The Rancher's Return

by Karen Whiddon

  Finally, he got on the floor and peered under the bed. Plastic boxes, packed neatly, took up every inch of available space. He slid one out, noted the sweaters and winter clothes packed inside, and put it back. Kaitlyn had left almost everything Alex had bought her. Reed couldn’t help but wonder if the other man realized the significance of such an action.

  Climbing back to his feet, Reed dusted his hands on his jeans and took one final survey of the room. Almost immediately, Geraldo appeared in the doorway, motioning him to follow.

  Now what?

  Geraldo led him to what appeared to be Alex’s office. More dark wood, expensive-looking artwork and upholstered chairs. The man himself sat at a huge, mahogany desk and didn’t at first acknowledge Reed’s entrance.

  So Reed waited. This was going pretty much the way he’d figured. No trust, and just enough rope to hang himself, if he so desired. Which he did not.

  Finally, Alex looked up, his brown eyes flat and cold. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  Pretending not to notice the anger vibrating in the other man’s voice, Reed shrugged. “I wasn’t really looking for anything specific. Just hoping to find a clue, something to tell me where she might have gone.”

  “And did you?”

  Reed got the distinct impression Alex was toying with him. But if that were the case, he figured he’d already be dead. Or imprisoned.

  “No,” he admitted, hoping he sounded sheepish. “But I’ll find her. It would help if you had a list of her friends.”

  “She had no friends.”

  “Okay.” Since he had to feign ignorance, he went ahead. “That’s a little strange. Why is that?”

  Jaw clenched, Alex shook his head. “She always used to tell me I was all she needed. You’d better find her.”

  “I will. Just give me time.”

  Eyes glinting, Alex dismissed him with a nod. “On your way out, make sure and leave your name at the gate. I’ll approve you. That way you can come and go as you please.”

  Reed stifled a jolt of elation. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah.” Looking up, Alex’s hard stare wasn’t friendly. “Just remember, you’ll always be watched. Got that?”

  “Got it.”

  Geraldo touched his arm and Reed turned to follow him back to the foyer. Two men waited. One of them opened the front door, the other took off where Geraldo had stopped and followed Reed outside and down the marble steps. He waited while Reed got in his truck and started the engine.

  He continued to stand there as Reed drove off. Reed watched him in his rearview mirror, wondering if the man planned to wait until the front gates opened and Reed drove away.

  Thoroughly paranoid now, Reed didn’t go straight home. Though he didn’t see anyone following him, he wouldn’t be surprised if Alex hadn’t put some sort of tracker or bug on his truck.

  What he couldn’t figure out was why the other man had even asked him to help, when it was perfectly clear he suspected Reed of something.

  Of course, trying to evade anyone following him made no sense, either. Alex would already know where Reed lived. In fact, that certainty was why he’d made sure Kaitlyn was tucked away someplace safe.

  It was only the first day and even if he hadn’t known the truth, he wouldn’t have trusted the man.

  Patience, he told himself. He’d known he would have to work to gain the other man’s trust. It would be a simple matter of getting him to confess and recording it. Then it would be a simple matter of sending that video to every media outlet they could find. Once that happened, law enforcement would have no choice but to investigate.

  * * *

  Such solitude and the opportunity to commune with nature should have been a welcome respite. Kaitlyn knew she should use this opportunity as a chance to get her thoughts together and her priorities straight.

  But now that Reed had gone, the restlessness plaguing her had intensified and changed. To her surprise, she really missed Reed. The thought of him at Alex’s mercy made her skin crawl.

  In her three years of captivity, she’d spent a lot of time planning what she’d do once she got free. Now, instead of longing to be free to come and go where she wanted, she ached to hear the sexy timbre of Reed’s voice as they spoke over coffee, to see the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, and more. So much more.

  In a way, making love with him had healed her. With his touch, his kiss, he’d taken away the brutality she’d suffered at Alex’s hands. He’d returned her to herself, and made her see she could still find pleasure at a man’s hands.

  Reed had given this back to her without even trying. For that, she’d be forever grateful.

  Even though she doubted their coming together had meant as much to him, it didn’t matter. Once this was over, Reed would never want to see her again. She couldn’t blame him. For her, he was a symbol of the future. For him, she was a tie to the past.

  A day went by, and then another with no word from Reed. Refusing to let isolation make her stir-crazy, she watched a lot of television and taught herself to knit. If she didn’t have Bentley for company, she didn’t know what she would have done.

  At night, she cuddled her little dog and tried to sleep. She found it impossible, and she’d taken to writing in her journal, a spiral notebook she’d brought with her from her time in captivity. In it, she’d started out documenting all the horrible things Alex had done to her. She didn’t dare go back and read those pages. Too much darkness there. She wanted to go forward instead.

  That night, with the light of the full moon filling her room with silver, she tossed and turned for hours before finally falling asleep.

  Bentley barked, a tiny yap of warning. Kaitlyn instantly came awake. Heart pounding, she sat up and listened. Had someone found her again?

  Thunder rumbled in the distance and she realized a storm had awakened Bentley. Her little dog turned to look at her, then burrowed deeper into the sheets.

  The wind picked up as the thunder grew louder. When the first drops of rain hit the tin roof, Bentley shuddered. But to Kaitlyn, the sound was delightful. She lay on her back, watching the flashes of light illuminate the room, taking comfort in the sound of rain and the ominous boom of thunder.

  But then lightning struck, too close, the instant crack of thunder shaking the earth.

  Then she smelled smoke.

  “Oh, no.” Grabbing up Bentley, she wrapped the sheet around herself and headed toward the front door. Praying lightning had just struck a tree, she pushed open the front door. Rain lashed her as she squinted out into the darkness, looking for a fire and seeing nothing but water.

  A second later, another jagged bolt of lightning lit up the area. As far as she could tell in that instant of illumination, everything looked okay. If there had been something burning, apparently the rain had put it out.

  She turned to go back inside and realized the cabin roof was on fire.

  Heart pounding, she held on to Bentley and did a quick search for a fire extinguisher. She located one on the floor near the kitchen, grabbed it up and tried to make it work. But something jammed or it was old, she didn’t know, and nothing happened. Instead, she grabbed her duffel bag, crammed her journal inside and headed for the door. Making sure she had her new cell phone tucked into her bag, she climbed on board the ATV and muttered a quick prayer it would start.

  When she turned the key and the engine roared to life, relief flooded her. Even though the ATV had a headlight, the sideways sheets of wind-driven rain made visibility poor. Now she just had to hope she could make it down the hill without turning over her ride.

  Luckily, years of four-wheeling as a teenager helped. Though she and Bentley were drenched and her dog had turned into a quivering lump of fear, she went slowly. Behind her, the cabin continued to burn. Apparently even the rain couldn’t keep pace with the flames.

  Now what? She couldn’t call Reed, not with him trying to befriend Alex. Not only that, but she didn’t have his number. Though the momentary
impulse to simply disappear had her clenching her teeth, she knew she and Reed had come too far for her to do that to him.

  She didn’t want to call 911—assuming there even was such an emergency service out here in the country—because doing so might alert Alex or his henchmen. So her only choice would be to phone Brock and Zoe and see what they thought she should do. She pulled out her phone, trying to keep it sheltered from the rain with her hand, but she had no signal. Great. Just great.

  The storm continued to batter her, refusing to abate even when she reached the paved road. She needed to find temporary shelter, but as far as she could tell, there were no other structures out in this vast, open space. Which meant she—and Bentley—were sitting ducks out in the open.

  Keeping to the shoulder of the road, every time lightning flashed, she tried to scan the landscape for a shed, a lean-to, something.

  Finally, she saw something. It appeared to be a rickety, abandoned barn. But part of it still had a roof and it sat tucked into a small valley between two rises of land. She drove the ATV right inside, killing the engine and briefly leaving the headlight on while she checked out her surroundings. She knew she didn’t dare leave it on too long and risk draining the battery, but she had to make sure she wasn’t sharing the space with a bobcat or coyote.

  Satisfied, she flicked the light off. Still cradling her shivering, wet dog, she climbed off. Keeping her back against the ATV, she lowered herself to the ground and prepared to ride out the stormy night.

  The storm continued eastward and by the time the sun made an appearance, the cloudless sky predicted a warm day. Standing, every bone in her body aching, Kaitlyn wrung out her clothes as best she could. She took Bentley outside, keeping an eye on him as the little dog toddled off to take care of business.

  Now what? Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in a while. Cold, wet and hungry, but at least she was alive.

  Checking her phone, this time she saw she had one bar of signal strength. Maybe that would be enough.

  Praying silently, she punched in the number and hit Send. Static cracked on the line. Then, to her relief, Zoe picked up on the third ring. “I need help,” Kaitlyn said. “Can you pick me up?”

  “Sure.” Zoe didn’t even hesitate. “Same place?”

  Kaitlyn glanced around. “No. I’m...I’m not sure where I am exactly. Down the road. There was a storm and lightning and a fire...”

  Silence while Zoe digested this. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I’m going to head back up there now. I’ll meet you there.”

  “I’m on my way,” Zoe said. “I just need to let Brock know. I’ll make sure I’m not followed.”

  “Thank you so much. And, Zoe?” Kaitlyn swallowed. “Please be careful.”

  Aware Zoe would have to drive at least a couple of hours, Kaitlyn grabbed Bentley and started the ATV. She’d go back to the cabin and see if there was anything she could salvage while waiting.

  Once she got out onto the road, she realized she didn’t recognize any landmarks. Continuing slowly back the way she’d come, she almost cried out with relief when she spotted the rutted, pitted track going up the hill. Since the ground was wet, she had to be careful if she wanted to avoid getting stuck.

  Somehow, she made it all the way to the top. As she’d feared, the cabin lay in charred ruins. While the rain must have finally put the fire out, enough of the place had burned to make it unusable.

  Sad, she poked through the rubble, unable to locate anything even remotely salvageable.

  Bentley found a spot in the sun and stretched out. After a moment, Kaitlyn decided to do the same.

  She must have fallen asleep. The sound of a car horn and Bentley’s barking woke her. Scrambling to her feet, she grabbed her dog and headed down the hill on foot. When she spotted Zoe’s truck, she had to blink back tears.

  “I’m so glad you’re all right!” Zoe cried, enveloping Kaitlyn in a hug the moment she got out of the truck. “I am looking so forward to having you—and your pet—hanging out with us.”

  “I don’t want to put you in danger,” Kaitlyn protested.

  “Nonsense. The FBI has already paid us a visit. No one else has any reason to think you’d stay with us. You’ll be safe. Now get in.”

  Smiling, Kaitlyn complied. “I don’t have my disguise,” she said. “Reed didn’t see any need for it out here.”

  “That’s fine.” Zoe gave her an appraising look before putting the truck in Drive. “Your hair color is different and if you just lay low and stay inside for a while, you should be safe.”

  Kaitlyn nodded, still unsure but deciding to keep that to herself. “Have you heard from Reed?”

  “No.” Gripping the steering wheel with both hands, Zoe focused on keeping the truck on the deeply rutted road. “But I’m sure he’s fine. He’s only been gone a few days.”

  “A few days with Alex is an eternity,” Kaitlyn said. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me.”

  Smiling, Zoe cast her a sideways glance. “That’s what friends are for.”

  Once they neared the Anniversary city limits, Kaitlyn sunk down in the seat. “I’m going to put my head down while you drive through town.”

  “Good idea. No sense in taking any chances.”

  Once they reach Brock and Zoe’s place, Zoe parked right next to the garage door. “Wait until I have it unlocked and then you and Bentley can dash inside.”

  Kaitlyn nodded. Despite glancing up and down the street and making sure the coast was clear, her heart was pounding madly as she ran from the truck to the house.

  “There you go.” Pride rang in Zoe’s voice. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

  The guest room was decorated in a bright, cheerful motif. “I love it,” Kaitlyn said, smiling at her friend. “Again, I can’t thank you enough for—”

  “Stop.” Zoe shushed her with a touch on the arm. “There’s a guest bathroom right down the hall. I bet you’d love a shower.”

  “That bad, am I?” Not waiting for an answer, Kaitlyn sighed. “You’re right, though. I would love a shower.”

  “I’ve got to go back to the feed store,” Zoe said. “There are sandwich fixings in the fridge, plus stuff to make a salad if you’d rather have that. Are you going to be all right?”

  “Of course. Please don’t let me keep you from anything.”

  “You won’t. We’ve got to try and appear as normal as possible so no one suspects anything.” Zoe eyed Bentley. “I’ll bring home some dog food for him. Any particular brand?”

  “Whatever you think is best. I’ve got a little cash, so I can pay you for it.”

  Shaking her head, Zoe walked away. “I’ll see you later.”

  After getting cleaned up, Zoe ate a ham-and-cheese sandwich. She fed Bentley some ham, too, which thrilled him. She wasn’t sure what time Brock and Zoe came home from working at their feed store, but she wanted to be as unobtrusive as possible.

  Still exhausted, she thought she’d just take a nap. She took Bentley out back and then went to her room and closed the door. She stripped down to a large T-shirt. Sliding into the clean, crisp sheets felt like an unimaginable luxury.

  Before she could count to ten, she went fast asleep.

  When she next opened her eyes, the room was dark. A quick glance at her nightstand clock revealed it was after 11:00 p.m. She’d clearly missed Brock and Zoe coming home, and dinner too. Bentley woofed softly, staring at the bedroom window. Instantly alert, she scooped him up and held him close. “Shhh.”

  And then she listened.

  A shower of pebbles gently rained on her window.

  Pebbles? Pushing away her alarm, she shook her head. Bad guys didn’t toss pebbles. Still holding Bentley, she threw back the covers and padded to the window.

  Reed stood outside, about to toss another small handful of tiny rocks at her window. When he saw her, he waved.

  Worried, she waved back. As she worked the locks and opened her window, she was
glad her room faced the back of the house, away from the street.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered. “This can’t be safe.”

  “I need to talk to you. Come out,” he urged. “And leave your little dog inside.”

  Immediately Bentley whined in protest, as if he understood.

  “Just a minute,” she told Reed. Placing Bentley on her bed, she patted his head and then gently covered him with the sheet. “You wait here, boy. I’ll be right back.”

  To her amazement, the little dog huffed and turned a circle twice, before settling down with a sigh.

  Good enough. Heart stuttering in her chest, worried and thrilled all at once, she hurried back over to the window. Swinging her bare leg over the sash and tugging her T-shirt to stay securely covered, she climbed out and dropped to the ground.

  In the moonlight, Reed looked darkly mysterious and sexy as hell. She figured he had an important reason for driving all the way back to Anniversary and contacting her in the middle of the night.

  “What’s up?” Trying to keep her voice from quavering, she winced as she realized she was breathless. “Is everything all right?”

  “I should be asking the same of you. Brock told me what happened at the cabin.”

  “I survived,” she said, determined to downplay that. “What about you? How’s your plan going with Alex?”

  “He let me inside his mansion,” he said, jamming his hands down into his pockets. “I need a little help, anything you can tell me that might make it easier. He still doesn’t trust me.”

  “He doesn’t trust anyone.”

  “Yeah. He has cameras everywhere. Not to mention all the large goons he calls his employees.”

  She nodded, unable to suppress an involuntary shudder. “Those men are the dregs of society. Some of them are bounty hunters, others criminals he’s gotten out of prison in exchange for their loyalty.”

  “Good to know.” He sounded pleased. “What about the household help? Most of them only speak Spanish.”

  “Family,” she answered promptly. “Alex is a strong believer in helping family.”