RESCUE AT CARDWELL RANCH

by B. J Daniels

  Fear was making her paranoid, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that the man from last night hadn’t left town. Nor had he forgotten about her.

  She reached the car, opened the door and climbed in, fumbling in a panic to get the door locked. The moment she did, she realized she hadn’t looked in the backseat. Her gaze shot to the rearview mirror. She swiveled around. The backseat was empty.

  Hot tears burned down her cheeks. She began to shake uncontrollably.

  At the sound of a vehicle approaching, she brushed at her tears and tried to pull herself together. She was trying to put the key into the ignition, when the tap on her side window made her jump.

  Her head swung around and she found herself looking up at Hayes Cardwell. She cursed herself. He would see that she’d been crying. She felt a wave of embarrassment and anger at herself.

  “Are you all right?” Hayes mouthed.

  She lowered the window a few inches. “I—”

  “I know. That’s why I came back. There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “If it’s about the restaurant space—”

  “The police called me and asked me again if I would mind if they told you that I was the man who found you last night at the grocery store.”

  She felt her eyes widen in alarm. “You—” The brown eyes. A flicker of memory. You’re safe now.

  “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, that’s all I wanted to say. I was worried about you. But I didn’t want you thinking...”

  She nodded, unable to speak around the lump in her throat. He’d seen her reaction to him. It was the reason he’d decided to tell her. He didn’t want her thinking he was the one who’d hurt her. Her eyes burned again with tears.

  “Call the police. I understand why you would suspect me. I’ll be over here when you finish if you want to talk or anything.” He stepped away from her car.

  She put the window up and dug out her phone. When the patrolwoman came on the line she asked, “The man who saved me last night? Was his name Hayes Cardwell?”

  “So he did contact you.”

  “It’s true?”

  “Yes. He and his brothers own a chain of—”

  “Barbecue restaurants in Texas.”

  “That’s right. He also works as a private investigator in Houston. Like I said, we checked him out thoroughly. Plus, we have an eyewitness who saw him rescue you.”

  “Thank you.” She disconnected and, pulling herself together, climbed out of the car.

  Hayes was standing at the edge of the building, looking toward the Gallatin River. In the afternoon sun, the surface of the water shimmered like gold. The scent of pine wafted through the June air. There was nothing like Montana in the summer.

  “I’m so sorry I suspected you.” He’d never know how much. “The police told me that I owe my life to you. Thank you.”

  He turned to look at her, kindness in his dark eyes. “No, please, don’t feel bad. I didn’t tell you so you could—”

  “Thank you?”

  He shrugged, looking shy. “I just happened to be in the grocery store.”

  “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  “I’m afraid I’m the one who made you uncomfortable. I apologize for staring earlier. I was just so surprised to see you again.”

  She nodded and touched her bruised neck, remembering the man’s arm around her throat and fighting for breath.

  “Are you sure you should be working this soon after what you’ve been through?” he asked.

  “I needed to keep my mind off...everything.”

  “Is it working?”

  She gave him a weary smile. “No,” she said and looked away. “I’ve felt jumpy all day and I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that someone is...watching me.” She glanced around again, the feeling still strong. She shivered, even though the afternoon was warm.

  What if the man from last night wasn’t through with her? Wasn’t that what had been in the back of her mind all day?

  * * *

  HAYES LOOKED PAST her. He saw people coming and going at a nearby small business complex. No one seemed to be looking in this direction, though.

  “You say you feel as if someone’s watching you?”

  She nodded. “I know I’m just being paranoid—”

  “Your best defense is your instincts. Don’t discount them.”

  She stared at him and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “You think he’ll come after me again?”

  “I don’t know. Is there any way he knows who you are?”

  “I... The police think it might be a man I worked with. I fired him today. I have a restraining order—”

  Hayes scoffed at that. “Restraining orders can’t protect you from a predator. Where are you staying?”

  “I checked into a motel up here for the night—”

  He shook his head. “My cousin Dana owns a ranch not far from here. She recently built several guest cabins. I’d feel better if you’d consider staying there—at least until the police have a chance to catch this man.” Hayes knew from experience that there was little chance they would catch him—unless he did turn out to be this man she’d fired.

  “I couldn’t impose.”

  “You wouldn’t be imposing, trust me. My cousin Dana loves a full house and you would be doing me a favor.”

  She cocked a brow. “How’s that?”

  “I wouldn’t have to worry about you the whole time I’m in town.”

  McKenzie smiled. It was a nice smile, a real one, and he was suddenly aware of how attractive she was. She had long hair the color of caramel. Most of it was pulled up with a clip at the nape of her neck, but a few strands had escaped, framing a face that was all girl-next-door—from the sprinkling of freckles that dusted her cheeks and nose to the wide-set tropical-blue eyes. But it was her mouth that kept drawing his attention. It was full, her lips a pale pink. Right now she worried at her lower lip with her teeth.

  She had the kind of mouth a man fantasized about kissing.

  He roped in his thoughts, telling himself not to make a big deal out of this coincidence. But he couldn’t shake the memory of the first time he’d looked into her eyes. And now here she was, Tag’s real-estate agent. As a private detective, he’d never bought into coincidences. This was definitely one that had him thrown off-balance.

  “You’ll like my family and you’ll be safe.” After that, he didn’t want to think about it. Maybe the police would get lucky and catch the man.

  “Are you sure about this? I know you didn’t want to be involved...”

  “I am involved,” he said and smiled. Maybe more involved than he should be, he thought. “Do you need to stop by your motel to cancel your reservation?”

  “I hadn’t checked in yet. I can call.”

  “Why don’t you follow me to the ranch, then, and meet the Cardwells. Trust me. You’re going to love them and feel at home there.”

  * * *

  “WHAT?” TAG SAID as they stood in the ranch house living room later. “McKenzie is the woman you saved?”

  Hayes nodded.

  “Talk about a small world. So you decided to bring her back to the ranch?”

  “Look, I know you’re upset with me about the restaurant—”

  “I’m just trying to understand what you’re thinking. Since you’re only going to be here a couple of days, how do you intend to keep this woman safe?”

  “I don’t know what I was thinking, okay? She was scared. When I went back and found her, she was losing it, all right? She thought someone was watching her.”

  Tag looked skeptical.

  “I think she was probably imagining it, but she’s terrified this predator will come for her again. Who wouldn’t be?” />
  “You did the right thing,” Dana said from the doorway. “I’m glad you brought her here. It isn’t like we don’t have plenty of room. I put her in the cabin next to yours, Hayes. She can stay as long as she wants.”

  “With the wedding coming up July Fourth—”

  Dana cut Tag off. “Your brothers can always bunk together if they haven’t caught the man who attacked her by the time Jackson, Austin and Laramie arrive. I told her she is welcome to stay as long as she wants to and that is that.”

  Tag didn’t look happy about it. “It makes it pretty awkward since, from what I can gather, we aren’t going to buy the restaurant space.”

  Dana looked to Hayes. “Is that what you and your brothers have decided?”

  “We’re still discussing it.” That wasn’t quite true but he really didn’t want to get into this right now. If he couldn’t talk his brother out of this, then he’d contact the rest of the guys and let them deal with it. His job had been to come up here and check out the situation and if at all possible, put an end to it.

  “Why don’t you take McKenzie for a horseback ride?” Dana suggested to Hayes. “It’s beautiful up in the mountains behind the ranch and it will take both of your minds off your problems.”

  He was glad for anything that let him escape more discussion about the restaurant, so he jumped at it. “Good idea.”

  He found McKenzie standing outside on the wide Western porch, leaning on the porch railing and looking toward the mountains beyond. At his approach, she turned to smile at him.

  “Thank you,” she said, turning to him. She’d changed out of the suit she’d been wearing earlier into jeans and blouse. “This place is beautiful. I feel...safe here and I adore your cousin Dana.”

  “Everyone does. I thought you’d like it here. That was the plan. Dana suggested a horseback ride up into the mountains. What do you say?”

  “Really? I’d love to.” She sounded so excited he couldn’t help but smile. He was reminded again of that moment last night when he’d looked into her eyes and felt...something.

  “Great. Dana said she has two gentle horses that should be perfect for us greenhorns.”

  “Speak for yourself,” McKenzie said. “I grew up riding and I suspect you did, too,” she said, eyeing him. “Or is that Stetson and those boots just for show?”

  He laughed. “I’ve ridden a few horses in my day.”

  Dana came out of the house then with a pair of boots she thought would fit McKenzie. They all visited as she led them up to the corral and got them saddled up for their ride.

  Hayes noticed that McKenzie’s step was lighter. He felt uncomfortable playing hero protector, but he preferred that to worrying about her. He’d learned as a private investigator to follow his own instincts. If she felt she was being watched, he knew there was the chance she probably was.

  Chapter Six

  He couldn’t believe his good luck at finding McKenzie Sheldon’s face on that real-estate sign. He took this as an omen that things were going to work out, after all.

  Whistling all the way back to his house, he planned his new strategy. From the description the newspaper had run of the attacker, he felt assured that McKenzie hadn’t gotten a good look at him. Which meant she wouldn’t know him if she saw him again. But he had to be sure before he moved forward.

  He checked the real-estate listings and found an open house she was hosting on Sunday, day after tomorrow. But to his delight, he saw that she was going to be the featured speaker at a real-estate conference being held at the university right here in town tomorrow.

  He imagined that she was scared after last night. He just hoped she didn’t cancel her speech or her open house or have someone else host it. Given the fight she’d put up last night, he had a feeling she wouldn’t. He liked that about her and couldn’t wait to see her again.

  Excited now and much relieved, he felt better than he had since his failure the night before. But he wouldn’t be satisfied until he fixed this.

  From as far back as he could remember, he couldn’t bear failing. He supposed that was his parents’ fault. They’d expected so much of him—too much. He would have given anything to make them happy, and he’d certainly tried for years. But he’d only disappointed them time and time again.

  The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  His parents weren’t the only ones. He’d also disappointed his girlfriends. The thought of them made his stomach roil. He’d never known what they wanted from him. It was this secret that women kept among themselves. They would get that self-satisfied smirk on their faces, mocking you for failing.

  “I should have expected as much from you,” his high school girlfriend used to say. And when he begged her to just tell him what she wanted, she would add, “If you don’t know, then there is really nothing more I can say.”

  The bitches had played their games with him throughout high school and then college. He’d tried to understand them. Even with his longest relationship after college, four years, he’d continued to disappoint. Nothing was ever good enough. And the nagging...

  That was really when things had started to change. After his breakup following four years of torture, he’d picked up a woman at the bar and taken her for a ride out into the country. All he’d wanted was sex and a little peace and quiet. But it had proven too much to ask. She’d started going off on him, about how she should have known at the bar that he was a loser. He’d told her to get out of his car.

  “Out here? No, you take me back to the bar where I left my car right now,” she’d said.

  He remembered looking at her. How ugly women were when they scowled like that. “Get out of my car right now or I am going to kill you.”

  She’d started to argue, but something in his expression had stopped her. She got out and began to cry, yelling obscenities as he backed up to leave. “I’m going to tell on you! Everyone is going to know about you!”

  He’d hit the brakes, then threw the car into first gear and hit the gas as she began to run. That had shut her up. He’d chased her down the road until she’d had the sense to run into the trees. He’d been so calm as he’d turned off the car and gone into the trees after her.

  She’d been easy to catch.

  That was when he’d officially quit trying to please other people. Now he only worried about making himself happy. And what would make him happy was finding McKenzie Sheldon and finishing what he’d started.

  * * *

  MCKENZIE SHIFTED IN her saddle as she stared across rows of mountaintops to the sunset. The waning sun had left streaks of pink, orange and gold that fanned up into Montana’s big sky.

  “It’s breathtaking.” She turned to look at Hayes. “Thank you for bringing me up here. You were right, your family is so inviting, especially Dana. This was so kind of her.”

  “She is one in a million, no doubt about that.”

  “You all seem so close. My family is spread out all over the place. I only have one sister here in town and I don’t see her much. My fault. I work all the time.” She let out a sigh.

  “I never met the Cardwell side of my family until this trip,” Hayes said. “My mother left my father when us boys were very young and took us to Texas to live. We only saw our father on occasion, so this is my first time in Montana—and meeting my cousin Dana.”

  McKenzie couldn’t help being surprised. “You seem so at home here.”

  He chuckled at that. “Montana does that to a person. Look at my brother. He intends to stay, restaurant or no restaurant.”

  “You’re opposed to opening a Texas Boys Barbecue here?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” She looked toward the sunset and breathed in the sweet scent of the tall pines around her.

  “No, it’s fin
e. It’s just that we started small, in an old house in Houston, and the business just...mushroomed. My brother Laramie has a head for that end of it and runs the corporation so the rest of us can pursue other careers.”

  “I understand you’re a private investigator in Houston?”

  He nodded. “Maybe it’s just me, but our little barbecue joint has grown into something I never wanted it to be. Adding another one in Montana... Well, it was never in the plans. We swore we would at least keep them all in Texas.”

  She said nothing, hating that she had a dog in the fight. This was something the brothers would have to sort out among themselves. Meanwhile, she feared Tag would lose the restaurant space and clearly he had his heart set on his own business in Big Sky.

  “It makes it all the more difficult because there are five of us,” Hayes said. “Do you come from a large family?”

  She laughed. “Nine children.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Imagine all of them having to agree on something.”

  “Impossible.”

  Hayes nodded, but he looked upset by the situation.

  “Your brother is still going to marry the woman he loves and stay in Montana no matter what happens with the restaurant, right?”

  “Seems so. I just hate to disappoint him, but it isn’t as if he needs a job.”

  “Some people just enjoy working,” she said, realizing how true that was. She couldn’t imagine retiring, say, ten years from now even though she probably could. What would she do all day if she did?

  “I suppose we should head back,” Hayes said as the sky around them began to darken. The breeze stirred the thick pine boughs and McKenzie felt a chill, even though the day was still warm. “Sorry to dump my problems on you.”

  “Yes, I have more than enough of my own,” she joked. “Seriously, it was nice to think about someone else’s for a while.”

  “I’m glad you’re staying here on the ranch. Dana has invited us for a cookout tonight. You’ll get to meet the rest of the family.”

  “I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay her,” McKenzie said.