babies have a way of bringing joy into any family. Every year they joined the Warners and the Dugans for a week at the ranch.

  Elsie and Colton traveled between the mountain cabin and the ranch resort as their home was being built on Colton’s ranch.

  The mountain lake was beautiful. Colton had it stocked with rainbow trout by helicopter. Colton divided his time between ranching and the company. Elsie taught online classes for Texas A&M, and Chase had colic his first three months. Nothing was perfect, but they did find all the happy moments.

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  Her other books in this series:

  Her Billionaire Cowboy

  Her Billionaire Protector

  Her Billionaire in Hiding

  Her Billionaire Christmas Secret

  The Billionaire Royals

  The Heir

  The Crown

  The Duke

  The Duke’s Brother

  The Prince

  The American

  The Spy

  The Princess

  Read on for the first chapter of Her Billionaire in Hiding.

  Her Billionaire in Hiding Chapter One

  Coop Smith boarded a weather beaten and worn passenger boat. A strange sort of kinship to the old craft tugged at his heart. He wondered if his own paint was peeling, his hinges creaking and his deck needing a good cleaning. He ran his hand along the rough wood railing careful not to get a piece of it lodged in his finger. He assumed the boat was still seaworthy even though the whole thing must have been nailed shut at the seams the way they used to be.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, mate?” Coop’s best friend, Jerry, handed Coop the luggage and his dog’s leash.

  “I see no other option.” Coop would miss his best friend but he didn’t know what else to do “The paparazzi are in a full court press. They’re using me, mate. Now that Clara has died, it’s much worse. They’re like bees swarming around a hive anytime I go into public these days. Every magazine’s front cover has my picture. ‘Eligible Bachelor Ready for Fun,’ ‘Bachelor Shakes Free of Engagement.’ What is wrong with these people?” Coop climbed down into the hull of the ship, where his quarters were.

  Jerry carried one of the suitcases. “Coop, taking this piece of rubbish ship seems a bit extreme when you have a fleet of jets at your disposal.”

  The ship was dark and smelly. He had paid with cash, no ID required. His mother was from the States so he had a US passport, but the less he used it the better. He planned to sneak into the country and leave no records. He had a suitcase full of American bills so he could pay for everything in cash. The news world had become sophisticated in their search for sensational headlines. They’d been chasing him since he was twelve, when his father had died. If he went off the grid like this, he knew they would try to find him. He planned to make it hard.

  “I can’t trust my own pilots to keep quiet.” He handed Jerry the package to give to his mother.

  “I won’t say anything, Coop, but they’re gonna hound me for a while. Maybe I’ll go up and see family in New Zealand.”

  “You can talk if you want to. The last place you saw me was on a ship in Brisbane. You don’t know where I am going specifically—America is a big place.”

  “Maybe I’ll hint about a trip to Greece. Listen, mate, we haven’t talked about it much. But I’m sorry about Clara. It’s not going to be the same without her. I loved her too.”

  “Yeah, I know. Life isn’t turning out the way we all planned.”

  Coop shook his hand, and Jerry turned to leave. “Good luck, mate, see you when you get back.”

  Coop called his dog, Chase, up onto the bed to sit beside him. “We’re doing it, Chase. We are going to escape.” Chase was an Australian Shepherd and one of the fastest cattle dogs he had ever owned. He went everywhere with Coop.

  The dog whined and rested his head on Coop’s thigh. He must have sensed his dropping mood. Another good thing about America—no one would tell him how much they missed Clara.

  She had been out in her ultra-light plane, checking the cattle. The search planes found her crash s
ite the next day.

  She’d ignored her dad’s reservations about it. Coop agreed with her father, but she had laughed at his worry.

  Clara why didn’t you just listen for once. She knew the plane was dangerous.

  Coop covered his face with his hands. Chase got up and nuzzled him until he turned on his tablet and pulled up a country western station from the states. “Well, Chase, I guess we better brush up on our Texan.”

  A soft, rich melody came through his tablet. The voice was sweet and clear, and a great peace descended upon him.

  Peace like a river flows through me

  The words eased his mind and calmed his heart. Coop had been traveling all night and fell asleep to the melody with a tentative smile on his face. Chase nestled down beside him as the ship left the harbor.

  ***

  Strobe lights flashed. The smoke rolled in billowing waves at Jessie’s feet. Everywhere she looked, screaming fans jumped and waved. Then as the music began for her next song, her biggest hit,(peace like a river flows through me) their cheers rose so high, they drowned out the guitar.

  This had been a whirlwind summer, traveling from one booking to the other. The fans were crazy tonight, so she did a second encore. Their excitement filled her with energy she didn’t know she had. Finally, she walked off the stage for the last time, and her crew escorted her to the RV waiting outside. Once they had all the equipment loaded into the truck, they drove off into the night, heading to the next show.

  Alone in the RV, she came down from the high of screaming fans and fell exhausted onto her bed. But she couldn’t sleep. She lay there, looking at posters from her concerts, not quite believing what was happening in her life. As they usually did, her thoughts drifted to the blue eyes of a stranger she’d met on her trip home from signing her first contract. She grinned. What a whirlwind of emotions.

  Growing up in her small town, Jessie had been singing at church picnics and state fairs since she was sixteen. A few months ago, during her sophomore year at college, an agent asked her for a meeting. He praised her voice and the songs she had written. Eventually, after two more meetings, she had an appointment to meet with the producer of a recording studio. The agent flew her out to LA and put her up in a five-star hotel. It all seemed like a dream. On the day of the meeting, Jessie felt wary but decided it was just nerves.