It had been a few hours since they’d finally gotten around to eating the crepes. While delicious—even re-heated—they hadn’t been terribly filling.
“I could eat.”
“Anything particular sound good to you?”
“Well, let’s see...” She thought a moment. “We had French for breakfast. Want to do Mexican for lunch?”
“A woman after my own heart.” Jason winked and started the car. “I know this perfect little authentic place up north. Family owned, great food. If you like Mexican, you’re gonna love—”
His phone began to ring, the peal of a sound filling the car’s interior.
“Damn. That’s work.” With an apologetic look, he dug his phone from his pocket and answered, “Ryker.”
His expression changed from relaxed to high alert in the span of a single heartbeat. Whatever he’d just been told was not good.
“Are you sure?” His tone seemed to drop an octave. Jason listened to the person on the other end of the line and then, “Thanks for letting me know. I’m headed there, now.”
When he ended the call, he shot off a text to an unknown recipient. His phone dinged almost immediately with a response.
Bringing his unreadable expression back to her, he said, “I have to go to the office. It’s urgent.”
“Oh.” She hid her disappointment, understanding
“I’m not sure how long it’ll take. I just checked with Jake and he and Olivia are both home. Would it be okay if I took you there until I’m finished?”
“Their ranch is pretty far out of your way, isn’t it? Besides, you said Jake was coming here later, anyway. Why don’t I—”
“There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone in that house.”
Placing her hand over his, Sophie said, “I know you’re still worried about that man coming back to hurt me. But I promise I’ll stay inside and at the first sign of trouble—”
“Not happening, Soph. I’m sorry. I just can’t...I can’t risk it.”
She thought back to their earlier conversation. To what happened to the woman he’d loved and lost.
He needs this. Do this for him.
“Okay.” She nodded. “Take me to Jake’s. But you’d better let him know I expect some Mexican food when I get there.”
This time Sophie was the one to wink and smirk. Jason gave her a ghost of a smile that didn’t come close to reaching his eyes.
Something was wrong.Verywrong, from the look on his face.
His job was filled with classified intel. Chances were, even if Jason wanted to tell her about whatever was going, he couldn’t. So she wasn’t going to put him in the awkward position of having to deny her request.
Several minutes later, they were entering the secured gate at the entrance to Jake and Olivia’s private drive.
Sophie had been to the beautiful ranch before when Olivia had invited her to a girls’ night while the guys were away on some secretive op. The log home was gorgeous, the scenery around it, breathtaking.
A large barn sat down a hill to the right of the house. Behind Olivia’s home were fields of grassy hills that seemed to stretch for miles.
It was truly one of the most amazing pieces of property Sophie had ever seen.
Jason pulled around the circle drive to the start of the sidewalk and put the car in park. “I’ll walk you up.”
Sophie climbed out of the vehicle and the two started for the expansive porch. Jason had been relatively quiet on the drive here, and she hated he had to deal with whatever was waiting for him Dallas’s Homeland office.
Olivia and Jake met them on the porch.