Hot Zone

The stranger shot a glance at Jonah. “Let’s do this.”

Jonah looped one of Abe’s arms around his neck, bent and slid an arm beneath one of Abe’s legs.

The stranger stepped between Liv and Abe, draped one of Abe’s arms over his shoulder and glanced across at Jonah. “On three.” He slipped his hand beneath Abe.

Jonah nodded. “One. Two. Three.”

They straightened as one.

Abe squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, all of the color draining from his face.

Liv wanted to help, but knew she’d only get in the way. The best thing she could do at that point was to open the truck door before they got there with Abe. She raced up the steep hill, her feet sliding in the gravel. When she reached the top, she flung open the door to the backseat of the truck cab and turned back to watch Abe’s progression.

The two men struggled up the hill, being as careful as they could while slipping on loose pebbles.

Liv’s glance took in her father’s old farm truck, the front wrapped around the tree. Smoke filled the cab and flames shot up from the engine compartment. She was surprised either one of them had lived. If Abe hadn’t slammed on his brakes as quickly as he had, the outcome would have been much worse.

Her gaze caught a glimpse of another vehicle on the other side of the truck. A four-wheeler was parked a few feet away.

Anger surged inside Liv. She almost said something to the stranger about how he’d nearly killed two people because of his carelessness. One look at Abe’s face made Liv bite down hard on her tongue to keep from yelling at the man who’d nearly caused a fatal accident. Once Abe was taken care of, she’d have words with the man.

Jonah and the stranger made it to the top of the ravine.

The four-wheeler driver nodded to the other man. “I’ll take it from here.”

“Are you sure?” Jonah asked, frowning. “He’s pretty much a deadweight.”

Jonah was right. With all the jostling, Abe had completely passed out. Liv studied the stranger. As muscular as he was, he couldn’t possibly lift Abe by himself.

“I’ve got him.” The stranger lifted Abe into his arms and slid him onto the backseat of the truck.

Despite her anger at the man’s driving skills, Liv recognized sheer, brute strength in the man’s arms and broad shoulders. That he could lift a full-size man by himself said a lot about his physical abilities.

But it didn’t excuse him from making them crash. She quelled her admiration and focused on getting Abe to a medical facility. If the stranger stuck around after they got Abe situated, Liv would tell him exactly what she thought of him.

Chapter Two

Hawkeye couldn’t follow through on his pursuit of the other guy on the ATV. Not after the fleeing man caused the farm-truck driver to crash his vehicle into a tree. He’d had to stop to render assistance and pull the older man out of the cab before the engine caught fire, or he and the woman might have died.

“I’ll follow on my four-wheeler,” Hawkeye offered.

“No need,” the woman said. “We can take it from here.”

Hawkeye frowned. Though young and pretty, the auburn-haired Miss Dawson’s jaw was set. Her brows drew together over deep-green eyes as she climbed into the back of the cab next to the injured truck driver.

Hawkeye wanted to argue, but he didn’t. She was mad at him for something. Then he realized she’d probably only seen one ATV fly out into the road. Hawkeye had been far enough behind the other guy, he hadn’t emerged onto the highway until the truck had already gone off the road.

The Dawson woman wouldn’t have seen that there were two ATVs. He smiled and turned away, understanding why she was angry, but not feeling the need to explain himself.

He watched as the truck took off. Then he climbed onto his four-wheeler and followed the group back to Grizzly Pass and the only medical facility in a fifty-mile radius.

The clinic was a block from the Blue Moose Tavern—Hawkeye’s temporary boss had set up offices in the apartment above the bar. As Hawkeye passed the Blue Moose, Garner stepped out onto the landing and waved at Hawkeye, a perplexed frown pulling his brows low.

Hawkeye nodded briefly, but didn’t slow the ATV. Though it was illegal to drive an off-road vehicle on a public road, he held steady, pulled into the clinic driveway and hopped off.

An ambulance had pulled up in the parking lot and EMTs were off-loading a gurney. A sheriff’s vehicle was parked nearby.

Olivia Dawson stood beside the truck, talking to Abe and a sheriff’s deputy. One of the EMTs shone a light into her eyes.

She pushed his light away. “I’m fine. It’s Abe you need to worry about.”

“Ma’am, it looks like you hit your head in the accident. You might have a concussion.” He insisted on wiping the dried blood from her forehead and applying a small butterfly bandage. “I suggest you see a doctor before you drive yourself anywhere.”

“Really, I’m fine.” She pushed past him and gripped Abe’s hand.

The deputy flipped open a notepad. “Ma’am, could you describe what happened?”

“A four-wheeler darted out in front of us on the highway. We swerved to miss it and crashed into a tree. You might want to send a fire engine to put out the fire and a tow truck to retrieve the truck.”

“Will do, ma’am.”

“And stop calling me ma’am,” she said. “I’m not your mother.”

The deputy grinned. “No, ma’am. You’re not.”

Olivia rolled her eyes and turned back to her foreman.

When the EMTs had the stretcher ready, they rolled it over next to her. She stepped out of the way and stood to the side as they loaded a now-conscious Abe.

The man was obviously in a lot of pain. His pale face broke out in a sweat as the EMTs lowered him onto the stretcher. Once he was settled, he held out a hand to Olivia.

She took it. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle the ranch.”

“No, Liv, you can’t. Things aren’t the same as when you left. You need help.”

Liv shook her head. “I can work the animals better than most men.”

Abe chuckled and winced. “You’re right, but you can’t do this alone. Promise me you’ll get help.” His gaze shifted to where Hawkeye stood a few feet away. “Make her get help.”

Liv frowned. “You can’t ask a stranger to do that.”

Abe nodded. “I just did.” He waved Hawkeye forward.

Not wanting to get into the midst of a family argument, Hawkeye eased forward. “Sir?”

“I’m Abe Masterson, and you are?”

“Trace Walsh, but my friends call me Hawkeye.”

“Hawkeye, this is Olivia Dawson. Olivia, Hawkeye.” Abe lay back, closing his eyes, the effort having cost him. “There, now you aren’t strangers. Please, Hawkeye, make sure Olivia doesn’t try to run the Stone Oak Ranch alone. She needs dedicated protection. Something’s not right out there.”

When Hawkeye hesitated, Abe opened his eyes, his gaze capturing Hawkeye’s. “Promise.”

To appease the injured man, Hawkeye said, “I promise.”

The EMT interrupted. “We really need to get Mr. Masterson to the hospital.”

“I’m riding with him,” Olivia said.

“No.” Abe opened his eyes again. “The horses need to be fed and the cattle need to be checked.”

“They can wait. You need someone to go with you as your advocate,” she insisted. “You might pass out again.”

“I didn’t pass out,” Abe grumbled. “I just closed my eyes.”

“Yeah.” Olivia snorted. “That’s a bunch of bullsh—”

“Uh-uh,” Abe interrupted. “You know how your daddy felt about you cursing.”

She glared and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not a child.”

“No, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m alive and still kicking. I can take care of myself. You can visit me at the hospital, if it makes you feel better. But call first. I have a lady friend in Cody. I’m sure she’ll come keep me company and put me up until I can get around on my own.”

Liv pulled her lip between her teeth and chewed on it before answering. “Are you sure?”

The pucker of Liv’s brow and the worried look in her eyes made Hawkeye want to ease her mind. And pull her into his arms. He suspected she wouldn’t appreciate the gesture, no matter how well-intentioned. As far as she was concerned, he was the bad guy in this situation. Hawkeye had yet to set the record straight.

“I’m positive,” Abe said. “Now let the EMTs do their job. I’d like to get somewhere with a little pain medication. My leg hurts like hell.”

Liv backed up quickly, running into Hawkeye’s chest.

He reached out to steady her as the medical technicians rolled Abe’s gurney away.

“Do you need a ride back to the ranch, Miss Dawson?” Jonah asked. “I have a few errands to run before I head back your way.”

Liv nodded. “How long do you need?”

“No more than thirty minutes. I just need to pick up some feed at the feed store and a few groceries for the missus. You’re welcome to wait in the truck.”

She looked around as if in a daze. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to pick up dinner from the tavern. I don’t think I’ll have time to cook anything.”

Jonah nodded. “I’ll pick you up at the Blue Moose, then.”

Hawkeye bit down on his tongue to keep from offering the woman a ride out to her place. No doubt she’d turn it down, preferring a ride from a friend to one from a stranger she thought had caused the wreck.

After Jonah left in his truck, the only two people left on the street were Hawkeye and Liv.

Liv turned to him and poked a finger at his chest, fire burning in her emerald green eyes. “You!”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Me?”

“Don’t lay on the innocent act.” Her brows drew into a deep V. “Your reckless driving nearly got Abe killed. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you over to the sheriff.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Hawkeye glanced at the damning ATV. “I didn’t drive out in front of your pickup.”

“Like hell you didn’t.” Twin flags of pink flew high on her cheekbones. “You didn’t even look left or right before you barreled out onto the highway. What if we had been a van full of children? You could have killed an entire family.” She flung her arm out.

“It wasn’t me.” He shook his head. “I was chasing a guy on another four-wheeler.”

“Right. Why should I believe you?” Her finger shot out again and poked him in the chest. “You’re a stranger. For that matter, why were you on my property?” She jabbed him again. “You were trespassing. I could have you arrest—”

As a sniper, Hawkeye considered himself a patient man. But the finger in the chest was getting to him, and the woman with the green fire blazing from her eyes was far too pretty for him to slug—not that he would ever hit a woman. But she just wasn’t going to listen to him unless he did something drastic.

So he grabbed her finger, yanked her up against his body and clamped an arm around her waist, bringing her body tight against his. Then he slammed his lips down on hers. For the first time in the past five minutes, silence reigned.

With one hand captured in Hawkeye’s hand, Liv pressed the other to his chest and gave a pathetic attempt at pushing him away. Hawkeye strengthened his hold.

After a few seconds, she quit pushing against him, her fingers curling into his shirt.

Her lips were soft and full beneath his. Even though he’d stemmed her tirade, Hawkeye was in no hurry to raise his head. Instead, he raised his hand, his fingers sliding up to cup the back of her head.

She gasped, her mouth opening to his.

Taking it as an invitation, Hawkeye swept his tongue past her teeth to claim hers in a long, slow caress.

The tension in her body melted away and she leaned into him, her tongue toying with his, giving as good as he gave.

When he finally broke the kiss, he briefly leaned his cheek against her temple, careful not to disturb the bandage on her forehead, and then he straightened.

Liv touched her fingers to her lips, her eyes glazed. “Why did you do that?”

His lips quirked upward. “I couldn’t think of a better way to make you shut up long enough to listen.”

Her glaze cleared and her brows met in the middle the second before her hand snapped out and connected with his face in a hard slap.

She raised her hand again, but he caught it before she could hit him again.

“There was another four-wheeler,” he said. “I was chasing him. He was a good fifty yards ahead of me when he reached the road. I would have caught him if I hadn’t stopped to render aid.” He forced her wrist down to her side. “Now, you can choose to believe me or not. But that’s what happened.”

Liv rubbed her wrist, her eyes narrowing. “That doesn’t explain why you were on my land.”

“I started out on government land, up in the hills, when I ran across the other man, planting explosives in a valley. I thought it might be a good idea to ask him why he was doing that.”

* * *

LIV’S BREATH CAUGHT in her throat. “Explosives?”

“Yes.”

“Why would someone plant explosives in the hills?” she asked.

“I suspect it has something to do with the oil pipeline cutting through that area.”

“But why come through my property?”

“I don’t know, but if you have livestock, your fence is down in two places. You should get someone to help you put it back up.”

She laughed, the sound seeming to border on hysteria. “That someone was just hauled off in an ambulance.”

His brows furrowed. “Don’t you have ranch hands?”

Liv’s red hair had come loose of its ponytail. She reached up to push it back from her face. “Only during roundup. It was just my father and our foreman managing a herd of about five hundred Brangus cows and twenty horses.”

“Then you might want to let your father know about the fences.”

Liv couldn’t stop the sudden burning in her eyes, nor could she speak past the instant tightening of her vocal cords. She had to swallow twice before she could answer. “That would be hard considering we buried him today.”

Hawkeye had been in the process of turning away. He froze, his shoulders stiffening. When he faced her again, he stared at her without any expression on his face.

The big man’s lack of emotion and the anger he stirred inside her helped Liv keep it together.

“Who else is with you on your ranch?” Hawkeye asked.

She squared her shoulders. “You’re looking at the sum total of ranch hands on the Stone Oak Ranch.”

His gaze raked over her from top to toe. “You’re serious?”

Lifting her chin, Liv faced him with all the bravado of a prizefighter. “I’m fully capable of mending fences and taking care of livestock. I learned to ride a horse before I learned to walk.”

“You’re alone.” His word wasn’t a question. It was more of a statement. “Have you been living in a cocoon, lady? Are you even aware of what’s been happening around your little community of Grizzly Pass?”

Raising her chin a little higher, Liv met the man’s stare. “I haven’t been home in the past nine months. My father didn’t let me know about any of this. I just got back into town when I was notified of his passing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to meet Jonah at the tavern in a few minutes.”

She pushed past him and thought that was the end of it.

A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her back around.

She raised a brow and stared down at Hawkeye’s big fingers. “Let go of me.”

“You’re not safe out on that ranch by yourself. A man with access to dynamite passed through your place.”

She had already come to the same conclusion, but knew she didn’t have a choice. The ranch couldn’t run itself and she’d be damned if she sold out to that greedy, bottom-dwelling Mr. Rausch. “I’m fine on my own. I learned to handle a gun almost as early as I learned to ride a horse. I’m not afraid of being alone.”

“You should be.” He sighed and released her arm. “Look, at least come with me to talk to my boss. He’ll want to hear what’s going on out your way.”

“Are you crazy?” She shook her head. “I don’t know you from Jack.”

He held out his hand again. “At the risk of repeating myself, my name’s Trace Walsh, but my friends call me—”

She waved away his hand. “Yeah, yeah. They call you Hawkeye.” With a shrug, she stared down Main Street toward the tavern. “Just who is your boss?”

“Kevin Garner, an agent for the Department of Homeland Security.”

Her curiosity captured, she returned her attention to Hawkeye. “Is that it? Is that why you were out in the mountains? You work for the DHS?”

Hawkeye shook his head. “Not hardly. I’m an army ranger on loan to the DHS. This is only temporary duty to help Garner and his team. He seems to think there’s enough activity going on in this area that he needed a hand.”

Liv didn’t say anything, just stared at the man with the crisp, black hair and incredibly blue eyes. Perhaps Hawkeye’s boss was onto something. Liv had never quite swallowed the idea that her father had fallen off his horse and died instantly. He was a good rider. No, he was the best, and had the rodeo buckles to prove it. The man had ridden broncos when he was younger and still broke wild horses. When he was on a horse, he wasn’t just on it—he was a part of it. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to talk to your boss.” She raised her finger. “But don’t ever try to kiss me again.”

Hawkeye raised his hands, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Those lips that had awakened a flood of unwanted desire inside Liv. For a stranger, no less. “Don’t worry. I like my women willing.”

“And quiet.”

“Not necessarily.” He winked. “Just quiet when they need to be.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Just don’t kiss me. I can do a lot more than slap.”

He rubbed the side of his cheek where the red imprint of her hand had just begun to fade. “I’ll remember that. Next time we kiss, you’ll have to initiate.”

“Good. Because that will never happen.” She planted her fists on her hips. “So where is your boss? I’d like to get this meeting over with. I have a ride to catch.”

“You’re in luck. His office is over the Blue Moose Tavern.” He flung his leg over the four-wheeler and jerked his head to the rear. “You’re welcome to ride with me.”

“No, thanks. I’ll walk.” Liv stepped onto the sidewalk and hurried toward the tavern.

The four-wheeler engine revved behind her. A moment later, Hawkeye pulled up beside her. “Sure you don’t want a ride?”

“I’m sure.”

He pressed his thumb to the throttle lever and the ATV sped up the street, disappearing around the back of the tavern.

Alone for the rest of the distance to the tavern, Liv had just enough time to think through all that had happened since she’d arrived home. For a moment her predicament threatened to overwhelm her.

Daddy, why did you have to go and die?

She fought to hold back the tears as she came abreast of the building she’d been aiming for.

Hawkeye rounded the corner and tilted his head. “The staircase to Garner’s office is over here.”

She followed him up a set of wooden stairs to the landing at the top.

Before Hawkeye could knock, the door flew open and a man probably in his midthirties with brown hair and blue eyes stood in the door frame. “Hawkeye, I’m glad you stopped by. The sheriff isn’t keen on the folks around here driving their four-wheelers on the main roads.”

Hawkeye turned toward Liv. “Kevin, this is Olivia Dawson. Liv, this is Kevin Garner with the DHS.”

Garner held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.” His eyes narrowed slightly and he stared hard at her. “Are you any relation to Everett Dawson?”

She nodded, her chest tight. “That was my father.”

Garner squeezed her hand in his. “I was sorry to hear about his passing. Everything I’ve heard from the locals indicated he was a good man.”

“One of the best,” she added, choking on her barely contained emotion. “They told me he died in a horseback-riding accident.”

“That’s what we heard from the sheriff. And you think otherwise?” Garner pulled her across the threshold. “Come in. Tell me what you know.”

Liv hesitated only a moment before following the man into the interior of what appeared to be more an operations center than an office. Two other men stood beside a large table with maps spread out across its surface.

“If you knew my father, you’d know his being thrown from a horse was highly unlikely.”

Garner nodded. “I’d wondered. I understand his ranch butted up against government property.”

Liv nodded. “It does.”

“Was he having any problems on the ranch? Any evidence of trespassing?”

“I’ve been away from home for months. He hadn’t told me anything and, with funeral arrangements, I haven’t had a chance to ride the perimeter.” She nodded toward Hawkeye. “I’m told I have a couple of fences down.”

“She does. I went through them chasing a man out of the hills on a four-wheeler.”

Garner’s eyes widened. “Is that why you rode an off-road vehicle on a state highway?”

Hawkeye dipped his head in a brief nod. “I didn’t have much of a choice. My truck’s back where I parked it at the gravel road leading up to the national forest. While I was following through on the path that pipeline inspector was traveling before he was shot, I ran across a guy planting explosives at the exact location where Khalig was shot and killed.”

“What about explosives?” A tall, red-haired man joined Hawkeye and held out his hand to Liv. “Jon Casper. But you can call me Ghost.”

She shook his hand, her fingers nearly crushed in his strong grip.

A broad-shouldered man with brown hair and green eyes nudged Ghost aside and held out his hand. “Max Decker. You can call me Caveman.”

Yet another man with a high and tight haircut held out his hand. “Rex Trainor. US Marine Corps. Most people call me T-Rex.”

Liv laughed. “Do any of you go by your given names?”

As one, everyone but Garner replied, “No.”

“Guess that answers my question.” She shook T-Rex’s hand. “Are you all like Hawkeye—military on loan to the DHS?”

T-Rex, Ghost and Caveman nodded.

Ghost held up his hand. “Navy.”

Caveman nodded. “Delta Force.”

Liv frowned. “Are things that bad around here?”

The three men shrugged.

“Better than being in the sandbox of the Middle East,” Ghost said.

“Some of the natives are friendly,” Caveman said. “And some...not so much.”

Liv leaned around the three big military men. “Anyone else I should be aware of?”

“Yo!” A thin, younger man sat with his back to the others, his hands on a computer keyboard in the corner of the room. He raised his hand without turning away from the array of monitors he faced.

“That’s Hack,” Hawkeye said. “He’s our tech support guy.”

“While you get to know each other, I’ll call in the sheriff and the state bomb squad.” Garner pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

“I don’t think the bomb squad will be necessary,” Hawkeye said. “I interrupted him before he could connect the detonator. I didn’t see anything but the explosive and the fuse.”

Ghost grabbed a jacket. “I’ll check it out. At the very least we need to retrieve the explosives to keep him from blowing the pipeline.”

Caveman slung his own jacket over his shoulder. “The sooner the better.”

“The trailer’s back where I parked the truck at the base of the mountain,” Hawkeye reminded them. “If you’re going, you’ll have to risk driving the ATVs on public roads. I didn’t run into the county cops. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be so lucky.”

“We’ll take that risk,” Ghost said. “We can cut through some of the less traveled streets.”

“Be careful,” Hawkeye warned. “He might have circled back to finish the job.”

Once the other two men had left the room, Liv cornered Garner. “What the hell is going on here?”

Garner motioned toward the table with the maps. “You got a few minutes?”