In the Arms of Danger

THREE

Taylor Mitchell?

Cory grabbed the woman as she lost consciousness. Slowly, he lowered her to the ground as her father assisted as much as he could while still holding the little girl.

There had been only one Taylor in Cory's life, and it definitely couldn't be her. That woman had taken his heart and twisted it into a pretzel. Seeing her again after all this time meant she hadn't fallen off the face of the earth like the man Cory hired to track her down had told him.

"Someone get the paramedics over here!" Leland Mitchell yelled.

The little girl Cory had just rescued cried and held onto her mother's arm.

Mother? Vindictive women like Taylor weren't meant to have children and be caregivers to someone so sweet and helpless. Women like Taylor shouldn't have been allowed to love...and to have the chance to break a man's heart.

He squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head. He must be dreaming. That was the only explanation for this crazy nightmare, but when he gazed back at the pale face of the unconscious woman, his heart wrenched.

Memories assaulted him, bringing back an agony as real as it had been almost five years ago. The stranger he'd fallen in love with hadn't been the woman he'd thought. Taylor had double-crossed him and left him for dead. A gripping ache pulled at the scar in his back from when the bullet had just pierced his skin, which had knocked him over the cliffs into the sea below.

A medic pushed him aside and knelt in front of Taylor, waving smelling salts under her nose. She moaned and her eyelids fluttered. When she opened her eyes, her gaze met Cory's.

"Oh, no," she whispered and covered her eyes with her hand.

"Taylor, honey, are you all right?" Leland asked.

She shook her head. "I want to go home."

Grumbling under his breath, Cory stood back as Leland helped his daughter stand. Leland didn't know... couldn't have known. Cory was only here because of Leland's brother, Stephen. Cory's ex-partner had saved his life on more than one occasion. Cory owed his friend big time, and Stephen had begged him to take this case, to guard and protect his niece and grandniece.

When Cory took the assignment this morning, Leland and Zack had told him that Taylor and Megan were at the park. Leland gave him their descriptions, and the make and color of her car. Cory had watched the two females from afar. Not once had he thought she looked like the Taylor he'd known and loved so much. It wasn't until Cory noticed her panicked actions that his gut told him to get out of his car and watch her up close.

Good thing he followed his first instincts. Of course, why hadn't his instincts helped him out before he took on the case? Why hadn't he noticed the slight swing to her walk or the gentle curve of her face? Why hadn't he recognized her color of hair, as if the sun had kissed the wheat field with a golden shine?

After the Bermuda incident, he'd convinced himself Taylor had gone to the underworld. Why else couldn't his investigator find her? Cory had believed she'd slithered away with the man she was in cohorts with in planning his death.

Inwardly, Cory groaned. He couldn't take this case now. How could he protect her when he'd have to watch his own back at the same time?

Yet, if she were part of the conspiracy back then, he wanted to know who she'd been working for. The police hadn't found who had shot him, and if Taylor knew something...

So maybe he'd take this case after all. He'd be her bodyguard, but for his own reasons.

Cory crouched to the little girl's level. "Hello, Meggie."

Her big blue eyes looked so much like her mother's. Adorable. With the flutter of her lashes, Taylor could make a man melt and lose his mind. Meggie turned and launched herself into her grandfather's arms, leaving him with only one person to help. Her mother.

He stepped closer and cautiously wrapped his arms around Taylor's body. She yanked free. "I don't need your help."

Leland scowled at his daughter. "Good grief, girl. Let him help you to the car at least. You're as weak as a kitten. If you put up a fight, I'll have Ross fling you over his shoulder and carry you there." He crinkled his forehead. "And don't think he won't."

Hesitantly, she nodded and nibbled on her bottom lip. It'd been quite a while since Cory had seen that ornery temperament of hers, and now he didn't know how to proceed. If she were the woman he'd originally thought, he'd know exactly how to take care of her.

But now she was the devil's spawn. And he couldn't forget it.

Cautiously, Cory slipped his arms around her waist, waiting for her to slap him or stomp on his foot. Thankfully, she didn't. However, he could tell she tried her hardest not to lean against him, and her body was as stiff as a board. Without his control, memories flooded him...her soft touch, her loving kiss, and her intoxicating scent branding in his mind.

Taylor stiffened and kept her gaze ahead of them on her father. He really wished she'd meet his eyes. Then again, he'd be tempted to hash out the past right here in front of everyone. Perhaps that wasn't the wisest choice.

With Taylor's body pressed so close, he couldn't help but compare her to the reed-thin lover he remembered. Her hips seemed wider now, but not overly so. Perfect, in fact. Making her look more mature. Her hair was also longer. All those years ago, it had been short, waving around her neck and ears. She'd gelled it enough to give it a fun, wild style, just as her personality had been. But he realized he liked it long and hanging around her shoulders.

Silently, he grumbled. If he had to act as her bodyguard until the threats to her father ended, he couldn't let his memories get in the way. She'd taken his heart, sliced it up in tiny pieces and fed it to the sharks.

Meggie's eyes remained on him as they walked toward the parking lot. The little girl's attention swept over him, taking her time until it rested on his shoulder holster.

She pointed to his gun. "Did you shoot the bad man?"

"I shot him in the leg." He nodded. "I had to save you."

The corner of her lips lifted before she buried her face in Leland's neck.

Adorable. Especially when the dimple on her cheek flashed him.

He sucked in a quick breath. Dimple? On her cheek? Oh, good grief... He had that same dimple on his cheek!

Sweeping his gaze over her one more time, he did a closer inspection. The little girl had to be around four years old. Mine? Although she had eyes like her mother's, her mouth and nose reminded him of his younger sister's baby pictures.

Inwardly, he grumbled. Meggie had to be his. He glanced once more at the woman next to him. Why hadn't she told him? Why had she let him believe she'd disappeared off the face of the earth?

When they reached her car, she pulled away and climbed in. "I'll be all right to drive," she muttered without looking at him. "I promise."

Her father placed Meggie in the car seat then moved up to the front to give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. Taylor stroked her hand down Leland's arm, and Cory's own arm tingled.

He cursed under his breath. What was wrong with him?

Leland nodded then settled his attention on Cory. "You drive behind her."

"I will." Cory wished his voice hadn't sounded so affected. Had Leland noticed? Worse...had Taylor noticed? If she had, did she care?

"Tonight she's staying at my house," Leland instructed.

Taylor grasped her father's arm. She tugged on it until Leland met her gaze. "No, Dad."

Her father passed her a stubborn glare. "No more arguments." He looked back at Cory. "Got it?"

"Yes, sir," he bit out.

Cory hurried to his vehicle and climbed in. He gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. What kind of assignment from hell had he taken? Even if he did want answers, he'd be fighting memories the entire time. He couldn't ignore the past. He'd have to push away the glorious memories they had made together five years ago.

Impossible.

What if Meggie was his daughter? That would definitely make things more complicated. Yet turning down this bodyguard job wasn't an option. He owed this to his friend, Stephen. If it hadn't been for him...

Cory swallowed the lump of emotion and started the car. I'm doing this for you, Stephen.

Following behind Taylor, he kept a close watch on her rear-view mirror. Her eyes darted between the mirror and the road. What could she be thinking? Would she even feel a moment of remorse? Would she try to kill him again?

What about her accomplice? Cory would have to keep a close eye on her to make certain she didn't try to contact the man who'd tried to kill him in Bermuda.

Of course, if she did, Cory would have both of them in the palm of his hand...right where he should have had them five years ago.

Eventually, Cory and Taylor would be alone, and when that time came, they would have to talk. He'd eventually have to say something about their past. The unknown answers ate at his gut like a terminal disease.

When he finally convinced her to open up, would he throw insults? Accusations? Beg her to know why she did what she did?

No matter what happened, he couldn't wait to spring the good news on her. He couldn't wait to tell her their marriage hadn't been legal.

She wasn't the only one in this relationship who held secrets. He had his own, as well.