The Rancher's Return

by Karen Whiddon

  His expression hardened. “The FBI have assured me. They’ve got men all over the place outside. There are even snipers hidden somewhere.”

  “And of course the FBI has such a good track record.” She didn’t bother to hide her bitterness. “You do realize what he’ll do to us once he finds us, right?”

  “He won’t get that far.”

  She inhaled, using her crutches to pivot and survey the room. “We need to arm ourselves.”

  “What?” Staring, he didn’t move.

  “Yes. Open your gun safe. I need that .38. The one I used before.”

  Eyeing her, he appeared to be considering her plan. Hands in a white-knuckled grip on the crutches, she clenched her jaw and struggled to contain her agitation.

  “I can handle that pistol,” she told him, just in case there was any doubt. “And if Alex makes it in here, I deserve a chance to defend myself.”

  She had him there. She knew the instant when he realized. Without another word, he turned and went to his gun safe to retrieve weapons so they could arm themselves.

  Once Reed returned and handed her the pistol, Kaitlyn checked to make sure it was loaded. “More ammo?”

  He handed it over. She saw he held another, larger pistol. Seeing her look, he shrugged. “Just in case, like you said.”

  The news report had gone to commercial.

  Kaitlyn glanced at the front door. “I want to sit on the floor, with my back against an interior wall,” she told Reed. “But I have to be able to see the front door.”

  “He’s not going to make it that—”

  “Stop.” She held up her hand, grimly determined. “Humor me. Let’s plan as if we know he will.”

  “Fine. What about the back?” he said. “If he manages to get past all the law enforcement personnel stationed outside, I think he’d be more likely to come in through the back.”

  “You might be right,” she allowed reluctantly. “Is there somewhere we can sit and have a view of both doors?”

  “Maybe.” He looked as grim as she felt. She couldn’t explain the feeling, but she was absolutely certain Alex Ramirez would soon be bursting through one of the doors. He’d want his revenge, and wouldn’t care if he died getting it. Especially not now, with his political career in tatters and every ounce of respect he’d once had kicked into the gutter.

  “He has nothing to live for,” she said. “That’s why I think he’ll come in through the front. Blaze of glory and all that.”

  Something akin to pain flashed across Reed’s face. “You really know him well, don’t you?”

  “Unfortunately, I do.”

  Reed gestured to a spot near the entrance to the kitchen. “Here. If you lean forward, you can see the front door and if you lean back, you can see the back. It’s good because it’s not a direct shot from either place, so if he comes through shooting...”

  “Perfect.” Still skirting the windows, she took a seat. Reed sat down next to her.

  “You know we’re going to feel pretty foolish when he’s captured,” he said, in what she suspected was clearly an attempt to tease her out of her black mood.

  “Maybe,” she allowed. “But at least if that happens, we’ll still be alive. And if it doesn’t, we have a fighting shot.”

  The news show had returned, but they were no longer talking about the search.

  “Let’s turn that off,” Reed suggested.

  Startled, she looked down to see she still had the remote. “How about we just turn it down? I want to hear if there’s any news on his capture.”

  She pressed the volume button without waiting for his response. As she moved, their upper arms bumped. Instead of giving in to her first impulse, which was to scoot away, she did the opposite and moved closer.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, the huskiness in his voice making her heart ache.

  “No.” He deserved an honest answer. “I know I’m being pessimistic, but I can’t shake the feeling we’re—or at least I’m—not going to get out of this alive.”

  “Listen to me,” he ordered, cupping her chin and making her look at him. “Evil doesn’t always win.”

  Gazing into his eyes, so close if she leaned forward a few feet their noses would bump, she couldn’t stop feeling that this was it—the end. She’d been lucky before, always keeping ahead of him, but this time her luck seemed to have run out. She had no faith in law enforcement right now. The only people she had faith in were herself and Reed.

  In that instant, she knew there was one thing she had to do before she died. Tell Reed the truth.

  “Reed.” Even speaking his name, her voice trembled. As she gazed at him, his pupils dilated. When he leaned in to kiss her, she held up her hand to stop him.

  “I love you,” she said, putting her heart into words.

  “Don’t say that,” he groaned. “Not now. I understand, believe me. And know this—I don’t ever want you to feel like you have to pay me back.”

  Crushed and hurting, she couldn’t respond. He understood? Once again she’d managed to make a complete and utter fool of herself. She loved him. He understood. Clearly, Reed didn’t feel the same way.

  To her humiliation, a tear rolled down her cheek. Wiping her eyes with her fists, she twisted away in order to hide her pain.

  “Kaitlyn, don’t be like that,” he said, his deep voice full of sympathy. “Listen to me. You’re special to me, I promise.”

  Special. Next he’d say the same thing she’d once said about him, before she’d realized the true depth of her feelings. If he dared to say he thought they would always be friends, she didn’t know how she’d react.

  The sharp report of gunfire outside made her freeze. Reed pushed away, motioning at her to stay low as he crawled to a spot on the wall opposite her. “I’ve got the back door,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “You watch the front.”

  After a quick nod, she checked her weapon, making sure the clip was in place. Then she removed the safety and raised the pistol, pointing it toward the door. She braced her arm on her knee to keep her aim steady.

  Tense, she sat up straight, keeping her back against the wall. Now she’d be as ready as she was going to get to defend herself against whatever—whoever—came in through the front.

  Which her intuition told her would be the way he came.

  As long as she’d known Alex Ramirez, he’d never lost. Though she wanted to, she couldn’t bring herself to believe this time would be any different. Except this time, she didn’t plan on going down without a fight.

  More gunshots, a sharp rat-ta-tat-tat, like in a mob movie.

  “Sounds like a friggin’ AK-47,” Reed said, his voice grim. “If he comes in here spraying gunfire, promise me you’ll dive for cover.”

  Still intent on watching the door, she nodded. She would, but first, she intended to put a bullet through the bastard’s head.

  A siren screamed, a quick whup-whup, cut off in midsquawk.

  She and Reed exchanged glances. But she couldn’t tear her focus away for long, so she returned to watching the front entrance, her pistol steady and unwavering.

  Yet another round of gunfire, and then someone screamed, the sound high and desperate and awful. Immediately, the back of Kaitlyn’s throat began to ache, though she knew she couldn’t afford to empathize. Not right now. Not just yet.

  As if a movie played in her head in slow motion, the front door burst open. A shout from outside, a shot, and the figure briefly silhouetted in the doorway jerked up, the outline of the assault rifle ominous as it pointed up, firing a round into the ceiling before the man who carried it crumpled.

  Chapter 17

  Kaitlyn didn’t have time to react, and yet she did. She crumpled in on herself, shielding her body and firing off a shot of her own, much too late. The opposite of what she’d intended, yet she registered relief that it hadn’t been her shot that had taken him down. She’d never killed anyone and was grateful she wasn’t starting now.

  More voices. Shou
ting. A spotlight shining in the doorway, blinding her. Reed’s arms around her, his deep voice reverberating in her ear, telling her it was going to be all right, that she was safe.

  Telling her Alex Ramirez was dead. And despite believing that someone else had killed him, she’d also shot him. When she started to shake, she closed her eyes as if she could escape it all.

  Reed carried her outside, handing her up to a waiting paramedic, who sat her down in the ambulance.

  “Was she hit?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so.” Reed sounded worried. No, more than that. Terrified. She didn’t understand why. She wasn’t hurt.

  The tears came. She couldn’t stop crying. From relief? From anguish? From what...she didn’t know, her tangled emotions had her tied in knots. She was on the verge of becoming hysterical, but she didn’t know how to stop it from happening.

  Luckily, one of the paramedics did. “You’re going into shock,” he said. “Now you need to slow your breathing down and quit hyperventilating, or you’re going to pass out.”

  Now the shudders came, wracking her body so violently her teeth chattered. “I can’t,” she moaned, praying he could give her something to help.

  When she saw him lift the needle, she exhaled with relief.

  * * *

  Reed stood by helpless, watching as Kaitlyn fell apart. Alex Ramirez was confirmed dead—one of the snipers had taken him out before he’d been able to do any more damage. Two federal agents and one local police officer had lost their lives, and four others were wounded.

  Once Kaitlyn had been sedated, the paramedic insisted she be transported to the hospital for observation. Though Reed knew he might be paranoid, he refused to allow this. He didn’t know how many more of Alex’s men might be out there, still tasked with getting Kaitlyn. Until they were rounded up, exposed and arrested, he couldn’t take the chance.

  He hoped once Alex’s apparently vast army learned of their leader’s demise, they’d drift away into their own lives and leave Kaitlyn alone.

  More than anything, he wanted her to be free to have the life she’d always been missing. Even if he had to rip a chunk out of his own heart to do it.

  With the reluctant paramedic’s help, Reed managed to get Kaitlyn into his truck. She was pretty out of it, but they were able to use the portable wheelchair to move her.

  Then, despite the FBI’s insistence that he remain for questioning, he took Kaitlyn home to the ranch they both loved.

  On the drive, she opened her eyes and gave him a drowsy look from half-lidded eyes. “Where am I?”

  “On the way to the ranch. We’re almost there.” Ignoring the sharp stab of desire, he managed to give her a reassuring smile. “Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

  To his relief, she did exactly that. As he drove, he kept stealing glances at her. Even in sleep, she enchanted him.

  When he pulled up in front of the ranch house a few minutes later and parked, she was still sound asleep.

  He took one final moment to gaze at her, the spotlight a few feet away putting her profile partly in shadow. Her beauty—both inside and out—made his chest ache. He loved her, loved her more than he’d ever thought it was possible to love someone. Loved her so much, he’d give her the gift of letting her go. No matter how badly it hurt him.

  * * *

  The first few nights Kaitlyn had been back in Reed’s ranch house, she hadn’t been able to sleep. Even though Reed had given her his bed and had taken the couch. Every time she started to drift into slumber, she kept seeing Alex framed in the doorway, his AK-47 ready to mow her down, and then his body jerking as he was riddled with gunshots.

  Reminding herself that she would have been dead if someone hadn’t taken Alex out was a thought she held on to like a lifeline.

  By the third day she felt as though she’d gotten herself back. She could walk without the crutches and her body no longer felt as if it had been run over by a steamroller. She celebrated by taking her car into town by herself for shopping and then some ice cream. It felt amazing not having to hide, and she was surprised by the friendliness of everyone she met. Since her story had been on the news for so long, everyone acted as if they knew her, even if Kaitlyn was just meeting them for the first time.

  Initially, she’d been a bit startled. But as the day wore on, she found it charming. Amazing how much more she’d come to like the town of Anniversary now that she was able to get out and about in it.

  Since Reed had offered to let her stay with him until she could get on her feet, she pushed away the constant, nagging hurt that he hadn’t been able to tell her he loved her back. She told herself she was okay, that she enjoyed his company, and despite the fact that her insides turned to mush every time he looked at her, she realized she’d been a fool to expect more than friendship from him.

  Eventually, she supposed the pain would go away.

  Focusing on her new business helped to distract her. She’d started small. Every day, she baked a huge batch of gourmet brownies. She individually wrapped a dozen and took them to the feed store, where Zoe and a recovering Brock sold them for two dollars each. The rest, she carried to Sue’s Catfish Hut. Sue had added them to the dessert menu and claimed they were a big hit with customers.

  Kaitlyn had purchased a domain name and hosting service, and had started the process of building her own website. Eventually, she hoped to take online orders and ship her brownies to various locales.

  Someday. For now, she was doing what she loved, and making money. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. The only thing that would have made her happier would be for Reed to want to be more than just a friend.

  Ah well, maybe with time. Life was so good, she felt greedy wanting everything.

  Now it was Friday, and Kaitlyn had been looking forward to her lunch date with Zoe all week.

  After putting the finishing touches on her makeup, Kaitlyn dug her car keys out of her purse. At least now she no longer had to hide her car. Circumstances had certainly improved now that Alex was gone and she no longer had to constantly look over her shoulder.

  Humming all the way, she drove into town. As she crossed the long bridge over the lake, she relished the way the water sparkled in the sunlight. A few boats were out, fishermen mostly, though she spotted a speedboat idling near the bridge.

  When she arrived at Sue’s and walked in, Zoe was already seated in one of the booths. Kaitlyn grinned at her friend, who looked happy enough to burst. Practically bouncing up and down in her seat like a child, Zoe jumped to her feet and gave Kaitlyn an impulsive hug.

  “Sit, sit,” Zoe gushed impatiently, trying to hide an impish grin. “I have the best possible news.”

  “Tell me!” Kaitlyn ordered, lowering herself into the booth. “Your excitement is contagious.”

  “It should be. Brock and I are going to be parents! The adoption agency called, and we’re getting a baby girl.” As soon as Zoe finished speaking, she began to cry, smiling a watery smile as tears ran down her cheeks.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Happy tears,” Zoe said, waving away Kaitlyn’s attempt to hand her a napkin.

  Kaitlyn’s own eyes filled, remembering her dream. “That’s fabulous,” she said. “I’m ecstatic for you two.”

  The waitress came, bringing Kaitlyn a menu and an iced tea without being asked. Kaitlyn didn’t even glance at the menu. She knew what she wanted. The catfish lunch special. Two pieces of crispy fried perfection, tater tots and cole slaw, along with a couple of hush puppies. Nothing made her feel more at home than this quintessential Southern-style meal.

  “I just can’t believe I’m going to be a mother.” Zoe sat back in the booth, her expression both dazed and elated.

  “When?” Kaitlyn asked.

  “Next week.” Zoe drank deeply. “Just enough time to get a nursery set up. Will you help me shop? I’m planning on heading to Dallas for a day.”

  “Of course.” Kaitlyn felt honored. And excite
d, too. It wasn’t every day that her best friend had her deepest wish granted. “How’s Brock?”

  Zoe’s smile barely dimmed. “He’s still doing physical therapy three times a week. He just started walking, using a cane, and insists on going to work. He won’t be able to hold the baby yet, at least not while standing. But he’s over the moon and ready to be a dad.”

  They ordered, and chatted some more about baby clothes and what theme to use in the nursery.

  When their meals arrived, they both fell silent and dug in.

  Finally, with plates mostly empty and bellies full, in unison they leaned back in their seats and sighed in contentment. Kaitlyn felt a bit queasy, which she figured was due simply to overeating.

  “How’s Reed?” Zoe asked casually.

  Not fooled, Kaitlyn shrugged. “He seems fine. We’re kind of roommates.”

  “Ooh.”

  Since this was Zoe, Kaitlyn leaned forward and leveled with her. “It’s driving me crazy. He treats me like he thinks I might break if he touches me.”

  Zoe winced. “I think he’s trying to give you time to make up your mind.”

  “Make up my mind about what?”

  “Kaitlyn, for the past three years, you’ve been a prisoner, completely controlled by a domineering man. Reed’s trying to give you space, and let you make the choice. I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be the one to initiate anything. He wants you to feel secure and to be absolutely certain.”

  Stunned, Kaitlyn didn’t know what to say. When she finally found her voice, it came out shaky. “That’s not it, Zoe. You see, right before Alex was killed, I told Reed I loved him.”

  “Seriously? What did he say?”

  Glancing away to try and hide the hurt, Kaitlyn grimaced. “Something about how he didn’t want me to feel like I owed him. And that I was special to him.”

  “Well, there you go.”

  Kaitlyn blinked. “Zoe, he didn’t say he loved me back. He acted like I was telling him my deepest feelings out of a sense of gratitude.”

  Zoe started shaking her head before Kaitlyn had even finished speaking. “Don’t you see? That’s because that’s how your life has been up to now. Men give you things, and they think they own you. Reed doesn’t want that for you. He wants you to stand on your own feet and when you do give your love, it needs to be without any strings attached.”