Beyond Duty by Stanalei Fletcher

Author:Stanalei Fletcher [Fletcher, Stanalei]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: suspense, romance, adventure
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2016-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Riley hadn’t intended to kiss Chip right there by the stables. But she looked so…vulnerable, so out-of-character lost, that he couldn’t resist pulling her to him. What should have been a brief moment of comfort, shifted in a heartbeat to something more.

She stiffened at first, then relaxed.

Good girl, he thought. It’s for show. Just for show. Except the thought didn’t stop the searing shaft of sunlight that shot straight through him, until he remembered—partners are off-limits. He drew back, his lungs struggling for oxygen. Seconds passed before he trusted his voice.

Chip’s breathing was labored too. Without speaking, without even looking at him, she took the keys out of his hand and headed toward the cabin.

One of the stable staff touched Riley on the shoulder, pulling his attention away from Chip’s rapidly retreating form.

“Mrs. O’Neal,” he said with a slight accent. “She’s okay?”

“Who?” Riley stared at the man, not quite understanding whom he referred to. He was still trying to wrap his head around that kiss. “Oh, my wife. Yes, she’s fine.” At least he hoped she was. She seemed to have recovered from that kiss much faster than he had.

“That is good. We were worried.”

“I was too. More than I realized,” Riley murmured under his breath as he turned and followed the man into the barn to discuss why Chip’s horse had returned without her.

Five minutes later, Chip returned in the SUV. As he walked from the barn, she stepped out of the car with the engine running. “You drive.” She gestured at her ankle. “You’ll get us there faster.”

Riley paused at the open driver’s-side door. “Are you okay? You told me you were fine back on the trail.”

“My ankle’s still a little sore. I think I twisted it again when I fell off the horse.” She climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door. “I’ll keep my weight off it as much as I can. It’ll be fine.”

He slid into the driver’s side and snapped his seatbelt. “Since we’re going to a hospital, you should get it looked at to be sure there isn’t something seriously wrong.”

“We don’t have time.”

Riley stared at her, wondering if she had any inkling of the turmoil he was in. “We’ll take whatever time we need to make sure you’re in shape to continue this assignment.” He put the car in gear, headed out of the resort gates, and turned onto the highway toward Los Alamos.

Once on the road, he cleared his throat. “About what happened back at the stables…”

“Nothing happened,” Chip interrupted. “It was a simple kiss to maintain our cover, right?”

There was nothing simple about that kiss. “Right. I…uh…just didn’t want to…uh want you to…”

“Misunderstand? Mistake it for something more?”

“Right.”

“I know my role. I hope I didn’t disappoint.”

You have no idea. Riley was annoyed at her comment. He turned his attention to the road.

Even going above the speed limit, the drive took almost an hour. Chip directed the way to the hospital in Los Alamos where the rescue team had taken Lorraine Voras.

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