Roping Ryan (The West Series Book 6) by Jill Sanders Read Free Book Online Page B

because of a rumor.
    He was too busy remembering to see her frowning.
    “Well, I’m too wired to sleep. Especially since I slept the whole day away. What do you say to a movie. I’ll make the popcorn.”
    He nodded and watched her jump from the bed and pull on her yoga pants and shirt. Then he got up and walked into the living room and pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt his brother had given him.
    They watched two movies and during the second one, she fell asleep on his shoulder. When he carried her back into the bedroom, she didn’t even flinch as he laid her on the bed and covered her up.
    Then he walked back into the living room and pulled out the secure phone. He dialed his captain first and got his voice mail. He didn’t know the number of the cellphone and at this point didn’t want anyone else to know it, so he hung up before leaving a message.
    Then he called Nikki’s father.
    “Nikki?” he answered on the first ring.
    “Nope, she’s asleep.”
    “Is she okay?”
    “Yeah, we made it here okay.”
    “Just where is here?”
    He shook his head. “If you’ve read my file, you’ll know.”
    There was silence, and then he heard the man rummaging through papers. “Right. I had her car towed in. They said there was front end damage.”
    “Yeah, bill me.” He smiled.
    “They also said there were bullet holes in the trunk.”
    “Yeah, bill the department.”
    “Is there a reason you called?”
    “I stopped by Mr. Holton’s this evening and had a chat with him about you.”
    “And?”
    “He told me a little about what you used to do. About who you are.”
    Mr. Holton, Grant and Melissa’s father, had been best friends with Nikki’s old man, who had been the man who had taken down Hijo del Diablo’s predecessors.
    “And?”
    He chuckled. “I thought you might be able to help me out.”
    “Son, I’m retired.”
    “Right, I just thought that since one of the most dangerous drug lords in the country was now after your daughter, you might come out of retirement for a while.”
    There was silence, and then he sighed. “Yeah, I’ve been working on it since you called yesterday. I’ll need some information from you first.”
    He thought about it. “Okay, can we meet?”
    “No, not right now. I’m overseas at the moment.” He heard something drop. “Damn it. Um, tell you what. I’ll do some more research and get back with you when I’m in the States. Is your position secure?”
    He thought about it. “Yeah, almost everyone in my family carries and shoots first then asks questions. As long as we stay on the ranch, we’ll be okay.”
    “Good. Hey, West?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Keep my daughter safe.”
    “Yes, sir.”
     
     

Chapter Seven
    N ikki held the reins tight and felt like squealing, but Lauren was right next to her on another horse, and she didn’t want to look like a fool. So instead, she held her breath and tried not to fall off the bouncing horse.
    It wasn’t as if she hadn’t ridden a horse before. But it had been almost ten years since she’d gone to camp and climbed on the back of a beast.
    She was wearing borrowed clothes that fit her perfectly. The boots were a little big, but the thick pair of socks had filled in the gaps. Her long dark hair was tied up and shoved under a large hat that shaded her from the warm sun.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” Lauren looked over at her.
    She smiled and nodded. “It’s just been a while.”
    “We can slow down.” Lauren went to pull on her horse’s reins.
    “No, I love the speed. I just need to get my pace back.” She held the reins tighter and gripped the saddle horn as her butt bounced up and down in the saddle.
    “Use your knees. Don’t sit, stand.” Lauren showed her. “Like this.”
    She watched Lauren ride beside her smoothly. The woman looked like she’d been born in the saddle. Her back was straight, her knees slightly bent. She moved slightly with the smooth motion of the horse. Nikki mimicked her and felt