Bundy loathed people who got in the way of his jobs. He’d run as fast as he could to his car, as fast as he could with his balls throbbing, his jaw aching, and two of his teeth rattling in his mouth. He was madder about getting his balls busted than about missing his shot. It hurt. And he remembered too clearly the times his father had inflicted that same pain.

He started the car and drove off as fast as possible. Wiping his face, he felt the sting on his face and his left eye. That bitch had done that. But damn, he’d planned on making it quick and easy. Now, she’d have to suffer. Like his dad had suffered.

And that man. The naked idiot. What kind of guy ran around naked? He’d have to pay, too.

It was a mile down the road when he realized he’d left his gun and slammed on his brakes. It couldn’t be traced back to him. But . . . he glanced down at the gloves on the passenger seat. He’d been about to put them on when she’d run from her car.

That meant the effing gun probably had his prints on it.

He’d screwed up.

* * *

“Hey, now you’re scaring me.”

She heard a voice, but not really the words. Had she fallen asleep? Where was she? Her eyelids felt so heavy. She kept her eyes closed but tried to think. Something had happened.

Something bad.

She felt cold.

She felt weak.

She felt dizzy.

Her head hurt. Her hand hurt. Her heart hurt.

Her heart?

She remembered. Charles had left her. Bethany and Savanna had accused her of not loving him. And damn it, they were right. Her heartache wasn’t about losing him, but about her lifelong dreams being pushed out of reach. Again.

She wanted a family. Like the family she’d lost. A mother. A sister. A daddy who gave a damn.

The mental fog continued to lift, and she remembered something else. Something really scary.

Someone had tried to kill her. Her lungs swelled. The big guy. The big guy with a spider-web tattoo whom she’d seen at Juan’s Place.

Someone else had protected her. A . . . naked guy? Was she dreaming?

The fog continued to rise. Realization set in. Someone had an arm around her. She felt... safe. Or safer.

“What’s your name?” The voice was male. Deep. Sexy. Texan.

She opened her eyes and looked over at the shirtless dark-haired, bright green-eyed—her gaze lowered—with-jeans-on man.

“You were naked,” she blurted out before she meant to.

“Yeah.” He smiled. “I was . . . in the shower. If you’d let me know you were coming, I’d’ve showered earlier.”

“I didn’t plan . . .” She saw his smile. Nice smile. He was joking. A flashback hit. Him holding a cowboy hat over . . . Then she recalled him naked and fighting the big guy. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“You saved me.”

His smile faded. “I should have done better.” Sincerity sounded in his voice.

She realized he was holding something to her head. She reached up to pull it away.

“Let’s keep this here. The ambulance should be here any second.”

Ambulance? The scent of old pennies suddenly filled her nose, and she felt a sticky sensation on her face and her hands. She looked down and saw blood. Lots of blood.

Bam! Another flashback shook her. A gun. She’d heard gunfire. Her heart took a nosedive.

“Am I shot?” She gaped up at him.

“No.” His voice, his gaze resonated tenderness. “You tried to save me. You jumped on the guy’s back and rode him like a bad bull.” A grin came through in his voice and then whispered across his lips. “You almost made it to seven seconds.”

She started to pull away but got dizzy.

The sound of a car pulling up seemed too loud. Tall, dark and Texan leapt to his feet. His warmth gone. Shivering, she watched him rush to the half-hanging door. He held a gun. Her heart did a few more marathon laps around her chest. It didn’t help when a bloody towel fell from the top of her head into her lap.

That was a lot of blood.

He glanced back. “It’s okay. It’s a friend of mine.” He stepped right outside the door. “It’s clear.” Her clothing-optional hero called out.

Dizzy again, Jennifer collapsed against the wall.

“Tell me it isn’t Jennifer!” a voice bellowed from outside the door.

A familiar voice. She was still trying to identify it when Jake, Macy’s husband—Macy being the newest member of the Got-Your-Back-Club—stormed inside. His gaze found hers, and he rushed over, knelt down, and took her hand. “I thought that was your car. Are you okay?”

“I think. Help me up.”

“No,” Shirtless Hero said, then he looked at Jake as if he’d misspoken. “It’s just . . . she was thrown pretty hard. Something could be broken.”

Jake nodded. “Clay’s right. Stay down. But talk. What happened?”

The story about seeing the guy at the restaurant, about having an appointment to see the B&B owner came out slowly. “He must have followed me.”

“Or there isn’t a B&B,” Clay said. Both Jake and Jennifer glanced at him. “I don’t know of a B&B anywhere around here, and considering everyone here knows this area has terrible cell reception, this whole thing could have been a ploy.”

Just freaking great. She really needed that job!

* * *

As the paramedics checked out Jennifer Peterson—Clay now knew her full name—he spoke with the county sheriff. He’d been right about Jake knowing the guy. It made things easier.

It shouldn’t surprise him that Jake knew Jennifer. Dolly and the surrounding towns weren’t Houston. People knew people. But how well did Jake and Jennifer know each other? Was the engagement ring on her finger from Jake?

While he and Jake had been pretty close going through the police academy, and even a few years afterwards, they’d lost touch over the last seven years.

As Clay answered the sheriff’s questions, his gaze kept shifting over to the paramedics to confirm Jennifer was okay.

When the sheriff walked away to speak to his deputy, Clay moved over by Jake, who’d hung close to Jennifer’s side the whole time.

Jake ran a hand over his face. “Damn, I’m glad you were here. No telling what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Clay asked.

“They’re pretty sure she has a concussion, and it looks like her wrist could be broken. They’re taking her in.”

Clay nodded. “She mentioned she was testifying. Do you think that’s behind this?”

“Yeah, I do. Ever heard of Larson Mitchell, Junior? He owns, well, he and his father, I guess, own property all over Texas. He’s been charged with child abuse. Jennifer sort of witnessed it. Her testimony will put him in a world of hurt.”

“Sounds like he deserves the hurt,” Clay said.

“Hell yeah.” Jake looked back at Jennifer. “A couple weeks ago, she found a threatening note on her windshield. It sounded like it could have been a prank. We had a black-and-white driving by her house. Nothing happened, so we thought it wasn’t anything. That’s what we get for thinking.”

“Can’t I just walk,” Jennifer’s voice rose from the other side of the room.

Clay watched Jennifer try to talk them out of wheeling her away on a stretcher. She lost, but wasn’t a sore loser.

Clay looked back at Jake. “So you and she are . . .?”

“Friends,” Jake said. “My wife and my partner’s wife belong to a support group kind of thing. Meaning they have lunch and probably complain about men.” He chuckled.

A whisper of relief washed over Clay that Jennifer wasn’t Jake’s girl. Not that the relief meant anything. He simply didn’t want to think he’d been prancing around naked in front of an old buddy’s fiancé.

“Jake?” Jennifer called out.

Jake moved to the side of the stretcher, and Clay moved with him.

“Do not tell Savanna,” Jennifer said. “She’s too pregnant to worry about this.”

Jake offered an apologetic shrug. “I already called Mark. I’m sure he handled it delicately. They’re meeting you at the hospital. As well as an officer.”

“You think he’ll come back?” Fear flashed in her eyes.

“It’s just precautionary. We’re not going to let anything happen.”

She inhaled. “Thank you.” Jennifer’s gaze shifted to Clay, then she lost the frown for something softer. “Thank you, too.”

The look of gratitude felt like a breath of fresh air. One he hadn’t felt in too damn long. “It was nothing. Anytime you’re being chased, drop on by.”

She smiled. Without the blood on her face, he noted again how pretty she was. His mind flashed back on how it felt to have her leaning against him, her hair feathered against his chest.

“Only if you promise to have clothes on next time?” she teased.

And damn if Clay didn’t like that smile. Damn if he didn’t feel as if it unlocked something inside him.

Jake and the paramedic coughed at the same time.

When the paramedic wheeled her out, Jake studied him. “You uh, didn’t have clothes on?”

“I was in the shower,” Clay answered.

Jake laughed, studied him a second, and then said, “I suppose you noticed the engagement ring she’s wearing.”

“Yeah, but I’m not . . .”

“He’s a jerk.” Jake said. “The fiancé. So, I say go for it.”

Clay held up his hand. “I’m not--”

“Who’s a jerk?” Another man, not quite as tall as Jake, and blond, walked in and came right over to them. Clay surmised this was Jake’s partner.

“Charles,” Jake answered.

“Right. Jerk,” the newcomer said to Jake. “But you haven’t heard the latest. They broke up.”

“See, you could go for it,” Jake said to Clay. “She’s a nice girl. A little emotional baggage in her trunk, but--”

Clay shook his head. “No.”

“Actually, it might not work.” Mark grinned. “She’s looking for a . . .” He shook his head. “Forget I said anything. You wouldn’t believe it.”

“What?” Jake asked, and Clay listened with a little too much interest.

“Seriously, forget it,” the guy said, then turned to Clay. “I’m Mark Donaldson. You must be Clay Connors, ex-cop and recently hired PI with Simpson Agency?”

Clay couldn’t define why, but he was a little sensitive about the ex-cop part. And he was surprised Mark knew about the part-time gig.

It must have shown on Clay’s face, because Jake spoke up. “You must have given my name as a reference. John Simpson called me yesterday. I was going to tell you tonight.”

Clay shifted. “I don’t start for a few weeks.”

Both Mark and Jake nodded. Clay would bet his underwear—if he had any on—that they’d heard about him killing a kid.

“Who do you have at the hospital?” Jake asked Mark.

“Kenner’s there now, but the department’s not going to put someone on her full time unless we can get the DA involved and prove it’s Mitchell. Did we get anything?” Mark looked back at Clay.

“I can give you a damn good description of him and a little less detailed description of the car he was driving. It was a Chevy Cruise. Dark colored. Couldn’t read the plate. It was probably a rental. And we got his gun. I don’t know if his prints are still there. I knocked it out of his hand and then had to grab it before he did.”

“Let’s hope it’s enough.” Mark rubbed his jaw with the back of his hand and studied Jake. “I’m worried.”

“About?” Jake asked.

“If the note on Jennifer’s car is from this same guy, there’s no telling how long he’s been following her. And I know Jennifer’s been to my house at least four times. If this is a real hit man, and if he’s followed her. . .

“Shit. So, it’s not just Jennifer we have to worry about,” Jake said.

* * *

It was almost one when Clay parked his truck in front of the old farmhouse. Bugs of all sorts swarmed around the front porch light. No doubt Pete had left it on for him.

He sat in his truck for a few seconds and just stared at the house. It didn’t feel like his yet. Kind of felt like Pete’s place since the man had lived there for over ten years. No way in hell could Clay ask him to leave.

Getting out, he walked up the porch. He was so hungry he thought about opening his mouth and letting a few bugs fly in. He’d driven ten miles, in each direction, hoping to find a fast-food place still open. Dolly, and the two small neighboring towns, rolled up the carpet at ten. Damn, he hoped there was something in the fridge he could eat.

He started to put in the key, but then reached down to see if it was even locked. It wasn’t. It was nice to think most people felt safe in this town, but he didn’t trust it. Look what had happened tonight.

The sheriff had made him go over things a dozen times. Clay knew the man was just doing his job, but it felt different being on the citizen side of the desk.

He walked inside, careful not to be too loud, but the old wood floor still creaked. His mind creaked with it. Tonight, being pushed back into the role of cop had felt right. Well, almost right. Then he remembered how it had felt to have a soft woman lean against him. And that smile. Damn that smile.

He dropped his keys on an old antique sewing machine in the front entrance and headed right to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he saw a shitload of plastic containers and foil-covered dishes.

Then he remembered Pete telling him about the Daughters of the American Revolution bringing food. He was not marrying one of their daughters, but considering there were children going hungry all over the world, he was obligated to eat their food.

He started pulling out different containers. Then he saw what looked like a coconut pie. He was shitting in high cotton now. He loved coconut pie. Grabbing a plate, he dished up more beef stew than he probably needed, added some green beans to the side and stuck it in the microwave. While that heated, he started eating pie right out of the pie plate.

“Holy hell!” he muttered when the flavor danced on his tongue. His stomach, so empty, begged him to swallow before savoring it, and he shoved another bite into his mouth.

“Told ya.”

Clay turned around, and Pete stood in long johns at the kitchen door. Clay swallowed down another bit of fluffy sweetness. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist you marry one of them.”

“They want you.” Pete laughed, then frowned when his gaze lowered to see Clay eating out of the pie pan. “Save me some!”

Clay looked down. “You already ate half.”

“Yeah, but I had to be nice to ’em, and it took some finagling to get them to leave the food.”

Clay used the fork to cut off a piece of pie. He grabbed a saucer, pushed the piece onto it and passed it to Pete.

Pete moseyed across the kitchen to get a fork. He shoved a big bite into his mouth and studied Clay. When he swallowed, he dropped down onto a kitchen chair. “Heard you played hero tonight to some brunette?”

“How did you hear that?”

“Deputy told his wife. The wife told her neighbor. The neighbor is part of the gossip mill. I was going to go down, but then I heard you were prancing around naked.” Humor lit up his faded grey eyes. “Didn’t think I needed to see that.” He laughed.

“That is what I don’t miss about small towns,” Clay said. “You pee crooked, and the whole town knows.”

“Yeah, but it keeps you peeing on the straight and narrow.”

“And I think how I piss is my own business.”

Pete forked another bite of pie and slid it into his mouth. The microwave dinged. Clay stood up to get his food.

When he sat back down, he took a big bite of stew. “Damn.”

Pete chucked, and they both went back to eating. “Is she pretty?”

“Who?” Clay asked.

“The brunette. The one you were prancing around naked in front of.”

“I didn’t notice.” He swallowed the lie down with his next bite of stew.

* * *

“Naked?” Bethany asked, and then she, Savanna and Macy all burst out laughing.

“He was in the shower,” Jennifer explained.

Bethany and Savanna had met her at the hospital the previous night, but by the time she’d had her head sewed up and hand x-rayed—which was only sprained—it had been past midnight, and she’d insisted they leave. It wasn’t as if she’d be alone. She had a guard sitting outside her door. But . . .

But . . . someone had tried to kill her. She was trying really hard to come to terms with that. She just couldn’t seem to find the handle on those terms.

And God help her, but the thought of Savanna and the baby being anywhere near big, bald Bad Guy made her sick to her stomach.

Yet, at nine this morning her support group, including pregnant Savanna, had started arriving. Macy, Jake’s wife, had returned. Jennifer would admit having her friends around her almost made everything feel normal. But it wasn’t. Someone had tried to kill her!

The conversation started off downhill with Savanna insisting Jennifer come stay at her house. Jennifer insisted she wouldn’t. No way was she subjecting her pregnant friend to even the mere possibility of getting caught up in this.

Then, too tired to argue and needing a change in conversation, she filled them in on juicier details of the night. She knew they’d eat it up. She didn’t mind thinking about it again, either.

“Was he hard to look at?” Savanna asked. “I mean, there’s naked and then there’s . . . naakeed.”

Jennifer grinned. “Actually, the view was quite nice.” She recalled with clarity just how nice. He’d made her feel . . . safe. For one second she relived it, feeling his arm around her. Her cheek against his warm bare chest.

“Good. Because he was interested,” Macy said. “Jake said he saw a spark. And since you’re now available . . . I’m insulted I had to learn this from my husband, by the way.” She gave all three of them a dirty look.

“That’s what you get for going out of town,” Savanna told her.

“One day. I was gone one day. And when big stuff happens, I expect a call.”

“Wait,” Bethany said. “So, Naked Hero is age appropriate?”

“Stop,” Jennifer said. “He could be married for all I know.” Though he didn’t have a wedding ring. She’d checked. She’d checked other things, too. In spite of how she wished differently, her naked hero was not her man.

“Not married,” Macy piped up. “His name is Clay Connors. He inherited his grandfather’s property. Jake went to the academy with him. He’s divorced.”

“He’s a cop?” Jennifer asked. “I thought--”

“Was a cop,” Macy added.

“More importantly,” Savanna said, “what about all your requirements?” Her smile widened. “Did he have a tiny penis?”

“What?” Macy laughed.

“She’s looking for a hairy, short, funeral director sporting nothing more than a nub,” Bethany said. When Macy’s jaw dropped, Bethany added. “But first let her answer, and I’ll explain later.” Her gaze shot back to Jennifer. “Size it up for us.”

They laughed, Jennifer frowned. Then she realized this was what she needed. “He’s not a contender. I tried not to look, but . . . it was there . . . and it is much more than a nub.” She put her hand over her lips. “At one point, he used a cowboy hat to cover it.”

“Ride a cowboy, save a horse,” Bethany blurted out, laughing.

Jennifer shook her head. “And it’s not just that, he . . . the divorce rate for junkyard entrepreneurs is just a hair below roofers.”

“I’m lost again,” Macy said.

“Divorce rates,” Bethany explained. “She found a site that gives you the divorce rates for all careers. Hence the need for a funeral director.”

Macy’s mouth dropped open. “Funeral directors don’t get divorced?”

“Very few,” Bethany explained, “but I’m betting it’s because none of them get married, especially the ones with itty bitty nubs.”

“Stop guys,” Savanna said. “You’re ruining my vision. I’m still with the cowboy hat.” She glanced at Jennifer. “The whole hat? Was it a big hat? Ten gallon?”

They all started laughing again.

The knock had them sobering and turning to the door. “Come in,” Jennifer said, hoping it was the doctor coming to release her. But as soon as that thought hit, she remembered she’d be alone.

Being alone would be scary as hell, but she’d take that over putting her friends’ lives in danger.

The door swished opened. When her now-clothed-once-naked-cowboy-hero walked in, her face got hot. Her heart did a tango. Her lungs went on strike. And yet . . . she instantly felt safer.

She couldn’t explain it. Perhaps it was a symptom of his having saved her life.

He wore a pale green t-shirt with John Deere written across the front, jeans that were tight enough to look good, loose enough to look worked in, and a pair of scuffed-up boots that said he was the real thing.

A real cowboy.

And punctuating that point . . . was the old, tan cowboy hat he held in his hand, slowly tapping against his thigh. She’d bet her next meal—especially if it was hospital food—that he’d fed livestock this morning.

The funny girl-talk ambience exploded into sheer awkwardness. Silence swelled in the white room. Everyone stared at his cowboy hat tap-tapping against his thigh.

And bam, she realized what everyone was thinking. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Jennifer opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Clay, the non-contender, stood there in the awkward haze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company. I’ll come back.” He stepped away.

“No,” Savanna blurted out when Jennifer couldn’t spit out a word. “Are you Clay?” She glanced at Jennifer, her lips almost quivering—no doubt holding back a laugh.

“Yes. I . . . Jake asked me to bring Jennifer’s car here. He’s . . .” Clay met Jennifer’s panicked gaze. “He’s supposed to meet me here to give me a lift back.”

Jennifer tried to smile, but it came out shaky and without a smidgen of confidence. Face it, she had on no makeup, hadn’t combed her hair, still felt crusty dried blood on her scalp, hadn’t brushed her teeth, her girls were flying free range, and she’d just been talking about the size of this guy’s penis.

Her bare bottom shifted under the sheets, and she became instantly aware she was also panty-less.

Confidence was in short supply.