A low growl built in his throat, but again, he swallowed it because he didn’t want to disturb her. The woman had endured so much already, and they had a long way to go before he got her safe.
Which led him to the other big issue—protecting her in a city, at a major conference, provided a whole new set of problems. He already had a call in to Boone to have him meet them as backup. And of course he’d get with security in the facility and double up. It still didn’t ease his mind.
That call from her friend also itched at him. Meredith who? She’d fallen asleep before he could rifle more questions at her.
Night fell early at this time of year, the shadows on her face only broken by the glow coming from the dash lights. Under the shapeless wool blanket, he couldn’t make out her figure.
Why was he trying to see her curves anyway? She might as well be a cousin to him. Yet as far from family as possible when it came to this strange twist in his gut.
He focused on his suspicions about Meredith. He needed Josiah to run the intel about the woman, and background checks on every employee at MIZR. He cast her a look. Talking on the phone would wake her.
Pippa’s lack of worry or hesitation in her voice when she spoke to her friend told him she trusted Meredith—other than a slight hitch when she told her lie. He smiled to himself—she may not be the exact same girl he knew growing up, but her morals couldn’t be shaken.
He wanted to trust her judgment concerning her friend. Pippa had a solid grip on common sense and she was smart. He knew those aspects of her personality. What he couldn’t get over were the other changes that came from fifteen years of separation.
All traces of gawkiness had fled, leaving behind a timeless beauty, and though she was tall, her womanly curves were impossible to miss.
He glanced at her again. She’d removed her glasses and placed them in her bag by her feet. Seeing her without the eyewear create a tense knot in his core. A tumble of hair across her brow made him grip the wheel tighter to keep from reaching out to brush it away.
Whatever internal war waged inside him, he lacked time to deal with. He’d rarely lusted after a woman, and all his brothers razzed him for it. But he really didn’t have time for the opposite sex. Dating required getting to know someone, spending time with her. Relationships tripled that time requirement, at least from what he saw with his baby brother, Noah.
He didn’t really have a type, but if he did, he’d say she was an intellectual with a sense of humor—someone he could hold a conversation with and not want to drown her in the stock tank.
Christ, when she told him about her genetic discovery, he admittedly had a moment of dumbfounded awe for the woman. Then concern hit.
She’d put herself in the line of fire, her name in the spotlight. He believed somebody wanted to either steal her data or claim it as their own. Either way, Pippa was caught in the middle of a dangerous game.
Who the hell wanted her dead?
He couldn’t help but feel they were staring down the barrel of a .45. Sure, he could defend them from attack while they drove—he trained extensively in evasive maneuvers, and the unmarked truck had been installed with bulletproof panels. Where he fell short right now was a lack of information.
Ross hated surprises. Ranchers dealt with them on a daily basis. A cow got sick. The market prices for beef fell out. Just because he dealt with surprises didn’t mean he had to like them.
Pippa’s breathing took on the slow, deep rhythm of a heavy sleep. If he was quiet, he could call Josiah. He withdrew his phone and hit a button with his thumb. Corrine’s name immediately flashed on the screen, and he ended the call before she picked up.
He stifled a groan. Stupid big hands wouldn’t work with small phone keyboards.
He got Josiah this time.
“Hey,” he said quietly, slanting a look at Pippa. She slept on without rousing at the sound of his voice.
“You have a bad connection? You sound quiet.”
“I’m trying not to wake Pippa.”
“Gotcha. What do you need? You called at a bad time.”
“Why? What’s going on?” The muscles along his spine tightened.
“One of the ranch hands found a newborn calf dropped in the field.”
“Jesus Christ. How the hell did one get impregnated so late?” They took care to keep their calves born in springtime. Montana winters were no good for calving.
“Who the hell knows. We missed one in the last pregnancy check, I guess.”
“Is it alive?”
“Barely. The ranch hand got it into the saddle with him and wrapped in a blanket. He brought it back and placed her in the barn with heat lamps.”
“Damn. Any sign of the momma?”
“Nope, and it’s too dark to check right now. We’re riding out at daybreak and search the herd for a cow that might be full of milk.”
“It’s not an ideal situation, but at least you found her.” A lost calf cost the ranch enough money to make a difference in their bottom line, and the Wyntons didn’t stay in the ranchin’ business by losing money.
“Yeah, good thing. So what did you need? Because I know you didn’t call about the calf.”
Throwing Pippa another glance to make sure she was still asleep, he said, “Get me a list of all the employees working at MIZR. I want backgrounds on every person including their families.”
“MIZR’s a big company. This is gonna take me some time.”
“Rope Corrine into helping. She’s good at following directions.”
“Okay. I did find something you might find important.”
“What’s that?” The edge to his voice stirred Pippa.
She shifted in the seat, drew the blanket up over her shoulders and slept on.
“I gave you a bad route to follow.”
“Are you fucking serious? I can’t be off course. I know I’m headed west.” Though he had a good sense of direction, he swept the road illuminated by his headlights for road signs.
“Not the wrong route—there’s a storm blowing in from the north.”
“You didn’t check the weather before sending us this way?”
“Give me a little credit, would ya, Ross? Of course I checked. The storm was supposed to blow southeast but some stupid pressure system’s turned it west instead.”
“Great. What am I lookin’ at?”
“Heavy snow.”
“I got chains.”
“Ice.”
“Still covered.”
“High winds.”
“I’ve got enough supplies to keep us going for a few days.”
“You can always go southwest and then turn north.”
“I will if necessary, but I might not get to Seattle in time if we do. Thanks for the head’s up, Josiah.”
“You got it. Anything else?”
“I’ll check in about the calf in the morning. Run those backgrounds for me, will ya?”
“You nag a hell of a lot. Anybody ever tell you that?”
“Yeah,” he said with a quirk of his lips, “you do every damn day.”
After ending the call, Ross looked over at Pippa again. Her head turned enough to see the peace of slumber on her face. Seeing her this way, completely vulnerable...
He twisted his attention to the windshield again. The headlights caught on the first flakes of snow whirling in the wind. They were headed into a storm.