Sheriff Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 10) by Laylah Roberts (good book club books txt) 📗

been watching her for a while by the sounds of it,” Ed told them. He was furious with himself. How had he not known? He should have protected her better. “Leaving dead roses around. His little spin on his father using daisies when he stalked her.”

“Mother-fucker,” Marcus muttered.

“Bastard blamed her for his father’s death. Found some old diaries of his after his mother died and it flipped some sort of switch.”

Evan glowered. “What I wouldn’t give for a few minutes alone with him.”

“Get into line,” Ed muttered.

“Ahh, but you’re hindered by the law,” Marcus said with a grim smile. “We’re not.”

Ed shook his head with a sigh. “Stay away from him. Last thing she needs is you lot ending up in jail. She’s had enough stress.”

Both of them nodded in agreement.

“She’s really okay?” Evan asked quietly.

“Physically, yes. Emotionally, I’m not sure.”

After she’d been checked over by Xavier, Ed had cleaned her up, waving away the nurse who’d offered to help. And she’d told him everything that happened. From the nightmare, going for a run, to that asshole turning up in his truck. How he’d hunted her through the woods, trying to pull her from the tree. He could only imagine how terrified she’d been.

“Can’t believe he had another fucking son and I didn’t know,” Marcus said.

“Wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known she was pregnant,” Ed told him. “Besides, no one could know he was a psycho like his father.”

Marcus ran his hand over his face. “Still feels like I fucked up. Won’t do that again. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the older son.”

“Might need someone to pay him a visit,” Evan said in his harsh, broken voice.

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret,” Ed warned them.

Marcus and Evan shared a look. He didn’t want to know what they were going to do.

“She needs closer watching,” Marcus said. “You gonna take care of that?”

“Don’t worry, she won’t be leaving my eyesight for a long time.”

They both nodded.

“We’re staying a few nights. Don’t worry though, we’ll take a room at the motel in town.” Marcus clapped a hand on his back. “Don’t need to listen to you defiling my baby sister.”

When he walked back into the room, he saw that she was awake. Immediately, he moved over towards her. He leaned down, brushing her hair back from her face.

“I want to cut it,” she croaked.

“What?”

“My hair. I’m sick of the length. I’m cutting it.”

“Whatever you want, my girl.”

“Can I have a drink?” she asked.

He grabbed the jug on the bedside drawers and poured her a cup. Then he placed a hand behind her to help her sit while she sipped.

“Be easier with your sippy cup.”

“I don’t like it here,” she said, almost tearfully. “Can I go home? I want our cabin, and Squawkers and Hugabug and you.”

“I know you do.” He helped her lie down. “We’ll go home as soon as Xavier gives you the all-clear, all right?”

She huffed out a breath.

He placed his forehead against hers. “Don’t argue, baby. You’re not going to win. You scared the hell out of me. That’s twice in two weeks. I’m not messing around with your health. Or with your safety. You are officially forbidden from running on your own from now on.”

He drew back.

Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him. “You’re serious?”

“Very.”

“But . . . but Ed, this was just a freak thing. It won’t happen again.”

“I thought that after Saber took you. That it was a freak thing that wouldn’t happen again. And look what happened.”

“Shoot. You have a point. But what are the odds that I’ll get kidnapped again? That rarely happens, right? Three kidnappings?”

“One kidnapping is rare! There’s no point in arguing. My mind is made up. You are not running alone. At the moment, I’m seriously considering not letting you go anywhere alone, so I wouldn’t push me.”

“But running is my stress relief.”

“Then you can do it with me or on the treadmill in the gym. Besides, you have other ways of relieving stress now.”

She seemed to think that over. “I’m in trouble, huh?”

“Oh yes. Not only did you leave the house, but you went for a run without telling me. And you didn’t take your phone. When you’re feeling better, you won’t be sitting for a week.”

“I didn’t mean to get kidnapped. I mean, I didn’t even know there was a threat. I mean, I can remember feeling like someone was watching me a few times, but I put it down to being stressed and having so much going on. And I didn’t connect the dead roses to anything.” She shuddered.

He gently massaged her jaw, easing the tension. “I know, baby. Don’t worry, I’m having cameras installed around the house, throughout the yard and beyond. I was too complacent. I never had anything precious to protect before. This won’t happen again.” Then he gave her the ‘Ed look’. “Even if you had known there was a threat, would you still have gone running? Were you thinking clearly?”

She shook her head, looking concerned. “No. I wasn’t thinking at all. After that nightmare, I just wanted to get out of my head. To run until I forgot.”

“And you didn’t pay attention to your surroundings, did you? You didn’t notice how far you had run or in what direction. And you didn’t notice how exhausted you were. Oh, I forgot to add something else. You didn’t eat all your food.”

“Hey, that one isn’t fair. I was being kidnapped by a psycho who chased me up a tree.”

He gave her a thunderous look.

“Too soon to joke, huh?”

“Enough time will never pass for me to joke about this, my girl.”

Georgina watched as Ed paced back and forth across the hospital room. She kind of felt bad for trying to lighten things, but right now she didn’t want to think of everything that had gone bad.

She didn’t like feeling weak. But that’s how she felt right now. As though all her shields were down and it would take just one hit