Chapter 12
The true meaning of Christmas is having an excuse to eat cookies all day.
Hudson walked into the kitchen the next morning to find Sarah and Scout sipping coffee and talking quietly to each other.
Scout smiled when she saw him. “I hope we didn’t wake you.”
He shook his head. “No, I needed to get up anyway. We’ve got a lot to do around the farm. I’m glad you two already met,” he murmured, resisting the urge to ask Sarah what the heck she was doing back here without calling him.
Sarah grinned at him, shrugged. “Scout invited me in.”
“We were just about to walk around and inspect different options for the new security system,” Scout said, though her tone said she wasn’t sold on a fancy new system.
Well, too bad. It was happening.
“And I want to meet your cute llamas,” Sarah said, turning back to Scout. “After Hudson told me about you, I started following them on social media. They’re a hoot.”
Scout smiled at her, seemingly completely relaxed.
Which made sense. Sarah was middle-aged, looked unassuming, almost motherly.
About five feet, seven inches, with russet hair, she was slightly graying at the temples and had told him she wasn’t sure if she was going to color it or not.
Apparently she liked the look and was thinking of leaning into it.
Then she’d added that she thought it made people ignore her even more and that would help her if she decided to start taking contracts again.
Hudson was surprised she’d ever retired, considering she was one of the best snipers he’d ever known—and was a menace with a garrote. But she’d gotten bored apparently.
The two women continued talking as he poured coffee in one of Scout’s insulated mugs—this one with a picture of Clover on it. He was quiet as he followed them outside, looking for any threats. Though he’d already checked her current camera feeds and nothing looked out of the ordinary.
After last night with Hank and Lane “going missing” he had a feeling that the owner of the Willman Ranch was going to take a beat and regroup while he tried to figure out where his hired thugs had disappeared to.
At least that would make sense.
But Hudson wasn’t certain that Zack Willman would act rationally.
So today they were getting the security cameras and alert system set up. He knew Scout still wanted answers from him, but she’d been so exhausted last night when they’d gotten back to her farm that she hadn’t peppered him with questions. He was planning to hold her off as long as humanly possible.
“Why don’t you and Scout head out to the farthest pasture you want to add cameras in?” Sarah said as they came to stand in front of one of the chicken coops.
Lucy hop-trotted over then in that weird way llamas moved, making a path straight up to Scout, basically kissing her, then she stood in front of Sarah, sniffed a couple times.
She bleated and then nuzzled Sarah once in clear affection.
“Are you kidding me?” He stared as Lucy just welcomed the other woman.
“You’ve got good taste,” Sarah said, gently petting the menace behind her ear as if she was a dog.
Lucy bleated happily, then trot-hopped away without sparing Hudson a glance.
“At least she didn’t spit at you.” Scout grinned at him. “Come on, let’s grab the ATV.”
***
“It just feels a little pointed, that’s all.” Hudson was trying not to be upset by the fact that Lucy and the other llamas hadn’t warmed to him yet.
He didn’t even like llamas. Or farm animals.
At least that was what he was telling himself. But now it was his mission to make them like him.
Scout reached over and patted his knee gently—and he loved the feel of her hand on him. “Lucy likes women better, that’s for sure. And in her defense, I thought you were a threat at first. So of course it’s going to take her longer to warm up to you.”
He bit back a sigh because he wasn’t a freaking child.
He was a world-class hitman, feared in certain circles.
So what if the dumb llama didn’t like him?
He also realized that complaining about the llamas not liking him wasn’t sexy, so he decided to shut the fuck up and get over it.
“So this is the farthest pasture?” he asked as she turned off the engine.
“The farthest one I actively use. I’ve got a few more, but they don’t have any shelters for the llamas.
One day, maybe if I expand, but for now…
” She slid her sunglasses on and got out, eyeing the overgrown stretch of land.
The green grass had grown wild. “I should probably get my goats out here sometime soon.”
“Can I ask you an uncomfortable question?” He moved in next to her, inhaling that sweet vanilla-amber scent. It was underlined with other scents—one that was earthy—and he loved all of it.
“Sure. And fair warning, I’m going to ask some uncomfortable questions too. Like what the hell happened with Hank and Lane.”
Yeah, he’d known that was coming, had hoped for a longer reprieve. He was glad to have his own sunglasses already on as he stalked away from her, leaned over one of the fence lines. At least this pasture didn’t appear to have any fence line damage.
“First, you never saw them,” he said.
“It was them last night, I know it…right?” she added hesitantly.
“I think giving you plausible deniability is the best option right now. So I’m not answering. I will say that they won’t be a problem for you ever again.”
She was silent for a long moment, then to his surprise, simply sighed. “I don’t know what to think about that. Or say. So I’m going to ignore it for now because I’ve got too much stuff to do before the festival starts.”
He was a little surprised she wasn’t pushing him, but also grateful for it. And he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or gift llama. Whatever.
“So what did you want to ask me?” She motioned for him to follow her down a well-worn trail that was only a little overgrown.
He recognized some of the animal tracks in the dirt, spotted a plethora of different types that had been through this area.
Including a couple horses. He frowned at that as he said, “Fair warning, it’s invasive.
But who gets your farm if you…die.” Hudson didn’t like thinking it, much less saying it out loud.
“Meaning, who do you leave it to in your will? Lucy?” he added, trying to lighten his question.
“Oh…ah, well this is embarrassing. But no one. I haven’t done a will.
I keep meaning to… It’s on my long list of things to do since my grandpa died.
” She sighed, then groaned. “Crap. So that means if I die, eventually my land and everything will go up for sale.” She paused again.
“So theoretically the Willman Ranch or Zack Willman could buy up everything of mine. That seems like a lot of trouble to go to for this land.”
“Maybe, but people have definitely killed for less. And your land is pristine, mostly untouched. Considering you’re in Florida…this is prime real estate.”
“I don’t know.” She didn’t seem convinced.
Clearly she just didn’t understand what her land was worth.
Or more likely she was just a good person and didn’t think in those terms. Unfortunately, a lot of really bad people did.
“Well, I do know. About twenty years ago there used to be a huge swath of hunting land up in the Orlando area. Outside of it technically, because that place has exploded. It was owned by a bunch of Mormons. They sold that land off piece by piece for a ridiculous sum. Now everything that was once just like your land is a bunch of subdivisions and shopping centers. They made an absolute killing on those sales. Zack Willman could want this for future developments, not as part of his ranch.” Hudson had no way of knowing that for certain, but it would make sense.
Because they couldn’t need the land for their horses. Not when Willman was doing so well up in Kentucky and had enough property himself in Florida. This whole situation was odd and pissing Hudson off.
“It’s so hard for me to imagine killing someone for…land.”
He snorted softly. “It’s because you have a good soul.”
She looked at him so he turned away, not wanting to face her, even with his sunglasses on. And that was when he heard it… “Get back to the ATV,” he murmured. “Someone’s coming up on horseback.”
“You’re coming with me,” she murmured back.
Even though he wanted to argue, he nodded and made his way with her back to their ride. But he kept himself behind her to stay between her and the upcoming rider. And he pulled out his pistol.
If they were about to be attacked, even seconds would count.
By the time they made it to the ATV, the hoofbeats were a lot closer.
“Start the engine and get ready to go,” he said as he basically guided her to the driver’s side.
She definitely didn’t like him ordering her around, but too bad. Two assholes had come after her last night, he wasn’t in a relaxed mood.
“Hudson—”
He could hear the horse right over the trail through the woods. The rider was close and they had no time to waste. So he turned to Scout, claimed her mouth in a searing kiss that shook him to his core before he pulled back, even though all he could hear was his own blood rushing in his ears.
Kissing her had been a mistake because now all he wanted to do was repeat it. He’d meant to do it to distract her, to make her listen to him.
He was a fool.
“Damn it,” he rasped out. “Just listen to me, please.” Turning away, he stalked down the trail, stood right in the middle of it.
A solo rider wearing a cowboy hat, flannel shirt and jeans was heading straight for him.
Hudson kept his weapon at his side, but didn’t holster it as the unfamiliar man slowed the horse using his reins and a soft command.
The horse immediately complied and to Hudson’s surprise the man growled, “Who the hell are you?”
Before he could respond, he felt more than heard Scout moving up behind him.