Chapter 13
13
Hudson
E arly morning sun filtered through the kitchen window. The sound of boots crunching against broken glass in the other room aggravated Hudson’s senses, mostly because of what it represented.
He’d failed Rachel last night. He’d been here to protect her, and the guilt wouldn’t let him forget just how massive that fiasco had become. Rachel’s soft voice held none of the terror it had when he’d come to her rescue. Hudson had to hand it to her. She knew how to put on a mask and show people what she wanted them to see.
It made him wonder if she was still hiding anything from him. Clearly, not many knew who really owned this property. It was possible the only people who did were the ones targeting her. That meant he had a lot of research to do in order to pin down the culprits.
The cup of coffee in his hand had long since grown cold. He’d called Henry—mostly because of his relationship with Athena. Then he’d called Wade. They needed to figure out how many of the Keagans to include. There was a strong possibility that the dangers weren’t something his younger brothers should be dragged into.
At least Sheriff Donahue sounded like he was taking the threat seriously. He’d only asked Henry a handful of questions, but since Hudson couldn’t give much information, he quickly moved on to the scene of the crime.
Quick footsteps rushed through the front door and Athena’s familiar voice rang out, full of anxiety. “Rachel? Rachel! Where are you?”
“Here, Athena.”
Hudson remained where he was in the kitchen. Their voices carried from the hallway as if they were standing in the same room as he was.
“What happened?” Athena demanded. She’d taken to the older sister role nicely. Though she still had a lot to learn.
Rachel let out a nervous laugh. It was the one she used to cover up when she was upset about something but wanted people to leave her alone. Hudson very nearly left his post after hearing that sound.
Almost.
What was he to her? Nothing. They weren’t anything. Had they gotten to a point where they could trust each other a little more? Sure. But she didn’t need him to protect her. To be honest, she probably didn’t want his help. He’d seen the way she’d had a hard time with him bossing her around after last night’s debacle.
Rachel retold the whole story—the same one she’d told the sheriff. “That’s all I know. Hudson couldn’t see them well enough to get an ID. We’re basically still at square one.”
“And you don’t know why they’re doing this? What could they possibly want from you?”
There was a pregnant pause. Rachel clearly wasn’t ready to tell anyone that someone had it out for her personally. That would only make things messier.
“Where’s Hudson?” That wasn’t Athena. Wade’s strong, quiet voice used to be a comfort to Hudson when he was younger. Now it just meant that he had to do more work. Hudson let out a sigh and placed his cold coffee on the counter. If Rachel could keep Athena preoccupied, Hudson wasn’t against telling his brothers what they were up against. They had to do something to keep Rachel safe. And that started with a new security plan.
Wade materialized in the doorway, with Henry on his heels. Liam sauntered in behind the both of them.
Hudson scowled at Wade. “What’s he doing here? I told you, just you and Henry until we know more.”
Wade glanced at Liam. “He’s still working for the Callahans. I thought he would be able to bring some insights to the table. I’d bet that he has noticed the way Zeke runs things well enough that he’d be able to give us some ideas.”
When Hudson didn’t stop giving his brother the death stare, Wade rolled his eyes. “He was with me at the hardware store when you called. I wasn’t about to drop him off at home before coming out here. That’s a waste of time and gas.”
“He could have stayed in the truck.”
Liam shrugged. “I don’t have to be here. I really don’t care what’s going on.” Before he could turn around and leave the kitchen, Wade held up a hand to stop him from taking even one step.
“I meant what I said. You’re not going anywhere. Zeke is the wealthiest person in this town.”
Hudson snorted. That wasn’t true anymore.
“Fine. Shane might come close. But Zeke is the one who has a good piece of land that’s hard to keep an eye on. He’s got the woods, and he’s combined his projects with other ranchers. How much do you want to bet that he’s had to deal with people who don’t want him succeeding?”
Liam nodded. “It’s true. A couple years ago, there was this guy who showed up out of the blue and asked him to sell some of his land. I don’t remember if he said what he wanted to use it for, but Zeke told him to take a hike.”
Wade glanced at Liam with surprise. “I didn’t know that.”
Their younger brother chuckled. “Yeah, it was pretty great, too. The guy wouldn’t listen, and Zeke had to pull out his shotgun. That got the guy’s attention. He didn’t want anything to do with Zeke after that. And we haven’t heard from him since.”
Hudson gave Liam a look of disbelief. “You can’t be serious. That’s your answer? We should just walk around with shotguns? The guys who were here last night wouldn’t have shied away from a threat like that. They were ready to do some real damage. You saw the window. It was smashed. We’re just lucky they didn’t use their own firearms.”
Henry shook his head. “He’s right, guys. Whoever these guys were, they meant business. They really want Rachel to vacate the property.” He turned to Hudson. “Do you think her client would sell if they heard about all these problems? Surely there’re other options out there for her little pet project.”
“It’s not just a pet project,” Hudson said, glaring at Henry. “It’s a sanctuary. We’re ready for another inspection by the end of the week. If everything goes well, then the wild horses will be dropped off and Rachel can continue running things.”
“A wild horse sanctuary?” Wade said. “I didn’t know that was what she was trying to do here.”
“Well, it is. And all of you know how important that kind of conservation effort is. She’s going to do what we could only hope to accomplish, and she just so happened to find a piece of land that someone doesn’t want her to have. So, what are we going to do about it?”
Wade rubbed his jaw. His age was starting to show. Being the oldest, it wasn’t a surprise. They’d all put him through the wringer throughout their younger years. “I suppose the only thing we can do is enlist the help of some of the people in town. We have plenty of able-bodied men who could take shifts.” He glanced to Henry and Liam. “The place is pretty big, though. We would need a lot of volunteers running shifts. I just don’t know how we’re going to do it without drawing more attention.” He turned to Hudson. “You’re sure the guys from the other night weren’t locals?”
Hudson nodded his head firmly. “I know they’re not. I’ve never seen them before.”
Wade’s grim expression was a perfect mirror of how Hudson had been feeling since this whole ordeal had started. The fact that he hadn’t completely disregarded Hudson’s concerns was the only thing keeping Hudson calm in this moment. “I think we need to be frank with everyone we ask to help. They could be putting their lives on the line, and if they’re not on board, then there should be no pushback. I want to make that perfectly clear.” He gave Hudson a look, and Hudson threw his hands into the air.
“I’m not going to argue. I just want to make sure that Rachel stays safe.”
It was that statement that had all his brothers looking at him funny.
“What?” he snapped before staring hard at Henry. “She’s going to be your sister-in-law. She’s the only family Athena’s got.”
“I thought you didn’t like Athena,” Henry said.
“It doesn’t matter who I like or don’t like. I don’t want this property being swiped up by some city hotshot who won’t treat our community like it should be.”
Understanding seemed to fill Henry’s gaze. No one could deny that Hudson had his heart on keeping strangers and tourists from settling in their small town. Hudson just had to lean more into that idea when his brothers were around.
They spent the next twenty minutes putting a plan together. By the time they were done, the sheriff and his deputies had left as well. The only ones remaining on the premises were Hudson and Rachel.
Hudson found her standing in the doorway of her bedroom, staring at the glass on the floor. She had her arms wrapped around herself, but for the most part, she’d returned to her typical confident self. He knew better than to believe that she was doing okay. Inside that hard exterior was a woman who was terrified of what might happen next.
He cleared his throat, and she turned her head so she could see him out of the corner of her eye. “Everyone’s gone,” he said quietly.
She nodded, turning her attention back to the glass. “Do you think any of them got hurt?”
“I sure hope so.”
A small smile tugged at her lips but then faded just as quickly. “I wonder if the guy who almost crawled through the window is regretting his decisions.”
“Unfortunately, people like that don’t tend to have regrets—not unless they end up half-dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Yeah,” she said and sighed. “You’re probably right.”
He waited for her to glance at him, wanting to give her as much time as he could for her to find her closure with what had happened to them. When she glanced at him again, he motioned toward the door. “Come on.”
“Where?”
Hudson didn’t have the patience to explain himself. He reached for her hand and pulled her out of the room and toward the front door. Even after she’d buckled herself into the truck, he didn’t let her in on where they were headed. They rode in silence for a while before she finally spoke up.
“You know, I could just call the sheriff and tell him you’re kidnapping me.” Her voice was light on the surface, but there was a deeper meaning beneath it. That very thing might have happened the other night. They really didn’t know what those men were capable of.
Hudson’s eyes cut to hers. “Oh, you wouldn’t want to do that.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
One side of his mouth quirked upward. “Then you’d never figure out where we’re going. You’d never get the chance to see what’s in store.” He gave her one more meaningful look and nearly told her she’d never realize the potential they could have if they were to stick together. But he chickened out. “Besides, we’re here.”
She swung her head around to stare out the front window. “I don’t think I’ve ever been here.”
“No, I didn’t think you would. Remember that friend of mine? The one who has dogs?”
Her eyes widened with realization. “You’re getting me a dog?”
He shook his head. “I’m getting a dog.” He barely registered that she was disappointed when he continued. “You’re getting a puppy.”