Cowboy Protector (7 page)

“I know my daughter. Besides, I like to check on him. I’ve started expanding and breeding horses to sell. I’ve always wanted to do that rather than raise cattle, my father’s preference. Big Red is an important part of that plan as I make the change over.”

“Then move him closer to the house.”

“He likes being alone.”

Hannah tossed her head toward Big Red nuzzling Misty. “He does?”

Austin rubbed his hand on his chin. “You have a point, but I have to assure the safety of the other horses.”

Austin let her set the pace. Hannah approached the stallion slowly, watching him closely interact with Misty. Like Candy, he seemed to realize she was hurt and wasn’t her usual self. With each step that closed the distance between her and Big Red, she could see the draw. He was a magnificent example of a horse.

Within feet of the animal, he pulled his head away from Misty and turned it toward her, his big brown eyes locking on her. She gulped but stayed her ground. Austin released her grasp and went to the cart to retrieve the apple slices.

“Here, hold your hand out flat and give him this.” He plunked a piece onto her palm.

With Austin next to her, Hannah straightened her arm toward the horse with her offering. Big Red moved several steps to her and plucked the treat from her. His nose tickled her skin, just like Candy’s had with Misty.

“Here’s another one.”

Again she gave the stallion some apple. After he took it, intrigued at how gentle the horse had been, she asked, “Can I pet him?”

“He likes his neck scratched.” Austin passed the rest of the apples to Misty. “Go ahead. Especially around his ears.”

“Like my cat did. Okay.” Cautiously, still not totally convinced she wouldn’t end up hurt, she laid her palm on his neck, feeling the muscles beneath her hand.

After several strokes and a few scratches behind the ear, Hannah stepped away and stood next to Austin, allowing Big Red to return his attention to Misty, who happily fed him the rest of the slices.

“She loves living here.” Hannah’s gaze was fixed on the girl’s face, and she remembered her own childhood, full of love and acceptance much like Misty’s. She wanted to pass that along to her children. The thought came unbidden into her mind, and she sighed. It wasn’t going to happen, but it was a nice dream.

“She was riding almost as soon as she could run around. If I let her, she’d live at the barn or in the pasture where I usually keep Candy most of the time.”

“I know. I have a hard time keeping her in the house. I’m glad the weather has been better lately, but I also don’t want her to tire herself out. That’s when she seems to have the most problems with her breathing.”

“We better head back. I don’t want to tire her out, either.”

“We haven’t been out here that long.” Hannah checked her watch. “Two hours! I can’t believe it’s been that long. Yeah, we’d better.”

“Will you see to the gate?”

As Hannah ambled toward the fence, she surveyed the landscape around her. Gorgeous. A majestic beauty that proclaimed God’s creation. Although she’d never been on a ranch for long and certainly not one this size, she’d discovered she’d been missing something. What would it be like to explore the nook and crannies of the Triple T?

When she was seated in the golf cart and Austin drove it back toward the main house, she glanced at Misty. The child had her head resting on her arm along the top of the backseat. Her eyes were opening and closing. “I think your daughter is more tired than she’ll admit.”

“When we get back, I’ll carry her into the house and to her room. Will you get her wheelchair?”

“Yes.” Hannah’s gaze fell upon some horses in a pasture to the left. “And I think I’d like to take you up on the offer of a few riding lessons. That is, if you still want to teach me.”

He shot her a look. “What changed your mind?”

“I love animals. How different can a horse really be?”

As he came to a stop under the carport at the front of the house, he laughed. “Believe me, a horse is different from a dog or a cat, but I think you’ll do fine. Besides, I have the perfect mare for you. Sweet and docile.”

“I like sweet and docile.” Hannah followed Austin, who cradled Misty in his arms, his daughter’s head pressed against his shoulder.

Inside the door she guided the electric wheelchair
toward the child’s room a few paces behind Austin. When he placed her on her bed, Misty’s eyes opened for a few seconds then immediately closed as she nuzzled into the covers.

Hannah tiptoed from the room with Austin exiting right after her. “Thank you for the grand tour.”

“You’re welcome. Now I need to get back to work. I have some calls to make in my office.”

She watched him walk away, his long legs chewing up the distance quickly. He moved with an economical grace, no wasted motion. Once he’d accepted her presence on the ranch as Misty’s health care provider, he’d become surprisingly warm and accommodating. Which was probably not good for her peace of mind. But she liked this Austin Taylor—a lot.

Hannah switched on the monitor in Misty’s room in case the child had a problem. In the chair near the window, Hannah sat and pulled out her cell, punching in the number she’d found for Violet at the Missoula newspaper.

When the reporter came on the line, Hannah drew in a fortifying breath and asked, “Why are you looking for Jen Davis?”

“Is this Jen?”

Hannah glanced out the window at the meadow with horses grazing.

“Jen?”

The name brought back so many memories of when she was younger and more naïve. “Why are you looking for her?”

Violet sighed. “Because I think her life is in danger.”

Hannah sat up straight, her back so rigid pain streaked down her spine. “Why do you think that?”

“You just need to be cautious.”

“I’m—She always is. Again why should she be cautious?”

“Be careful about—” Violet paused, then finished with, “—your dealings with the U.S. Marshal’s office.”

“I don’t have any—why?” Hannah wanted to protest she wasn’t Jen Davis, but the denial wouldn’t come out. There was no point in pretending she wasn’t anymore.

“Because I think there’s a leak in the U.S. Marshal’s office or the FBI’s.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because women with green eyes and in the Witness Protection Program in Montana are dying. There have been two murders so far. Both women are in a certain age range that you fit into.”

“Why are they being killed?” Alarm roughened Hannah’s voice.

“There’s a hit out on Eloise Hill, who testified against a mobster in Chicago.”

“But I’m not Eloise, and I’ve never been to Chicago.”

“They don’t know where she is so they are taking care of any woman in the program in Montana that fits the profile.”

“They must really want this woman.”

“Yes, it started in January with the murder of Ruby Maxwell then shortly after her Carlie Donald. Once they figured out what was going on, the U.S. Marshal’s office has been looking for her.”

“And you think a leak somewhere might be how the women are being tracked down?” Hannah leaned back, trying to ease the tension that gripped her body.

“Yes.”

“Then calling the U.S. Marshal’s office wouldn’t be a wise move.”

“Yeah, but I know that Micah McGraw, a deputy U.S. Marshal in the Billings office, is on the up-and-up. You can trust him. Please let him know where you are.”

“Why should I? Didn’t you say it was women in the program? I’m not in the program. Thank you for the information.” Before Violet said anything else, Hannah clicked off, her hands shaking so badly the cell slipped from her fingers and landed in her lap.

Women being killed? A Chicago crime family? She was so thankful she’d dropped out of the Witness Protection Program two years before.

Suddenly a wheezing sound coming from the monitor sitting on her nightstand alerted Hannah that something was wrong with Misty. Hannah bolted to her feet, her cell crashing to the floor with a thud. As she rushed into the hallway, the sound grew louder and sent her heart pounding against her chest.

In Misty’s doorway, Hannah’s gaze riveted to the child on her bed, struggling to breathe, her face ashen, her eyes wide with fear. A tight cough racked Misty’s body, and tears ran down her cheeks.

Hannah quickly went to the child’s closet and retrieved her breathing machine, then plugged it in and sat on the bed to get Misty hooked up. “Honey, put this in your mouth,” she said in a calm voice. “This will make you feel better.”

Ten minutes into the treatment Austin showed up at the door. “Is she okay?”

“She’ll be fine in a while.”

Misty nodded slightly but kept drawing the mediated air into her lungs.

“I was heading out the back and thought I would check on her.” He closed the space between them. “Maybe we overdid it today.”

Misty’s eyes grew round, and she took the tube out of her mouth. “No, I love it.” A hint of red tinted her cheeks now.

Hannah directed the tube back to Misty’s mouth. “She’ll be back to her old self in no time.”

“I see, but still, sweetheart, we’ll need to be careful in the future not to do too much until you’re recovered.”

“I’m fine,” she said, her words slurred by the plastic she still held in her mouth.

Hannah peered over her shoulder at Austin. “Go on to the barn. I’ve got everything under control. Once she’s finished with her breathing treatment, I’m going to give her a sponge bath before dinner.”

She’d known that would send Austin out the door with one last glance back at them on the bed. Hannah smiled.

In that instant he figured out she’d manipulated the situation and mumbled, “I’m gonna have fun when I get you on that horse.”

The soft whine of Misty’s wheelchair sounded in the silence of an early Sunday morning. A couple of yards from the barn, Hannah paused and slowly made a full circle, taking in the beauty of a new day. Hoar frost cloaked everything in tiny ice crystals. Some trees appeared as though snow caked their branches. A blanket of white masked the ground vegetation. This morning was colder than she thought. She and Misty wouldn’t stay as long as usual.

“I left a note for your daddy on the kitchen table just in case he gets up and wonders where we are.” Buttoning her heavy overcoat, Hannah entered the barn with Misty driving a little ahead of her toward Candy’s stall.

Hannah glanced behind her at the rising sun, just
peeking over the horizon. She loved visiting all the animals and especially the mare that she’d had her first two riding lessons on. She was as sweet and docile as Austin had said.

She hurried ahead to open the stall door for Misty to go inside, then she entered, too, no longer afraid to shut them both in with the horse. A couple of barks resonated in the air. Barney. He’d be in here soon.

While the little girl gave Candy her treats for the day, Hannah thought back over the past few days. She was involved with the Taylor family more than an employee usually was. When she ate dinner with them all around the kitchen table, she felt a part of a group as she hadn’t since she’d shared meals with her own family. She could grow used to that feeling of belonging. Its potency lured her into thinking everything was all right, that her life was typical and normal. Only when she went to bed at night did she get a reality check. She couldn’t shake her nightmares even though she’d been at the ranch for nearly two weeks.

Why not?

That question nagged her in the morning, especially when no answer came to mind. Maybe the isolation, which she had thought would be a good thing. But she really didn’t have a means of escape unless she stole a vehicle.

When she saw that they had been in the stall almost twenty minutes, Hannah stepped forward. “We probably better get the dog and cat food. Barney should be out there waiting for us. Even with us being early today, he tends to know when we are here.”

“Can I brush Candy after that? I miss that.”

Hannah peered from the small horse to Misty sitting in a wheelchair. “Yeah. We’ll figure something out.”

When Hannah opened the stall door, she half expected to see Barney sitting patiently for them a few feet away. Snowball ambled toward them but no Barney. She’d heard him earlier. Maybe he was out back.

“Wait. Let me check if he’s behind the barn.” While Snowball leaped into Misty’s lap to be petted, Hannah strode toward the large double doors in the back nearer the bunkhouse. He often slept there.

As she neared the back exit, the scent of smoke teased her nostrils. Under the doors a gray haze seeped into the interior. She rushed forward and reached for the handle. Warm to the touch, she jerked her hand back. Swinging around, she hurried back to Misty, trying to school her features into a calmness she didn’t feel.

“We need to get out of here. Hold on to Snowball.”

The child lifted her head from cuddling it against the white cat and rotated her wheelchair around so she could head out the front. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s a fire.”

Panic bolted through Hannah at the sight of the double doors that they’d come into the barn through and always left open, now shut. More smoke invaded the back of the barn.

Misty’s eyes widened as she saw its insidious tentacles fan out. “Candy can’t leave!” She swerved to the side and drove her chair toward the horse’s stall.

“Go! Now!” All Hannah could remember was Austin telling her about the barn that had burned when he was a child, some animals dying in the fire, and the fact the structure was all wood.

Then the thought: was this the work of a hit man sent to take out another woman in the Witness Protection Program?

F
rozen for a few precious seconds, Hannah couldn’t shake the thought. She wasn’t Eloise Hill and she wasn’t involved with the program anymore. So how could an informant know she, Hannah Williams, was Jen Davis? It didn’t make any sense. And if Violet was right and the U.S. Marshal’s office with all its resources was looking for her and they hadn’t found her, then she was safe from the phantom hit men.

Calm down. Think.

She stared behind her. No flames visible yet. But smoke continued to ooze under the double doors at the back. She waved her arms. “Come on. Go!”

Tears streaked down the child’s face. “But, Candy—”

“You keep going. I’ll get her. Don’t wait for me. Get outside.” Hannah watched the child drive toward the front and prayed to the Lord that way wasn’t blocked or they were truly trapped.

Misty stopped and glanced back. “I’m going. Go ahead.”

After making sure the child was clear and out of harm’s way, Hannah raced to the stall and thrust the door open. The horse charged out, nearly knocking Hannah to the
ground. The mare’s eyes wide with fright, she bolted toward the one double door Misty had disappeared through.

The scent of smoke grew stronger. Hannah heard the whinnies of the other horses locked in their stalls. The sound of hooves striking the wooden doors drowned out the hammering of her heartbeat. She peered back at the thickening smoke and made a decision. There was still a little time to save some of the animals, if not all.

Covering her mouth and nose with the bottom of her sweatshirt, she ran to each stall she could get to and threw open its door, making sure this time she was well out of the way of the terrified animal as it stampeded toward freedom.

She’d left the stalls near the front until last. She thrust two more open, then turned to the last one by the barn entrance. She could get to it on her way out.

This last one, Lord, then I’ll leave.

As she neared the stall, the noise from inside as the horse’s hooves came down on the door underscored how panicked the usually docile mare was. She was only a few feet from being able to release the latch when the door crashed open and the horse careened out of her prison and straight for Hannah, who stood between the mare and her escape.

Hannah tried to move but the thousand-pound animal barreled into her, clipping her on the shoulder, which sent Hannah flying to the ground. The hard impact propelled all the air from her lungs. The smoke continued to roll toward her.

The scent of coffee laced the air, drawing Austin toward the kitchen. Hannah must have fixed it. She’d
been preparing it most mornings this week. She rose earlier than even he did.

When he entered, his gaze swept the room. Where was she?

Austin spied the note on the kitchen table as he crossed to the sink to fill a mug. Changing his course, he snatched up the paper and read where Hannah and his daughter were so early in the morning. He glanced at the time and decided to go to the barn. Back at the counter, he poured himself some dark brew, then walked toward the front of the house.

As he emerged onto the deck, he caught a whiff of the smell. Smoke. His attention flew toward the barn as he set his mug down on the railing, then practically leaped from the top step to the ground at the sight of Misty coming out of the front entrance with Candy almost running over her. He zeroed in on the structure. From the back a mushrooming cloud of smoke roiled upward toward the sky, being chased by flames.

As he ran, he fished for his cell and put in a call to the volunteer fire department fifteen minutes away. More horses shot out of the entrance, galloping in all directions.

He pinned Misty with a look. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, but Hannah’s inside.”

Near the barn he pressed the alarm, a high-pitched siren blasting the air.

He turned back to Misty. “Go to the house. Get Granny. You stay there. I’ll get Hannah.”

As he started into the barn, he glimpsed his daughter heading away. At the entrance a mare shot out of the door, nearly knocking him down. He removed his jacket and put it to his mouth and nose, then ran low farther into the building.

“Hannah!”

Lord, help me find her.

He scanned the area; the growing smoke inside stung his eyes. Then he saw her nearby, only a few feet from the doors, crumpled on the earthen floor. For a second his heartbeat felt like it had skidded to a halt.

When he saw her move, trying to rise, he nearly collapsed with relief.

Quickly he knelt and scooped her up. A crack at the back of the barn followed by a flaming timber from the wall plunging to the ground underscored the danger. The earth beneath his knees shook. He surged to his feet and raced out the door. Another crash and boom propelled him to go faster across the yard.

In the open he staggered to a safe distance, coughing, trying to hold on to Hannah. He managed to place her on the frost-covered ground as more coughs racked him.

He prayed the volunteer firemen would be here soon. In the meantime, his own cowhands used what firefighting equipment they had to protect the surrounding structure so the fire didn’t spread. The barn would be gone. There would be nothing they could do to save it even if it would take hours to completely burn.

“Misty, okay?” she rasped, then starting coughing.

“She’s fine. I’m taking you to the small hospital in Sweet Creek. They may have to transport you to Missoula.”

“I’ll be okay.” She struggled to prop herself on her elbows, swayed and crumbled back to the ground.

“Yeah, I see that.” His throat burned as though the fire rampaged through him. “As soon as the fire department gets here and you can get some oxygen, we’re leaving.” His men and the volunteer firefighters would take care of containing the fire only to the barn.

“You can’t.” She waved her hand toward the blaze. “You need to be here.” Again she began hacking, tears glistening in her eyes.

He thrust his face close, blocking her view of the fire. “You come first.”

You come first
. Those words had flirted with Hannah’s emotions the whole time she was being checked out by the doctor at the hospital and being given the okay to go home. And on the trip back to the ranch in the late afternoon, they still played around in her mind, as if she were participating in a hide-and-seek game. How could she be falling for Austin? She always guarded her heart so well. She knew a relationship between them was doomed from the beginning.

She closed her eyes and laid her head against the seat in Austin’s SUV. Her throat and lungs burned. Her head pounded. The stench of smoke still clung to her. But she was alive, and Misty was all right. The Lord had answered her prayer, and that comforted her. He hadn’t totally given up on her.

Austin made a turn. She inched one eyelid up to see where they were. A sigh escaped her lips. The ranch. Home—but only for a short time. If only it wasn’t.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Austin’s question, his voice as raspy as hers from the smoke, made her open her eyes.

“You heard the doctor. My tests came back normal. No permanent damage. We both needed to get ho—back to the ranch.” The ranch wasn’t her home, would never be.

“My foreman assures me he’s taken care of everything. Max has been with me for a long time and I trust his word. He had to run the ranch while I was with Misty in Missoula.”

“I’m glad you can trust him.” She didn’t know what trust meant anymore, although she could see herself trusting Austin. He was that kind of man.

“Yeah. But obviously there’s someone out there who has a grudge against me. Max told me the fire chief found empty cans of gasoline behind the barn. He thinks whoever set the fire soaked the whole lower backside of the barn so it would burn fast and there would be no way to save it or the animals in it.” He slanted a look toward her. “But you saved them. You shouldn’t have risked it.”

“I promised Misty I would get Candy. Then after that I was going to leave but couldn’t bear hearing the horses in their stalls, trapped. I had to do something.”

“And you could have died.”

“Have I thanked you in the past hour for coming in and getting me?”

“We could trade thank-yous all day. You saved my daughter, and there are no words I could say that would adequately express my gratitude for that.”

As Austin crested the rise near the main house, Hannah straightened and braced herself for the sight before her. The hired hands and fire department had stopped the fire from spreading to the bunkhouse and other structures, but what little remained of the barn lay in a smoldering shambles of burnt timbers and ashes.

“Did they find all the horses? Candy?”

“All but one. A few of the guys are out looking for the last one. And Candy is fine. Max says he let Misty love on her for a while, and the mare calmed right down.”

“How’s Misty taking it?”

“She didn’t say much other than to make sure you were all right. She made me say that several times as though
she didn’t believe me the first two times. The last time I called Granny said she was taking a nap, a long one.”

“She’s emotionally exhausted. I’ll go see her right away.”

Austin parked in front of the main house and angled toward her. “And you aren’t exhausted? I know I can’t keep you from checking on Misty, but then go rest, take your own long nap. Granny and I will take care of Misty.”

You come first
. Those words rang in her mind yet again. “But you’ve got to have so much to do right now.”

“Which I’ll get done, but I have good people working for me.” He captured her gaze and her hand lying on the seat between them. “Do I have to escort you to your room to make sure you follow my or—suggestion?”

She laughed. “Nice save. No, I’ll pop in and see if Misty is up and check on her, then go take a nap. Okay?”

“Perfect.”

The smile he gave her encompassed his whole face down to the twinkle in his eye that warmed her. She opened the door.

“I’ll be at what’s left of the barn for a while, then I’m going to have to make some calls to house some of my horses until I can get my main barn rebuilt.”

She climbed from the Jeep and mounted the steps to the deck. Caroline threw open the front door before she had a chance to ring the bell. Her smile of welcome matched her grandson’s.

“You should have stayed at the hospital overnight.”

“And gone stir-crazy. No, Caroline. I’m fine. I spent some time on oxygen and they gave me some medication. My lungs feel a whole lot better than they did. Time will heal me.”

“I’ve heard doctors can make the worst patients, but I
think that extends to anyone in the medical field,” the older woman said with a chuckle.

She didn’t think she’d be able to get the picture of the flames and smoke out of her mind any time soon, but she would at least rest.

Caroline tsked. “I’m surrounded by stubborn people. I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”

Hannah headed straight for Misty’s room and peeked inside. The little girl whimpered although she was still asleep and tried to turn over but couldn’t because of the cast. Hannah covered the distance to the bed as quickly as she could. The child settled back into the covers, her eyes closed. The frown that puckered her brow smoothed out, and Misty relaxed back into a calm sleep.

Hannah itched to brush the girl’s long black hair away from her face and from around her neck, to reassure herself the child was truly all right, but she was afraid that would awaken Misty. Today had been traumatic, and she needed her rest. But she wanted to hold the child and hug her for as long as she would allow her.

The thought of how this morning could have ended inundated her. A shudder wiggled down Hannah’s length.

Thank You, Lord, for answering my prayer. I don’t know what I would have done if Misty had been hurt further
.

Hannah left the child sleeping and entered her own room, the bed beckoning. After stretching out on the coverlet, she closed her eyes and tried to quiet the unrest and questions starting to fly around in her brain. Who wanted to set fire to the barn? Was there any way it could have been connected to her being here? In her gut she didn’t think so. Mainly because whoever came after her would need to make sure she died. That person would
want to do it personally to assure the job was done. She knew Devon Madison well enough to realize he would expect that from any thug he sent to kill her. And the same for a hit man after Eloise Hill. Setting a fire wasn’t her idea of a professional hit.

Which left what Austin thought: someone had a grudge against him. The first and only person was Bob Douglas, the man fired the week before. His threat resounded in her mind.
I’ll remember you, little lady
. And his tone and look had definitely conveyed not in a nice way.

Would he risk killing Misty to get at her? That didn’t really make sense to her. He was mad and might hurt her, but he didn’t feel like a cold-blooded murderer—at least of human beings. But animals? Maybe. She and Misty didn’t normally go to the barn that early. No one was usually around at that time, especially on a Sunday. So whoever set the fire was probably trying to destroy the barn and the animals in it.

She turned over and tried to blank her mind. She couldn’t. Some shadowy nemesis gripped it, and that was all she could think about. Giving up on resting, she swung her feet to the floor and rose. After checking on Misty again, she ambled toward the living room.

Several masculine voices alerted her to the fact the Taylors had visitors. She almost turned around to go back to her room, then decided she couldn’t take the solitude. Pausing in the entrance into the living room, she scanned the faces of the people sitting. Two men in uniform had joined Caroline and Austin.

Austin glimpsed her and shoved to his feet. “Sheriff, this is Hannah Williams. She was with Misty in the barn when it caught fire.”

The lean, medium tall man with his tan cowboy hat in
his hand stood as well as the other male with him. The craggy-faced sheriff nodded toward her. “I’m sure glad you and Misty got out alive, ma’am. This is Deputy Collins. We’re here to get statements from everyone. After talking to the fire chief, there’s no doubt this was arson. Nothing accidental about all that gasoline.”