Now he stared at the cows munching on grass and realized the sun was setting. Dang, he was good at wasting time lately. No one blamed him and everyone was understanding and supportive, but he wanted to somehow move past this.
The Delta Protection Detail had been escalating lately and sadly, he needed to be ready to fight and protect and possibly to kill again. One of his siblings or cousins would be chosen to be the secret keeper by Papa. Greer would accept the responsibility if needed, but he thought his older sister Alivia was the best choice. She was brilliant, steady, calm, had helped raise him and his crazy brothers proving how unruffled she could be, and she had military training in addition to Delta family training. He’d have to wait and see how that played out.
Papa feared his close friend Admiral Seamons was leaking information about the secret, but he had no proof of that. The only surviving kidnapper, Colby Newman, had sworn up and down that he had no idea who’d hired them, and Travis had been the only one to communicate with the man. Colby didn’t think Travis even knew who the man was. He admitted he thought Flynn did, but of course Flynn was dead, so that was no help.
The only good news was whoever had backed the kidnapping and was trying to get to the Delta secret hadn’t appeared to share it with anyone else. They didn’t have droves of people showing up to find the “treasure.” For the past week they’d upped surveillance, but all had been quiet. He could be grateful for that.
Greer bowed his head and said another prayer before heading in for the night. He prayed once more—it seemed to be his all-consuming pastime lately—the secret would stay safe, his family would be protected, and Emery Reeder would find peace and happiness.
The snap of a branch in the nearby forest brought his head up before he could say amen. He searched around and quickly pinpointed a flash of pink in the trees. Pink? That wasn’t a natural color in the woods by any means.
He slid his Smith and Wesson .500 pistol out of the holster on his hip and cautiously crept forward. His reaction told him he’d shoot again if needed. Was that a horrible character defect, or just instinctive training? He would download some books on psychology, military, and intuitive protectiveness tonight, but he couldn’t worry about it right now. There was definitely an intruder moving through the woods toward him. He should inform Papa, but he could only see and hear one person’s movements. If needed, he could pull in the family to help after he checked it out.
He reached the edge of the woods and peered in. The shape moved around a pine tree and came into full view. She saw him and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes went wide and her body visibly trembled.
His breath caught in his chest. A woman. An absolutely gorgeous woman with long brown curls, a smooth, angelic-looking face, deep-brown eyes, and full lips. Her pink T-shirt was snagged and dirty and her gray shorts looked to be the same. Her arms, legs, and even her neck had red scratches and dirt smudges on them.
From running through the woods, or had a person done that to her? If anyone hurt her, he would make them regret it. He didn’t want to kill again, but he was all over pummeling some loser who would hurt an innocent woman.
As they stared at each other, a tingling yet peaceful feeling told him this woman was very important and he should help her. He also realized he somehow knew her. How? She definitely wasn’t from Summit Valley and Greer didn’t get out much.
Her gaze darted from his face, across his upper body, and stopped on the gun in his hand. She gasped and backed up, putting her hand over her mouth and running into the branches of a pine tree.
Greer quickly slid the gun back into its holster and held up both hands. “I won’t hurt you.”
She pulled in quick breaths, her chest rising and falling so quick he hoped she wouldn’t hyperventilate. At least she didn’t turn around and run, but she looked far from reassured. Did he scare her?
Suddenly it hit him who this beautiful, disheveled woman was. Emery Reeder. That wasn’t possible. Was it? He blinked and studied her again. It was her. He could swear it was. The sister of the man he’d killed. What was she doing here? Did she know who Greer was? That might explain the fear in those brown eyes.
She might look angelic, but the only reason Emery Reeder would walk onto his property was to get revenge for her brother’s death or to get the secret Travis had failed to obtain.
How would she know Greer had killed Travis? Only the sheriff and Greer’s own family knew that. Right? Was their leak worse than Papa feared?
As they studied each other, all these thoughts and worries stewed, but Greer couldn’t disregard the feeling he’d had seconds earlier that she was important and he had to help her. It was insane but he felt like his prayers for her had somehow brought her here. He wanted to stride to her, pull her into his chest, tell her he was sorry, pray with her, and hold her until they healed together.
Of course, he’d never do something that bold. He wouldn’t react like that with someone he knew well who’d lost a family member. No way was he going to hold and pray with the woman whose brother he’d killed but somehow he needed to understand why heaven was telling him to protect and be there for her.
He stood there, staring at her. She stared right back. Studied him deeply, as if trying to ascertain if he would murder her too. She looked terrified that he would attack her. If she was scared of him, why would she come here? Was she lost and the angels above had somehow directed her to him? That made about as much sense as anything tonight.
If she knew who he was, of course she’d be terrified. She’d hate him. Greer wouldn’t blame her, but he wished he could explain he’d reacted instinctively and he couldn’t have allowed Alivia or Klein to die. If only he could’ve placed the shot anywhere besides Travis Reeder’s head. Yet if he had, maybe the man would’ve gotten his own shot off.
The shadows deepened around them, and she didn’t seem prone to move or say anything. Greer never was the one to break the silence, but for some reason he felt compelled to. He found it was his responsibility to ask, “Are you in danger?”
Her dark eyes flashed at him and for the first time in his life Greer wondered ifhewas in danger. He couldn’t find a reason she would come here, unless it was with evil intent. She couldn’t possibly know he’d killed Travis, yet somehow he thought she did.
“Yes,” she squeaked out. She looked over her shoulder as if someone was following her. Greer almost pulled his pistol out again, but he didn’t want that fear returning to her eyes.
Suddenly, she dodged around some undergrowth and ran at him. Greer stood his ground and braced himself. If Emery Reeder knew who he was and what he’d done, he fully expected her to either stick a knife in his gut or punch him. If she didn’t know who he was and truly was in danger, he suddenly imagined her throwing herself into his arms.
He idiotically prayed hard for the latter. Even though he knew that would never be a reality for him and this very surprising woman.
She stopped short of touching him. Dang. Instead, she gazed up into his eyes and whispered, “My boyfriend—well,ex-boyfriend. He tried to …” She swallowed and didn’t finish.
His gut churned. He’d dismantle any man who tried to hurt her. Hadn’t she been through enough? Raised in foster care and then losing all the family she had—at Greer’s hands. But from the way she was looking at him right now, he wasn’t certain she had any idea who he was.
It was insane that she would end up in his family’s valley. Not just in their valley, but walking right out of the trees and onto Greer’s property like an angel from heaven. Had heaven above orchestrated this meeting so Greer could pay penance for killing her brother? He’d have to think about that later. First things first.
He looked over her shoulder, playing along with the ex-boyfriend story, though he imagined there was a ninety-eight percent chance it was a cover for her coming here to avenge her brother’s murder and find the secret. “Is he following you?”