Bride Protector SEAL Read Online Free

responded to the tone of his voice even when he talked nonsense. If that worked with a dog, perhaps it would work with a horse. He spoke in a low, steady, monotone, advancing slowly, holding out his hand, praying the horse didn’t take a bite out of it or trample him in his crazed state of mind. This horse was like most creatures when they were scared, it needed reassurance and comfort.
    Swede inched toward the horse, and it whinnied and pawed at the dirt, but it didn’t rear. Hoping the smell of smoke wasn’t still clinging to his skin, Swede let the horse smell his hand and touch his fingers with its big lips. The sensation was new and exhilarating to Swede. The horse was like a big dog. When he thought of it that way, he relaxed and smoothed his hand over the nose and up to scratch behind his ears, wrapping his other hand around the halter.

    A llie hated that Swede , a greenhorn who’d never been near a horse, had walked up to one who was so clearly spooked and calmed him.
    She snorted. “Beginner’s luck. We have four more to catch. You better get cracking.” She walked with Ruger over to a gate and held it open.
    Swede led the animal through and released it on the other side.
    The horse galloped across the pasture, moving as far away from the smoke and flames as it could get.
    The other four horses were easier to round up, and they soon had all of them in the fenced pasture. Just in time, too. The wailing of sirens grew louder, and soon the driveway filled with a pumper truck, a paramedic’s vehicle, and a sheriff’s deputy. Several ranchers’ trucks arrived, all part of the volunteer firefighters who served the county.
    Swede and Allie moved back as the fire-fighters made use of the nearby pond and pumped water onto the flames. Unfortunately, the stable was a complete loss, but the firefighters kept the blaze from spreading to the house and grassy fields.
    After the paramedics checked out both Swede and Allie for smoke inhalation, they gave them a blast of oxygen. The pair was released, with the recommendation that they go to the clinic in Eagle Rock.
    But, that would have to be later. The sheriff and fire chief had questions. Allie answered them as best she could. Someone had left a threatening message on the side of the building, and then the building exploded. She had no idea who the perpetrator might be. The only person who might have the answer to that question had left to catch a flight out that afternoon. Yes, he should be back within the week. He had a wedding to attend, after all.
    What else could she say? Less than a week out from her wedding, and this incident hit her full in the face. How well did she know her fiancé? She knew so little about his business and why someone would want to hurt him. She swore she’d grill Damien thoroughly before the wedding. How had she been so caught up in her own life she hadn’t bothered to get to know her future husband’s? Had she thought the man was independently wealthy just because his parents were rich?
    For the first time since she’d agreed to marry Damien, Allie started to get cold feet. Up until now, the relationship had seemed like a fairytale. She’d met her prince charming at a local fundraiser for charity. He’d taken her out on several dates, and then flown her in his private jet to have dinner in Seattle. Yeah, he’d swept her off her feet, and shown her a life so foreign she couldn’t help but be dazzled. Best of all, he treated her like a woman, instead of another one of the guys.
    When he’d popped the question less than a month ago, he’d been so romantic. He’d gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Just like in the movies. It was every girl’s dream. Allie had been no different. She couldn’t say no to the man, or the life he promised. And his ranch was something she had only fantasized of. She couldn’t wait to dig in and make it all it could be, not just a show place.
    Hell, was she more in love with the ranch than