“There are security systems in place here at King-Alexander that I’ll need to go over with you.”
“Sorry, I dozed off. I feel like such an imposition.”
“You’re not.”
He pulled up in front of a large house but didn’t cut the engine. He pointed to a smaller one sitting behind it. “That’s where you’ll be staying, but first, we need to get you into the system.”
“The system?” What was he talking about? Why did a ranch need a security system?
Decker nodded. “We can do that at my place.”
He drove farther down the same road that led to the main house, and about a mile in, he turned off. The ranch didn’t look any different than I remembered, not that I’d ever come inside the gates. I could tell by the number of outbuildings, though, that it was a large operation.
We came to a house similar to the one I’d be staying in and waited for the garage door to open. After he parked and climbed out, he came around to open my door.
“I wouldn’t normally handle it this way, but I don’t have much choice since you’re already on the property,” he said, leading me inside.
He opened another door just off the kitchen and stepped into what looked like an office with an elaborate surveillance system set up—the kind one might see in a movie.
“What is this place?” I mumbled, not meaning to say it out loud.
“As I said, there are security systems at the ranch—”
“Cattle ranching must be a lot different than it used to be,” I commented, eyeing the number of monitors in the room.
Decker took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s because of who owns it.” He motioned to one of the computer screens and pulled out the chair. “Come over here.”
Once I was seated, he set a trackpad by the keyboard. “Put the fingertips of your right hand on this.” Decker put his hand on mine and adjusted the way my fingertips rested. “Hold them like that and look right here. Keep your eyes open.” He pointed to the screen. “Okay, you can relax.”
He pulled out the chair, I stood, and he ushered me out of the room. After closing the door behind us, he pulled out a stool near the kitchen counter and motioned for me to take a seat there.
“We mainly use facial-recognition software here at the ranch. There are certain areas, though, where the security is more complex. It’s unlikely you’ll be in those areas, but just in case.”
“This is not what I envisioned a ranch manager’s job to be,” I said, trying to lighten the seriousness of our conversation.
He smiled. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll be back out on horseback, chewin’ a piece of straw, and countin’ head of cattle.”
“Somehow, I think your life is far more complicated than that.”
I motioned to the toothpick I just realized had been in his mouth since we got into the truck. “Nervous habit?”
Decker rested his arm on the back of my stool. If he leaned forward and took the toothpick out of his mouth, he could easily kiss me.
I felt my cheeks flush. Where were these bizarre thoughts coming from? I tried to look away, but he put his fingers on the side of my face, holding me where I was. The only thing more bizarre than my thinking—or maybe hoping—he’d kiss me, was that I hadn’t flinched once when he touched me. Was it because of what he’d done years ago? Decker Ashford had been as much my hero then as he was now.
“There’s something about you,” he murmured.
“I make you nervous?”
“No, not nervous.” As if the spell was suddenly broken, Decker walked away, stood on the opposite side of the counter, and rested his palms on the tile. “Do you want to ask me any questions?”
Are you single? No, that wouldn’t be appropriate.
“You said earlier that you were the one to find my sister. Where?”
“I was on my way home late last night and found her on the side of the road.”
“Was she in an accident? Was her car—”