He was clean cut. He spoke well. He obviously was the take-charge type. He kept mentioning his housekeeper, as if he was taking Addie to a civilized, respectable home. He’d helped her at the hotel, so maybe she could trust him. Not that she could leap out of the SUV, anyway. Her door wouldn’t open. She supposed she could lower the window and try to crawl out. If she could move, which felt impossible.
If she succeeded, she might kill herself falling onto the highway. More likely he’d stop the vehicle and haul her butt inside. There’d be an undignified physical struggle. She’d been in his strong arms twice already. Each time, she’d felt a physical thrill despite how sick she was. If they started wrestling over her trying to escape, he might lose control. The idea was far too enticing. If she’d felt better, she might have risked it. He was hot. Too bad she felt so lousy.
Her mind was wandering, too. Who thinks about a stranger’s hotness when he might be a serial killer? Or an opportunistic rapist, not the decent sort he presented as? A decent but high-handed and annoying control freak. What could she do? She was already his captive. She’d fight him, of course.
She was so dizzy. Rest for now. Be ready to fight if the need arose. She was in a terrible jam, but if she stayed cool, she’d find her opportunity. She hoped.
First, she must recover. She’d never, ever take an allergy medicine again. She’d bear with sneezing and congestion and runny eyes from now on.
***
Baron spared a glance from the road and saw his stowaway was asleep again. She was under the influence of a very strong drug. He was doing the right thing taking her to where she could be cared for. Miss Betty was a motherly type and she was a trained nurse. She would look after Addie Smith.
He turned his gaze back to the highway. He’d lied a little to his unwilling guest. He could take a crossing road in a few miles that would lead to a town eventually, although it had almost nothing, just a gas station and a couple of stores. Once they were at his ranch, he could easily fly her back to Jackson Hole if she needed serious medical attention. He was doing the right thing.
Miss Betty had urged him to find a new girlfriend who was nice. Instead, he was bringing back a feisty dish who had a drug problem. But there was something about her…
***
Addie opened her eyes when the SUV jolted.
“Just the cattle guard. We’re on the ranch road,” his voice came from next to her.
She sat up and stretched a little. “Oh, my. I thought I’d dreamed this craziness.”
“Nope. You’re in the real world.”
She cocked her head at him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Do you make a habit of abducting strange women?”
A sneaky grin played around his mouth, but his answer was deadpan. “Do it all the time.”
“I hope not. A felony conviction would lose you your right to vote or to carry that Smith & Wesson.”
He glanced at the weapon in the door pocket. “I keep it in the car in case of vermin. More discreet than racking a shotgun when I’m not on my own property.”
He pointed ahead. “The ranch house will come into sight in a minute, over this rise.”
Where he’d indicated, the land took a small dip, and then rose. Mostly the land was flat, but white-capped mountains were pale lavender at the horizon. This ranch was a long way from anywhere.
Her so-called host had an odd sense of distance. It was at least a mile before they went up the rise, and another mile beyond that when the ranch house came into view. Baron Selkirk had a large spread, much, much bigger than hers. Maybe that’s why he was a baron. A highhanded man used to being in charge.
It was a real ranch. Thank god. A well-kept and large ranch house dominated a group of buildings that included a barn and outbuildings. Maybe he wasn’t a serial killer after all. He might still be a creep, though he seemed like a decent enough guy—although a domineering and stubborn type. Instead of fighting for her life, she could concentrate on fighting for her personal freedom. She couldn’t let some strange man, hot as he was, abduct her.
She must call her ranch manager and tell him where she was, or he’d soon be contacting the state police to initiate a search.
Baron pulled the SUV in front of the main house and honked the horn. He got out and came around the SUV to let Addie out. She’d already taken off her seatbelt, but he stopped her attempt to hop down. He lifted her bodily out of the seat, and held her in his arms.
Pleasurable sensations washed over her. His arms were so strong. His chest was large and hard, yet somehow comfortable. Her body automatically relaxed against his, as if she was meant to be held so closely by this man.
“Put me down. I can walk,” she said, fighting the urge to nestle.
“What’s the matter, boss?” A middle-aged woman wearing an apron called anxiously from the large front porch. “Who’s that?”
“Put me down,” Addie repeated, louder.
“Put your arms around me and enjoy the free ride,” he replied. He turned to the housekeeper with Addie firmly in his embrace. “Got a visitor, Miss Betty.” He carried Addie up the steps with no visible effort. His breathing didn’t even change.
Addie’s did. What man had ever carried her like this? Effortlessly, confidently, as if she belonged in his arms? She had to get hold of herself. Baron’s manly display of strength could not be allowed to turn her into mush, although she was afraid that’s exactly what had happened. She tingled all over with feminine delight.
“Is she sick?” Miss Betty asked.
“No,” Baron replied.
“Yes,” Addie said.
Miss Betty put her hands on her hips and said, “Well, you two better make up your minds.”
“I’ll put her in the blue guest room. That okay with you?”
“Sure, boss.”
“What if it’s not okay with me?” Addie asked.
Miss Betty opened the screen door. “Come on inside. No need to wrangle where the cattle can hear y’all.”
Baron carried Addie through the porch and into a large entrance hall. He headed for the staircase.
“I can walk,” Addie said. “Let me down.”
“Considering the trouble you have walking, why risk falling down the stairs?”
“I won’t fall. I’m all right now.”
“Let’s not test that out.”
As they argued, he carried her up the steps, again without showing any visible strain. Addie had never met a man so determined to treat her like a fragile flower. That and the warmth of his body holding hers were insidiously appealing. She must resist. They finally reached a large guest bedroom with blue paint on the walls.
Baron set her down on the queen-sized bed, settling her head on the pillow. “Lie down,” he ordered.
Addie sat up immediately. As she did, the dizziness returned. “Ohhh.” She put her hand to her forehead.
“You’re still under the influence. You need to rest and get it out of your system.” He turned to Miss Betty, who had followed them and was now standing by the door. “Would you check her out?”
“What’s wrong with her, boss?”
“Drugs.”
“No, that’s not true,” Addie protested. She tried to remain upright, to prove she was all right, but her head was spinning.
“Looks like you’re feelin’ dizzy,” Miss Betty said.
“I don’t know what drug she took, but she could hardly stand up when I first encountered her. She slept in the SUV for hours,” Baron told the housekeeper.
Miss Betty advanced to the bed and laid the surprisingly soft back of her hand on Addie’s forehead. “No fever. How do you feel, miss?”
Addie roused herself enough to glare at Baron. “I’ll answer, but not with this—this kidnapper listening.”
Miss Betty turned to Baron. “Shoo. We’re gonna talk women talk. You go wrestle cattle, or somethin’.”
To Addie’s surprise, Baron yielded with a good grace. “Yes, ma’am. You take good care of her.” He
shot a meaningful glance at Addie. “Rest and recover.”
After he’d closed the bedroom door behind him, Miss Betty turned back to Addie.
“I’m Betty Strauss.”
“Addie. Addie Smith. Or Jones. Or whatever.”
Miss Betty nodded. “Got it. What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m woozy. It comes and goes,” Addie said.
“I was a nurse’s aide ten years. Come clean with me. You on drugs?”
“I took just one pill, a prescription twenty-four hour allergy medicine, after my regular sinus pill didn’t work,” Addie said. She named the medication. “Big mistake.”
Miss Betty asked her more questions, then took her pulse. “Normal,” she said. She also grabbed a thermometer from the bathroom medicine cabinet and took Addie’s temperature. “Normal.” The older women clicked her tongue in disapproval. “When you first felt bad, you should have called your doctor or the pharmacy.”
“I didn’t think about that.” Addie leaned back on the pillow. “I’m sleepy and dizzy.”
Miss Betty went to the bureau and opened a drawer. She pulled out a nightgown. “Let me help you to the bathroom. Then you should do as the boss says and rest.”
“I can walk. I don’t need help.” Addie stood up unaided. She wavered as the dizziness returned. “Oh.”
Miss Betty put a strong arm around her. “Now, don’t fall on me, child, or we’ll have to call Baron to get you to the bathroom.”
“Is he always so take charge?”
“It’s been growin’. Lean on me.”
With slow and careful motions, they got Addie to the bathroom, where she freshened up and changed into the nightgown. Then it was back to the bed with Miss Betty’s aid. The older woman had turned down the covers for her.
Addie lay under a thin blue quilt, worn out from walking only a few feet. She watched Miss Betty draw the shades and collect the clothes from the bathroom.
“I’ll wash your things, but we got plenty extras you can use. They’re in the bureau and that closet.” The older woman indicated a door Addie hadn’t noticed previously.
“Thank you.” Addie hesitated, but it had to be said. “Please check on me from time to time. I should have gone to the emergency room when this started happening.”
“You feelin’ worse than before?” The old lady’s face showed concern.
“No, but the dizziness scares me. So does being stuck in the middle of nowhere,” Addie said, exhaustion in her voice and in every pore of her body.
“Now, don’t you worry. This ranch is isolated, but we can fly you to a hospital in jig time.”
Addie shuddered. “I hope it won’t come to that.”
“Sleep now. I’ll check on you,” Miss Betty said as she left the bedroom door slightly ajar.
Addie knew she should be more upset about Baron’s highhanded behavior, but she felt so tired. She slept.
***
Miss Betty cornered Baron in the kitchen, where he was helping himself to peanut butter and jelly. She slapped his fingers.
“’Tain’t enough to hold you. I’ll make you a sandwich.”
She busied herself pulling out meat and fixings. “Did you really abduct that girl?”
He leaned back in the kitchen chair. He let out a long breath. “Not exactly. Maybe.”
“Which is it?” came the sharp retort.
He took a napkin from the stack of checkered cloths in the center of the table. Then he poured himself lemonade from the pitcher he’d pulled from the refrigerator.
“Well?”
“She’d stowed away in the back of the SUV. I didn’t know she was there. She woke up when I was only a half-hour from here.”
“Bein’ a decent man, you didn’t leave her there in the middle of nowhere,” Miss Betty said.
“It wasn’t as if she could wait on the next corner for a bus.”
Miss Betty snorted. “No buses anywhere near.” She presented him with a large sandwich on homemade whole-wheat bread. “Why didn’t you turn around and take her back to Jackson Hole?”
“She needs protection,” he replied.
“From what?”
“From herself, most likely. Maybe from some man.”
Miss Betty took a glass from a cabinet and sat down opposite him at the table. She poured herself lemonade. “You’re actin’ like she’s your relative and you have a responsibility to look after her.”
“Guess I am. It comes natural to me.”
“Don’t think so.” She snorted. “You took one look at her and thought ‘mine.’”
“She looked lost.” Baron frowned at the sandwich. “She’s taken some drug and maybe she’ll sleep it off. If she’s seriously ill, I’m ready to fly her to a hospital.”
“Her pulse was normal. No fever. She’s breathin’ okay, but I’ll check on her. It don’t pay to take chances. Do you know her real name?”
“No.”
“She had a wallet in her pants pocket, but she took it to bed with her. I wouldn’t feel right sneakin’ a peek unless she got a lot sicker,” Miss Betty said.
“There might be somebody worried about her by now.”
Miss Betty said, “Lots of young women live alone. Maybe not.”
Baron squelched a selfish wish that Addie did indeed live all by herself. “She doesn’t wear a wedding ring,” he said.
Miss Betty shot him a dark look. “You checked, did you? Don’t you take any liberties.”
“No, ma’am,” he said.
Miss Betty’s voice was stern. “I mean it. You’ve practically kidnapped this girl, even if she is ill. Don’t you go abusin’ the situation.”
He said, “I’m not that kind of man. Although I admit Addie brings out a strong protective streak in me.”
“Protective streak? That’s what they call it these days?” She cackled, then rose and took his empty plate to the sink. “Now go about your business. I’ll take good care of the girl.”
Baron unwillingly stood up and grabbed his hat. He cast a longing look in the direction of the guest room.
“Shoo, boy. Get outta my kitchen.”
Chapter 3
Addie woke in the night, finally alert. She remembered Miss Betty taking her temperature and pulse a few times. The housekeeper had left a thermos of cool water, but Addie was hungry. During one of her visits, Miss Betty turned the light on in the bathroom, so Addie wasn’t lost in the dark.
She stretched and then tested her strength by getting up and heading for the bathroom. No dizziness.
Back in the bedroom, she turned on a light, and sat cross-legged on the bedcovers to take stock of her situation. She was nominally a captive of a rancher named Baron Selkirk, whose spread was large enough to encompass miles just along the entry drive. His housekeeper exuded respectability. Of course, he could be a kinky rich man whose wealth allowed him to get away with murder, but Addie didn’t think so.
Getting back to Jackson Hole might be difficult. Baron thought she was some kind of drug addict. What a joke. The pill she took hit her so hard because she didn’t take prescription medicines and had no resistance built up. Never again.
For now, she was stuck. If she understood the direction they’d gone, they were somewhere in the southwestern part of Wyoming. She didn’t know the state’s geography well. She’d only lived in Wyoming for two years. It wasn’t as big a state as California, but it was sparsely populated. She’d need Baron’s cooperation to get back to Jackson Hole.
Caz’s trial started in two days. According to his lawyer, her testimony would likely be needed on the third day, once a jury had been selected. Even getting together a jury took time. So she had at most a week, counting the weekend, to get back home.
She was hungry, and it was probably the middle of the night. She should call her ranch manager, Trudy, and tell him what happened.
This guest bedroom did not have a clock. She had her wallet, but where was her cell phone? In Baron’s SUV?
She vaguely remembered M
iss Betty promising to wash her clothes. Not that the jeans needed washing, but she had not been in a fit state earlier today—or was it already yesterday?—to protest. A robe was spread on a chair. She put it on and softly opened her bedroom door, ready to investigate her temporary abode.
A few dim lights were on downstairs, possibly for her sake. She found her way to the kitchen. A large wall clock showed it was past two a.m.
A wrapped plate of cookies sat on the kitchen counter. She brought the plate to the table, and opened the refrigerator. A large pitcher held iced tea. Perfect.
She was seated at the kitchen table, munching cookies, when Baron ambled in.
“Are you feeling better?”
He was in sweatpants and a loose white t-shirt, but barefoot. His hair was tousled, as if he’d been in bed.
“Sorry I woke you. I was hungry,” she said.
“Miss Betty told me she was leaving you some cookies.”
“Why do you call her Miss Betty?”
He shrugged. “It’s an old-fashioned southern form of respectful address. Seems to fit.”
“Is she your only employee?”
“In the house? Yes. I’ve got a ranch manager. We have a couple dozen full-timers, and during roundup we have extra workers. They live over the next hill, in their own compound.”
“So they’ll be trooping in here at dawn to be fed?”
He shook his head. “No, we’ve got a separate mess hall and a cook. He lives with the ranch hands.”
“This is a big operation, then.”
He nodded. “What I’ve described is only part of it.”
“How do I get home?”
“First, you have to be ready.”
“I’m fine now. That sinus medicine I took knocked me for a loop, but the weird side effects have worn off.”
He shook his head, clearly disbelieving. “Sinus medicine. That’s a funny name for an illegal drug that made you loopy.”
She frowned. “My doctor gave me a prescription medication. Maybe it combined with the over-the-counter pill I took a few hours before.”
Captive of the Cattle Baron (Selkirk Family Ranch Book 1) Page 3