Rescued by the Colton Cowboy

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Minutes later, Soledad passed a stone wall that bordered a small garden. She picked up her pace until she reached a large barn. There was a farmhouse a short distance away, but not a single light shone through the windows. From what she could tell in the darkness, the outside of the barn was weathered, reminding her of the old tobacco outbuildings found in the Carolinas. It was rustic and aged, and looked aptly dry.

  This will work, Soledad thought. At least until someone found them there. She only hoped whoever that might be would be a friend, and definitely not Gavin. Worst-case scenario, she mused, they would call the police and have her arrested. Best case, she’d be able to get a few minutes of rest so that she could think about what to do next.

  Soledad eased the barn door open and slipped inside. Toward the rear of the structure, a single bulb burned from the ceiling, emitting just enough light to hold the darkness at bay. Bales of hay lined one wall, facing four empty stalls. A large black horse stood in the fifth stall, seeming to eye her warily.

  “Sorry to be trespassing,” Soledad muttered. “But it’s an emergency.” She wanted to reach out a hand to stroke the horse’s neck, but she didn’t know the animal and it didn’t know her. She also sensed that it might not be well.

  She felt like she’d struck gold when she discovered a wooden cabinet filled with blankets, thick and heavy wool coverings to wrap herself and the baby in. She took off her rain jacket and flung one around her shoulders. The baby was still sleeping as if there were nothing in the world for her to worry over, and Soledad was grateful for that small blessing. Preparing a makeshift pallet, she laid Lyra down, ensuring the child wouldn’t roll away and hurt herself. She searched the diaper bag and found clean clothes and diapers, as well as a copy of the little girl’s birth certificate and other documents Annie had labeled important, and a stack of unopened mail.

  Soledad could have kicked herself for not grabbing her cell phone and purse, both now lost in the wreckage of her car. Not that there was anyone she would call under the circumstances. No one she dared put at risk. She’d been thinking about the police, but something told her there was nothing they could do to protect her and Lyra from Gavin. He was intent on doing them harm, and while the law investigated his crimes, he’d be committing just as many more. She wasn’t interested in being a casualty of his transgressions. She was safer, she thought, figuring out her next moves on her own, hidden away where Gavin couldn’t find her.

  But in that moment, she truly wasn’t sure she could think straight. The adrenaline that had been fueling her steps had dissipated like air from a popped balloon. She could feel her body beginning to fail her, her eyes wanting to close, sleep anxious to claim her. Her legs had begun to tighten, the muscles fatigued. Her feet hurt; the canvas-bottomed sneakers were not the best running shoes. It was becoming harder to focus and her head hurt, pain throbbing like a drum line behind her eyes.

  Soledad leaned back against the bale of hay and pulled at the blanket covering her. Then she saw the blood that saturated her T-shirt and realized for the first time that she’d been shot. She gasped as sanguine fluid gushed over her fingers. That adrenaline had kept the pain at bay, but suddenly it hurt like hell, bringing tears to her eyes. Rising, Soledad went back to the cabinet to grab a roll of gray duct tape from inside it. Back behind the hay bale, she took one of the clean diapers and pressed it tight against the wound. To keep the pressure on, she tightly wrapped the tape around the diaper pressed to her waist and a second against her back where the bullet had made its exit.

  Soledad suddenly wanted to cry. Her entire body felt like she’d been hit by a bus and her heart was shredded over the loss of Annie. She patted the baby against her back as she struggled not to sob. She wanted to scream and pull her hair, but she couldn’t. She could hear Annie in her ear, reminding her that she had more important things to consider and her pity party would have to wait for another day.

  Things weren’t looking good and she needed to get herself and Lyra out of the mess she’d dropped into. Trespassing on private property wasn’t going to help her situation and keeping Lyra safe would take more than running from the problems she was facing. She needed a plan, but one wasn’t coming easily through her fatigue. With a heavy sigh, she pulled the blanket up and around her shoulders. Leaning her head close to Lyra’s tiny body, Soledad closed her eyes.

  * * *

  Jack pawed at Palmer’s leg. He ran in a small circle beside the bed, his exuberance at an all-time high for the late hour. It was close to three o’clock in the morning and not like the animal to be wide-awake and so perky. Palmer opened one eye to stare at the dog. Jack barked and jumped up to paw at him a second time.

  “What, Jack? Go to sleep. It’s late.” He rolled onto his side, his back to the dog.

  Jack barked again and ran to the door.

  Palmer sighed and rolled to the other side of the bed. He threw his body upward and swung his legs off the side of the mattress. “You’ve been out all night, Jack. You were acting strange then. What’s going on with you, dog?”

  Moving down the hall to the front foyer, Palmer slid on his boots. He swung open the front door and took a look out into the dark night. Outside felt like it had dropped another ten degrees, the temperatures clearly out of sync for the time of year. He reached for a jacket and slipped it on. Instinctively, Palmer knew something was amiss as Jack barreled toward the barn, his determination to get inside warning that something wasn’t right. Palmer moved down the short flight of steps and followed Jack, suddenly worried that something might be wrong with Pharaoh.

  Opening the large doors and stepping inside, Palmer paused to listen, his eyes skating back and forth across the space. Jack sniffed the floor, his tail wagging excitedly, and that was when Palmer noticed the dark spots that trailed across the barn floor. He knelt to take a closer look and saw that it looked like fresh blood. Jack rushed to the back side of the hay bales, but Pharaoh wasn’t making a sound, his hindquarters frozen as if he were ready to lurch at something.

  Palmer slowly eased toward a corner cabinet and the rifle he kept stashed there for emergencies. He pulled the weapon from inside and slid the bolt back to ensure there was still a round in the chamber. If it were an animal bleeding out, it might feel threatened and attack, so he wasn’t going to take any chances. But Jack had taken a seat, seeming unnerved by whatever it was he was staring at.

  Easing behind the dog, the barrel of his rifle lifted just in case, Palmer peered around the side of the haystack. His eyes widened in surprise as he was filled with shock and blinked to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Recognition hit him like a sledgehammer slammed against concrete. Palmer knew the woman huddled in the corner of his barn. He knew her and her family. Jack suddenly barked and lunged forward, waking Soledad de la Vega—who was for some reason slumbering peacefully in his barn.

  * * *

  Soledad’s eyes shot open, startled from the beginnings of a deep sleep. The dog from earlier was licking her face and sniffing at the wound on her side. He jostled against her, his exuberance palpable, before shifting his attention to Lyra, who’d started to whimper softly.

  Instinctively, Soledad pushed to her knees, shooed the animal back and slid her body between the two. The gesture was protective as she threw her arm across the baby’s body. Her eyes rose to the handsome man who was staring at her. Shock and awe painted his expression, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.

  Soledad was still groggy as she assessed the man and the way he was staring at her. She’d been praying for someone to find them, and now that someone had, she wasn’t sure it was a good thing. She realized he might call the police, and she found herself questioning if that was really a good idea.

  “You’re bleeding,” he suddenly said.

  She nodded. “I’ve been shot.”

  The man took a step forward, his brow furrowing with concern. “Shot?”

  “And my best friend was
killed,” Soledad continued. Her story came quickly. She talked softly and fast, her words emanating from a deep breath that she seemed to be holding in her lungs. They surged like a tidal wave hitting a shoreline, spewing into the late-night air with a vengeance. And when she finished, tears had begun to rain from her eyes, falling against her cheeks. Catching herself, Soledad wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “We need to call the police,” he said.

  Soledad shook her head vehemently. “Please, don’t. Don’t call the police. I’m begging you!”

  “You can’t just bleed out in my barn,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “I could call for a doctor.”

  “It’s a flesh wound. I’ll be fine.”

  “How do you know that? Do you get shot often?” Palmer questioned, a hint of snark in his tone.

  “I just know,” she replied, not amused. “And you can’t call the law. Not until I’ve figured out what I’m going to do—please!” Soledad pleaded. “Because if her father finds us, he will kill me, and I don’t know what will happen to Annie’s baby. Please.”

  Soledad lifted Lyra into her arms and hugged the now awakened little girl close. The baby stared up at Soledad and then in the direction of the man. Her attention dropped to the dog, who was gently nuzzling her little foot. She suddenly laughed, stretching her fingers toward the animal who licked them eagerly.

  “Her name’s Lyra,” Soledad said as she rose. “And I’m Soledad. Soledad de la Vega.”

  “I know,” the man responded. “I’m Palmer. Palmer Colton.” He gestured at the dog. “And that’s Jack.”

  Soledad’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Colton? Are you related to Stanton Colton?”

  “He’s my cousin. Our fathers are brothers. He’s engaged to your sister.”

  “Dominique, my twin,” she said with a nod of her head.

  “We were both at their engagement party last week. You probably don’t remember me.”

  Soledad’s eyes skated from side to side as she thought back to that party, remembering her sister’s joy. It had been a good time.

  Recall suddenly came swiftly and she nodded again. “I do remember you,” she said, looking up to meet Palmer’s stare. He’d been the most handsome man in a room full of good-looking men. His silk suit had fit him well, despite his apparent dislike of the necktie that he’d kept pulling at awkwardly. There had been a failing effort to tame his tousled blond hair and she’d thought the barest hint of a beard had been sexy as hell. He’d been kind, and polite, and very much a gentleman. The kind of man grandmothers adored and mothers wanted you to marry.

  He’d had an intensity about him that had made him quite popular with many of the women. Every single female hedging her bets for a husband had chased him, but it had been obvious to anyone paying an ounce of attention that he wasn’t interested in being caught. And Soledad had been paying attention.

  She thought back to how she had caught him watching her intently but hadn’t made any effort to speak to her. The intensity in his emerald green eyes had been heated. They’d crossed paths a few times that night, but had ignored each other, barely bothering to exchange warm hellos. The little conversation they had shared had been casually polite at best. Each pretending not to notice the other, despite eyeing one another keenly. Heat suddenly flushed her face and warmed her cheeks.

  “We need to move you to the house,” Palmer said, changing the subject. “I should check out that wound and get you bandaged up properly.”

  “But you won’t call the police, right? If you do, I’ll have to leave.” There was a hint of attitude in her tone. Just enough to let him know that she meant what she said—that she would not be moved from her decision.

  Palmer stared at her, seemingly contemplating how he would make that call without her knowing. How the smart thing for them both to do would be to involve law enforcement if someone was truly intent on harming her. She had been shot, for goodness’ sake.

  He shook his head. “I won’t tell them you’re here,” he finally said, “but we need to report the accident so they can at least find your friend’s body and start investigating the case.”

  Soledad took a deep breath. She was just about to respond when they heard a car rumble up the length of road that led to the house.

  “Are you expecting someone?” Soledad asked.

  “No,” Palmer answered. “Not at this time of night.”

  Soledad took a step back, moving into the shadows, out of sight.

  “Stay here,” Palmer said. “I’ll see who it is.”

  Soledad nodded and cradled the gurgling baby closer. As Palmer moved to the door, Jack on his heels, she called after him.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you,” she whispered loudly. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 3

  Palmer peeked out the barn door, watching a man standing outside a black SUV and looking toward the house. He appeared disheveled, as if he’d been run over by a bus. His hands rested on his hips and he was leaning to one side as if his knee or leg hurt.

  The man closed his suit jacket, trying to neaten his clothes. Even though it was pitch-black out, save the glow of lights from the house, he pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and put them on his face. He was heading for the home’s front porch when Palmer exited the barn, still holding tight to his rifle.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, eyeing the man suspiciously.

  “My apology for the intrusion, Mr....?”

  Palmer didn’t bother to acknowledge the question. “This is private property. So I’ll ask again—can I help you?”

  The intruder bristled, posturing ever so slightly. He reached into his breast pocket and flashed what appeared to be an ID card in Palmer’s direction. In the dark, the gesture was more for show than anything else. Palmer dismissed it as he continued, “My name is Detective Gavin Stone. I’m with the Grave Gulch Police Department. We’re looking for a murder suspect. A woman named Soledad de la Vega. We believe she’s here in the area and she may have an infant with her.”

  Palmer recoiled. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to know that this was the man Soledad was running from. Him saying her name as he clearly lied had Palmer suddenly on edge. His posture stiffened and he tightened his grip on the rifle. “It’s kind of late to be going door to door searching for someone, isn’t it?”

  Gavin took a deep breath. “We had a tip that she was seen in the neighborhood and we wanted people to be aware that she is armed and dangerous. Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of private homes out this far, so I won’t be disturbing too many people at this hour.”

  “Who’d this woman kill?” Palmer questioned.

  Gavin’s gaze narrowed. He shook his head. “I’m not at liberty to say. Have you seen anyone strange in the area tonight?”

  Palmer shook his head. “Just you. There’s been no woman here. If there had been, either I or one of the men who works for me would have seen her. We don’t usually get a lot of random strangers out this way.”

  “Are you usually up at this late hour?” Gavin eyed him curiously.

  “No. One of my horses is ailing. I came out to check on him.”

  “There in your barn?” Gavin asked, taking a step in that direction.

  Palmer took his own step, blocking the man’s way. “Detective Stone, is it?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “I haven’t seen anyone wandering out here on my property. And definitely not a woman with a baby. But if I do, I will reach out to the police department.” But it was more likely he’d call one of his family members at the GGPD to check out Gavin Stone, Palmer thought to himself.

  “I’ll need to search your barn. In case she may be hiding there.” Gavin’s pronouncement came with such conviction that Palmer felt himself bristle with indignation. His muscles tensed and his grip tightened around the rifle.
>
  A pregnant pause rose full and thick between them. Unspoken words danced harshly through the late-night air. Both men clearly had things they wanted to say, but neither spoke, waiting to see who would jump first. Palmer suddenly stepped aside and gestured with his free hand. He had learned early in life that the best defense was a good offense, so he was willing to call the man’s bluff, knowing he’d never get past his guard dog.

  “Help yourself.”

  Gavin made it as far as the barn door. Jack sat in the entrance, and as Gavin approached, the dog snarled and then snapped.

  “Nice doggy!” Gavin said, extending a nervous hand.

  Jack growled a second time, his bark threatening.

  “He doesn’t do well with strangers,” Palmer said. “So, like I told you, it’s doubtful any woman with a baby is hiding out anywhere around here.”

  Gavin took two steps back. He gave Jack one last look and headed slowly toward his SUV.

  “If I see this woman, I’ll be sure to dial 9-1-1 and get the Grave Gulch police right on out here,” Palmer said, working to keep his expression stoic.

  Gavin nodded. “I appreciate your time,” he said as he slid back into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He reversed onto the grass, then pulled forward to head back in the direction from which he’d come. As he pulled off, there was no missing the damage to the front end of his vehicle.

  Palmer stood watching until the stranger was out of sight, his taillights disappearing in the distance. A good few minutes passed before he moved. Whoever that man was, he wasn’t with the Grave Gulch Police Department. With so much of Palmer’s family in law enforcement, there wasn’t an officer with the department that he didn’t know personally—and there was certainly no Detective Stone. The stranger had lied too easily. Obviously focused on finding Soledad, his intentions had clearly not been in her best interest, just like Soledad had told him.

  When Palmer had first laid eyes on her, there had been sheer terror on her face. She’d been petrified and her fear had gleamed from her eyes in a way that tugged at his heartstrings. Despite the story she had told him, he couldn’t begin to imagine everything she and her friend had gone through. But he was determined that she would not have to endure any more hurt if he had anything to do with it. He’d initially seen her plea to not involve the police as irrational. And, realistically, it was. But he now had better understanding and her request was making far more sense to him. He blew a loud sigh and turned back toward the barn.