Colorado Bodyguard
The rugged terrain of Colorado wouldn't make their mission easy. Nor would the attraction between them.Sophie Montgomery’s sister was missing and her trail stopped dead in the Black Canyon—which was firmly in Rand Knightbridge’s jurisdiction. Part of the Ranger Brigade, he could lead Sophie on a search deep into this remote part of Colorado. Although afraid to disappoint the desperate beauty, Rand couldn’t ignore her determination. But it was clear she needed protecting after shots rang out and Sophie barely escaped with her life. Now, as the job he'd reluctantly agreed to became a very personal mission, Rand knew he’d do anything to bring Sophie's sister home. Because seeing Sophie happy was the only outcome he’d allow. Or accept.
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âDonât you trust me?â
âI trust you.â She swallowed, and rubbed one hand, palm down, along the side of her thigh. âBut Iâm not sure I trust myself.â
âWhat do you mean?â He tried to read her expression, but she wasnât giving off clear signals. Was she afraid? Angry? Guilty?
âIâm not the person you think I am,â she said.
âHow do you know what I think about you?â
âItâs what everyone thinks about meâthat Iâm this quiet, plain, serious woman who never steps out of line. Iâm responsible and sober and dependable and I never cause any trouble at all.â
âAre you saying you have caused trouble?â he asked.
âMore than you can imagine.â
CINDI MYERS is an author of more than fifty novels. When sheâs not crafting new romance plots, she enjoys skiing, gardening, cooking, crafting and daydreaming. A lover of small-town life, she lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in the Colorado mountains.
For Denise
Contents
The canyon tore a deep gash in the open landscape. Sheer rock walls plunged to a river that was invisible below, lost in blackness. Darker red and gray rock painted the chasm walls in fanciful shapes that resembled two warring Chinese dragons, engaged in a battle that had been going on for centuries.
Sophie Montgomery stood at the edge of the overlook, fighting waves of vertigo as she tried to peer down into the canyonâs depths. She struggled to imagine her sister, Lauren, standing in this same, desolate spot. Lauren had battled plenty of demons in her life; which one had brought her to this lonely, forbidding place?
Lauren, where are you? Sophie sent the silent plea across the canyon, but only wind and the distant hum of traffic answered.
She shivered again, despite the summer heat, and turned away from the overlook and headed back to her car, walking past an RV and a mom and two children posing in front of the canyon while Dad snapped the picture. They all looked thrilled to be here, though Sophie had never understood the attraction of a camping vacation. She and Lauren had always agreed that getaways should involve nice hotels, preferably with swimming pools and room service. One more reason it didnât make sense that Lauren had come to what must be one of the most remote spots in her adopted home state.
Sophie slid back behind the wheel of her rental car and jammed the key into the ignition. She didnât want to be here, but then, she hadnât especially wanted to be any of the other places that looking out for Lauren had taken her over the years. The only difference was that this time felt scarier. More hopeless. Lauren had done some crazy, wild things over the years, but sheâd never stayed gone this long before. And sheâd never been in a place where Sophie couldnât reach her. Sometimes, when Lauren was going through a really bad spell, Sophie was the only one who could reach her.
She backed out of her parking space and turned the car around, headed toward the park entrance. The police in Denver had been kindâsympathetic, even. But they had found no evidence that Lauren had been abducted, and given her recent history, they suspected sheâd run awayâor worse. âWe understand your sister struggled with depression,â the detective who had spoken to her said.
âShe was handling it,â Sophie had told him. âShe was under a doctorâs care.â
His look was full of sympathy and little hope.
She checked the time on her phone. Five minutes until her appointment with a member of the special task force assigned to deal with crimes in the area. This time, sheâd be more assertive. She would make the officer understand that Lauren wouldnât have run away. And she wouldnât have taken her own life. She was in trouble and they had to help.
Lauren had no one else to speak for her; it was up to Sophie to look after her little sister, just as sheâd always done.
She turned the car into the gravel lot in front of the portable building that served as headquarters for The Ranger Brigadeâthe interagency task force focused on fighting crime on public lands in western Colorado. A hot wind blasted her as she exited the car, whipping her shoulder-length brown hair into her eyes and sending a tumbleweed bobbing across her path. She stared at the beach-ball-sized sphere of dried weeds as it bounced across the pavement and into the brush across the road. The whole scene was like something out of a Wild West movie, as foreign from her life back in Madison, Wisconsin, as she could imagine.
As she made her way up a gravel walkway toward the building, a large dogâblond with a black muzzle and tail, like a German shepherd, but smallerâloped from around the side of the building. Sophie froze, heart pounding, struggling to breathe. The dog kept running toward her, tongue lolling, teeth glinting in the bright sun. She closed her eyes, fighting wave after wave of paralyzing fear.
