Simple words coming out of his friend’s mouth, but they shook Nate to his core. When would they be done with this? They had put the man in prison, but his arms had a long reach. “And now she’s on their radar.”
Zane nodded. “I’ll leave in the morning.”
Ah, the expected response from self-sacrificing Zane. No way that was going to happen. “No, you won’t. She’ll still be on their radar. I don’t suppose you had the good sense to act like she didn’t mean anything.”
He shrugged. “I tried, but I’d already beaten up a guy over her, and then I pretty much pleaded with them to let her go, so no, there’s no way they believe I don’t care.”
Damn it. Nate let his eyes close briefly. Well, he’d wanted a reason to throw the three of them together. Now he had one. He intended to make the best of it. “We have to stay close to her. They won’t let her be. If they’re after you, the best way to come at you is through her. I didn’t help the cause tonight. They know I care about her, too. We can’t let her out of our sight. You’ll have to suck it up and show your ass around this town.”
That suited Nate just fine. Zane needed to come to the same conclusions he had about Bliss. This town might have its head up its ass about some things, but he’d never been in a more tolerant, loving place in his life. He would take it slow, move them toward what he wanted. He was a patient man.
Zane frowned, but Nate could see the softness in his eyes as he looked over at Callie sitting primly in the car. “I don’t think she’s going to like having us on her ass twenty-four seven.”
Nate bit back a groan at the thought of being in her ass. Fuck, he was going to die if he didn’t sleep with her and soon. “She’ll live with it. You’re her bodyguard. I can watch her at the station house, but what happens when I go on a call?”
A grim look of determination crossed Zane’s face. “I’ll be there. I’ll watch her.”
At least they had a plan. He walked to the little two-door piece of crap Callie drove. He wondered briefly how he was going to fit and where they stored the hamsters that obviously powered it. As soon as they had some cash, her ride was getting an upgrade. “I’ll see you at home. You follow, and don’t let us out of your sight. And Zane, you don’t get caught without your ordinance again.”
Nate slammed the door and held his hand out for the keys. Callie dropped them in and stared forward, not looking at him for even a moment. “You be as pissed as you like, darlin’, so long as you mind me.”
Callie faced the road. “You can’t expect me to obey you outside of work, Sheriff.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He hated the distance she was putting between them and had no intention of allowing it to go on a moment longer. He’d seen the way she’d clung to Zane. She had done the same thing to him earlier in the day, only to push him back because she was afraid. He knew he’d had a large hand in giving her that insecurity, but there was no room for fear anymore. “Nate. Don’t you call me Sheriff again. Not at work and not at home. My name is Nate.”
She set her pretty lips in a stubborn pout. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Don’t think at all, darlin’. Look where your last idea landed you.” He turned and stared at the road ahead.
It got really dark in the mountains. Nate concentrated on the twin beams of light that illuminated the road in front of him. It struck him suddenly that it took two lights to really see the way through and keep things safe. Turn one off and you could be blindsided. Something tightened in his heart. It would take two of them to keep Callie safe, two of them to really love her. He just had to convince them.
“You should turn here, Nate.” Callie’s head followed the road he should have turned down, the one that ran to her house. “You missed it.”
“No, I didn’t. You’re coming home with us, and you’ll stay there.”
Now she was looking at him. Nate felt that little thrill he got when Callie was flustered and angry with him. He shouldn’t like to needle her, but she was so cute when she was pissed. And passionate.
“I certainly am not. I am going home, and then you can ride back with Zane.”
“Not happening. First, you were right. Zane takes up all the space. I can’t fit on the back of his bike. I’d have to ride on the handle bars like an eight year old. That’s illegal, Callie, so then I would have to write myself a ticket. If I have a ticket, how am I supposed to go on being Sheriff? I owe it to this town to be a role model. If I step down, and the rubber duck takes over, chaos will ensue. So, you have to come home with me in order to fight chaos.” He turned toward the road that led to the little valley his and Zane’s cabin was in, thinking about how nice it would be to have her there.
“That is the silliest thing I ever heard.” But there was a slight curling of her lips. It satisfied him.
She knew she should protest. She should force him to take her home. Callie’s hands twisted in her lap as Nate efficiently handled her little car. The top of his head nearly brushed the ceiling, and despite the fact that he had the seat all the way back, his knees were up. She doubted Zane would be able to fit at all. Zane. He was here and, at the very least, he didn’t want her to be horribly murdered by bikers. That was something, right?
She could still feel the press of him against her skin, his weight holding her down. She had been able to sense his panic when he realized they were surrounded. A lump formed in her throat. They had been surrounded. Those men…they were going to kill him. The sudden image of Zane’s big body still and silent brought a sob to her throat.
“Baby?” Nate’s voice was softer than she’d heard it in six years. He sounded like he had back then. “Oh, baby.”
He pulled the car in front of the cabin he’d bought. Callie knew it as Marnie’s old place. The elderly woman had moved into an assisted living home in Alamosa. Callie loved her cabin. She’d played there with Marnie’s grandkids when they came up for the summer.
He could have died…
She heard the door slam. She couldn’t hold it back any more. She put her head in her hands and sobbed. It all crashed in on her. The weeks of being near Nate, her loneliness, how scared she’d been tonight. It crashed over her like a wave that had been building for years, and she trembled with the force of it. Her car door opened, and Nate unhooked her seat belt. He pulled her into his arms. One hand went around her back, and the other hooked under her knees. He cradled her against his chest. Callie gave in to the irresistible pull of another human being comforting her.
“What’s wrong?” Zane’s voice was a soft accusation.
“She’s coming down,” Nate stated quietly.
Zane nodded. He rushed to the cabin door, unlocking it and opening the door.
“I wasn’t high,” Callie protested through her wretched tears. It came out on a hiccup.
“Of course you weren’t, darlin’.” Nate swept her through the small living room and sat down on the couch. He gently directed her head to the crook of his neck. “You had an adrenaline rush because you were in a very dangerous situation. It helps keep you alert and aware during the crisis. Now you’re crashing down. I feel it myself.”
“Me, too, babe.” Zane was kneeling close to her. His hand stroked into her hair.
Callie rubbed her face into Nate’s neck. She knew she should stop and put some distance between them, but it felt too sweet to be held. It had been so long since she had arms around her, skin pressed to hers, the scent of another filling her senses. She felt Zane moving next to Nate. She shivered slightly as his head nestled into her shoulder. She was fitted to Nate, and Zane was connected to her, the three of them linked together like pieces of a puzzle.