Rescued by the Ranger

by Dixie Lee Brown

  With a black scowl drawing his brows into one, he scooped her into his arms, carried her out the door and up the stairs to her room, leaving Garrett and Luke nothing to do but follow. Jonathan laid her gently on the handmade quilt that covered her bed and rounded on Luke with contempt in his eyes.

  “Well, you Harding boys are living up to your fucking reputation today, aren’t you? First him,” he said, jerking a thumb toward Garrett, “now you. Have you ever given a thought to another human being in your fucking life? Spoiled . . . thoughtless rich kids . . . it’s all about you, isn’t it?”

  Luke threw up his hands and backed away from the fury that radiated from Jonathan as he moved ever closer, but Garrett knew his little brother would only back so far before his training and his natural inclination to defend himself kicked in. Garrett had seen people try to bully Luke before, fooled by his easygoing nature and those damn dimples. That meant Garrett had about ten seconds to restore order before all hell broke loose. Remembering the paper in his hand, he held it up and stepped in front of Luke.

  “Jonathan, I understand how much you care about Aunt Peg, but you’re overreacting. You need to get a grip. Neither of us knew she would respond by fainting, least of all Luke. Let’s make sure she’s okay, and then we need to find Rachel.” Garrett extended the lavender paper toward him and saw him flinch for the first time, as though coming back from somewhere far away.

  His gaze pierced Garrett’s and dropped slowly to the paper before any cognizance appeared in his eyes. “What do you mean—find Rachel?”

  Rustling from the bed behind him seemed to indicate that Aunt Peg was regaining consciousness, and Luke skirted around both of them to reach her side. She’d pushed up on her elbow, so Luke pressed her back down gently and knelt beside the bed.

  “You must be the Aunt Peg my big brother said he’d found. I don’t remember you, but I’m pleased to finally meet you.” Luke took her hand between his.

  Jonathan whirled around, watched the two for a heartbeat, then started toward them. Garrett grabbed his arm, hoping that this confrontation wouldn’t come to blows right here in Aunt Peg’s room. Jonathan stopped, but if the glint of warning he turned on Garrett was any indication, no danger would ever get close enough to touch her if he had anything to say on the matter.

  Couldn’t hold that against the man. Didn’t Garrett feel the same sense of responsibility toward Rachel? “Aunt Peg, I dropped in out of the blue on you day before yesterday, and then Luke blasted in today with no warning. Jonathan was right—I showed no consideration for you, and I’m sorry.” Garrett included Jonathan in his apology and received a curt nod in return.

  “I’m sorry too, Aunt Peg.” Luke added his charismatic smile to the moment as he brought her fingers to his lips.

  Aunt Peg leaned toward him, sliding her fingers free so she could hold his face in her hands as she studied him, a soft smile relaxing her face. “Your mother always said you were a charmer.”

  Garrett again pushed the paper toward Jonathan. “Rachel’s gone. I found this note in her room.”

  “What?” Another gasp from Aunt Peg and a frown from Jonathan made Garrett wish he’d taken this outside the room. On the other hand, she might know something that could help him find Rachel.

  Shit! Was he overstepping his bounds? Without conscious thought, he’d taken on the task of finding her. He’d met her only two days ago. If she wanted to move on . . . who was he to say she was making a mistake? Yet he couldn’t rid himself of the niggling sensation that she hadn’t run solely because of that asshole Jeremy, but rather because Garrett had answered her phone and spoken to the bastard. That’s what had put the dread in Rachel’s eyes—almost as if she was afraid of him.

  That was unacceptable. Hell yes, he’d find her and convince her that she could trust him, and he’d use everybody in this room, and then some, to help him do just that.

  “Okay, Aunt Peg. You can sit up, but let’s take this one step at a time. We don’t want you fainting on us again.” Luke stood as she swung her feet to the floor.

  She focused on Garrett. “How do you know Rachel left?”

  “We were supposed to meet this morning. When she didn’t come, I went to her room. I found this note addressed to all of us.” He motioned to the note clutched in Jonathan’s hand.

  “What does the note say?” Her strained whisper told Garrett she’d just asked a question she didn’t really want the answer to.

  Damn, he wished he didn’t have to be the one to break her heart. He stepped to Luke’s side, took Aunt Peg’s hand in his, and helped her up on unsteady legs. “She said the years she spent here were the happiest of her life. That she considers you all her family. She’d hoped her past would never catch up with her here, but after yesterday, she thinks it might have. If that’s the case, to stay would place you all in danger, and she won’t allow that to happen.”

  Jonathan cleared his throat before he started to read aloud. “I’ll miss you all like crazy. Please don’t try to find me. I can’t come back.” He lowered the hand that held the note and let it fall to the floor.

  Tears shimmered in Aunt Peg’s eyes as she looked up at Garrett. “What happened yesterday?”

  The steadfastness in the woman’s expression told him she wasn’t going to let him off the hook, so he dived in. “Well, there was the trespasser yesterday morning. She didn’t seem that bothered by the incident. But . . . Riley and his two brothers met us out in front of the sheriff’s office, and Riley said something to her that I didn’t catch. Whatever it was, it hit home. I could tell she wasn’t quite the same after that. Then on the way home, she offered to show me the cabin where you and my mother lived when you first came here.” Garrett allowed himself to relive the moment when he kissed her, the feel of her lips on his, and her body trembling under his touch . . . until her phone rang.

  “She got a call that she didn’t answer, but it put that same scared look in her eyes.” Garrett shrugged. “So, when Rachel was in the bathroom, and the phone rang again with the same number on the screen . . . I answered it. It was some guy named Jeremy. He’s evidently been stalking her for God knows how long, and he’s not above issuing threats of violence. Rachel clearly has reason to believe he’ll make good on those threats. She had a meltdown when she saw what I’d done.”

  Aunt Peg’s wistful smile instantly made him feel guilty. “Well, you did invade her privacy, dear. But why wouldn’t she confide in us?” She glanced at Jonathan, then turned to face him. “Did you know anything about this?”

  He straightened and shrugged his massive shoulders. “She told me that someone was looking for her, and that if he ever showed up here she’d have to find a new place to hide. I pressed her for details, but she wouldn’t budge on that. Said I’d be in danger if I stuck my nose in. So I taught her how to use that old revolver she always carried and made up some warning signals that she could use if she was ever in trouble, and that seemed to make her feel safer . . . up to now.”

  “Do either of you know where she might go?” Garrett looked back and forth between them.

  Jonathan shook his head. “Not for the long term, but I don’t think Rachel would leave the area without saying good-bye to Sally Duncan and her daughter, Jen. It’s anyone’s guess how long she’ll be there, but I’m betting she’ll make a stop in Huntington—twenty miles to the north.”

  Garrett nudged Luke’s arm. “I’m taking off as soon as I get my dog from my room.”

  “I’m going with you,” Luke said.

  Jonathan started from the room. “Somebody has to show you city boys how to find the place.”

  Garrett sought Aunt Peg’s chocolate-brown eyes and found the corners of her mouth turned up in a weak smile. With a huff, she pulled her hand from his grasp. “If it’s me you’re worried about—don’t. I’ve been taking care of myself for a while now. Dory is here, as well as two groundskeepers and a river guide. I think even the Taylors will be here most of the day. Besides, I’ve got my old Winc
hester behind the counter.” She wagged her finger at him and Luke. “You just find Rachel and bring her home.”

  Five minutes later, Garrett, with Cowboy by his side, met Luke and Jonathan in the parking area. After some discussion, they decided to take Luke’s rental, a nearly new Chevy Tahoe, which would afford them more room than Garrett’s Jeep. Jonathan rode shotgun with Luke since he supposedly knew a shortcut, and Garrett and Cowboy spread out in the backseat.

  The sun shone brightly, the brilliant blue of the sky tempered by thin wispy clouds. The temperature was already in the seventies with the sunrise only a couple of hours old. The pristine air rolled through the open window Cowboy’s head was stuck through, whipping Garrett’s short hair onto his forehead.

  The Tahoe lurched to the left suddenly, and Cowboy slammed into Garrett’s chest before he caught his balance. Garrett glanced through the windshield at the road up ahead. Actually, road was a fairly optimistic term for the one-lane, overgrown trail they followed, chiseled from the side of a cliff. Luke apparently had the pedal to the floor as they barreled along with a river on their right.

  As his head turned to take in the river, Garrett could see Luke was enjoying himself. Pushing the envelope was what his little brother did best. He thrived on it—just as Garrett had before he was wounded.

  He was glad to see that Luke and Jonathan were talking. Between the engine and the airflow, he couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they both seemed relaxed and amiable. That was good. It would’ve hurt Aunt Peg if there was bad blood between them.

  Damn, he hoped Jonathan was right about Rachel going to see her friend, and that she was still there. If they missed her, he’d likely never see her again. Something clenched in his chest as the possibility took root. What the hell? His concern for the shapely redhead seemed inflated considering he’d known her not quite two days and most of that time they’d spent sniping at each other. Nonetheless, there it was. She’d gotten under his skin, and now he itched for want of her.

  This was a good place. He’d felt more at home here than he had anywhere for a very long time. He could start over here—maybe start a family. That thought immediately brought Rachel back to the forefront. Why he cared was anyone’s guess. So far she’d kicked him out of her bar, told him she despised him and wanted him out of Peg’s life, and then lied to him. She’d never intended to explain who and what Jeremy was to her. Her delaying tactic was just that—until she could get out of town and never have to face him again.

  Garrett wasn’t going to let her out of his sight again until she told him what the hell was going on, even if it meant staying with her 24/7. Except that scenario brought up images of a totally different kind, and the tightening in his groin warned him to think of a safer topic—such as finding her.

  A few minutes later, the vehicle slowed, and Garrett reached to steady Cowboy before he lost his footing again. When he glanced out the front, they were on a paved street surrounded by small, older, well-kept houses. Garrett sat forward in time to hear Jonathan instruct Luke to make a right turn. Another right, then a left, and Luke pulled the Tahoe to the curb beside a yellow two-story home with a big front lawn and a stereotypical white picket fence.

  Jonathan pointed to an older, run-down, concrete-block house across the street. “That’s Sally’s place.”

  No fence. That was good. No trees, either. Not so good. Nothing to hide their approach and keep Rachel from dashing for the back door as soon as she caught sight of them. “Cowboy and I will take the back. Give me two or three minutes. Then knock on the front door.”

  Luke raised one brow. “You think she’ll run?”

  “Hell yeah.” Garrett and Jonathan answered at the same time.

  Garrett released the dog from the right side and slid out behind him. After closing the door silently, he tapped his leg and Cowboy fell in beside him. They moved as one away from the rear of the car until Garrett judged that they’d no longer be seen by anyone who happened to glance from Sally’s windows. He ducked between two homes and came out near an alley one house-length away from Sally’s back door. Crouching low, more from habit than any illusion that he could remain unseen, he raced across the open grass. Cowboy kept stride with him as they ran, circling and sitting when Garrett reached his goal and pressed his back up against the side of the house. Cautiously, he peered around the corner at the back steps leading to a small covered porch and a door.

  It was quiet inside the house. Was anyone even home? They’d know in a minute, because Luke and Jonathan were walking across the street, heading for the front door. A few seconds later, the knock echoed through the entire house, and abruptly Garrett heard muffled voices followed by running footsteps.

  Seconds later, the back door flew open, and Cowboy came to his feet, growling low in his throat. Garrett signaled him to stand down and the dog sat on his haunches, his ears and hackles saying he was still ready to go. Garrett looked around the side again. Clearly ready to bolt, Rachel stood on the porch carrying a small satchel, her pretty red hair an attractive mess, obviously listening to voices that he couldn’t hear. He pulled back as she looked both ways, vaulted the handrail closest to him, and hit the ground running directly for the corner of the house where he hid.

  Cowboy whined at the sound of her hurried approach. Pressed tight to the wall, Garrett waited. As she burst from cover, looking over her right shoulder and away from him, he stepped toward her. Catching her around the middle, he swung her off her feet and up against his body, holding her tightly with both arms. “It’s me, Rach. Take it easy. I just want to talk.”

  She stopped struggling, so he loosened his hold as he set her back on her feet. Mistake number one. She dug her fingernails into his forearm, scratching until she drew blood. As soon as he leaned over her shoulder to grab her hand, she whacked his jaw with the back of her head, hard enough to send him stumbling back a step. He shook his head to clear the stars in time to see her swing that black bag.

  “Wait a minute, Rachel!” Garrett tried to duck, but her shorter height gave her the advantage. She caught him across the side of the head, and there was apparently something heavy and damn hard in her bag. He staggered, lost his balance, and went down.

  She looked surprised for a second before determination steeled her expression. “I told you not to look for me. What didn’t you understand about that?” Shifting her bag onto her shoulder, she turned, and started running down the alley.

  “Well, shit.” Garrett glanced at Cowboy and damned it if didn’t look as if he was laughing. “Okay, already. You were right. Saddle up, Cowboy.”

  The dog took off, his long strides closing the distance to Rachel’s retreating back easily. Garrett stood, brushing the dirt off and taking a moment to stretch the ache from the wound in his back. Then he jogged after the girl and the dog. He’d seriously underestimated Rachel today. Cowboy had his instructions to stop her, but keeping her there would require a whole different set of commands—ones that Garrett would never utter where Rachel was concerned.

  Ahead of him, the dog ran circles around her, making the circle smaller each time. When she finally stopped, keeping a wary eye on the animal, Cowboy dropped to a walk, his tail wagging as he angled toward her. Though she didn’t move, her body, tense and ready, said she was on high alert. Garrett picked up his pace to reach them.

  Rachel looked over her shoulder, obviously noted the diminishing distance between them, and grabbed for her satchel. The next thing he knew, the damn hard object she’d hit him with—a small revolver—was in her hand and she was pointing it at Cowboy.

  “You need to stay where you are, Garrett, and call your dog or . . . I’ll shoot him.”

  “Cowboy, chill.” The dog dropped to the ground, watching Garrett carefully. “This is what it’s come to then? You want to get away from me so bad you’re willing to shoot my dog?”

  She shook her head dejectedly. “That’s not what I want, but I will if I have to.”

  “I don’t believe you, Rach
. That dog’s just following orders. My orders. Shoot me if you want to hurt somebody.” Garrett moved a few steps closer.

  Rachel laughed scornfully. “Did you miss the part where I tried to leave without anybody getting hurt?”

  “No. I get that you’re worried about Peg, Jonathan, and the rest of the people at the lodge, but damn it, Rachel, they love you. They want to understand. They want to help if they can, because that’s what people do when they love someone. They don’t sneak off in the night, leaving their family to wonder what happened.”

  “I can’t—” She lowered the weapon until her hand hung at her side. Her eyes closed for a second, then she sat abruptly amid the grass that bordered the alley.

  Garrett walked up to her and knelt down. Prying the gun from her fingers, he placed it back in her bag and zipped it up. “Yes, you can. I’ll help you.” He tilted her chin up so he could see the sheen of her expressive green eyes. “Give me a chance, Rachel. What have you got to lose?”

  She jerked her chin from his fingers and averted her eyes. “It’s never been about me.”

  “You promised me an explanation, remember? If you can convince me and your friends in there that the best course of action is for you to leave, I’ll help you disappear. Deal?”

  She threw her hands in the air and scowled. “Do I have a choice?”

  He stood and caught sight of Cowboy, waiting patiently. Rachel would never have hurt him. She was simply at the end of her rope. She did, however, deserve a lesson.

  Stepping aside, he motioned for the dog. “Cowboy, kill.”

  Cowboy leaped toward Rachel, wiggling and wagging like a pup, while he covered her face with doggy saliva.

  She squeaked in protest and tried to protect her face with her hands, to no avail. Finally, she gave up and laughed, throwing her arms around Cowboy, and hugged him close. Grudging humor mixed with uncertainty in her eyes, as she tilted her head and looked up at him. “I owe you big-time for this.”