Page 12 of Wyoming Bodyguard (Sunrise Security #1)

M adden paused on the porch to wait for Lily.

He drew in a large breath, filling his lungs with the fresh evening air.

The conversation with Lily had been unexpected to say the least, and had struck a nerve he hadn’t even known existed.

He hadn’t thought about the days following his mother’s death in a long time.

Hadn’t remembered the bitter disappointment of his friendship with Lily fading into oblivion.

Was that what he wanted now? Lily’s friendship? The impact of their kiss had him wanting much more than that, but a relationship with Lily would never happen.

Because no matter how far they’d come, he could never tell her the truth about why his father needed to sell his land. Not when his father had made him promise to keep his secret.

With her head down and arms crossed over her middle, Lily walked up the steps.

Their conversation had been surprisingly constructive, and he’d blown the whole thing to pieces. He’d fix things later, but for now, they needed to focus on getting information from his dad and his pals. “Ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said.

He winced at her hesitation. Gone was her excitement over a pickup game of cards that had thrown him for a loop.

He held the front door of his childhood home open and waited for her to walk inside before following.

Rumbles of laughter floated down the hall from the kitchen, meeting them in living room.

His father seldom used this space, opting to leave the delicate furniture and frilly touches his mother had selected long ago in place. Walter preferred to move mainly between the kitchen and den, often sleeping in his recliner in front of the television instead of alone in his bed.

“Damn it, Walter. You stacked the deck you old sonofabitch!”

Lily glanced over her shoulder with wide eyes.

Madden chuckled. “Sounds like Larry was dealt a rough hand. He’s always been a poor loser. Don’t let them scare you.”

“I’m more excited to play than ever now,” she said, grinning.

Good. At least the rambunctious old men had brought the light back into her eyes. “You have no idea what you’re walking into.” He followed her down the hall into the spacious kitchen.

A round poker table sat in the middle of the room.

For years, he and Dax would help their father move the kitchen table out of the way and roll out the green felt table his father insisted on using.

Recently, moving the furniture had become more trouble than it was worth.

His dad ate his meals on a TV tray while watching a ball game, choosing a tablecloth to drape over his poker equipment when guests came, which wasn’t often.

Four men sat with cards in their hands and beers in front of them. Two scowled, one laughed, and his dad grinned with a mischievous gleam in his gray eyes.

He had a good hand.

Madden never understood how his dad’s old pals couldn’t see that look. They’d played poker together every week for over a decade.

Walter glanced up and his grin spread. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

“Hey, Pops. How’s it going?” He skirted around the edge of the table, slapping a hand on the old men’s shoulders as he made his way to his dad and placed a kiss on his wrinkled forehead. “You taking these suckers for everything they’re worth yet?”

“He’s trying,” Larry Blackstock growled. “He’s a cheat. Always has been.”

Deputy Sanders sat beside his dad. He dipped his chin in greeting then aimed his attention at Lily. “Hey, Lily. How’s your dad doing?”

The crowd grew quiet, all eyes turned to Lily.

Walter and Kevin Tremont might have a beef between them, but every man sitting at the table knew Kevin and his daughter. Their town was small, their community tight. And no one liked seeing one of their own hurt.

Lily offered a small smile. “He’s hanging in there. I didn’t get a chance to see him today, but I spoke with the doctor. We’re holding out hope he wakes soon.”

“That’s good to hear,” Larry said, setting his cards facedown on the table.

He shook his head and his disheveled silver hair flopped with the movement.

Wrinkles cascaded down his face as if gravity insisted on winning the fight.

“Still can’t believe how everything played out. A damn shame, that’s for sure.”

Marvin Williamson, his dad’s oldest friend who was more like family to Madden, clicked his tongue.

His familiar cowboy hat with the burnt red material wrapped around the base of the hat still sat on his head.

“This world’s goin’ to hell and taking us all along for the ride.

Things aren’t the way they used to be. No reason a man should fear being gunned down in the street.

Sheriff better figure this mess out quick.

People want answers, and they want them now. ”

“While that might be true, right now I think Lily just needs a chair, don’t ya?” Walter wagged a finger at Madden. “Come on now boy. You know better than to let a lady just stand around waitin’ on you. Grab her a seat.”

“Yes, sir.” Two folding chairs leaned against the wall, probably brought out by Dax after he’d informed his dad he and Lily would be stopping by. He opened one and placed it at the table then repeated the process with the second one.

Pulling a seat out a little for Lily, he waited for her to sit then took the chair beside her.

“You gonna sit before offering our guest a drink?” Walter barked.

Madden shook his head and stared at Lily with raised brows, trying to rein in his patience. “Would you like anything? Food? Water? A time machine to travel back to when you decided to come here?”

She struggled against a laugh. “I’m fine. And thank you, all of you. I know my dad would be touched by your concern.”

Marvin, who sat on the other side of Lily, patted her hand. “We’re here for you both. For anything you need.”

Mumbles of agreement echoed around the table.

Taking that as a perfect opening, Madden cleared his throat. “Have any of you heard of drug problems in town?”

The mumblings stopped. Marvin and Larry fiddled with their cards. Deputy Sanders worked his jaw back and forth. Walter sighed.

“What am I missing?” Madden asked, bouncing his gaze from man to man while Lily stiffened beside him.

Deputy Sanders flicked his attention to Walter before focusing on Madden with a pronounced frown.

“The town has had an influx of drug issues recently. With the new resort, dealers have come into town to tap a new market. Nothing too serious has happened, just busted some deals and a few incidents with petty crime.”

Madden avoided his dad’s forlorn expression, probably uncomfortable with the knowledge a surge of crime in their community came from a situation where he held some responsibility. “What kind of drugs?”

“Marijuana. Meth. Found some cocaine a few weeks back on a tourist in town who busted into the general store.”

“What about the suppliers? Any idea where these drugs are coming from?” Madden asked.

“We’ve found a few cooks. Small-time growers. Nothing major.” Deputy Sanders shifted in his seat. “Why do you want to know?”

“Do you think my dad is involved at all?” Lily lifted her chin a tiny fraction, but Madden could see the slight tremor of her hands. She was strong and brave to tackle the issue head-on, but she couldn’t hide her fear. At least not from him.

Deputy Sanders’s eyes widened. “Kevin? No. I mean, I don’t have any knowledge of such things. I heard about what was found on your property—Hill and Silver have been chasing that angle—but I don’t see how your dad could be connected.”

Tension practically leaked out of Lily, and a tiny smile touched her lips.

“Has Deputy Hill or Deputy Silver said anything else about the case?” Madden asked.

“Not really. They’ve been out of the station a lot, and I’ve been picking up more time patrolling the town so they can focus on the case. Not much crossover.”

“Makes sense.” He wished he could uncover more information, but at least he knew the deputies in charge of finding Kevin Tremont’s attacker were doing their due diligence. Hopefully they’d find the truth soon.

The front door squeaked open, followed by slow steady footsteps.

Madden took note of the familiar faces around the table.

The number of players at his father’s weekly poker game had dwindled after they’d sold their land to developers, only the three men in the room choosing to remain loyal to a decades-long friendship.

No one else had set foot in their home in years. “Expecting anyone else, Pops?”

Dax walked into the kitchen, his mouth in a hard line and his fitted shirt smeared with dirt. “He’s always expecting me, aren’t ya Dad? You know, the son who’s left behind. Came to grab some grub and maybe sit in on a hand.”

Madden bit back a groan. He had enough on his plate right now. His petulant little brother was the last thing he wanted to deal with. While the group welcomed Dax, Madden leaned close to Lily to whisper in her ear. “Do you want to head home?”

She shook her head. “That’d be rude. Besides, I’m in the mood to hustle a roomful of men out of their hard-earned cash.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. No matter what the situation, Lily was always in her element. Willing to blend in and put her best foot forward. He studied his brother as Dax grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped off the cap.

Maybe it was time he learned a few lessons from Lily.

* * *

A weird tension crackled in the air as soon as Dax entered the room. Lily had seen Madden’s brother around town, but hadn’t really taken note of the man he’d become while she’d been busy keeping her head above water.

As Dax stood at the kitchen counter with a beer in his hand, she couldn’t help but notice the hard lines of his face.

He had a certain edge that Madden didn’t have.

Where Madden oozed an almost cockiness that she hated to admit came off as charming, Dax appeared closed off, angry somehow despite his smile as he stalked to the island and dragged a chair to the table.

“Hey, Lil. Shocked to see you here.”

“I could never say no to a good game of poker,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He snorted. “Sure. How’s your dad?”

“Fine. Thanks for asking.” She didn’t want to go into the details again, and it was clear that Dax only asked so he didn’t look like a complete dick.

Dax took a long pull of his beer then set the brown bottle on the table. “Can I keep a stallion in the old barn for a few days, Pops?”

Madden narrowed his eyes, head tilted to the side. “Where’d you get a stallion?”

Dax’s smile disappeared, replaced with a scowl that turned his hard edges dangerous. “What does it matter to you? I got to make a living, don’t I? You made sure I had to look elsewhere, so that’s what I’m doing.”

Madden’s hands curled into fists at his sides. Irritation radiated from his skin. He blew a long breath out his nose. “Glad you found something. What are you doing?”

“Training horses over at the Williamsons’ ranch.” He nodded toward Marvin, the proud owner of the cattle ranch across town. “Bought a young stallion old Marv can’t break and asked me to help. It’ll be easier if I have him here, if Pops is okay with it.”

“When did you guys start buying horses?” Madden asked.

Marvin lifted a shoulder. “You know how it is. Life’s always changing. Needed to branch out a little. Dax has always been good with horses so figured I’d ask for his help.”

“You can bring him here,” Walter interjected. “Got plenty of room.”

“Thanks. This guy’s a real rascal. Stubborn as hell. He’ll need extra attention. I have to figure out the best approach to use with him.” Dax scratched the dark whiskers on his chin.

“Lily’s good with horses,” Madden said. “She might have some suggestions.”

Dax raised his eyebrows, amusement shining from his blue eyes. “I’m good. Thanks.”

The condescension dripping from his words raised her hackles, but she kept her opinion to herself. Clearly there was some kind of animosity between the brothers, and she didn’t want to put herself in the middle. Besides, she had enough problems of her own to deal with.

“I’m around if you change your mind. But for now, let’s play cards.” She forced a cheerful smile.

“Been a long time since we’ve had a lady at the table,” Walter said, grinning. “You sure you can handle us?”

“Trust me, I can handle anything.”

The men chuckled as Larry dealt the cards and Madden placed poker chips in front of each of them.

Studying her hand, excitement stirred in the pit of her stomach.

As hard as her life was right now, a confidence she’d never experienced grew inside her, and she finally did believe she could handle whatever was thrown at her.

And she couldn’t help but wonder if the man who sat beside her had something to do with it.

But in this moment, her victory had nothing to do with Madden. She shoved the pile of chips into the center of the table and grinned. “I’m all in.”