Reckless Protector: Isaacson Trilogy Book Three

34

Over the remaining two hours of the journey to Buffalo Gulch, Ulric experienced the complete gamut of emotions. By the time the train screeched to a stop at the station, he was finding it difficult—if not entirely impossible—to hold onto the glimmer of hope that had burst to life in the stock car.

Stepping from the train, retrieving Toots, inspecting and tightening his gear, and finally mounting up were all familiar actions he hadn't realized he'd done them until they were halfway through town.

He wanted to hope the plan would succeed, but he couldn't help looking around at his surroundings and attempting to commit them to memory, just in case they failed.

The sun had already set, making their trek home cold and miserable. Ulric insisted, and Esmund heartily agreed that due to what they were up against, it would be better to leave the women where they would be safe with Nora before continuing to confront Erasmus.

Pulling Toots to a stop in front of the house, Ulric clenched his eyes shut and released the reins, wrapping his arms around Ingrid's waist in panicked desperation. "I love you," he whispered.

She turned in his arms with a strangled cry of anguish, her tears mixing with the soft kisses she trailed along his neck and face before settling her trembling mouth upon his in a long, fervent kiss.

It was the sort of kiss that engulfed him from his head to his toes, the kind that could easily have made his knees buckle if he hadn't been sitting on a horse.

Tears spilled from his eyes, blending with hers until he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. Wiping the moisture from his face, he straightened and held her gaze, repeating in a fierce whisper, "I love you."

They were only three little words, but they held a wealth of promise and meaning within them. Ulric wanted to tell Ingrid he would return to her, but the words refused to leave his tongue.

Her chin wobbled, and tears cascaded down her face, but she nodded and squared her shoulders as she said, "I love you."

Pressing one last kiss to her lips, he pulled away and helped her dismount, holding her steady until she'd stepped to join Elsie and Nora on the porch.

"Stay safe," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He caught Nora's gaze, "You know what to do if..." his voice broke, and he swallowed past the lump clogging his throat, took a calming breath, and tried again. "If it gets bad, you'll protect her from them?"

"I won't let them near her; you have my word," Nora vowed.

"Ready?" Magnus asked quietly, glancing at Ulric.

With one last look at Ingrid, he turned to Magnus and his brothers, opening his mouth to say one of the bazillion rough and manly lines he'd thought up since being told of the plan.

He wanted to say something like, "We've got a job to do," which he would've delivered in a low, menacing tone before pulling the collar of his coat up around his neck in a don't-mess-with-me type move.

They were the kind of things he and his brothers used to joke about years ago, but the one time he had the excuse to deliver one, where it might have even been profound instead of ridiculous...not a single solitary word—or a curse for that matter—came out.

Ulric frowned, grinding his teeth, irritated that already things weren't going the way he would have preferred. It did not bode well.

"So, everyone remembers what they need to avoid doing?" Magnus asked, sitting relaxed in his saddle. He may as well have been out for a leisurely stroll instead of riding off to Ulric's possible demise.

Gunnar and Esmund both nodded.

Ulric let out a long breath before saying, "Yes." Magnus nodded approvingly, "And you're all prepared to kill Erasmus if needed?"