Page 68 of Guarded Hearts
“I need you to do something for me.”
She sliced a glance at the monitors. The search onscreen showed that she was well underway enacting the plan he spelled out. “I thought I was.”
“Something else. I need you to watch over Layne while I go to her ranch with Colt.”
She blinked, long lashes fanning her sun-bronzed cheeks. “Do you think she’ll try to leave and follow you?”
“She might. She keeps asking me about seeing her horses. I don’t want her anywhere near the place until I’m sure it’s clear.”
Willow nodded at once. “When are you leaving?”
“Now.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“A few hours, max. Colt’s been at Golden Horizon for the past week. He’s got a good handle on things.”
“Done. I’ll wrap up here, and Layne and I will find Faye for a baking lesson.”
He arched a brow.
“Faye promised to teach me how to make banana muffins.”
His stomach grumbled at the memory of those banana muffins he’d stolen from the Londons’ kitchen as a hungry teen with a hollow leg to fill.
“There’s an extra Christmas bonus for you if you learn how to make them just like Faye.”
A smile spread over her face. “You’re on!”
He pushed to his feet and shoved the chair across the floor to the desk where it belonged.
Whirling back to Willow, he fixed her in his stare. “Don’t tell Layne you’re watching her.”
She made a zipping motion with her hand over her lips, sealing in their little secret.
He walked out of the office, sure that if anyone could make Layne stay put, it was Willow. With Faye’s help, of course. Ahomey afternoon in the kitchen baking banana muffins should keep them busy until he came back.
As he strolled to his truck, he sucked in the fresh air. Soon snow would fall, and the fields would be thick with it. They had a lot of work to do before then, and everyone here took their chores seriously.
He waved to a couple of his veteran friends leading horses from the barn to pasture. They nodded and tipped their heads to him in return but neither one smiled at him.
Carson knew the story of every person in the therapy program. After leaving the military, some had experienced homelessness. More than a few had been resistant to coming to the Black Heart, but once here, they settled in and saw the benefits of a simpler life and what the open spaces could do to heal them.
A few other guys had checked themselves in, seeking help before they did something that couldn’t be undone. No matter what brought them, all of them deserved the best damn life possible. He should know. He’d been there, done that, and bore all the scars too.
He was lucky—he had his family to keep him going. But if he didn’t? He wouldn’t be much better off than the men in the program.
In a few more weeks, one of the trainings would begin. Then the ranch would be even busier, almost crawling with people. Their old man would have hated that.
Carson smiled at the thought of irritating the dead man.
He climbed into his truck and backed out, throwing a look at the expansive ranch in his rearview mirror. He was damn proud of the work he and his siblings had done to make Black Heart what it was today. They were still growing too. Besides the new group arriving by month’s end to train, Oaks had lined upguest speakers to visit their vets—and one celebrity as a special surprise.
The few minutes it took Carson to drive the distance to Golden Horizon gave him enough time to let his worries seep into the cracks.
He wouldn’t let them—Layne was perfectly safe at his place. With his sister and Faye to keep her busy, she wouldn’t even miss him.
He turned his mind to the Londons’ ranch. Colt claimed there was nothing new to report. But Carson needed to see for himself.