Chandler cursed. “Okay. Let’s go out and find out who the hell she ran into in town.”
They questioned every one of the ranch hands in the yard, leaving instructions for them to question everyone else. “One of the trucks is gone. I want to know who the hell is missing. Call my cell phone as soon as you find out. I want to get to the post office before they close.”
Chandler scrubbed a hand over his face. “Where the fuck can she be? She never would have left Angie for so long. Why the hell didn’t she call us?”
Hayden was already headed for one of the ranch trucks. All of them had the keys over the visor making it easy for anyone to use any one of them whenever they needed to. He wondered if he would come to regret that. His hands shook as he stuck the key in the ignition and took off toward town. “She’s in trouble, Chandler. You know it as well as I do.”
Chandler nodded grimly. “Someone took her. But who? The senator wouldn’t dirty his hands personally, would he?”
Hayden clenched his jaw. “I doubt it.”
Chandler hit the dashboard. “Damn it, where the fuck is she?”
Searching the sides of the road, Hayden tightened his hands on the wheel. “I don’t know. Look out for her.”
Chandler searched the landscape as they drove. “If someone did take her, we’ll have to assume it was a professional.”
Hayden had been thinking the same thing but hadn’t wanted to voice it. “And whoever it is has someone from the ranch in their pocket.”
“Fuck” Chandler pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call Bill. We can trust our foreman. Agreed?”
“Agreed. Bill would never do something like this. Call Jeb, too. Tell him to keep Martha there and to lock the house up tight. No one in or out until we get back.”
Hayden pulled up to the post office and slammed on his brakes. God, he didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to Lizzy. Racing inside with Chandler on his heels, he prayed like never before.
* * * *
Elizabeth woke gradually, feeling slightly nauseous, some instinct warning her to be quiet and still.
“Shut up and keep digging.”
The unfamiliar voice brought everything back in a rush.
Carefully opening one eye, she saw the ranch hand digging a hole while another man held a gun on him.
The ranch hand wiped the back of his hand over his forehead. “You didn’t say anything about hurting anyone. You said the senator just wanted his granddaughter back.”
“Shut up. You told me the kid was always with her. You’re a fucking loser. Now dig the damned hole. I’ve got to get rid of her before I can do anything else.”
“You’re really gonna kill her?”
“Of course I’m going to kill her! What did you think, I’d just let her go? Hurry up. I’ve still got to get the kid and the envelope she had.” The man with the gun had obviously tried to blend in, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but he had a city look about him.
Terrified for herself and Angie, Elizabeth looked around, relieved to see that she knew where she was. On the other side of the ridge lay a pond Hayden and Chandler used for fishing. When the man with the gun turned in her direction, Elizabeth hurriedly closed her eyes, pretending to still be unconscious. God, what had he given her? Her head spun dizzily as the sun nearly blinded her.
They’d left her in the passenger seat, leaning against the window. Opening her eyes to mere slits, she looked out again to see the man with the gun had looked away again, yelling at the ranch hand to hurry up.
She had to get out of here before they finished digging her grave. Turning her head slightly, she glanced at the ignition, her fear growing to find the keys gone. She had no idea how much longer they’d be, but when the ranch hand jumped down in the hole to finish digging, she knew she had to be running out of time.
She’d never be able to outrun them on foot, but she knew several hiding places. She’d used them more than once when she used to come out to spy on Hayden and Chandler as they fished.
Hayden and Chandler.
Oh God, they’d be worried sick. The thought of never seeing them again, never holding Angie again, never again being able to be with her parents again…
No, she couldn’t think about that now. She had to concentrate on nothing more than escaping. Hayden and Chandler would know by now that something was wrong and they’d do everything in their power to keep Angie safe.
Impulsively, she reached over and pulled the visor down, tears of relief blurring her vision when the key fell to the seat.
God bless Hayden and Chandler’s rules. Every one of their ranch hands had been trained for years to put the keys back above the visor before they got out of the truck. It had been ingrained in all of the men because of the number of times they’d lost keys on the ranch.
Moving quickly, she jumped into the other seat and started the truck, throwing it in gear.
Both men looked up and raced toward her as she hit the gas, kicking up dirt and grass as she floored it, turning the truck around. She easily corrected but fishtailed slightly. She hadn’t driven on anything but asphalt roads in years, but she’d driven on dirt and grass often enough in the past that it came rushing back.
The back window shattered, startling a scream from her. Looking in side mirror, she blinked.
The man with the gun was shooting at her!
Crouching down, she headed toward the ranch. Hayden and Chandler would be worried sick, and she knew that she’d be safe once she got there.
Once she was far enough away that she could no longer see the two men in the mirror, she reached up to rub her shoulder where it burned. Feeling a sticky wetness, she looked down at her blood-covered hand in horror.
She’d been shot!
Now that she knew that the searing pain made itself known.
Her purse lay on the floor, and she couldn’t reach it to get her phone unless she pulled over which was something she didn’t want to do. She had to get to the ranch as soon as possible.
* * * *
Chandler disconnected, turning to Hayden. “Doug Stamper’s missing. Everyone else is accounted for. Apparently he got a call earlier and said he had something to do. Bill’s pissed at himself because he didn’t know he’d taken a ranch truck.”
Hayden’s grim expression hadn’t changed much in the last hour. “Where the fuck are they?”
Chandler’s gut churned, and his fear for Elizabeth felt like a rock in his stomach. “Every hand is out looking for them. We won’t stop until we find them.”
“Damn it. I want her back. It’ll be getting dark soon.”
Chandler had been thinking the same thing. “It doesn’t matter. We won’t stop looking until we find her.”
“How’s Angie?”
“She’s upset, but Jeb and Paula are watching a movie with her. Mom and Dad are on their way over.” Constantly scanning the area, he narrowed his eyes when he saw what looked like a truck kicking up dust in the distance. “Look over there. Is that them?”
Accelerating, Hayden raced ahead. “It looks like they’re headed right for us.”
Chandler reached behind him for the binoculars. “She’s gotta be okay. We just got her. We can’t lose her now.”
“We won’t.”
As the truck got closer, Chandler sat forward. “Holy hell. That’s Lizzy! She’s driving like a bat out of hell, and she’s alone.”
Hayden slowed. “Thank God!”
Chandler threw the binoculars into the back seat. “Stop. She’s probably scared. Who knows what the hell’s happened to her? Let her see it’s us.” As soon as Hayden stopped the truck, Chandler jumped out, waving his hands. “Lizzy!”
Thankfully she slowed instead of breezing right past them. When she got close enough, he saw the relief on her face as she brought the truck to a halt only feet away.
Chandler ran up to her, his only thought getting to her as soon as possible. Yanking open the door, he jerked her into his arms, burying his face in her hair
. “Thank God.” When she flinched, he released her with a curse, horrified at the blood that covered her. “Lizzy!”
Elizabeth looked down, her eyes going wide as Hayden pulled her short sleeve higher. “That bastard shot at me.”
Chandler caught her, his eyes flying to Hayden’s. “Hell.”
Hayden stripped off his t-shirt and held it to the wound. “Let’s get her to the hospital. She’s lost a lot of blood. It looks like the bullet just nicked her but she’s got a lot of cuts from flying glass.”
They hurried to the truck, relief making Chandler almost giddy. Using Hayden’s t-shirt, he brushed shards of broken glass off of her skin and as much blood as he could.
Lizzy grabbed his arm. “The senator hired someone to take Angie. He’s at the pond with one of your ranch hands. I don’t know his name. They were digging a grave for me. I was in the truck. Your truck had a flat tire. The other guy was in the back of the ranch truck. He put a cloth over my face.”
Hayden patted her thigh, searching the horizon as he turned the truck and started back toward town. “Calm down, baby. You’re safe now. Let’s get you to the hospital and get you checked out.”
Chandler threw the bloody shirt to the floor and pulled off his own to wrap it around the worst of the wounds. Pulling out his cell phone, he called the sheriff.
Lizzy turned to Hayden. “Give me your cell phone. I want to call Martha and make sure Angie’s okay.”
Handing it to her, Hayden bent to kiss her, his eyes fierce. “We could have lost you. The senator is gonna pay big time for this.”
Lizzy smiled for the first time. “I’m okay. I’m just worried about Angie.”
Hayden nodded, holding onto her thigh as if he needed the contact. “Your parents are with her. Tell them to stay there until we get back. I don’t want Angie to see you covered with all that blood. It’ll only scare her.”
Only then did Chandler realize that he held onto her, too. “I know it scares the hell out of me.”
Lizzy leaned against him, holding Chandler’s hand as she spoke into the phone.
Meeting Hayden’s eyes over her head, seeing the relief and conviction on his brother’s face that he knew had to be reflected on his own, Chandler nodded once, understanding completely.
They’d come far too close to losing her again, this time for good.
Chapter Nine
They all sat around the kitchen table after finally getting Angie to sleep, each with a cup of coffee they barely touched. They all stared into them. Each person was preoccupied with his own thoughts. Her mom and dad’s faces still looked a little pale to her, but having Hayden and Chandler’s parents there seemed to help. The older Scotts had already been there when they got home from the hospital.
Elizabeth had spent the evening reassuring everyone that she was fine, and everyone else had spent the evening calming Angie. She’d also spoken to the sheriff and learned that the two men who’d taken her had been arrested.
Hayden and Chandler wore grim expressions all evening; their fury at the entire mess was obvious. They hid it pretty well until Angie went to bed, but now they made no attempt at all to do so.
Shortly after they’d arrived, she’d seen Hayden in what appeared to be a heated conversation with his foreman. Immediately afterward there’d been a lot of activity in the yard and since then men could be seen from every window.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Elizabeth smiled reassuringly at Chandler to the question she’d answered at least a dozen times since this afternoon. “I’m fine. I’m just worried about Angie.”
Wrapping an arm around her, Chandler pulled her chair closer. “We’ll take care of it. The sheriff’s trying to get the man who shot you to implicate the senator. In the meantime, neither one of you will be alone until this is settled.”
Murmurs of approval sounded from the rest of them, but Hayden still looked grim.
Making a decision, Elizabeth looked back and forth between him and Chandler. “I’m calling the senator.” Holding up her hand to stop the sharp objections, she stood. “The evidence I have that the senator has had a string of affairs helped me get my divorce. I’ll use it again to keep Angie.”
Hayden narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve already taken care of it.”
“Damn it, Hayden. I can handle this on my own.”
Hayden started toward her, his eyes flashing. The ringing of the doorbell made him pause. “I told you I already handled it.” He left to answer the door, fury in his long strides.
Elizabeth plopped back in her seat, glaring at Chandler. “What did he do?”
Chandler nodded grimly. “You’ll see soon enough.”
“Chandler, I want—” She broke off when Hayden appeared in the doorway, looking even more formidable than before.
“Lizzy, Chandler, come into the study.”
Exchanging a look with Chandler, Elizabeth held onto his arm as she slowly got to her feet, wary now. “Hayden, what is it?”
His jaw clenched. “Your ex-husband wants to talk to us.”
Elizabeth’s jaw dropped. “Richard’s here?”
Hayden nodded curtly. “He’s waiting for us in the study.”
Sharing a look with her parents, Elizabeth followed Hayden as he led the way back to his study, Chandler close behind her. She had no idea why Richard would ever show up here, but if he thought he could take Angie, she’d use those photos no matter what Hayden and Chandler said. Walking into the room, she glanced at Richard warily before taking a seat on the sofa.
He stood, coming forward. “Hello, Elizabeth. In spite of what happened today, you look wonderful.” Nodding at Chandler, he extended his hand. “You must be Chandler. I’m Richard Forrester.” As usual, he was impeccably dressed, his pants pressed to a razor sharp crease.
In contrast, both Hayden and Chandler wore the jeans and t-shirts they’d changed into as soon as they’d come home, not wanting Angie to see any blood on any of them. Their hair was mussed from running their hands through it repeatedly and their faces had become lined with tension.
They’d never looked better to her.
After greeting Chandler, Richard took his seat again, his eyes widening when he saw the way Hayden and Chandler surrounded her protectively, Chandler on the sofa next to her and Hayden standing directly behind her.
Elizabeth automatically adopted the relaxed pose she’d used with Richard for years in an effort to show his actions meant nothing to her. “What are you doing here, Richard? Isn’t Dakota Springs a little out of your element? Hasn’t your father done enough?”
Richard’s smile was one she’d learned to detest years earlier. “You’ll never be able to prove my father did anything. That’s why I’m here.”
Hayden cursed, his hand on her good shoulder tightening. “You son of a bitch. You know damned well your father hired him.” Coming around the sofa, he grabbed Richard by his designer shirt and lifted him to his feet. “Lizzy could have been killed today. But that was the senator’s plan all along, wasn’t it?”
“With the help of one of your men!”
Seeing Hayden’s face, Elizabeth jumped up and hurried toward him, clutching his arm before he could hit Richard.
Glancing at her, Hayden pushed Richard back into his chair and wrapped an arm around her.
Elizabeth leaned into him for both his solidness and warmth and also to keep him from going after Richard. Automatically rubbing her hand soothingly over his stomach, she looked up at him. “Hayden, what are you saying?”
Hayden’s arm around her waist tightened. “With you dead, the senator wouldn’t have to worry about you exposing him. Without a mother, the courts would most likely award Richard custody of Angie. All of their problems would be solved.”
Incredulous, she turned slowly to Richard, already seeing the truth in his eyes. “Is it true?”
Richard ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired and stressed. “It wouldn’t surprise me.” Leaning forward, he sigh
ed. “My father’s a very ambitious man. He wants to be re-elected and he doesn’t like having the threat of exposure hanging over his head. You’ll never be able to prove it, though. The senator’s too smart for that. Even if the man the sheriff’s questioning admitted it, it would be his word against my father’s.”
She could barely take it in. Moving out of Hayden’s arms, she moved slowly to the sofa and sank into it. “I can’t believe it. The senator actually hired someone to kill me?” She’d known he was serious about his career, but she never would have dreamed him capable of something like this.
Richard’s jaw clenched, something she hadn’t seen since the first time she’d caught him having an affair. “I don’t know for sure. My father would never confide in me, but I’d bet money on it.”
Not quite trusting Richard, Elizabeth pushed out of Chandler’s arms and sat forward. “So why are you here?”
Richard reached for his jacket draped over the adjoining chair, pulling an envelope out of an inside pocket. Tapping it against his knee, he met her eyes. “You and I should never have gotten married. I admit I treated you badly.” Sighing, he continued to tap the envelope, looking unsure of himself for the first time since Elizabeth met him. “I’m not a good father to Angelina. To be honest, I have no desire to try. I’m too selfish.”
Not sure what he was getting at, she glanced at Hayden to find him staring at Richard, his entire body tense.
Surprisingly, the hostile look on his face didn’t appear to faze Richard at all. Leaning forward, Richard handed the envelope to her. “I had my attorney draw these up.” Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. “I’m giving up all rights to Angelina. You have full custody.” At her gasp, he gestured toward Hayden and Chandler. “Now one of them can adopt her. The senator wouldn’t be able to do a fucking thing about it and could never get her.” Looking away, he stared down at his hands. “Both of you will be safe from him.”
Incredulous, Elizabeth glanced at both Hayden and Chandler, seeing the same surprise on their faces. Wiping away the tears that blurred her vision, she smiled tremulously. “You’re wrong about one thing.”
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