Free Protecting Their Child by Angi Morgan

for you.”
    Why did the offer send more heebie-jeebies up her spine?
    * * *
    A S HE WATCHED Kate’s high school best friend and prom date lean in, essentially trapping her to the side of the Wrangler, his fists clenched. And not from the normal pain in his backside. He fought the urge to grab Burke by his coat collar and connect his knuckles with that artificially tanned face. But he was more than a little tired and would end up losing. If you’re going to fight for a woman, you at least need to win the battle and look good. Right?
    Kate had made it very plain he wouldn’t win the war no matter what kind of shape he was in. He clenched his fists and shoved them in his pockets. Drawing on every Ranger discipline he knew—and a few shrink techniques—he cloaked his anger with blandness.
    Kate shot him a questioning look as Burke put her in the front seat.
    “I think I’ll drive back to the house, Mac,” Burke said.
    Mac Cauldwell rolled his stiff old body from the Wrangler, popped the seat forward and crooked himself in back without a word. Unfortunately, Cord felt as old as the foreman he sat next to looked.
    Burke stuck to the trek everyone referred to as a road, hitting every hole and rut along the way. Cord’s back cramped more with each one the Jeep found. At least on the horse he’d been able to stand in the stirrups and relieve the pressure.
    By the time they reached the main house, Nick had jabbered about the thunderstorm warnings and given them a play-by-play on the search for both them and Serna.
    The gang leader should have been arrested before he left the courtroom. The lack of preparedness on the DoJ’s part just confirmed that Serna had someone on the inside. He was missing something obvious. Had to be.
    He’d been over the case files a hundred times. More than a hundred if the truth were told. Lord knows he had the time. Kate assumed he was back on the job, but he’d only been allowed back in uniform for court. There wasn’t a desk for him in Valentine, Texas. Only desk work in Lubbock or El Paso. He wasn’t ready to move and give up the daily reminder of what life could have been like before Serna had destroyed it.
    Searching the case file for something he’d missed had become his routine while sitting in their empty house waiting. Waiting to leave for therapy—mental or physical. That was a fairly accurate description of his life.
    Sleep avoided him most nights. Or he avoided sleep.
    Dreams plagued him.
    If the darkness wasn’t filled with demons from the shooting, they were filled with thoughts of angels holding their little girl.
    His thumb wrapped around his fingers again. The fists rested in his lap. They passed the cattle guard, pulling around to a row of cars and trucks to park. Mac patted him on the shoulder. When Cord caught his knowing look, the embarrassment made him physically relax his body but didn’t help with the jealousy he tasted.
    “I’m going to call my dad now,” Kate said, jumping from the Jeep as if she’d been on a picnic instead of twenty-four hours of pure stress.
    Cord recognized that tone in her voice. Burke had made two mistakes. One—she hated being called Katie. She’d told him that her father had chuckled when her brother had teased her with it while they’d grown up. Probably still did.
    And the second was assuming that he’d told Kate to do anything.
    Yeah, he could count on Burke getting a cold shoulder for the next couple of hours. It wouldn’t be long afterward that they’d be gone. Of course, he didn’t plan on letting Kate out of his sight very long.
    But Kate didn’t need to know their time schedule. Not yet.
    “Dad? Yes, we’re fine. What did they tell you?” Kate didn’t head to the house. She took off toward Mrs. Burke’s garden, her rifle in hand.
    Nothing much there this time of year except privacy.
    He threw his saddlebags over his shoulder and followed at a distance. Far enough away to not hear their conversation. Close enough to