Garrett put in a full day working from his home office. He hated that he was hiding from Gail like a pansy. But the problem was, he didn’t know if he could remain nice where she was concerned. The fact that she thought she could blackmail him—threaten his family—made him itch to toss her unceremoniously from his resort and the bad press be damned.

Yet if he wanted a chance in hell of turning the tables on her, see her trap herself in her schemes, he had to toe the line for a bit longer. He didn’t want anything touching his sister. That was where Gail had crossed the line. He could hold his own with anyone. But when it came to his family—even his mother, whom he rarely spoke with because of the way things ended with Gail thirteen years ago—he would protect them above all else.

This all meant he was on the phone with Sasha multiple times that day. She was the only member of his staff who’d been informed about the situation.

But now he was at Cora’s, watching Milo while she worked. Milo was already going down for the night when he arrived. So all he had to do was listen for the little tyke and wait for Cora to get home. He and Elmo were sitting on her couch, the pup curled on his lap, when his phone rang.

“Jack, how’s it hanging?” he said, answering his cell.

“A little to the left these days. I have some interesting info that I wanted to pass along.”

“Yeah? Is it good news?” Shit, Garrett hoped it was, so that the pressure in his chest would ease some. As it was he felt like he was walking a tightrope that could snap at any moment.

“Well, I passed your tape on to the DA and they want a full investigation conducted into Gail. So we have started combing through her financials. Seems she made some risky investments and is heavily mortgaged.”

Gail was never thrifty when it came to money. From what Garrett remembered, she tended to gravitate towards lavish and overpriced. “What does the DA think about the tape she has on me?”

Garrett needed to know because he could see what a rape charge could do not just to him, but to his resort. All the people who worked for him, who depended upon their jobs, could end up losing their income because he’d been careless when he was younger.

“Oh, he wants it looked into, so you’re not off the hook just yet. But because of the implied blackmail on your recording, and the sheer amount of money she’s after, I’ve contacted a buddy in the FBI. I have a feeling you aren’t the only guy she has ever recorded,” Jack explained.

“So if you can get the tapes of her with other men…”

“It may be enough to prove that you aren’t guilty of a thing except doing what your girlfriend asked you to do. Then there’s also the fact that she did not get your consent to record the two of you.”

It wasn’t much, but it was something. Garrett had to believe that the wheels would turn in his favor and that Gail would end up being served a dose of her own poisonous venom. “What do I need to do on my end?”

“I need to get into her room and access that tablet computer while keeping this investigation quiet. You and your resort do not need the negative publicity. I think as long as we keep it between you, me, and Spencer, it should be fine.”

As Jack talked, Garrett had an idea, one that would keep him away from Gail but get Jack access to the room she and her toy boy were staying in. “I have an idea, and bear with me here. I did let Sasha, my secretary, know what was going on. Mainly due to the simple fact that Gail is at the lodge and I don’t want her thinking she can invade my office. Also to keep an eye on that bitch’s demands. The front desk knows to contact Sasha if Gail’s requests get out of hand.”

“And have they?”

“She’s been an absolute peach,” he said sarcastically. Then, “Are you fucking kidding me? She’s an entitled viper who believes the world owes her. But I digress, what if I had the spa give her a complimentary massage and have her boy toy given an hour with a trainer in the gym? Both sessions would be for about an hour. I can have Sasha coordinate the times and have you meet her in the office, where she can get you a key to their room.”

“I like it. Let’s set that up. Call Sasha and let her know I will be in touch. As for the rest, hang tight for a little while longer. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Until then, keep your nose clean,” Jack said.

“Will do, thanks, Jack.”

“Uh huh. So I hear you took Spencer’s cousin to the rodeo,” Jack teased.

“How in the hell do you know that?” Garrett asked. He’d told no one of his plans, not even Spencer, before he’d left Cora’s house yesterday.

Jack’s deep laughter filtered through the receiver. “Let’s just say I know people. And from what I hear, you three made quite the cute family.”

Garrett snorted. “I’m hanging up now. Call me once you have something on Gail.” He hung up to Jack’s deep guffaws. Shit. Yeah, he’d enjoyed himself with Milo and Cora last night. A little too much. More than he had imagined he would. And it wasn’t just Cora he liked spending time with either. Milo had soaked up everything he’d told him about the cowboys riding the bucking broncos. He’d even bought Milo a small plastic toy horse and the kid’s exuberance over that tiny thing, that he’d held onto it in his sleep, had touched Garrett.

It had been an eye-opening experience because he’d never considered himself a guy interested in kids. Other people’s, certainly. He had no problem with them. He adored his nieces. Yet, if he wanted to be serious about Cora, he couldn’t forget she came with Milo.

As if thinking about him had woken the kid up, a sharp, piercing wail sounded from the bedroom upstairs. Garrett jumped up and took the stairs two at a time with Elmo hot on his heels. They entered the bedroom with the nightlight on.

“Hey, squirt, it’s okay,” Garrett said, unsure exactly what to do to comfort him. But he figured it must be a bit like calming a hysterical sub. He lifted the crying boy into his arms and rocked him. Elmo hid near the bed, concern on the pup’s face. Garrett liked what Cora had done with her boy’s room. The detail and care was evident in his coloring station and toys, even down to the pictures on the walls. There was one in particular he noticed, of Cora standing with a blond man who had his arms around her. She was obviously pregnant with Milo, there was just the slightest rounding of her belly in the picture. The guy was good looking and seemed pleased as punch with a smile Garrett had seen before—on Milo.

“Hush, I’ve got you, bud. What’s got you so upset?” he soothed, rubbing the boy’s back.

“Monsters in my room,” Milo sobbed, clinging to Garrett, bathing his flannel shirt with his tears.

“Did you dream about them, the monsters?” he asked, turning away from the photo, feeling like he had the ghostly specter of Cora’s husband looking over his shoulder to see whether he fucked up.

Milo nodded, his blue eyes lined with unshed tears, his bottom lip quivering. The poor kid was terrified. Any awkwardness Garrett felt at caring for Milo disintegrated with the boy’s absolute trust in him. “Well, you know I won’t let anything happen to you. Besides, I’ll tell you a secret, I’m a monster slayer,” he said, hoping it would lessen Milo’s fear.

Milo’s eyes widened and then he smiled through his tears. “No you’re not. I don’t believe you.”

“Yes, I am.” The kid was a tough crowd.

“Nu-uh, Mama says that monsters aren’t real.”

Well, there you have it. “What if I told you that I was a secret monster slayer but that only boys know about them?”

That piqued the kid’s interest. Milo cocked his head to the side and studied him. “Just for boys?”

“Yep. I can make you a member if you like.” He winked at him, like it would be a secret between them.

That stopped the tears and Milo nodded. Garrett grabbed a Kleenex from the box atop the nearby chest of drawers, wiping the twin lines of snot from his cherubic face.

“Blow,” he ordered the toddler. Now that his tears were under control, the kid was more malleable and did as he asked. “Better?”

“Yep.”

“All right, squirt, let’s get you back into bed.”

“Story first,” Milo demanded and pointed to the small three-shelved bookcase.

“Okay, well go pick one out and we’ll read it.” Garrett set the boy down on his feet but Milo didn’t let go of him. With his tiny hand wrapped around Garrett’s, he pulled Garrett over to the bookshelf. Milo grabbed one of the books and held it up. Berenstain Bears. They were still making those? Garrett had had some of them as a young kid.

“Good choice, bud. Let’s have you get into bed and we can read it.”

Milo scampered over to his bed and flung himself on the mattress. Elmo was on board with getting into bed and tried jumping up to join them. Garrett helped the kid get settled under the blankets, lifted Elmo onto the bed—who proceeded to snuggle up next to his boy—and then he sat beside Milo. He read the story about the young bear trying out for baseball. Milo listened with rapt attention.

Then, from out of left field, literally, Milo said, “I wish I had a daddy. My daddy died.”

Garrett nearly dropped the book. Just managing to keep his composure, he looked down at Milo, and in that instant he felt his heart give. Christ, the way the kid clung to him, looked up at him with those big blue puppy dog eyes, how could a person not be a freaking goner?

“Well, if you wish really hard, maybe you’ll get one,” Garrett replied, then continued reading the story.

Milo fell back asleep, snuggled against Garrett with a trust and innocence that only the young can truly have. With gentle care, Garrett shifted, laying the boy down and pulling the covers up over him. Elmo lifted his head from his perch beside Milo.

“You stay here and watch over your boy,” he whispered to the pup, who seemed to understand and laid his head back down.

Garrett stood at the door, making certain Milo was indeed asleep and no longer having nightmares before he left the room. And he made a solemn vow, to himself, that he would become Milo’s father. Now all he had to do was convince the boy’s mother that he was in this relationship for the long haul.