Page 23 of Wyoming Bodyguard (Sunrise Security #1)
Madden scowled into his own mug. He hadn’t meant that he was actually in love with Lily.
It was just a silly expression that hit the mark where the two of them were concerned.
But he had to admit he’d felt things the last couple of days for her he hadn’t felt in years.
If he was being honest with himself, Lily brought things to life inside of him he’d never known existed.
Was that love?
“Mom would be happy,” Dax said.
The words caught Madden off guard and a lump formed in his throat. “Excuse me?”
“If you and Lily were an item. Mom loved Lily like a daughter. Loved Mrs. Tremont like a sister. If the two of you made the Tremonts and the McKays officially family, she’d have wanted nothing more.”
The realization that Dax was right pressed against his chest, and he struggled against the threat of tears.
His mom was never far from his thoughts, but sitting around and talking about her seldom happened.
Especially with Dax. That needed to change.
Their mother had been a shining light for all of them.
That light had dimmed since her death, but they needed to find a way to keep it alive.
He took a sip of the strong, black coffee.
“Lily and I’ve talked about our past a lot the last couple of days.
It’s been nice reliving those memories. In doing so, we figured out when things went sour for us.
I’ll regret the time I missed out on with her, but I won’t make that mistake again.
And I think you’re right. Mom’s smiling down on us.
Hell, she’s probably the one who pushed us together in the first place. ”
Dax snorted. “Sounds like something she’d do. I miss her.”
Madden slapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder, feeling closer to him than he had in years—determined to continue to fix the rift that had separated them. Yet another misunderstanding. Another casualty of poor communication. “So do I.”
“Anyway,” Dax said, blowing out a shaky breath, “enough of this sentimental bullshit. What got your ass out of that comfy bed with a beautiful woman? Any way I can help?”
Grateful for an opportunity to change the subject, Madden laid out every issue he and Lily had encountered since the morning her father was shot.
Dax sat quietly, sipping his coffee and listening without interruption.
“Reid’s parked at Tremont Ranch right now,” Madden said, finishing the rundown.
“He’s looking into the cattle tags. Searching for the rest of the ranches to see how much money they lost from the stolen cattle.
I want to see if those amounts match the information Lily and I found in her dad’s office. ”
“Good plan.” Dax circled his palms around his mug and frowned. “But I agree with Lily. How does that tie into the drugs?”
Madden ran his hands through his hair. Frustration tempted him to rip the strands out at the roots.
No matter how much information they uncovered, the big picture was still blurry.
“I don’t know, man. Maybe it’s not connected.
Maybe some kids were messing around and needed a place to hide their stash. ”
“I don’t know much about drugs, but my guess is most people who use crystal meth aren’t just leaving it around town untouched. That shit’s serious. And it’s getting to be a bigger and bigger problem around here.”
“What do you mean?”
Dax sighed and stared into his now-empty mug.
“The new hotel brings in a lot of tourists, which brings in a lot of money to Cloud Valley. Some people love it, some hate it. Like most things, there’s good and bad.
The bad is all those tourists attract attention from people looking to make a quick buck. ”
“Which for some means selling drugs.”
“Exactly. Tourists who want a different kind of adventure. Who want to cause a little trouble or who are looking for a different high than what they can find staring at the mountains. Folks around here have always dabbled. Hell, ranching is a tough life and some people need an escape. It’s a tale as old as Goldilocks and those damn bears.
But now there’s more money around, which means higher profits. ”
“Leading to more expensive drugs.”
“Add that Tremont Ranch is in the backyard of that new hotel, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to think something fishy could be going on.”
Madden pressed his lips together, thinking it over. “All good points, but still doesn’t explain where any of the profits are going. Even if Lily’s dad is selling drugs and stealing cattle, where’s the money going? It’s definitely not being poured back into the ranch.”
“Don’t know. Not my job to figure that out, bud.” Dax winked then walked his coffee mug to the sink.
“Maybe not, but if you ever get tired of training horses, and Sunrise Security ever needs to expand, you might be a good fit.”
Leaning against the counter, Dax chuckled. “You’ve always been my bossy big brother. No need to make it official with you signing my checks. But now I need to get some sleep. Good night.”
“Good night,” Madden echoed as he sipped his coffee and unlocked his phone.
He’d put the idea of Dax working for him in the back of his mind.
Right now, he needed to speak with Reid.
They had a criminal to catch, and a ton of strings to unravel before time ran out and another travesty fell into Lily’s lap.