18. Travis

Heck. How am I supposed to sleep with this gorgeous woman in bed next to me? What was I thinking, sleeping in this bed with her? I should have taken the couch. She's just so hard to resist.

That kiss this afternoon ignited a fire in me that just won't go out. It was amazing. When my lips touched hers–I haven't felt feelings like that since…I don't know when. I want more. Why does she have to be Ryder's little sister? Why can't Ryder's little sister look like him? Then, I wouldn't be attracted to her. I may not have agreed if he had told me how beautiful his sister was before he sent her here.

Her leg brushes up against mine. A million little sparks fly through me. Why didn't I wear pants and a long-sleeved shirt? Getting into bed with just my boxers was a bad idea. I must be a masochist. My level of restraint deserves a medal. I want so badly to scoop her up and resume where we left off before dinner.

It was so hard to tell her we needed to remain friends. I could see the disappointment wash over her, which broke my heart. I want to see her happy. And safe.

I should move my leg away from her, but I don't. I focus on my breathing. I really need to get some sleep. I'm just drifting off to sleep when Ava screams and jumps into my arms.

"Travis! Wake up! There's somebody out there!"

I saw it, too. I whisk her out of bed. "Go into Mia's room. Lock the door, then lock yourselves in her bathroom and call the police."

"Ok," she says, looking terrified.

I run through the house and out the front door. Kenny meets me on the porch.

"I heard it too. Someone is out there. Over there!" He points, and we see a shadowy figure running away.

"Stop right there, or I'll shoot!" I scream as we run after the prowler.

"We're armed and not afraid to protect ourselves!" Kenny yells after me.

I'm running toward the guy. I hope Kenny doesn't start shooting. I don't want to get shot tonight. I catch up to the guy and tackle him to the ground.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?" I yell as I turn him over and hold his hands behind his back. "Why are you on my property?" I yell again. I hear sirens in the distance. Then I notice the camera. "Are you taking pictures of my girl?" I smash the camera to pieces. "You sick creep! I saw you creeping around my bedroom window."

"Let me go!" He kicks me in the back and gets an arm free to punch me, but he can't knock me off him. "That's my camera. You can't destroy my personal property."

"The hell I can!" I kick it away from him.

Kenny comes running up with some rope. I see he was lying about having the gun, which relieves me. I'm not trying to kill anyone tonight. Just protect my property and my family.

"Answer the question." Kenny helps me pull the guy up and over to the porch. He tries to run away, but we've got a good hold on him. Not many men can match the strength of a ranch worker.

"Chad? Is that you?" Ava says from the front door.

"I thought I told you to stay locked in the bathroom with Mia?"

"I had to make sure you were ok. I heard the sirens and thought it would be safe. Mia is locked in there with Roberta." She's so hard to be mad at.

"Who's Chad?" asks Kenny.

"The creep who got me sent here!" Ava yells.

"You stole my job! This was supposed to be my story. I got fired because of you!" Chad growls at Ava.

"You got fired because of yourself. You were using me! I should have known better. You're such a slimeball."

"Is this your new plan? Just sleep with everyone involved so you can get your way? Does your brother know what a slut you are? Does he know you're sleeping with the ranch owner to get a good story? Or is he in on it, too?" Chad yells.

"Hey! Don't you talk about her like that." I raise an arm, ready to beat the crap out of him.

"Travis, stop! The cops are here."

Two cruisers race down the road, skidding to a stop in front of the house.

"Hi, officers. Thanks for coming. We found this guy sneaking around my property. He was looking in my bedroom window, taking pictures!" I give him a shove.

"Ok, easy there. We'll take him from here." Two officers take Chad to the back of their police car to talk. The other two stay to speak to me and Kenny.

"Who's the owner of this ranch?"

"I am," I say.

"Do you have proof?"

"Yes, I have proof of ownership and proof that this guy has been sneaking around my property! He broke one of my fences! He's been taking pictures!" I gesture at the broken camera on the ground.

"I understand how upsetting this must be for you. We've got him now. I'm going to take the camera and see if our guys can get any of the images off of it." One officer picks up the camera pieces and places them into a bag.

"I've got guests here! And women! And my child!" I yell.

"I know, sir. We'll take care of this."

"Travis, it's ok. They've got him now." Ava comes up beside me and places a hand on my arm. Her touch calms me. "We're all ok."

The officers took down our statements and decided to arrest Chad. Now I've got to get these ladies settled down. Then I'd better call Ryder. He'll kill me if he hears about this on the news first.

I go inside, and Roberta has already made tea for everyone and is ushering them back to their rooms.

"The excitement is over. Everyone is safe. Go on. Take this tea up to your room and get back into bed. Good night." She's cooing at the ladies in a soft voice.

"Thanks, Roberta, you're a godsend."

"Mia! There you are, sweetie. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad."

"I'm glad you're ok."

"Me too, but I wasn't worried. I knew you'd protect us." She leans in for a hug. It's like a punch to the gut. I almost didn't protect them. What if Chad had gotten further with them when they were horseback riding? What if they hadn't noticed him?

What if I had been out or asleep when he came to the window tonight? Was he trying to get in? What would he have done to Ava? I can't let my mind wander.

"I'd better call Ryder. He needs to know what happened before the police get ahold of him," I say to Ava as she takes my hand and leads me inside.