She was so happy he was going to stay with her, she could hardly contain it. He walked over to the bedside table and phoned housekeeping. Then he sat on the side of the bed while she sank into a chair.
“I take it that woman is a friend of yours.”
His gaze traveled over her features. “She’s Scott’s wife. They have a little boy.”
“Oh!” That was enough to stifle her fear that he was in an ongoing relationship with her.
“I knew her long before any of us knew Scott.”
Her heart plummeted. “Us?”
“Brandon and me. Janie was my girlfriend during our steer wrestling days. I thought the day would come when we would get married.”
“What happened?”
“I decided to go into law enforcement rather than be a rancher. She knew the pain our family had gone through when our father died. To know I’d chosen a career that had killed my father upset her to the point that she broke up with me.”
Groan. “That must have been devastating.”
“I suffered for a while. But time passed and I realized it was the best thing that could have happened. She met Scott—a good, steady rancher and horseman. I was free to do the work I enjoy, knowing I wasn’t tearing my wife apart because she was afraid for me.” He sat forward. “Luckey had a wife like that. After a year they divorced because she couldn’t take it.”
“I can understand that. Are you over Janie?”
“A long time ago,” he said without hesitation.
That sounded definite. After a pause she added, “Do you think she’s over you?”
“Yes. I’m convinced she tracked me down here because she was curious to see the woman who was sitting at the rodeo with my mother.”
“I presume that was her coveted place for a long time. I get it. Did you tell her who I was?”
“I said nothing and told her I had to go in. I’m working on your case, but my brother got careless and told her where I was staying. He knows better, but he forgot. It’s the reason I don’t have much of a personal life while I’m on a case.”
“It’s all right, Kit.”
“No, it isn’t.” He got to his feet and put his hands on his hips. His brows met in a frown. “I promised to protect you, but I let my brother’s need take precedence over my duty to you. Never again.”
“Your boss had it right. Like Kit Carson, you’re as clean as a hound’s tooth. Cut yourself some slack for getting interrupted by your old girlfriend. That wasn’t your fault. Don’t forget that two of your Ranger buddies guarded me at the rodeo. If anyone is to blame, it’s me, for getting out of the car before you told me to. I’m the one who could have walked in on someone waiting in the room.”
“Thank heaven it was empty,” he muttered with emotion. “If Morales had been inside, he could have taken you and Amy hostage. If my boss knew what had happened, he’d probably throw me out of the Rangers and he would have every justification.”
Natalie got up from the chair. “I see why you’re so upset. This has taught me a lesson, too. I’ll follow your directions to the letter. Will that be good enough for you?”
His rigid body relaxed and he let out a deep sigh. “It’s going to have to be. Why don’t you get ready for bed while I see if they’ve brought the cot?”
“Okay.”
Natalie disappeared into the bathroom and got undressed. Her pajamas and robe were hanging on the hook on the back of the door. She put everything on and brushed her teeth. When she came out, she noticed the cot opened up in front of the TV. Kit had pushed a chair into the corner and was talking on his cell phone.
She took a peek at Amy then got into the double bed, turning on her side away from him.
A few minutes later the light went out. She heard the creaking of the cot. Kit had to be exhausted. “Kit?”
“Yes?”
“My heart was in my throat when your event was announced. The second the chute opened, it looked like two torpedoes shot forward. It was over so fast I didn’t have time to blink. What both of you did out there today was incredible. You have to be thrilled. You know your brother is thankful. So enjoy the triumph of this night. Please.”
Maybe five minutes passed before he spoke, but it wasn’t the comment she’d expected. “That’s hard to do. Vic got into trouble on a case because of a mistake he made. It almost cost him his badge.”