Guardian. Terri Reed

smiled as a tenderness he hadn’t experienced in a long time gripped him. “Yes, you are. But you want to keep getting bigger, right?”

      With a solemn nod, Charlie extended his arms toward his mother.

      Alicia took Charlie and set him on her hip. Her blue gaze held Leo’s. “Thank you.”

      He winked. “You’re welcome.”

      More pink heightened the contours of her high cheekbones. So pretty. He liked how natural she was as a mom and as a woman. She hurried upstairs with her son. Her long, lean legs moved with athletic grace, and her unbound, long dark hair bounced with each step. Leo watched them disappear from sight with a strange yearning that he didn’t quite know what to do about, then turned his attention to the man in the chair. “Mr. Howard.”

      Alicia’s father swiveled his recliner toward Leo and eyed him with overt suspicion. “You didn’t answer my other question. What are you doing with my daughter and grandson?”

      Leo braced his feet apart. These innocent people were in danger. He would do whatever it took to keep them safe. He couldn’t let history repeat itself. “Alicia and Charlie are in danger.”

      Harmon jerked upright in his chair. “What have you gotten my family into?”

      Holding up a hand, Leo said, “Alicia witnessed a crime.”

      The man blanched. “What crime?”

      There was no reason to keep the truth hidden. “A homicide.”

      The older man sucked in a sharp breath. “Whose?”

      “We don’t have an identity on the victim yet. I’m sure we will soon.”

      Fear clouded Harmon’s eyes. “But the killer knows Alicia and Charlie saw what happened?”

      Anxiety thudded in Leo’s gut. “Only Alicia witnessed the crime. The perp has already made two attempts on her life. He shot at her but she managed to get to the police station unharmed. And the other attempt was on the way out here. He tried to T-bone her car, but I blocked him with my SUV.”

      Harmon ran a vein-lined hand over his bristled jaw. He was visibly shaken. “This isn’t good.” His scowl darkened. “What are you doing to protect them?”

      Everything he could. He prayed it would be sufficient. “I’m here and will stay until the perpetrator is caught. You have my word.”

      Harmon made a noise in his throat. “Why should we trust you? The last man who told me I could trust him with my daughter was a scoundrel of the worst kind.” He rose and stared down at Leo.

      Leo imagined in his younger days Harmon Howard was a man to contend with, though now his shoulders were slightly stooped. Age was taking its toll on the man. Leo held Harmon’s gaze even as his mind grappled with that revealing statement about Alicia’s deceased husband. Again curiosity bubbled but he tamped it down. None of his business.

      True scrambled to his feet, sensing the mounting pressure in the room. Leo gestured with his hand for True to stay put.

      Lips thinning, Harmon growled, “I can protect my family. You and your dog can leave.”

      “Not happening.” He couldn’t let anything happen to these people on his watch. “We can work together to keep your family safe or you can stay out of my way.”

      Harmon narrowed his gaze. “Like to be in control, do you?”

      Leo had heard that comment before. He couldn’t deny it. To be good at his job, he had to maintain control. The acrid burn of failure twisted in his stomach, reminding him he hadn’t been able to control the situation that resulted in Jake’s abduction.

      Or in Leo’s sister’s death.

      Harmon snorted. “You’ve got gumption, I’ll give you that. Better than that louse she married.”

      Leo wasn’t sure how to respond to the older man’s pronouncement. Thanking him didn’t seem right. Whatever the man’s problem with Alicia’s late husband had nothing to do with Leo or why he was here. He would not get involved in the personal lives of his charges. “Do you have a problem with me staying here until we apprehend the suspect?” Though he’d have to clear this with his boss. Leo was sure Max would want him to keep these people from harm.

      Seeming to consider, Harmon finally shook his head. “No. We’ve got a spare room you can use.”

      Taking that as an invitation, some of the tension drained from Leo’s shoulders. He’d rather work with Harmon than work against him. True must have sensed the shift in Leo’s mood because he lay back down. “Good. You wouldn’t happen to have a map showing the ranch’s access points, would you?”