Chapter 19

Forty-minutes later,they were airborne, Maddie"s dad was in the back of the plane being treated, and Lucas had time to breathe.

To sort out what had happened.

He"d talked to Dylan, who was still working on untangling what had happened. The people who"d shot Huck were unaccounted for, as was the fourth person at Maddie"s store. None of the men he"d left zip tied at the store were Les, and none of them were talking.

They all had rap sheets, though. Long ones.

Les had connections with the underbelly of the criminal world, which although expected, gave them clarity on the level of threat that Les represented.

The threat was elusive, mobile, and dangerous.

Lucas was glad they were going to the Hart Ranch, even if Maddie didn"t want it.

"Lucas?"

"Hi, Maddie." He looked up as Maddie walked into the front section of the plane, Violet by her side, as always. "How"s your dad?"

"He"s good. The bullet went through his thigh, but didn"t hit anything vital. He was very lucky." She paused, looking awkward, so Lucas nodded at the two seats across from him. "For you and Violet."

"Thanks." She walked over and sank into the seat, pulling her knees to her chest, while Violet hopped up and curled herself into a ball.

Lucas leaned forward, his forearms braced on his thighs, watching her body language. She was tense and worried, as was natural. "How are you?"

She glanced at him, then shrugged. "Fine."

"We don"t have much food on the plane because we left in such a hurry, but I put out a few bottles of water and some snacks." He nodded at the table between them.

She picked up the water. "I"ve never been in a plane like this before. It"s like a castle in the air."

He looked around the plane, trying to look at it through Maddie"s eyes. It was neutral tones, and everything was top quality. Big, plush seats of the finest leather that could be converted into beds. The bedroom in the rear. Elegant light fixtures. "Too much?"

She raised her brows. "It"s gorgeous. If you can afford it, why not have the best?"

He narrowed his eyes, not sure if she was mocking him. "When you grow up sleeping under a bridge having to steal food to eat, there"s a tendency to try to wipe that away with overcompensating."

She smiled. "Lucas. I do think it"s beautiful. And you guys deserve it."

"All right." He relaxed slightly, but her comments about the plane made him realize that when they arrived at the Hart Ranch, she was going to be thrust right into their life of luxury and entitlement. With most women, he"d expect them to want more of him once they saw the ranch.

With Maddie, he was a little concerned that it would turn her off. Already, there was a wall and distance between them, which he didn"t like. They"d bonded at the store before and while they"d made love, then chaos had ripped the moment apart.

He wanted it back with a fierceness that made him wary. He didn"t want to push Maddie away, and he was still trying to process his reaction to her. But it was important that she knew she mattered. "We didn"t have time to talk after we made love."

Her cheeks immediately turned pink. "We don"t need to talk about that."

"I do."

She looked out the window. "I thought it was sex only. Nothing more."

He ground his jaw, tempted to give her the distance she wanted, but knowing that he couldn"t. He owed her more. "I know you were burned recently, so it"s important to me to make sure you understand where I am with our lovemaking."

She didn"t take her gaze off the clouds. "I"m good."

Shit. She had completely withdrawn from him. Her defenses were in full force. Afraid of being hurt? He got that. So, he had to do what he could to take that fear away from her. She could still choose to reject him, but he didn"t want it to be out of fear.

He took a breath. "I"m in, Maddie."

Her gaze shot to him. "What?"

"I"m in." He gestured to her, and then to himself. "Whatever it is that"s happening between us, I"m in. That wasn"t a quickie for me. I know you"re not into anything serious, and I respect that. But if there"s anything there, anything at all worth pursuing, I"m in. I"m not going anywhere." He let out his breath as he finished, surprised to find his heart racing a bit.

Maddie stared at him, her hand rubbing Violet"s head. "All right."

All right. It was an acknowledgement of what he"d said, and no more, except it was more. She hadn"t told him to back off. She hadn"t announced her need for distance. Instead, she"d let him know she"d heard him, and she accepted what he"d said.

It was a start, and a good one…which was fantastic, because now came the challenging part.

"Maddie, we"re going to need help for a little bit."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The threat we"re facing is real, and it"s legit. Les had at least five experienced people in play, all striking at the same time, in a very efficient manner. We thought he was going to be heavy-handed at best, but he"s not. He has skill and connections."

She closed her eyes and took a breath, muttering a little curse under her breath that made him grin.

"Our ranch is very secure, because all of us have pasts that can come get us at any moment. Every member of my family is trained in every way we"d need them for help."

She met his gaze. "Lucas?—"

"I know, baby." He reached out and took her hand, relieved when she didn"t pull away. "I know that the Harts are connected to the ugly past that you want to leave behind. I"ll make you two promises. First, you don"t have to see Jacob. He"ll stay away. Second, as a family, we all do our best to live in the present. When you meet any of my siblings, they"ll be like Dylan: they"ll accept you and move forward with what needs to be done. They won"t bring up the past. It"s about the present threat, not the past."

She looked down at their entwined hands and let out a breath. "If I had any choice, I wouldn't be going to the Hart Ranch."

"I know."

She looked up. "I think my dad is excited. I suspect he"s going to try to sneak off and find Jacob as soon as we get there."

Lucas swore under his breath. "That"s a very bad idea. Jacob doesn"t handle people well. He would need time to process meeting your dad before actually doing so."

Maddie grimaced. "I think my dad is focused only on what he needs right now, but I"ll talk to him."

Lucas nodded, then steeled himself for the final blow. "I"ve been trying to think of the best way to keep you safe once we get there."

She looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "And?"

"You and your dad need to stay with me, in my house."

He half-expected her to protest, but instead, a smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "Why doesn"t that surprise me?"

He relaxed. "Because you know how clever I am?"

"Because you"ve claimed us."

He thought about that. "No. I"ve taken responsibility for you. There"s a difference. Claiming implies I"m taking away your choice and your independence. It implies that I have rights over you. I"d never do that."

She smiled then, the first real smile he"d seen since all hell had broken loose. "You"re all right, Lucas Hart."

He smiled back. "I know."

She laughed then, as he"d hoped she would. "Let me guess. You have two bedrooms, so I"m going to have to sleep in yours?"

"I have plenty of bedrooms, but I still hope you"ll sleep in mine."

"My dad will be there. I can"t sleep with you while he"s in the other room."

He cocked an eyebrow, noticing that she hadn"t said she didn"t want to. "We"re resourceful. I"m sure we could figure something out, if we want to."

"I don"t want to." But the smile playing at her lips told him another story.

"That"s fine. I don"t want to sleep with you either," he teased. "I was simply being polite."

She watched him, then she leaned forward. "Lucas," she said quietly. "You"ve completely rattled me. I don"t know what I want."

He mimicked her pose, so that their faces were inches apart. "Honesty is great. It"s how I operate."

She searched his face, then brushed her finger along his cheek. "I"ve spent my life trapped in my past, and once this is over, I might be free for the first time in my life. I don"t want—" she paused. "I don"t want to trade one trap for another."

He swore under his breath. "You think I"m a trap?"

"Not that you"d try to trap me, but the effect would be the same."

He ground his jaw. "I would never trap you?—"

"No, but I"d trap myself, and I don"t want to take that chance?—"

"Any food around here?" Huck limped into the cabin, and the connection was lost.

Lucas sat back as Maddie got up to tend to her dad, her face lighting up at the sight of him.

He"d lost everything once to a girl and her dad, and Maddie"s relationship with her father was unbreakable.

Lucas didn"t know how to do parents. He hadn"t had any good ones. Neither had any Hart.

But Maddie came with a dad, a business on the East Coast, and walls designed to keep him out.

Everything that threatened all that mattered to him.

But as he watched her tuck her arm through her dad"s and help him toward the seat she"d been sitting in, all Lucas could see was the love and warmth shining from her eyes.

Maddie might have had a tough history, but the woman who had survived it had somehow managed to embrace love, laughter, family, and friends. And courage. She was so strong.

She was a light, a beautiful, shining light, and Lucas knew he wanted her to be in his life even after this incident was resolved.

He didn"t know how it could work.

But he had to find a way.

A way that both brought them together and set her free.

An impossible task…but one he had to find a way to succeed at.