Page 19 of Wyoming Bodyguard (Sunrise Security #1)

S weat dripped from Madden’s hairline. The shade from his cowboy hat shielded his face but couldn’t do a damn thing to lessen the heat.

The sun beat down on him, and the muscles in his shoulder burned.

The last thing he should be doing was the repetitive motion of scraping the ugly, white words from the barn.

But he couldn’t let Lily tackle this project alone.

Taking a break, he glanced down at her. Concentration pinched her face. She dug her scraper against the wooden side as if erasing the threat would erase all the shit taking over her life right now.

If only it could be that simple.

“How about stopping for a drink?”

She kept scraping, kept her singular focus on her task.

“Lily? You want a break?” He rested a hand on her shoulder, and her body jolted as if he’d zapped her with a stun gun.

She pressed her empty palm over her heart and snorted out a short laugh. “I was in some kind of zone. Sorry. I didn’t even hear you.”

“You set your sights on the barn like you used to on me when you’d chase me down as kids.”

She struggled to hide her grin. “I don’t remember what you’re talking about.”

He gave an exaggerated eye roll. “Sure you don’t, but we don’t need to get into that right now. I asked if you wanted to take a break. We’ve gotten most of the white paint off, but we’ll need a ladder to tackle the top. Then we can paint.”

She stared at the barn and wiped her brow with the back of her wrist. “Time flies when you’re busting your ass, I guess. I didn’t realize we’d been attacking this paint for so long.”

Madden glanced at his watch. “Been a couple hours. We could finish the rest of this tomorrow.”

“I don’t know,” she said, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I just want this done. I don’t want to wake up in the morning knowing the remnants of what this asshole did is still left behind.

This may sound stupid, but fixing this one mess makes me feel like maybe I can fix the rest of them. ”

Hearing the wistful tone of her voice made it impossible to insist they wait until the next day to paint the barn.

Besides, he understood her logic. Her need to get her hands dirty and do something constructive to make things better.

Even if it was a smaller, trivial thing compared to the rest of the shit she was wading through.

But he still needed a break.

He waved his fingers in a come-here motion.

She stepper closer and took his hand.

“I promise we will get this done tonight, but my shoulder is killing me, and I need a drink.” He hated using his injury as an excuse, but it was the only thing he could think of to get Lily to stop working for a few minutes.

“How about we share an ice-cold beer on the porch, catch our breaths, then we’ll find the ladder to finish the job. ”

Worry wrinkled her brow. “Okay. A drink sounds nice, and I could use a break, too.”

“I know that’s not true, but I appreciate you trying to help me save my manhood.

” He gave her a wink then tugged her toward the house.

He waited until she settled into one of the rocking chairs then hurried inside to grab them each a drink, making the last second decision to find two forks and the leftover pie from the day before as well.

As he returned outside, Lily’s smile told him he’d made the right choice.

“Not sure how well beer and apple pie go together, but I’m willing to try.” She took her drink and set it on the floorboard then rested the pie tin on her lap.

He snagged a bottle of water from his pocket and waved it in the air. “Thought you might say that, so I brought this in case.”

Stabbing the fork into the pie, Lily slid a bite in her mouth and groaned. “Best. Idea. Ever.”

Madden swallowed hard. Watching her eat pie was way too sexy.

He cleared his throat, needing to stay focused.

He’d slipped last night, and someone had snuck onto the property and vandalized Lily’s barn.

He couldn’t let that happen again. Hell, he’d even discussed it earlier with Reid, and they’d agreed to both stand guard throughout the night to make sure nothing else happened to Lily.

Until whoever was determined to hurt her was caught, he needed to keep his mind sharp.

Sipping his beer, he stared at the backdrop of mountains in the distance.

The lush green peaks with spots of color called to him, grounded him.

“It’s funny how for years I’ve sat on the porch with my dad and looked at these exact same mountains.

Crazy to think we’ve seen the same view all this time. ”

“Dad and I like to sit out here at night after the work’s done for the day.

Reminds us of why we do what we do, why we work so hard for this place.

” She placed the fork in the tin. “I’m glad I went to see him today, but it was tough.

So many emotions are swirling around inside me, and he’s at the center of most of them. ”

Not wanting to interrupt, he cradled his bottle in his lap and rocked. He hadn’t asked about her visit with her father, figured she’d tell him anything she wanted him to know, and he didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

She sighed. “I hate being mad at him right now. I should be standing by his side, holding his hand. But even though it cuts my soul to admit this, I know he plays a role in everything that’s happened, and it pisses me off.

I’m angry he’s put me in this position. I’m mad he’s not awake to clear everything up.

I’m terrified he’ll die and I’ll be left with all this guilt and turmoil, never getting a chance to move on.

Leaving me here all alone to pick up the pieces.

” Her voice broke on the last word, crushing his heart.

“I’m sorry for what you’re going through. Hell, I’d take your place if I could. Just know that everything you’re feeling is okay to feel. All of it. And no matter what, you’ll never be alone. I’ll be right here with you, Lily, as long as you want me to be.”

She smiled through her tears. “Thank you. I like the sound of that.”

“Good, then you should know your dad will pull through and make it home. Because no way he’ll let me win your heart without a fight. I’m gonna have to win him over if I stand a chance.”

She snorted out a laugh. “Good point. He won’t make things easy.”

“For you, I’m up for the challenge.”

They sat and finished their drinks in comfortable silence. The sound of cawing birds and the squeaking of their matching chairs keeping them company. Once he drained the bottle, he stood. “All right. We better get this done now, or I’ll be tempted to head inside and take a nap.”

“A dinnertime nap?” Lily asked, eyes wide. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, but let’s get you to the barn before you leave me outside to handle the chores alone.”

Standing, he stayed close to her side as she walked to the second, smaller barn that was used for storage.

“We have a few ladders in here. We shouldn’t need a super tall one.” She pushed open the door, and a subtle creaking raised the hairs on the back of Madden’s neck.

He rested a palm on her shoulder to stop her from stepping inside. “Stay right here a second.”

“What is it?” she asked, frowning.

“Not sure but something doesn’t feel right. Where’s the light switch?” The sun wouldn’t set for another hour or two, but the storage barn didn’t have windows to let in natural light.

“On the wall, to the right.”

The sensation of bugs skittering down his spine made him move slowly. He took a step into the stale, musty barn. A wall of heat, along with a continuous groaning met him. Finding the switch, he flipped on the light and dread dropped low in his stomach.

In the center of the ceiling, a lifeless man hung from a thick rope.

* * *

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Lily barged inside, and bile shot up the back of her throat. She turned away from the morbid scene in front of her, but the sound of the subtle shifting of the rafters as the body dangled would be forever etched in her brain.

Madden wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her into the fresh air. “I need to see if I can help him.”

“How can you possibly help? He’s dead.” She squeezed her eyes closed, but when an image of the body slammed against her brain, they flew open again. “Who was that?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out. You stay here and call the police.”

Before she could ask any more questions, he took off at lightning speed into the barn. She fumbled for her phone in her pocket and called the authorities as her mind spun. If she believed in such things, she’d think someone had put a giant curse on her and her ranch.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?” The dispatcher chirped out the all-too-familiar line after two rings.

“I need deputies at Tremont Ranch. There’s a man hanging from the rafters. I think he’s dead.” Her voice trembled, and she struggled to keep the bile from coming all the way up.

“Okay. I’ll send deputies there right away. Do you know who the victim is?”

“I didn’t see his face and stepped out of the barn.”

“That’s good. Don’t touch anything. Just stand tight and help will be there shortly. Would you like me to stay on the line with you?”

Even though she gripped the phone tight like a lifeline, there was no reason to keep the dispatcher on the phone. Madden was right inside, and she didn’t believe she was in immediate danger. “No, I’m fine.”

She almost laughed at her own words. She was anything but fine.

Clicking off, she tapped her toe against the packed dirt at her feet and bit her thumbnail.

She should tell Madden not to touch anything like the dispatcher warned, but she couldn’t bring herself to go back inside.

She’d assumed witnessing her father being shot was the worst thing she’d ever see. She wasn’t so sure now.

A light touch on her shoulder made her jump.

“Sorry,” Madden said. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Did you get ahold of the sheriff’s department?”

Wrapping her arms around her middle, she nodded. Chills raced up and down her body despite the warm air. “They’re on the way. Any chance you saved some guy’s life?”

He scrubbed a palm down his face. “No. I knew it was a long shot he was still alive, but I had to make sure. Once I verified he was dead, I let him be. I don’t want to disturb the death scene. The deputies need to see everything exactly the way we found it.”

She swallowed hard, hating the question she had to ask. “Do you know who it is?”

The painful look in his eyes had her bracing herself. “Tell me.”

“I think it’s Daniel.”

“No!” She lunged for the door, needing to see for herself if a man she’d known and trusted for a big part of her life was really dead.

Madden hooked an arm around her waist. “You don’t want to see him like that, Lily. He wouldn’t want that.”

“I don’t care,” she yelled. “I have to see if it’s him. I need to know.” She struggled against Madden’s hold until she broke free and burst into the barn.

Harsh light beat down from the exposed bulbs overhead. She steeled her nerves and glanced up. Daniel’s red and bloated face stared down at her.

Gasping, she covered her mouth with a shaky hand.

Madden stood beside her and coaxed her to lean into him as he held her against his strong body.

Tremors took over her limbs. Tears coated her cheeks. “It’s him. It’s Daniel.”

“I’m sorry, Lily,” Madden said, his muscles coiled as if ready to attack anything that came their way.

“I know he meant a lot to you and your family. Sometimes people can’t outrun their demons.

Hopefully now he’s free of whatever led him here, and we can find out exactly what he’d gotten himself involved in. ”

His words were meant to be comforting, but instead raised fury in her blood. Her body stiffened, and she pulled out of his hold. She pointed a finger up at Daniel. “He did not do that.”

Madden frowned, doubt rippling his forehead. “Lily.”

He said her name as if speaking to a child, which only pissed her off even more.

“Don’t. Don’t say I’m delusional or not seeing the truth.

I know him. Have known him for a very long time, and what you said was absolutely right.

He wouldn’t want me to see this. Especially after everything that’s been happening around here lately.

If he’d wanted to kill himself, he’d have no reason to sneak onto the property, wait for no one to be here and then hang himself in my barn. What’s the point?”

Madden shrugged. “Maybe he’d hope someone would be here. Maybe he wanted someone to stop him.”

She shook her head. “No. If he’d wanted to end his life, he wouldn’t have come here. Hell, why pack his stuff and drive away yesterday if this was his plan? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Madden flicked a quick glance up at Daniel before returning his gaze to her. “You know him a hell of a lot better than I do, and I trust your gut. So what do you think happened?”

His ability to believe in her despite his initial doubt overshadowed a little of the turmoil chugging her stomach. “I think Daniel was murdered.”