Page 6 of Operation: Return

Pete giggled. “That’s a funny name.”

“He’s kind of a funny dog. I don’t know where he came from, but he hasn’t tried to bite me. He’s just been very frightened so until he understands that I’m not going to hurt him, I don’t want to test him.”

Pete lowered to his knees and just stared at the dog. “He looks like a good boy.”

Realization dawned after the distraction of the dog. If this man knew about her and about Taylor, did he know about Pete? She hadn’t told anyone who Pete’s father was and there was no paternity listed on his birth certificate. As far as she knew, Taylor’s parents had taken the knowledge to the grave.

But if this guy knew everything else, did he know that? “Pete, why don’t you go and get ready for bed?”

“Aw…” His face scrunched. “Do I have to?”

“Yes. I’ll come tuck you in in a few minutes.”

He stomped off and Erica lowered her voice so Taylor had to lean closer to her to hear. “I don’t know who you are, or what game you’re trying to play but this is not funny. How did you find out about me and Taylor and what will it take to make you go away?”

* * *

Cole couldn’t blameErica for her desire to get rid of him. He’d figured she’d feel that way. There were days he hated his own face in the mirror because it reminded him of who he was, what he’d lost, and what had been done to him.

“I told you that you knew me as Taylor Creed, but that’s not my name now. The government reported me dead when I wasn’t. I had a mission. I was successful. But when I thought it was all over, I learned that my mission was only just beginning because they’d accidentally killed me off, at least the documented portion of me.”

“The government wouldn’t do that.” She shook her head slowly. “They wouldn’t make mistakes like that. And if they did, they’d make it right.”

He wished he could agree. “It can and it does. Maybe they’d fix it for some people, but I never bothered. I was angry, bitter, hurt. I came back to Cheyanne to find out my parents had died before I could make it home. The woman I loved was gone. Not that it would matter, you’d all been notified I had died. I wanted to avoid this situation right here, so I never searched for you.”

There was no way. She refused to believe it. The man she’d loved would’ve moved the Earth to find her. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t Taylor. If he wasn’t going to tell her what he was really there for, she’d ask him to leave.

“I’ve got to go put my son to bed. I think it’s time I showed you out.”

“Erica, give me a chance. Look, I work on this big horse ranch in Wyoming. We help people.”

“A horse ranch!” Pete yelled from the dark hallway where he’d disappeared a few minutes before.

“That’s right.” The man nodded.

“Like a horse . . . camp?” Pete stepped into the light.

“No, buddy.” He looked down at Bubbles and scratched him behind the ear to keep him calm.

Pete gave her an accusing stare. “I heard you tell the camp I couldn’t go. Maybe we could go ride horses at his ranch?” There was no whine to his voice, no supplication, just stating a question like he had every right to ask a stranger for the impossible. At six, he still thought everything was possible.

Cole hesitated only a second before he attempted a smile. “You sure could. We have a horse just for children. In fact, he’s needed someone to come ride him a bit. He gets a little neglected.” Cole laughed.

“We’re not going with you.”

He turned that familiar gaze on her and her stomach flipped just like it had seven years ago. “But you could.”

ChapterThree

Cole tried to look at his watch without making the action obvious. Now that he’d seen Erica and her little house that needed so many repairs, not to mention her son, he couldn’t just state who he was and let her fight through life alone. That wasn’t who he was, even if he wasn’t completely sure who he was anymore.

“It’s getting late.” Erica glanced down the hall and back at him.

He didn’t want to scare her, but didn’t want to leave her there, either. He searched the room for some clue, something he could say to get her to change her mind and come with him. His gaze landed on the flier for the horse camp. Hadn’t Pete mentioned the camp and asking if the ranch was the same?

“Come with me and Pete can have the longest summer horse camp possible. Give me one month to prove to you that I am who I say I am. If I can’t, I’ll personally either deliver you here or have someone bring you here if you’d rather I not do it. Give me a chance, please.”

“I could ride horses for a month?” Pete’s voice rose in pitch and Erica flinched.