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E lla could feel her mother’s anger simmering as Creston Bolander faced them.

Her own feelings were too tangled to define. “How long have you known about me, sir?”

“A couple of months.” He spread his hands sadly. “It was more of a hunch than a certainty. By then, I figured it was too late. I had no real hope of finding you alive.”

Okay. That made sense so far. She was still perplexed about the way he’d treated her father. “Why didn’t you want to have anything to do with my dad?”

“I did,” he protested. “The reason I chose not to is a long story that I hope you’ll allow me to share with you someday.” Though his high forehead was flushed with embarrassment, he met her gaze squarely. “It was mostly my pride. For that, I beg your forgiveness.”

Feeling lost and out of her element, Ella’s gaze slid to Gage, who was leaning against the railing on the opposite side of the gazebo. She already knew his feelings about the topic of forgiveness. “ I, er…”

Gage nodded reassuringly at her, giving her the courage to continue.

“To be honest, sir.” She returned her gaze to her grandfather and found him watching her with an expression full of so much wistfulness that it twisted her heart. “You look so much like my father that it would be impossible to hold a grudge against you for something you didn’t even know about.” The last thing she wanted to do was look weak in front of the man who’d ignored her father’s existence for so long, but it was impossible to hold back her tears. They dripped down her cheeks. “It feels like I lost him only a few days ago.”

Her grandfather whipped out a handkerchief and held it out to her, shooting a helpless look at her mother.

At first, her mother refused to look at him. She watched stonily while Ella used the handkerchief to dab at her eyes. Only after Ella collected her emotions did she speak.

“She’s recovering from a rare form of amnesia,” she informed him crisply. “To her, it feels like five years ago. The grief she’s experiencing is quite fresh.”

Anguish wafted across his lined features. “What can I do to help?”

“Help?” Her mother’s voice rose. “Oh, for crying out loud, Creston! You’ve been absent from her life for twenty-nine years. What could you possibly do for her now?”

He bristled beneath her scathing words, turning even redder. “I’ve asked for forgiveness for my pride and ignorance. What’s your excuse? You’re the one who divorced my son and abandoned your only child.”

Her mother made a wounded sound and lunged in his direction.

“Please!” Ella stepped between them, holding out trembling hands to keep them apart. “You asked what you could do to help, sir.” She returned her drenched gaze to her grandfather. “There’s only one thing I want, and that’s finding my father’s killer.”

His gaze glinted with blue fire. “That’s all I want, too. I hired Lonestar Security this afternoon to assist me in my search and gave them full access to everything they need — my company, my bank accounts, everything. I assure you that no expense will be spared.”

Ella jolted in surprise. “But I already hired them! It was, um, a couple of weeks ago.”

“Well, I beat you both to the punch,” her mother interjected sharply. “Gage and I have been working together for over a month.” She rounded on him. “What is this?” She waved a hand in agitation toward her former father-in-law. “Why have you brought us together?”

Gage pushed away from the railing, grinning in elation as he joined their huddle. “Because of a little thing called client confidentiality, I was not at liberty to tell the three of you what you just told each other.” He paused and gazed at each of them one by one. His gaze lingered on Ella the longest. “Everyone standing in this gazebo is on the same side of this fight.”

“Hold on a second.” Her grandfather rounded on him. “Are you trying to tell me you’re being paid three times over for the same service?”

“You haven’t been billed a single cent yet, sir.” Gage stepped around him to stand beside Ella.

“Nor have I.” She tipped her face up to his. “So that’s why you only mentioned bodyguard services in my contract?”

“Maybe.” He lightly tapped her nose, looking like he wanted to kiss her.

She leaned into his touch. He was amazing, truly amazing, for pulling off what he’d done this evening. She couldn’t wait to thank him later for not only getting two arch enemies together, but also getting them to talk. And so far, no blood had been shed.

“I guess that means I’m footing the entire bill for this investigation.” Her mother sounded smug. It was clear she enjoyed having the upper hand.

“I’ll split the cost with you,” Creston Bolander offered quickly.

“I’m not interested in your money,” she spat.

“We’ll get further quicker if we join forces,” he pleaded.

“Join forces?” Her voice rose indignantly. “With the man who spent over fifty years refusing to acknowledge?—?”

“Yes,” he interrupted. “Please,” he added in a quieter voice. “Let’s do it for Mick. All I’m asking for is a temporary truce. As soon as we find his killer, you can go back to hating me.”

A tense silence settled over their group.

“A temporary truce,” Avery Radcliffe finally agreed stiffly. “But there’s nothing you can do to make me like you. The fact that you look so much like the man I loved will just have to be my cross to bear.”

They shook hands solemnly, visibly bristling at each other. The moment they returned their hands to their sides, they exploded on each other again.

“If you loved him so much, why’d you divorce him?” Her grandfather’s voice was harsh with accusation.

“To stop the attacks on my family,” she snarled. “According to the Spanish police, the bullet I took in my ribcage was aimed at our unborn child. At Ella.” She pointed at her daughter for emphasis.

“What bullet?” He looked horrified.

She made a scathing sound and slapped the air. “As if you didn’t bribe the police department years ago for a copy of the report.”

“I’ve never bribed a person in my life!” He looked mortally wounded by her words. “My lands, Avery! I know your father has never had anything good to say about me, but you’re old enough now to form your own opinions.”

“I’m forming one right now, you old goat,” she shot back.

Ella slid her arms around Gage’s middle and tipped her head against his shoulder. “If this is what joining forces sounds like, working together won’t be stressful at all.” She was secretly thrilled to be listening to her mother and grandfather fight. Her newfound family might be dysfunctional, but it was impossible to miss the fact that they had loved her father dearly.

“We’ll get through it.” He pressed his cheek against the top of her head. “It’s a good thing we have our dinner date to fortify ourselves for what’s coming.”

“Dinner date?” Her mother’s head snapped in their direction with the expression of a drowning person coming up for water. “You two are dating?”

“It’s more like a dinner meeting.” Ella spoke against Gage’s shoulder, feeling the heat of a blush spread across her cheeks. “He’s my landlord.”

“Am not!” A laugh rumbled through him. “My guest house is not on the rental market.”

“You’re staying in his guest house?” her grandfather thundered. “Out in the middle of nowhere?”

Ella raised her head from Gage’s shoulder. “Trust me, there’s a bodyguard or two breathing down my neck the moment I step foot outside the door.”

“It has a state-of-the-art security system,” Gage bragged. “And she’s staying right next door to an Army Ranger, who’s been chauffeuring her around town. Often in an armored vehicle.”

“What are your plans for this evening? Please assure me you’re not taking her out in public.” Avery Radcliffe looked as if the mere idea was giving her a headache.

Gage shrugged. “I have a private room reserved at The Longhorn Grill.”

It was located on the Comanche reservation adjacent to Heart Lake. Ella was enchanted by the idea of paying her first visit there.

“That’s too public.” Her mother gave a vehement head shake. “It’s not safe, considering everything that’s going on right now.” She gave Creston Bolander an irritated look. “Now would be a great time for you to back me up if you truly want to join forces. In case you missed the memo, your granddaughter is walking around with a set of crosshairs on her very lovely forehead.”

He looked frozen in place like a statue. She clapped her hands sharply, and he came to life again. “You’re right. Tell you what. Let’s all meet for dinner at my place. Bolander & Sons Ranch is a private, gated community. Very secure.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Gage dragged out the words, “this was supposed to be our first date.”

“Then you can have one of the upper-level balconies all to yourselves,” he offered magnanimously. “Or the solarium. The rest of us will meet in the dining room. Raleigh will probably join us. His wife is on a cruise without him, which has him in a bad mood. He’ll come, if for no other reason than to have someone to complain to.”

Avery looked at him like he was out of his mind. “I have no interest in having dinner with one Bolander, much less two of them. ”

“If we’re going to join forces, we have to meet somewhere to discuss the case.” He added slyly, “My chef makes a chocolate créme br?lée that’ll curl your toes.”

She eyed him with suspicion. “How’d you know créme br?lée is my favorite?”

“You served it at your wedding reception.”

“That you didn’t come to,” she reminded in a withering voice.

“Because I wasn’t invited!”

Gage drove to the other side of the lake to drop Johnny off at Lonestar’s home office.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this.” Gage gave his coworker a lazy smile. “But I finally met two people who make me prefer your company.”

A snicker escaped Ella from the backseat. “And I finally found out what’s worse than not having family.”

Johnny, who was still guffawing over Gage’s statement, twisted around to waggle his eyebrows at her. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“Having family,” she informed him in a glum voice.

He laughed harder. “Good luck sneaking in your first kiss with two chaperones breathing down your neck. Or is it three?” He slapped his knee. “If I tag along, we can make it four.”

“No!” Gage and Ella shouted in unison.

Johnny recoiled in his seat, pretending to be offended. “I’m beginning to think you weren’t serious when you said you preferred my company, bro.” He sent Gage a comically sour look .

Gage shook his head at him. “Don’t you have Friday night plans of your own?”

“Nope.” Johnny popped the P at the end of the word. “My family lives up in Wyoming, most of my friends are on the rodeo circuit, and I’m between girlfriends.”

Ella leaned over the console. “It probably wouldn’t hurt for me to take another bodyguard along. Just saying.”

“Can’t.” Gage shook his head emphatically. “He’s already put in more hours than Lonestar allows in a week.”

“Then I’ll come as a friend and just hang out.” Johnny settled more comfortably in his seat. “No one else has to know I’m not officially on duty.”

“As tempting as that is,” Gage’s tone was politely sarcastic, “it doesn’t feel right taking advantage of you like that.”

“What doesn’t feel right,” Johnny shot back, “is sending me home to an empty apartment with no créme br?lée.”

Ella snickered again. “Aw, Gage! Look at him. He’s so pitiful.”

“And in need of nourishment,” Johnny added in a small voice that fooled nobody.

“Fine.” Gage sounded supremely annoyed as he pulled into the parking garage. It was nearly empty. “Go change and meet us at my place in an hour. We’ll carpool.” He drew alongside Johnny’s pickup.

“What’s wrong with what I have on?” Johnny pushed open his door and hopped to the ground, striking a dainty pose in his all-black Lonestar uniform.

Gage waved despairingly at him. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” He revved the motor impatiently. “Don’t forget to shower.”

Johnny slammed his door shut, pretending to be offended, but Ella didn’t miss the twinkle he was trying to hide. He was tickled to pieces about crashing their dinner date.

“He grows on you, doesn’t he?” She gazed around the dimly lit garage. It had a Batman cave feeling to it. A safe feeling. The moment Gage drove out of the garage, she felt exposed again.

“Yep. Like a disease.” He set their course for home.

“What is it about him that gets under your skin so badly?” There was no way Gage was jealous. Not once had Johnny been even remotely serious when he was flirting with her.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Because he’s immature, I guess.”

“He does have that annoying younger brother vibe.” Which she found a lot more entertaining than he did.

“Except he’s three years older than you.” Gage glanced over his shoulder at her. “Don’t ask me how I found that out.”

“By being nosy, I imagine,” she chuckled.

“Yep.” Gage waved a hand. “He looks younger, though, when he acts the way he does.

“I think he’s just young at heart.” Her gaze narrowed in speculation as his dilapidated farmhouse came into view. It had peeling white paint, and the roof rippled in places, like a candy bar that the sun had melted in the heat of the day just so it could cool and cling tighter to the rafters at night. Not for the first time, she wondered if Gage was tight on cash, since he seemed in no hurry to tackle any renovations.

He parked between the back porch and the guest house, which was completely adorable with its pristine white vinyl siding and red metal roof.

As he assisted her out of the vehicle, she felt guilty for continuing to impose on his hospitality, since she could afford to spring for a hotel downtown. He’d probably be better off in the guest house.

He reached for her hand. “What are you frowning about?”

She considered dodging the question, but they’d been through too much together. He deserved nothing less than her honesty. “Your house.”

“What did it do to you?” he teased as he led her across the porch of his guest house to the door.

“It needs some paint.” She turned around and scanned it worriedly. “And maybe a new roof.”

He leaned his side against the wall, still holding her hand. “What color would you like me to paint it?”

She liked the fact that he’d asked her opinion. “I like it white. It just needs to be scraped off and repainted. I can help,” she offered.

His eyebrows rose in surprise. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I can afford to have my house painted, darling.”

“Oh.” She felt her face heat. “That’s good.”

He studied his home with a critical eye. “I’ve actually been meaning to call my homeowner’s insurance about the roof. Pretty sure I saw some hail damage up there. I’ve just been focused on other things.” He returned his dark gaze to her.

Awareness vibrated between them.

“Anything else, beautiful?” He reached up to draw a finger down her cheek.

“Is everything in good repair on the inside?” She’d only been in his eat-in kitchen for shared meals and the living room for a few movies. Though the house had good bones, she could only hope that the plumbing and electricity were up to standard .

He dropped his hand. “What exactly are you worried about?”

“The squatter next door to you,” she mumbled. “I’m enjoying some of the best accommodations in town, while you do without. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Squatter?” He straightened, scowling. “Why are you always putting yourself down like that?” He towered over her, filling her view with his broad shoulders.

“Because I’m a broken person with fractured memories and…” She waved a hand helplessly.

“No. You’re not.” He reached out to wrap his fingers around a strand of her hair that was blowing in the breeze. “Someone tried to break you, but you’re still here. Still standing. Yeah, you’ve got a few battle scars, but you’re still fighting for justice.”

“Spoken like a true soldier.” It was sweet of him to draw that noble of a comparison.

The intensity in his gaze made her heart race. “From the moment we met, there was something about you that appealed to me. You were wilted and bedraggled, no more than two snaps from heatstroke, with that miserable excuse of a man pawing you.”

“You sure know how to make a girl feel special.” She tipped her face up to his, anxious for him to get to the part about her that he’d found appealing.

“Then you looked up and saw me, and you came alive. There’s no other way to describe it.” There was wonder in his voice. “No one else has ever looked at me that way, Ella. And no one has ever looked at me the way you’re looking at me now.”

“You were my one constant.” It was something she’d been waiting for the right moment to tell him. “The one name and the one face I could remember when everything else was a blank. For five years straight, I’ve been trying to find you. Trapped by my own mind. And now that I’ve succeeded, my need for vengeance has become less important than my wish to be with you.”

An answering emotion flared in his gaze. “May I hold you?” His hands remained at his sides, waiting.

“Yes, please.”

He wrapped his arms around her, and she pressed her cheek to his shoulder, knowing this moment had been inevitable. They’d been working their way up to it the whole time they’d known each other.

She tipped her face up to his. “I tried to convince myself it was nothing more than hero worship.” She splayed a hand against his plaid shirt, loving the way his heart was pounding beneath her fingers. It made her feel both powerful and humble, both weak and strong. “The way you rescued me and the way you’ve been protecting me ever since.” She moved her hand over his shoulder to brush her fingers against the back of his neck. “But I think it’s more than that.”

“I know it’s more.” His head dipped over hers.

“Kiss me, Gage,” she whispered.

He palmed her cheek, angling her mouth beneath his. “If you change your mind about this, about any of this, tell me to stop.” Then he seamed their mouths together. Softly. Gently. Reverently.

His touch made her feel like laughing and crying. They were supposed to be dressing for dinner, but this was more important.

He raised his head long before she was ready for the kiss to end. He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Please tell me I’m not the only one who felt that.”

Happiness poured through her like sunlight. “It’s official. You absolutely cannot be my non-biological older brother.”

“Already turned that position down.” His thumb brushed her lower lip again. “Along with being your landlord, because I’ve had something else in mind for a while.”

“Oh, really?” She was so ready to put a label on what was happening between them.

“Assuming you don’t mind dating a guy who’s nine years older than you?”

It moved her deeply that he was laying open his deepest vulnerabilities.

Assuming I don’t mind? That didn’t even come close to cutting it for her. She slid her arms around his neck so she could melt into his warm, chocolate-y eyes. “Yes, I want to date you.” She was honored that he’d asked. She adored everything about him. She especially adored his life of sacrifice, the way he’d put his younger brother’s needs ahead of his own. And his country’s needs. And her needs.

“I want to be exclusive.” He scanned her face. “I’m sorry if it feels like I’m rushing things, but I don’t date much to begin with, and you’re not someone I’ll be able to keep it casual with.”

His words felt like an anchor in the middle of a storm, the light at the end of a long tunnel. He made her feel beautiful and special, wanted and needed. “If that’s your way of saying you’re falling for me…”

“The falling is a done deal.” His gaze burned into hers as he reluctantly unwound her arms from around his neck and stepped back. “You’d better make a dash for it. If I kiss you again, we’ll be late for dinner.”

Too much was at stake for that. “Any guesses what we should wear tonight?” The Bolanders were like royalty. She nervously pictured her grandfather at the head of the table with a jeweled crown on his head.

“I’m guessing clothes,” he teased. “You look great in what you have on.”

Not even! She grimaced down at herself. “My jeans are dusty, and one of the puppies at the sanctuary had an accident on the toe of my boot.”

“Like I said,” Gage wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger and gave it a gentle tug, “you’re perfect, just like you are.”

She chuckled softly. “I think I’ll change, anyway.”

He winked at her as she reached for the door.

She felt like she was walking in a dream as she moved across the cozy living room. As she passed the sofa, she trailed her fingers over the white linen slip cover and leaned over the back of it to straighten a throw pillow. Beyond the living room was a galley kitchen that was so stinking easy to meal prep for two in, like she’d been doing so often lately.

On the other side of the cottage was the master suite. She wasn’t sure what else to call it, since it took up half the house. It had an adjoining lounge that could easily be used as an office. Or a small gym. Or even a nursery. She blushed at the direction of her thoughts. Plus, there was a full bath and a walk-in closet. It was so much more space than she would’ve had at a hotel —more room than a woman, who’d arrived in town with little more than the clothes on her back, needed.

After reviewing an inventory list of the belongings her mother was preparing to ship to her, Ella had ultimately decided to keep only her family photos and her father’s war medals. Preferring to start fresh, she’d donated everything else to charity. And, boy, had she enjoyed it. She’d been shopping almost nonstop since her arrival in Heart Lake. Besides the jeans, boots, and t-shirts she wore to work, she now had two cocktail dresses hanging in her closet. One was an off-the-shoulder black sheath that emphasized her slenderness. The other one was made out of red sequined fabric and boasted a halter top.

After taking a quick shower, she decided she was in more of a red mood than a black mood. She was sort of dying to see Gage’s reaction to the red halter dress, since he hadn’t yet seen her in anything besides jeans.

Though Gage could easily picture Avery Radcliffe and Creston Bolander in cocktail attire this evening, the nicest thing he owned was his old dress blues uniform.

Jeans it is.

After showering, he decided to up his game a little and swap out his usual t-shirt with a navy oxford button-down shirt. He tucked it into his newest pair of jeans and stepped into his boots.

As he reached for his Stetson, movement outside his bedroom window caught his eye. He stepped closer to the glass and saw a black Jeep rolling his way. It was kicking up a cloud of dust in the dirt and gravel.

He buckled on his gun holster, wondering who was visiting. The only person he’d been expecting was Johnny, but that definitely wasn’t Johnny’s rusty old work truck. Gage stepped outside to the front porch and waited as the vehicle finished its approach.

As it drew nearer, he could see dried mud caked on the wheels and splattered across the undercarriage. Someone had been off-roading in it .

The Jeep skidded to a halt at the last second, kicking gravel against Gage’s porch steps and leaving enough dust hanging in the air to taste.

The driver’s door opened and slammed shut. Johnny emerged from the cloud of dust, waving what looked like a game controller in the air. “I did it! I caught a ghost on video!” Though he’d changed as requested, his boots and jeans were coated in a thick layer of dust.

Ghost? It took Gage a few seconds to figure out what he was talking about. “If you’re referring to that dare I never agreed to?—”

“You lost, bro. Fair and square.” Johnny tossed something through the air at him. It glinted brightly in the sunlight.

Gage caught it out of reflex. It was a lot heavier than he was expecting. He found himself staring at the largest belt buckle he’d ever seen in person. It was pretty cool, actually. Like holding a piece of history in his hands.

“Let’s see the evidence first.” He didn’t want to look too anxious to wear it.

“Glad you asked.” Johnny held out the game controller, which turned out to be the controls of a video drone. He toggled the on switch, and the recording played across a screen the size of a cell phone.

Gage watched a pair of silver silos bounce and jitter into view. A sharp cracking sound make him jolt. “What was that?”

“Not sure. My guess is someone was shooting at my drone.” Johnny was no longer smiling.

“When?”

“Few minutes ago.”

That explained the thick layer of dust clinging to his clothing. The guy sure was full of surprises. He bent his head closer to the controls. “Check out what happens next.” The video footage went in and out of focus a few times. Then it honed in on the top of one of the silos, where a section of the domed roof was missing. A man-sized hole gaped open where corrugated metal should’ve been.

“Where’s your ghost?” Gage wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking for.

“Don’t blink,” Johnny commanded quietly.

As the drone hovered closer to the hole, a hand reached up to slap at it. A very human hand. There was another sharp cracking sound. Then the video feed cut off.

“Who was that?” Gage scowled in concern at Johnny.

“The guy who either shot down my drone or made it crash land inside the silo.”

“Yeah, well, you were trespassing,” Gage pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter.” Johnny shrugged. “They’ll never trace it back to me. I made sure it was clean. No fingerprints. Nothing.”

Gage pointed at the video screen. “Any idea who it was?”

“One of the ghosts you said you didn’t believe in, I reckon.”

“He looked real to me.” Gage hit the rewind button so he could watch it again. “Could be some kids playing inside it.” He pointed at the corner of the screen. “There might’ve been a ladder propped against one side of it. It was too blurry to tell for sure.”

“Impossible.” Johnny took a step back, eyeing him in mock protest. “According to the guys who work there, nobody goes near those two silos. The Bolanders keep saying they’re gonna bulldoze them down, but they never do.”

“Hold on. What’s that?” Right before the video flashed off again, Gage thought he caught a glimpse of something. Fingers, maybe? They were curled around the rim of the hole.

“That’s what I was hoping you could tell me.” Johnny gestured at the small video camera. “Keep it. Show it to your brother. Zoom in and get a fingerprint off the waving hand. Analyze the snot out of it. You’re welcome.”

For an answer, Gage put on the oversized belt buckle.

All Johnny did was chuckle.

While they waited for Ella to make her appearance, Gage sent a copy of the video to both Luke and Gil. If there was a man hiding out in one of the abandoned silos at the Bolanders, that man might be Billy Bob.