Chapter Fifteen
The ranch was coated in a fresh blanket of snow when Willow finally dragged herself out of bed, her eyes gritty from lack of sleep. The white world outside her window looked pristine and peaceful, but she felt anything but.
Who knew that after only a few nights of sleeping next to Decker, she’d no longer be able to sleep without him?
She’d tossed and turned all night, reaching for him in the dark only to find cold sheets where his warm body should have been. Every creak of the old house left her on edge, every gust of wind against the windows making her wonder if the guys were back yet.
But dawn had come without the sound of trucks in the driveway, without Decker’s arms pulling her close, without a quiet “I’m home” whispered against her hair.
By five a.m., she’d given up on rest and thrown herself into work. After a round of chores in the brisk wind, she had breakfast with her sisters-in-law before settling in the office with her to-do list.
The space felt too quiet and empty without the usual bustle of security team meetings and her brothers’ voices carrying through the house. She tried to focus on inventory spreadsheets and vendor invoices, but her eyes kept drifting to her phone, waiting for an update.
She pushed away from the desk, in need of a third cup of coffee to get through the afternoon, but she only got halfway to the kitchen before her phone rang.
She nearly jumped out of her skin. Heart thumping with the anticipation it was Decker or one of her brothers, she brought the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Willow?”
She tried to place the voice. “Yes. Who is this?”
“Cal, from Willowbrook Feed and Seed.”
Her heart stuttered with the letdown of it not being the man she loved.
In her usual chipper voice, she said, “Hi, Cal. What can I do for you?”
“I’m calling because that specialty feed you ordered came in this morning.
” He sounded apologetic. “We thought it would arrive tomorrow and I know we said we’d deliver, but we’re really short-handed again.
The guys are still sick, and I’m the only one here.
Any way you could come pick it up? We’ll give you a discount on the invoice for the trouble. ”
She bit her lip, thinking about the protocol Carson had laid out before they left. No one left the ranch.
“I’m afraid we’re a little short-staffed too right now. I can’t get away.”
She bit down on her bottom lip. Apple couldn’t wait another day for that special food. The veterinarian had given them half a bag to test, but the mare was down to only a few grains.
Cal made a humming noise as if thinking over the dilemma. “If you could just pull up to the back loading dock, the order’s ready to go. You won’t even have to get out of your truck. I’ll load it for you, and you can be on your way in five minutes.”
It was tempting. Apple needed that feed.
But she couldn’t leave the ranch.
“Let me figure things out and call you back,” she told Cal.
“Sure thing. Just remember, we close at four today.”
After hanging up, Willow stared at her phone, anxiety churning in her stomach. She looked at the time again. Her brothers and Decker said they’d be back by lunch at the latest. It was going on one o’clock. Where were they?
As she entered the kitchen, her mind was spinning with possibilities. If she could only find someone to run into town and fetch the feed…
She picked up the coffeepot, but a knock on the front door made her abandon the coffee. When she reached the door, Crew, one of the veterans in the therapy program, stood in the doorway looking apologetic.
He dipped his head in greeting. “Hey, Willow, sorry to bother you, but Apple’s out of food. I gave her a full feed, but this evening will only be a partial feed.”
Damn.
The decision crystallized in that moment. She had no choice. The sick horse needed food, and Cal had the feed ready at the loading dock.
Five minutes, in and out.
“Thanks for letting me know, Crew. I’ll take care of it.”
She could send one of the guys from the therapy program. Several were allowed to come and go.
But she hated to ask any of them to run errands for her. They had more than enough to deal with in their own lives.
After Crew left, she called the feed store back with a last-ditch effort. “Cal? It’s Willow again. Is there any way someone could deliver if I paid extra? Double the delivery fee?”
“Darn, Willow. I really wish I could help, but there’s literally no one here but me. I can’t leave the store unattended.” His voice was genuinely regretful. “But like I said, it’s right there on the loading dock. You pull up, I’ll load it. You don’t even have to get out of your truck.”
Decision made, she shoved her feet in her rubber boots and grabbed her jacket and keys to the truck. “Okay. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
The drive to town felt longer than usual, her hands tight on the steering wheel as she navigated the snow-dusted roads. The anxiety in her chest grew with every mile, but she pushed it down.
This was ridiculous. She was a grown woman driving to a feed store in her hometown in broad daylight, not embarking on a dangerous mission.
Besides, she hadn’t broken any of her brothers’ rules in a while. They could use some stirring up.
Still, she couldn’t help but have an imaginary conversation with Decker in her head.
I’m fine. I’ll be back on the road in minutes.
Dammit, Willow. I can’t tell your brothers I failed.
They’ll be mad at me, not you.
It’s my job to keep you safe.
Her face felt too hot, and it wasn’t from the warm air streaming from the vents.
When she pulled into the loading area behind Willowbrook Feed and Seed, Cal was already there, waiting by a pallet of feed bags. He waved, and she noticed immediately that he was struggling—stumbling slightly, wincing with every step.
Her heart went out to him. The veteran was clearly in pain, his prosthetic leg maybe more problematic in the cold, wet weather. And he was still out here, working, loading heavy bags into her truck bed.
She reached for her door handle, instinct telling her to help.
But then she imagined Decker’s reaction. Her brothers’ reactions. They’d lock her in the house for a month if they heard she got out of the truck when they’d specifically told her to not leave the ranch.
It went against everything she stood for, but she stayed put, watching through the side mirror as Cal loaded bag after bag, his movements becoming more labored.
“All set,” he finally called out, limping toward her window. He held out a clipboard with the receipt and a pen. “Just need your signature.”
She rolled down the window and reached for the pen. But as Cal handed it to her, it slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.
“Dammit.” He started awkwardly backing up. “Sorry, my hands are cold.”
Willow looked at the pen lying in the snow between them. Cal was clearly struggling, his leg probably killing him, and she was sitting in a warm truck watching him suffer.
“It’s fine, I’ve got it.” She opened her door.
She hopped out of the truck, the cold air biting at her face as she bent to retrieve the pen. As her fingers closed around it, she heard the snow crunch as Cal moved closer.
“Here you go—” she started to say, straightening up.
But she didn’t get to finish.
Something pressed against her face.
Cloth.
Chemical-smelling.
Suffocating.
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. She tried to scream, but the cloth muffled everything, and whatever was on it was already making the world spin.
Not Cal. He was a nice guy. Someone else. Someone else must have been lurking by the loading dock.
Her legs buckled as the chemical smell filled her lungs. Darkness crept in to blacken the edges of her vision. She tried to fight, tried to remember the self-defense moves her brothers had taught her, but her body had stopped responding to her orders.
The last thing she saw before everything went black was Cal’s face, close to hers, and the look in his eyes wasn’t pain or apology.
It was satisfaction.
Then nothing.
* * * * *
The ranch came into view as they took the final turn, and Decker felt something in his chest loosen for the first time in eighteen hours.
Somehow, the ranch had become more than a safe haven, a place to heal. Because of Willow, it became his home.
He was home.
The mission with Gray had gone smoothly. Working with his new team, moving in sync with men who trusted him and each other, had left him exhilarated in a way he hadn’t felt since his SEAL days. It reminded him why he’d loved this work in the first place.
But all of that paled compared to what he felt now, pulling into the ranch yard and knowing that Willow was waiting inside.
He couldn’t wait to see her, to pull her into his arms and breathe in that scent that belonged only to her.
To cup her face in his hands and kiss her until they were both breathless.
He headed straight for their room, already imagining her reaction when he walked through the door.
The door swung inward, silent.
Empty. The room was empty.
He stood in the doorway, his excitement deflating into something colder. Could there be some emergency with one of the horses? Maybe she was in the barn. Or she might be working late in the security office.
“Decker?” Juliette’s voice came from behind him, and he turned to find her holding Navy on her hip.
The toddler brightened when she saw him, reaching out with grabby hands.
“Do you know where Willow is? I’ve been looking all over the place for her.
It’s her turn on the schedule, and I missed violin practice. ”
Warning bells started blaring in his head. “She’s not with you?” His voice came out with a frantic edge.
Juliette shook her head, alarm crossing her features.
“Take care of Navy for a little longer. I’ll go find Willow.”