Shifting Targets by Austina Love Read Free Book Online Page A

haven’t seen my parent’s since my first
day home,” she told Remle. “It will be wonderful visiting with them
again and introducing them to Trip.”
    “I can’t wait to meet them,” Trip said then
turned toward Remle. “Thanks for helping us out.”
    Remle nodded and smiled. “Anytime you need
reinforcement you know where to come. Keep an eye out for that
snake Draven. With Carter out of the game, he is a loose
cannon.”
    “Yeah,” Trip agreed. “I want to help Shye get
her farm back before going after him again. She deserves this.” He
glanced down with a smile and ran one hand over the back of her
hair as they stood outside the cabin. “The bike is packed. I think
we’ll pick a different campsite to hang out while sorting
matters.”
    “What’s your first move after setting up a
new camp?”
    “I have a friend in town who may be able to
help,” Shye replied. “I bet he’s relieved to be rid of that
albatross. Carter had him locked in tight. Gage is an attorney and
has been a friend of the family for many years. We didn’t exactly
get off to a great start when I returned home from the service. But
he was under a lot of pressure.” Her thoughts drifted.
    “Is something bothering you?” Trip touched
her face, bringing her focus back to their conversation.
    “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Gage claimed
he knew nothing of a sale and mentioned something about Carter
switching documents on him. Yet he was so damn evasive. The
conversation was all over the place and strangely enough swung
around to me settling down as his wife.”
    “His wife? This man is in love with you?”
    “I guess…he’s been trying to make me his wife
for years. His proposal didn’t exactly give me warm fuzzies. He
laced his profession of love with a couple very hurtful remarks. I
stormed out on him.”
    “Do you love him?”
    “No…no way. I only saw him as a friend,
nothing more. I can’t help that he assumed we’d marry.”
    Trip’s mildly jealous nature surfaced. “I
don’t want you meeting with him alone.”
    “He’s not going to help me if I come
traipsing in with a gorgeous guy on my arm.”
    “I was under the impression you suspected he
and Carter worked together on this.” He raised questioning brows
above those penetrating eyes. “Now you’re calling him a friend of
the family?”
    “I did think he was involved. But you
have to admit Gage has not been seen or heard from during this
entire ordeal. Maybe he is innocent. I also considered that
Gage may have been forced into going along with Carter’s deception.
After all, the pig did own the town.”
    “I can’t let you go into town alone. Draven
is just waiting for an open door. He’d not hesitate to take you
again and use you to get to me.”
    She stared up into his eyes and saw the open
love he had for her. His concern was clearly for her wellbeing and
not self-serving. Though she’d never seen his possessive side, she
tried to view the situation from his perspective. If he deemed Gage
a threat, then she’d respect his feelings.
    “All right, you can come with me but will you
at least wait outside? He’ll never talk to me if you’re standing
beside me like a bodyguard.”
    He shook his head with an easy smile. “I’ll
do my best to be inconspicuous.”
    They bid farewell to Remle and rumbled out of
his driveway for their long ride south. Shye had requested they
stop at the reservation first. She was anxious to visit her
parents.
     
    * * * *
     
    Trip made a visual scan of their surroundings
as they rumbled through the village on his Harley. He hadn’t been
on the reservation in a long time. Most of his encounters over the
years with Native Americans had been outside of government land,
usually at festivals and Pow Wows held in and around town. He had a
few private Indian friends that welcomed him to their humble homes
from time-to-time where he’d enjoyed their cooking and campfire
tales.
    He noticed residents watching with