Special Ops Bodyguard. Beth Cornelison

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СКАЧАТЬ spot on its head greeted Gage with a wiggle of excitement, planting his front paws on Gage’s hip to nuzzle his hand.

      “Domino! Get down!” Rusty fussed. “Sorry about that. Border collies are great for herding, but what they have in ranching skills, ours lack in manners.”

      Gage ruffled Domino’s furry head. “I don’t mind. I like dogs.” He cast his gaze around the commotion and honed in on Rusty’s earlier comment. “Why is everyone leaving tomorrow?”

      The ranch manager nodded. “The annual roundup. We’ll drive or ride into the hills and find all the cattle, load ‘em up and bring them back to be sorted and sent to market. It’s a big job so most everyone goes.”

      Gage rubbed his chin, deciding how the absence of all the ranch hands might affect his ability to protect the senator. Having the hands around was tantamount to having a fleet of guards watching for unusual activity on the property. In their absence, Gage and Bart would have a vast amount of land and several outbuildings to keep secure. “The stable and barn are monitored with security cameras, right?”

      Rusty nodded. “All of the buildings are.”

      “But is anyone monitoring the camera feed or is the video only used to identify a trespasser when there’s a problem?”

      Rusty scoffed a laughed. “Mr. Cole doesn’t have the manpower to have someone watching the camera feed around the clock. Problems are rare. Having this many hands around is security enough most days.”

      “Most days. But as you said, everyone is heading out tomorrow.”

      Rusty frowned. “Are you expecting a problem?”

      Gage shrugged. “Hard to say. I wouldn’t be here if trouble wasn’t a possibility, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t familiarize myself with all the security measures in place.”

      Rusty slid his fingers into the front pockets of his dusty jeans. “Cole should be up at the house by now. He can brief you on how the security system works.”

      Gage jerked a nod. “Thanks.” He turned to head toward the main house then paused as Domino scampered across the yard in front of him. He shouldn’t underestimate the value of the dogs as a warning system in the event of trespassers. “Mr. Moore?”

      Rusty turned.

      “What are the other dogs’ names?”

      The manager smiled and pointed to the older black dog with the gray muzzle. “That there is Ace. He’s fifteen years young and the daddy of these other two. He sticks pretty close to home, seeing as how he’s blind now.” He pointed to the third dog, more white than the other two. “That’s Mitzy, and you already met Domino. The younger two will go with us on roundup, so they won’t be in your hair.”

      “I was actually thinking the dogs would help alert us in case of a break-in.”

      “Ordinarily they would, but we need ‘em to work this week, herding cattle. But ol’ Ace, even without his sight, he’s still a pretty good guard dog. His hearing and sense of smell are still top-notch. He’ll bark if he thinks there’s a stranger we need to be alerted to.”

      Gage gave the old dog a considering scrutiny. “All right, Ace. You’re my go-to guy out here. Got it?”

      Hearing his name, Ace wobbled closer, tail wagging, and Gage let him sniff his hand before stroking the dog’s head. Ace followed Gage as he crossed the dusty yard to the main house, a massive, multilevel home made of river rock and natural timber.

      As he neared the main entrance, Cole’s housekeeper, who’d been introduced to him earlier as Hannah Brown, appeared in the door. “There you are! I’ve had your dinner ready for an hour. Where have you been, mister?”

      Gage blinked, startled by her scolding tone. He opened his mouth to tell the brusque older woman he’d eaten at Ira’s Diner when he realized her gaze was on Ace rather than him.

      “Come on, boy.” She clicked her tongue and hitched her head toward the kitchen, confirming that her chastisements were for the dog. When she lifted her chin and directed an inquisitive look at Gage, he nodded a greeting. “Evening, Mr. Prescott. Can I get you anything from the kitchen before I head to bed?”

      “No, ma’am. I’ve had dinner. If I need anything later, I’ll get it for myself.”

      “No, you won’t,” she said, straightening her back and raising her head so that she appeared taller than her diminutive five-foot-two height. Her stern expression brooked no resistance. “There will be no rummaging about in my kitchen and leaving messes for me to find in the morning. If you want a drink, you can use Mr. Cole’s wet bar in the family room. If you want to eat, get it now. After that, the kitchen is closed.”

      When they’d arrived earlier in the day, Senator Kelley had told him not to get on the housekeeper’s bad side. “She’s a piece of work that one. Been here since my father first built the ranch. She gave me my first spanking when I was four.”

      Gage inclined his head. “Roger that, ma’am. I won’t disturb your kitchen.”

      She gave him a satisfied grin. “Good. I think we’ll get along just fine.” She tugged on the sleeve of her sweater as she headed to the kitchen with Ace at her feet. “Tell Hank breakfast is at five. I want Cole to have a good meal before he heads out. If Hank wants to take refuge here while his girlfriends are stirring up trouble, it’s not my place to tell him no. But he can keep to the ranch’s clock,” she tossed over her shoulder in a clipped tone. “I won’t be cooking two sets of meals every day just so he can keep a gentleman’s schedule.”

      Gage gave a grunt of amusement. Cole Kelley’s housekeeper reminded him of a few COs he’d had in recent years.

      The sound of raised voices led Gage to the living room. Senator Kelley and his son stood on opposite sides of the room glaring at each other as they exchanged verbal volleys. Bart stood just behind the senator with his hands clasped behind his back.

      “Do you ever think about anyone besides yourself?” Cole shouted at his father. “Are you really so stupid that you thought no one would find out?”

      Gage hadn’t yet been formally introduced to the ranch owner, but the resemblance to his twin brother made Cole’s identity obvious.

      “Watch your tone, Cole. I’m still a senator … and your father, and I deserve your respect.”

      Cole scoffed. “Respect has to be earned. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you mentioned being a senator before being my father. But then, that’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it? So busy being Mr. Important that you put it before your family.”

      Gage drew a slow breath into tight lungs. Tension between the father and son made the air thick, suffocating.

      “Maybe that used to be true, but—”

      “I’m glad Mom left you.” The son’s tone was bitter. “It’s about time. Frankly, I can’t see why she stayed as long as she did.”

      Gage shifted his feet awkwardly, uncomfortable being a witness to the family argument. Judging by Bart’s expression, he was of the same mind.

      “It’s СКАЧАТЬ