Page 19 of Her Wild Cowboy Billionaire

He frowned, and his eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t want you harmed. And what about your little firefly? Will he stop at you or begin with her to get to you? You need protection.”

“I probably do, but I don’t have the money to pay them.”

“I’ll pay them.”

She looked back at her cup and shook her head before raising it again to look at him. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. It wouldn’t be right.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek. “Very well. But I can get you protection while you work for me. I’d feel better all around. We don’t know where this man is, or if he could somehow track you. Is your phone off?”

“I turned it off right after I talked to Grace and I haven’t turned it on since.”

“Okay. That should be all right. I’ll have the head of my security go over it, to be sure.”

Suddenly, her stomach turned over. What if he knows where I am? “Why? He can’t track me if it’s off. Right?”

“It’s my understanding there are ways, but we can’t take the chance, so he’ll check it out. I’ll have him here tomorrow.”

She let out a breath. “I’d like that. I want to do everything I can to keep Mindy safe.”

“Are you ready for bed?”

Willow shrugged. “Sure. Let me grab another book from your library, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. I’ll come with you. I have a feeling I’ll need one, too.”

“I’m sorry. This was supposed to relax us, not worry us.”

“It’s not your fault. Besides, it feels good to speak about my accident. Get it out of my head. Maybe it won’t bother me anymore. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone about it before.”

“I’m glad I could help.” She slid from the stool and headed toward the library.

The room was beautiful. Again, all the tables and shelves were oak. Two sitting areas existed. One by the window and another positioned in front of the rock fireplace. He’d placed Remington sculptures on the mantel, just like in the living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows would provide natural light during the day. Lamps on sofa tables behind the couches and on the tables next to the chairs on either end provided additional reading light.

Willow loved this room. She loved to read, and she would miss the library in particular when she and Mindy moved on. Just the thought of leaving, of never seeing Travis again, never sitting in the kitchen whispering or picking out a book in this amazing library, made her sad. They’d only been here for two weeks, and already, it felt comforting...like home.

Travis followed her to the library. “This is my favorite room in the house. My grandmother was a librarian and instilled in me the love of books. I’ve been collecting them ever since. In my collection, you’ll find a mix of first editions by Dickens, new thrillers from James Patterson, and cozy mysteries by Jana DeLeon.”

She looked at the shelves, hoping she’d recognize the covers. “I didn’t see any of Jana’s books. I love her. The Miss Fortune series is the best. I’ve read every one of them so far.”

He walked over to a bookshelf by the windows. “I have all of them here.”

Willow hurried over and picked out the first book, Louisiana Longshot. “I haven’t read this in so long. It’s such a wonderful book and so funny, I can’t help but laugh out loud.”

Travis followed her to the window. “Willow, can I ask you a personal question?”

She smiled. “Only if I can ask one of you.” She walked over to the sofa in front of the fireplace and sat on one end, curling her legs beneath her.

Travis followed her to the couch and sat on the opposite end. “Okay. That’s fair.” He cleared his throat. “Why haven’t you remarried?”

Willow thought for a moment. “I could say I’ve been busy raising Mindy, and that would be true. But the truth is, I’ve never found anyone who attracted me enough to fall in love. I need to be in love to get married again...and I haven’t been.”

“That makes perfect sense.”

“Now for you.” She knew she shouldn’t ask, but her attraction to him compelled her to find out the answer. “Why haven’t you married and had children? From the way you are with Mindy, I think you’d be a wonderful father.”

His eyes grew shuttered. “I’m not the marrying kind.”

Willow reached over and placed a hand on his knee. “Why? You’re a wonderful man and you seem to like kids, at least Mindy.”