Safe Haven (The Protectors Book 1) Read online

  Hayley stuck her hands on her hips. “You’d better tell me what it is before I pass out from exhaustion.”

  “Rule number one is to run.”

  “Run? Does that mean we don’t have to do any more self-defense classes?”

  “Rule number two is to practice your self-defense moves in case you can’t run.”

  Hayley groaned. “I don’t like your rules.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. It could have something to do with the fact that I haven’t run more than a hundred yards in my life.”

  Tank’s hands paused in mid-air. He was practicing a Tai Chi move called cloud hands that was supposed to improve your balance and de-stress your life.

  “Everyone has run more than a hundred yards.”

  “Not me.”

  He stuck his cloud hands on his hips. “What about at school? Didn’t you do athletics?”

  “I was more of an arts girl. Can we go inside now? I’m hot and sweaty.”

  Tank picked up her sweatshirt and threw it toward her. “You need to warm down first. If you don’t, you’ll be as stiff as a board tomorrow.”

  Hayley pulled on her sweatshirt and followed what Tank was doing. “Has anyone ever told you you’ve got a lovely gluteus maximus?”

  Tank lost his balance and almost fell on his perfect bottom. “You’re distracting me on purpose.”

  “I’m very knowledgeable about the human body.”

  Tank’s eyebrows rose about a foot off his face. “Did this knowledge come from your nursing program or from studying the human form at the beach?”

  Hayley stretched out her calf muscles. “I knew about the human body long before I started my nursing degree. And considering Chicago is about as far away from the beach as Montana, I’d say your second guess is way off course, too.” She leaned in close to Tank and whispered, “I did life drawing classes at college. It was fascinating.”

  “I bet it was. What did your mom and dad say about drawing people who were naked?”

  “They were very open-minded.”

  Tank rolled onto the ground and stretched out his hamstrings. “I don’t believe you.”

  Hayley stood beside him. “It’s true. Ask mom.”

  “Hit the ground, Elliott. Your hamstrings need to be stretched.”

  Hayley sighed and sat beside him. “Do I really need to do this?”

  “Yep.”

  She lay down, bent one knee, then lifted her other leg straight up, pulling it gently toward her. It hurt like crazy. “I thought self-defense classes were supposed to be good for me.”

  “They are.”

  She held her leg for a few more seconds before letting it go and reaching for her other leg. “Were you serious about going for a run?”

  Tank turned toward her. “Do I really need to answer that question?”

  Hayley sighed and dropped her leg back to the ground. “I can’t move.”

  “Pop quiz time.”

  “No,” she moaned. “Not a pop quiz test.”

  “You have thirty seconds to show me how you would flip me onto my back if I pinned you to the ground. Ready?”

  Hayley wasn’t sure she was ready for any part of Tank’s anatomy to be pressed against her. For the last hour, she’d been covertly admiring his toned and oh-so-glorious body under his baggy sweatpants and T-shirt. Halfway through their class, she decided that exercising with a man like Tank should be on every woman’s bucket list.

  She glanced at her man-of-the-moment. “I don’t think a live demonstration is a good idea. Can I explain how I’d do it instead?”

  He looked worried. “Will it bring back too many memories?”

  “Memories?” It was hard thinking about anything with Tank lying beside her.

  “Of when you were attacked.”

  She frowned. “Oh. No, that’s not what I meant. I’m okay during the day, but if you had me pinned under you at night it would be different.” She closed her mouth fast when she realized what she’d said. “Not that you would have me pinned under you at…” she closed her mouth again.

  Tank’s eyes changed color to a deep, dark, blue.

  Hayley covered her hot face with her hands. “I should stop talking before I say something really stupid.”

  Tank pushed a stray lock of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. “It’s not stupid.”

  Her heart rate quadrupled in two seconds flat. She needed to focus on what was important, not daydream about Tank’s delicious body.

  She cleared her throat. She was brave. She could do this. She could show him what she’d learned in Chicago without turning to gooey marshmallow when he touched her. And maybe, if she was super-confident, she could have a little fun at the same time.

  Hayley looked at Tank and smiled. “It might take more than thirty seconds to work out what I need to do. Maybe you should lie on top of me so I can visualize everything.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She flung her arms open. “Go for it. You could take your shirt off to make it more real if you want to.”

  The pulse in Tank’s throat looked as though it was about to explode. “Did anyone ever tell you what happens if you play with fire?”

  “No, but you could show me.”

  Tank muttered something under his breath as he straddled her hips. His shirt was still on, but she had a great imagination.

  She gave herself five seconds to enjoy having him on top of her before making her move.

  “Am I too heavy?”

  That was the least of her worries. “No. But you need to bring your chest closer to mine.”

  Just as he was getting comfortable, she held his wrist with one hand and used her other hand to grab the back of his elbow. As soon as his arm was trapped against her chest, he fell forward. She quickly used one of her feet to pin his leg to the ground, lifted her hips and turned over onto her knees.

  With a triumphant yell, she looked down at Tank’s stunned expression. “I did it. I flipped you onto your back. Round one to the lady in the pink shorts.”

  “Where did you learn to do that?”

  “In Chicago. Sophie and I practiced that move a zillion times.” She sat on top of him and grinned. “I know lots of other moves, too.”

  “Ah, Hayley. You might want to stop wriggling around. We’re in a bit of an interesting position.”

  She looked down at their bodies and moved faster than a rattlesnake lunging toward its next victim.

  Tank sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. “We might need to rethink our self-defense classes if you don’t want to be my girlfriend.”

  Her mind was still stuck on where she’d been sitting. “What did you say about a girlfriend?”

  Tank dropped his head to his chest.

  Hayley stared at him. “You’ve got a girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “No, I don’t have a girlfriend,” he muttered. “And I probably never will if you keep getting distracted. I asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend.”

  “Your girlfriend?”

  Tank frowned. “We could stay friends if that works better for you. I don’t want to pressure you or anything. I like you. More than like you. And I like the way you kiss, too, but if that’s too shallow, I also like the way your mind works.”

  “My mind?”

  “Yeah. The thing between your ears.”

  She stared at the frown on his face. “You want to be my boyfriend?”

  He nodded.

  Hayley didn’t have to think too long or hard about her answer. “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day. I accept your offer and will gladly be your girlfriend.”

  “You will?”

  “I will. Does this mean I can officially kiss you?”

  The smile on Tank’s face took her breath away. “You can officially kiss me as much as you like.”

  She crawled forward and pushed him backward. “Have I told you how much I like your self-defense classes?”
r />   “I’m more of a hands-on guy,” Tank moaned as she slid on top of him and kissed the side of his face. “It would have more impact if you showed me.”

  So she did. As much as she liked. For as long as she liked. And Tank didn’t complain once.

  ***

  Hayley closed her eyes and drank long and deep from her water bottle. She’d been jogging with her sister for the last twenty minutes, and they were both exhausted. It was great having a break, but she needed to start moving or her muscles would cramp.

  “Tell me again why we’re exercising at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning,” Sophie wheezed from beside her.

  “We’re getting fit and you want to look fabulous for your wedding.”

  “It shouldn’t be this hard.”

  “It won’t be in another month. We’ll be so fast that no one will be able to keep up with us. Are you ready to start jogging again?”

  “In a minute.” Sophie took a few more deep breaths before dropping her water bottle into her backpack. “The person you want to race against wouldn’t have biceps the size of cannonballs and the ability to outrun Superman, would he?”

  “Of course not.”

  “I know how your mind works. My fabulous wedding body is a decoy for the real reason we’re here. You want to keep up with Tank when he takes you for another run.”

  Hayley sighed. “It was embarrassing. He was almost walking on the spot so that I could keep up with him.”

  “At least he waited for you.”

  “He didn’t have a choice. I had the keys to his SUV.”

  “Clever.”

  “More like survival. Let’s go. Last one to the library is a rotten egg.” Hayley didn’t bother running on the concrete path. She jogged as fast as she could across the grass.

  Sophie groaned and slowed down. “I can’t go any further.”

  “There’s a trim latte with a low-fat buttermilk pancake waiting for you at the café.”

  “There’s no such thing as a low-fat pancake.”

  “Think positive.”

  “I’m trying, but it’s a bit hard when I can’t breathe.”

  Hayley jogged beside her sister. “Have some more water. You’ll feel better.”

  Sophie made a scoffing sound. “I’ve already drunk enough to keep a camel happy for a year.”

  “Don’t stop.” Hayley grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her across the grass. “You’ll thank me for this in the morning.”

  “That’s what you told me when we went for our last run. The next day I couldn’t move.”

  “It’s all part of the path to fitness heaven.” Hayley looked in the cafe window. “Oops. We’ll have to find somewhere else for breakfast—they’re closed.”

  “We’ll take my car into town. Something must be open.” Sophie hobbled toward the parking lot. “I’m too old to run.”

  “You can’t give up. Who would I run with?”

  “Get yourself a pair of fancy headphones. You could run with your favorite music playing in your ears.”

  “It wouldn’t be the same,” she murmured.

  Sophie put her hand on Hayley’s arm. “Is everything okay?”

  “I thought it was.”

  “There’s a seat over there. Why don’t we sit down and you can tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “I don’t think you’ll want to know.”

  “Try me.”

  Hayley untied her sweatshirt from around her waist and sat down. “Tank and I talked the other day.”

  “You seem to do a lot of that with him.”

  She glanced at her sister. “I want to apologize to you.”

  “What for?”

  Hayley looked at her sneakers. “For most of my life, I’ve been a little jealous of what you’ve achieved. Maybe more than a little.”

  “You have?”

  “I thought I wasn’t good enough or brainy enough. I wanted to be like you, but I never quite managed it.”

  “But you’re an incredible person. You’ve achieved so much.”

  “I’m beginning to see that, but it’s taking time. I had trouble believing in myself.”

  Sophie hugged her. “I didn’t know. I thought you were happy.”

  Hayley wiped her eyes. “I was, but I missed out on being happier. I don’t want to miss out anymore.” She looked across the park, stalling for time. “I never wanted to be a nurse.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?”

  “I thought you’d follow in dad’s footsteps and be a doctor. You read all his medical journals and listened to everything he said about his practice. Do you remember the first-aid kit you made?”

  Hayley smiled. “I made a list of everything dad had in his kit. We went shopping and he helped me choose bandages and sterile pads.”

  “Why didn’t you go to medical school?”

  “What I really wanted to study had nothing to do with medicine, but I didn’t want to let dad down. He thought I’d be a doctor, too. He was so disappointed when I didn’t apply for medical school. When he got sick I started my nursing degree because I wanted to help him. But most of all I wanted him to be proud of me.”

  “Dad would have been proud of whatever you did.”

  “I know that now.”

  “What did you really want to do?” Sophie asked.

  “I wanted to study fashion. I still do. I enjoy my job, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in hospitals and nursing homes. I want to create fabulous clothes. I want people to feel good about themselves and happy when they wear my latest designs.”

  “What’s stopping you from doing that now?”

  “Nothing. That’s why I’ve enrolled in a fashion design course.”

  Sophie’s face broke into a wide grin. “That’s wonderful. Tell me what it’s like.”

  “It’s hard work, but I love it. The teachers are wonderful and I’m learning so much. That’s why I wanted to work only twenty hours a week. It means I’ve got enough time to attend classes and do my assignments.” Hayley looked at her sister, hoping she was just as pleased about the next news she wanted to tell her. “Tank asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes.”

  “I thought something was going on. You’ve had a permanent smile on your face since he came back from Detroit. He’s a good person.”

  “I know. I’m a better person when I’m with him, Sophie.”

  “Sounds like Cupid has been hard at work. Mom is going to be happy.”

  “She would adopt Tank if she could.” Hayley pulled on her sweatshirt and smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a hot drink. What do you say we find somewhere that sells coffee and pancakes?”

  “Sounds good to me. And if you find low-fat buttermilk pancakes, I’ll even pay the bill.” Sophie touched Hayley’s arm. “I want you to promise me one thing. If you’re not happy, tell me. It doesn’t matter what it’s about. I love you, Hayley.”

  “I love you, too.” Hayley wrapped her arms around her sister and groaned. “My muscles are stiff.”

  “That’s what you get for falling in love with an ex-Navy SEAL. No matter what he says, running every day is not fun.”

  Her sister was right. There were lots of wonderful reasons why Hayley had fallen in love with Tank.

  His addiction to exercise wasn’t one of them.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Hayley held Tank’s hand as they walked down Main Street. Along with half of Bozeman, they were going to the grand finale of the Montana Fashion Week celebrations.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Tank stepped around a crowd of people waiting to go into a restaurant.

  Earlier in the day, Dan Carter, the Deputy Chief of Police, had called Hayley. Another person had been charged with her attempted kidnapping after deleted emails on Dr. Bernard’s laptop had been retrieved. The police couldn’t guarantee that no one else was involved, but with her sister’s supplement fully patented, the chance of anything happening was minimal.

  “St
op worrying. We’re going to the Baxter Hotel for a fashion show. The only thing that’s dangerous is the number of people on the street.” Hayley swerved to miss a lady who’d stopped to read a poster. “Besides, if anyone is silly enough to mess with me they’ll have to deal with you.”

  “I knew there was a reason you wanted to be my girlfriend.”

  She held Tank’s hand a little tighter. “There are lots of other reasons, too.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I know. Are you ready for your first runway spectacular?”

  Hayley laughed. “I’ve been to other fashion shows.”

  “But not in Montana, you haven’t. I have it on good authority that no one has organized a bigger or better fashion show than what we’ll see tonight.”

  “You’ve been reading Doris Stanley’s Facebook page again, haven’t you?”

  Tank grinned. “Guilty as charged.”

  “I can’t wait to see Emily Green’s dresses. Two of them made it through to the final of the Supreme Award.”

  “Have you asked her if she’s looking for more staff?”

  “Not yet. There’s Sophie and Ryan.” She pointed across the street.

  Her sister was standing next to her fiancé on the red carpet. She was smiling at the sea of reporters all wanting a story about the happy couple. Even from across the street, Hayley could hear the barrage of questions being thrown at them.

  Tank pulled Hayley off the sidewalk and ran across the street. He stopped in front of the person collecting the tickets for the show.

  “I’m wearing high heels and a tight dress,” she whispered. “You have to warn me before you start running.”

  Tank’s grin made her knees go weak.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She swatted him with her evening bag. “You’re hopeless.”

  “I thought you already knew that?”

  Hayley glanced at her sister. Sophie stepped away from the reporters and sent her an ‘I-need-help-now’ plea with her eyes.

  “Come on, Tank. My sister needs us.”

  Tanner, one of Fletcher Security’s employees, saw what was happening. He moved in front of Sophie, shielding her from the surge of reporters eager for a story. Ryan took one look at his fiancée, wrapped his arm around her and moved toward the hotel’s front doors.