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you think.
Hell, he knew exactly what a great shot she was because he d practiced with her while on leave
more than once. Could you take me? he asked quietly.
She blinked. Excuse me?
All bullshit aside, all ego, all feminine outrage. You against me& guns, knives, or hand-to-hand.
Give me the odds. He didn t want to scare her, but Dawn had a brain made for statistics, and she d
tell the truth.
She settled back against the door. Me and you? Hand-to-hand& with clothes on? Eighty to twenty
you.
He would ve gone ninety-ten, but he had to appreciate her confidence. Without clothes? he asked,
his lips twitching.
Me, 100 percent.
Yeah. He agreed with that one. Fair enough. But here s the deal, beautiful. Your odds are based on
what you think you know about me and the sides you ve seen. You ve never seen the side at war, and
you won t. Ever. He turned into the perfectly plowed driveway. The guys I m after, they re not like
us, and they won t fight fair. Hell, they won t fight. They d just kill. I know you don t get that, and
I m perfectly fine with you not getting that. But what you do need to get, and get right now, is that
you re going to follow orders and stay here until I say it s safe to go home.
She rolled her eyes. Like I said, I don t like the bossy side of you.
Like I said, he said evenly, that s unfortunate. He cut the engine, unbuckled her seat belt, and
tugged her toward him to step out of the truck on his side. The hair on the back of his neck stood up,
and he swept the area, finding extra ranch hands stationed at strategic points. Good. Colton had
listened to him. Keeping her body between his and the ranch house, he all but carried her toward the
door, which was already opening, with Colton on the other side.
It was a little over the top, but he couldn t help it. Dawn came first.
Colton drew them in and glanced around the sprawling ranch before shutting the door. Quinn
wants you back at the station as soon as you drop off Dawn.
Hawk shook his head. I don t need the sheriff in the way. He needed to question Reese s lying
bastard of an employee, and he couldn t have anybody involved in the law there.
How bad is Reese? Colton asked, helping Dawn from her coat.
He ll live.
Colton nodded and then pushed Dawn toward the kitchen, where Melanie sat sipping tea. Go
reassure Mel that you re okay, Colton said before shoving Hawk out into the cold.
Hawk braced himself for Colton s rare but formidable temper. Yeah. He d fucked up by beginning
a relationship with Dawn when things were so up in the air, and if her brother wanted to take a shot,
he deserved to make it a good one.
Colton shut the door. I have men at every station, and we re good. Quinn and Jake have to stay out
of it. He turned to stride down the stairs.
Hawk paused. What the hell?
Colton s shoulders went back, and on the middle step, he turned around. I figured you d want to
talk to the guy Reese fought with, who s also in the hospital right now.
Hawk stumbled. How did you know about Frank Zonas?
Colton snorted. Like there are any secrets in Maverick County.
Hawk slid his thumbs into his jeans. Good point.
Then let s go. Quinn s hands are full right now, but soon he s gonna take a moment to think, and
he s gonna think about you and what you re most likely doing. Colton turned and descended again,
his boots throwing snow. He s the sheriff, and he has to stop us, so we need to get a move on. Jake s
a lawyer, and we re probably gonna need him, so he can t be part of it, either.
Hawk shook his head and stomped down the steps to grab Colt s shoulder. You re not coming
with me.
Colt moved then, suddenly and without warning, shoving Hawk up against the porch post. Pain
ricocheted trough Hawk s head, and he automatically fisted his hands in Colton s lapels.
Colt leaned in, blue eyes furious, his body strung tight. Don t. Fuckin . Mess. With. Me. Right.
Now.
Hawk blinked. He could count on one hand the times Colton had been truly mad at him during their
lives, and even so, he d never seen the dark look he was getting now. I m sorry everything is so
screwed up. Chances are there s no danger headed this way, but I have to make sure, you know?
Colton leaned in closer. I know, so we re going to take care of it. But this Lone Ranger bullshit
you re sporting just ended.
Heat. It flared through Hawk along with panic as he glared into his best friend s face, which was
way too close. You re close enough to freak me out, Colt. If you kiss me, I m gonna have to kill you.
So how about you get the fuck off me?
Colton blinked and shoved him away, hard. You re such a dumb-ass right now.
Yeah, true that. Hawk was trained, and he was deadly. Sometimes he forgot Colton s training, and
his time as a MMA fighter. Colt would be one hell of an opponent, and Hawk didn t want to go there.
Ever. You re about to have two babies, he said slowly.
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