To Love and Protect (Must Love Diamonds 4)

His fingers curled into a fist. Because when he didn’t dream about Shelby, what kept him awake at night was a whole hell of a lot of shit he wouldn’t dump on anyone other than his therapist. And only him because he got paid to listen.

At sixteen, Shelby had looked at

him with a heat in her golden-brown eyes that belied her innocence. Two nights ago, she’d raised that beautiful gaze from his damaged leg to reveal nothing but pity. That look rubbed him raw like wet sand stuck in his boxer briefs with ten miles to go to the rendezvous point after a mission.

The ring of his cell phone jerked him back to the present. Seeing his brother’s name, he winced as he answered the call. “Yeah.”

“What’s up?” Reyes demanded. “You coming or not?”

His tone had an edge of desperation Dev recognized. He’d gone through some shit on deployment a few years ago and was still figuring things out. Great. How the fuck was he supposed to say no when he knew his baby brother needed this trip as much as he probably did?

“Yeah,” he agreed with a soft sigh. “I’ll be over shortly.”

“Good.” Reyes’ usual smile returned to his voice. “Mom baked chocolate chunk cookies this morning. She said we should stop up at the main house to grab some on our way out.”

“Forget the cookies,” Dev stated even as his mouth watered at the thought. No way was he going near the main house today. “We don’t need ‘em.”

“Speak for yourself.”

He clenched his jaw. “Fine. Then go get them before I get there.”

“Whoa. Okay. What’s the big deal?”

He drew in a breath to rein in his frustration. “Nothing. Just be ready to go when I get there.” Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and grabbed his stuff by the door to load into his truck.

On the drive over, the roads were slick from a couple inches of snow the night before, though the mid-morning sun had started the melting process in areas not shaded by trees.

Dev made the turn that would take him to the Diamond estate, his pulse picking up a bit as he got closer. All he had to do was drive to the stables to get Rey and drive back out again. If he did see Shelby, at most it would be a glimpse from a distance. No big deal. They were probably eating brunch already anyway.

He blew out a breath and eased his grip on the wheel as he headed around the final turn before their driveway. As soon as he rounded the curve, the sight of a small, white SUV sticking up at an angle from the low ditch on the opposite side of the road made him brake. Flipping on his hazards, he checked to make sure the road was clear before pulling over by the vehicle.

There were no footprints outside the SUV, and the driver was still inside and appeared to be moving around, so he guessed the accident had just happened. Noting the steep angle of the ditch, he grabbed his cane while opening the door so he could go check if everyone was okay.

He was almost to the vehicle when the sight of familiar long, dark, Diamond hair made his pulse skip. He cursed under his breath as Shelby turned her head and her frightened gaze met his through the window.

Relief flashed across her features, then her expression shuttered as she ducked her head while opening the door.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” Frustration rang in her voice. “I was just about to call up to the house.”

When she got out of the SUV, Dev raked his gaze down the length of her body. He noted a pair of boots that were definitely not made for winter, then skimmed back up again to complete his swift assessment that was second nature after twelve years in the military, nine in the Special Forces.

No visible sign of blood or other injuries. She appeared rattled, but also fully alert.

He leaned a little closer to get a better look at her eyes, but she pulled back.

“Did you hit your head or anything?”

“No. Just kinda slid down in here.”

He recalled the flash of fear when he’d first shown up. Had he misread that, or was she afraid of him?

That possibility brought a frown as he glanced back at the road. It deepened when he saw the whole section of road was bathed in sunlight, and the plowed asphalt was completely clear of any snow. “What happened?”

“I don’t really know. The steering wheel suddenly locked up on me, and I couldn’t make the curve.”

Dev turned back at the mixture of anxiety and confusion in her voice. “What do you mean it locked up?”