Page 57 of Defiant Hearts

The widow was loaded into the chopper with them, destined for a new safehouse. Wyatt stared at her straight spine wrapped in a blanket someone had produced from god knew where, a member of Black Heart Security flanking her on each side.

Relief permeated the chatter around him as the chopper cleared the treetops, but when he looked down at the dark ground falling away, a hard knot sat in the pit of his stomach.

Dillard was still free. Until he was behind bars—or dead—Whitley’s nightmare wasn’t over.

And the second he walked through the door of the lodge, Whitley would ask how it went. She’d want the truth about the mission he hadn’t shared the particulars about. She deserved to know who they were hunting.

But hell if he knew how to tell her this wasn’t over, that tonight’s win was partial at best, and the man who’d driven her onto the mountain was still out there, unaccounted for.

He stared at the dark landscape scrolling by below and searched his mind for the right words for a conversation he wasn’t ready to have.

* * * * *

Whitley couldn’t sit still after Wyatt left.

She tried. She changed out of her scrubs and showered. She curled up in the chair in the corner of her room and attempted to read a book, but the words swam on the page, and she kept seeing him in black face paint and camo, a rifle slung over his shoulder.

Finally, she gave up and headed back to the garden. Maybe it was her time on the mountain that instilled a new need to commune with nature, but since she’d discovered the community garden, she was drawn to the beauty of earth and seeds that would soon be planted.

She’d passed a pleasant hour with one of the patients earlier, cleaning out fallow beds and raking in fertilizer for the spring planting. She’d also met a new friend there, Felicity, and was drawn in by her easy, comforting presence.

Daylight was fading but she slipped out of the lodge anyway. As she strolled to the garden, it struck her how safe she felt on the ranch. Here she knew nothing could touch her.

When she reached the gate surrounding the garden, she was surprised to see Felicity still at work, elbow-deep in the tomato bed, with Fern beside her.

They looked up at the click of the gate closing and turned wide smiles her way.

Whitley followed the paver path to the tomato bed. “You two are working late.”

Fern, a stunning woman with shiny auburn hair, tipped her head to peer at the sky. “I guess we lost track of time.”

Though the last remnants of the sun were fading behind the mountain, there was plenty of illumination from solar lights around the perimeter.

Whitley took a step toward them. “Room for one more?”

“Always.” Felicity scooted over on the kneeling pad to make space. “Fair warning—we’re adding the manure.”

“I can smell that.” She issued a laugh and sank beside them, pulling a stray weed.

The three of them worked silently for a few minutes before Fern sliced a sideways glance at Whitley. “Wyatt left with the team?”

Surprised, she met her stare.

“I saw them get in the SUV.”

She bit down on her lip and nodded. “I guess it was lonely in the lodge without him. We spend a lot of time talking.”

Among other things.

The last thought must have shown clearly on her face because Felicity and Fern exchanged an amused look.

Whitley couldn’t stop the giggle from bursting out. “Okay, maybe things are progressing beyond friendship,” she admitted.

“I don’t know a lot about Wyatt, but Gabe speaks highly of him.” Felicity’s casual statement stirred something akin to pride inside Whitley’s chest.

She dipped her head and worked a couple more weeds loose. “He speaks highly of Gabe too. He’s helping him while he’s between training sessions.”

“Wyatt told Gabe you two have gotten close.”