Chapter Twenty-Four
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The following morning Portia woke to find the bed empty. The night before, when she’d curled up next to her handsome cowboy, he’d kissed her softly and said goodnight. She’d been surprised, but exhausted after her big day she was soon falling asleep to the sound of his deep, heavy breathing.
Now glancing at the clock and seeing it was already past seven-thirty, she yawned and stretched, then climbed from the bed and padded across to the bathroom door. When she knocked and didn’t get a reply, she was about to open it when Jezebel suddenly appeared at her side.
“Well, hello there,” she exclaimed, leaning down and petting the happy dog.
“You were sleepin’ like a baby. I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”
Jerking her head around, she saw Devlin ambling towards her.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile. “What time did you get up?”
“Around seven. What do you like for breakfast?”
“Just oatmeal, if you have it. With blueberries, walnuts and chopped bananas.”
“The oatmeal and bananas I can do, but we’ll have to go shoppin’ for the walnuts and blueberries,” he retorted with a grin, then abruptly pulled her into his arms. “Sure is nice to have you here.”
“So I’m officially forgiven for hitting your truck?”
“Nope, not yet, but I’ll find a way for you to make it up to me.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“In the meantime I’ll cook up your oatmeal and see you in the kitchen.”
“Devlin…?”
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“I’m sorry about the accident, but I’m not sorry about anything else,” she said softly.
“Me either,” he murmured, then turned her around and swatted her butt. “Don’t take forever.”
* * *
As she let out a squeal and hurried through the bathroom door, Devlin broke into a grin. She could be both spunky and sweet, and she had totally stolen his heart. Returning to the kitchen, he cooked up the oatmeal, making enough for both of them, but when she walked in and sat down he could see something was on her mind.
“I need to go back to the house,” she declared before he could ask. “I left a couple of things behind.”
“Are they important things?”
“For one thing, my daytime sunblock moisturizer. My face will burn if I don’t use it, and a couple of other bits and pieces as well. Plus, there are blueberries in the fridge, and I have an unopened package of walnuts. I sprinkle them on just about everything.”
“Ah, okay. My first lesson is at ten. After we finish puttin’ the horses into their paddocks, I can run you over there real quick.”
“You don’t need to. I can walk. There’s that trail that runs behind my neighbors.”
“With that creep William on the loose I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“He wouldn’t go back to my place, and even if he did he wouldn’t be able to get in.”
“Shoot, look at the time,” Devlin muttered, glancing at his watch. “Sorry, but I need to get to the barn. Join me down there when you’re done.”
“Okay, and I’ll clean up before I do.”
“Thanks, darlin’,” he said, pushing back from the table, then leaning down, he pecked her on the cheek. “You two, keep her company,” he added, petting his two dogs. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
As he left, Jethro and Jezebel moved across to the cabinet where the milk bones were kept, then sat down and stared at her.
“Okay, okay,” she said with a laugh. “I can’t say no.”
After giving them their treat, she finished her breakfast and cleaned up, then left for the barn. But as Jezebel and Jethro trotted down the porch steps, they abruptly turned and ran towards the hill.
“Hey, where are you going?” she called after them. Though they stopped, they began barking and pacing. “Come on, we need to get to the barn.”
As she started marching away they ran after her, then raced past her towards the stable area.
“There you are,” Devlin exclaimed as he stepped out to greet them.
“There’s something up on Smooky Hill,” she exclaimed. “The dogs kept barking and looking up at the trees.”
“Huh. I’ll check it out later. Come in, it’s time to get to work.”
* * *
In spite of his sore ankle and the frightening experience in the woods the night before, William had ventured back up Smoky Hill trail so he could watch the comings and goings at the ranch during the morning hours. All he needed was fifteen minutes alone with the cowboy and Portia. But the dogs had stood at the base of the hill sounding the alarm, and now a car was coming down the drive. There were also two other cowboys he hadn’t seen before leading the horses into the paddocks.
Suddenly the quiet barn had become a busy one.
Frustrated, he was about to turn around when a thought flashed though his mind.
His plan had been to hold Devlin and Portia at gunpoint while Portia made calls and transferred funds to an offshore account. But it suddenly occurred to him there was a much safer and sneakier way to get what he needed.
Steal her handbag.
She carried everything in it.
Her wallet, credit cards, even her passport!
With his pulse ticking up, he moved down the hill to the back of Devlin’s as quickly as his painful ankle would allow, then continued cautiously around to the front. Glancing anxiously across to the barn and not seeing anyone, he climbed up the porch steps and entered the house.