Chapter 11
Suzy leapt off Daphne’s back and rushed to Heather’s side. Fear skittered on her skin like an army of angry ants. “Heather! Are you okay?”
Heather sprawled on the ground with her eyes closed.
Agitated, Ginger pranced around her fallen rider.
Suzy hurried to the mare’s side and pressed a reassuring palm against her neck. The last thing Heather needed was to get stepped on. “It’s okay, girl. I’ve got you. I need you to stay calm for me now. You and Daphne be good while I see to our friend.”
Ginger huffed out a breath as if in agreement and walked over to stand beside Daphne.
Once Suzy found out who’d trained the two horses, she’d plant a giant kiss on their cheek.
With the two animals settled, Suzy dropped to her knees and pressed a finger to the side of Heather’s neck.
A sliver of relief wedged through the tight knots in her chest. The pulse was strong, even if her friend hadn’t stirred.
“You’re going to be fine,” she said, resisting the urge to roam a hand around the back of Heather’s head in search of a knot. She dug her phone from the front pocket of her coat with her shaky hand. Removing her glove, she called for help.
Seconds stretched on forever when the line finally picked up. “Hey, Suzy,” Duke said. “I’m heading back to the house now. Looks like Chrissy took my message to heart and went home.”
“You need to get here. Fast,” she said, not having time to get into the details about this ex-girlfriend.
“Heather and I took out two of the horses for a ride. We didn’t make it far.
We’re on the trail behind the house. Call the sheriff’s department and have them send a squad.
Heather fell off a horse and won’t wake up. ”
“What the hell happened?”
“I’m not sure. But we need someone out here to look at your sister as fast as possible.”
“Agreed,” Duke said. “Hold tight. I’ll be there soon.”
Disconnecting, she shoved her phone back in her pocket and took hold of Heather’s hand. Curiosity turned her gaze to the location where the loud noise had come from. As much as she wanted to check it out, she couldn’t leave her friend’s side.
But whatever had caused the commotion, the noise wasn’t natural.
Nothing caused by a startled animal or a weird rumble of rocks.
Nervous energy swirled through her limbs and chased away any cold she would have felt sitting still in the cool afternoon air.
She kept a close eye on the horses and her senses tuned into any other threats that lingered.
Not like she could do much if another blast erupted or someone sprang from the tree line in the distance. She had no weapons and no ability to run. Because no matter what, she couldn’t leave Heather lying there helpless.
Minutes stretched on, feeling like hours, when the distant sound of horse hooves pounded against the ground. Relief flooded her system at the sight of Lane and Duke charging across the meadow.
They reached her in seconds, Duke flinging off the still-moving stallion before dropping to the ground beside Heather. Not even the wide brim of his Stetson could hide the fear widening his eyes. “Has she woken?”
Suzy shook her head, tears bursting free and rolling down her face. “No.”
Duke shrugged out of his coat and placed if over Heather than rested his hand over hers. “I’m here. Help’s on the way. Everything’s going to be fine, you just have to open your eyes.” He finally looked Suzy’s way. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she repeated, the word barely louder than the wind whipping across the plains. Adrenaline flooded her system and her teeth chattered as her shoulders shook.
Lane swung off his horse and made sure all four animals were soothed before stomping over.
Raising to her feet, she hurled herself against her brother. His arms might not be the ones she craved to have wrapped around her, but Duke needed to be with Heather.
Lane held her tight. “Sheriff’s deputies and medical help were close behind us. We’ll get her to the hospital. Now what happened?”
Wiping away her tears, Suzy sniffed back her emotions and took a step away from Lane.
She flicked her wrist in the direction the noise had come from that had startled their horses.
“There was some kind of explosion from behind those rocks. It came out of nowhere. The horses got spooked. I was able to calm Daphne, but Ginger reared and threw Heather.”
Duke glanced up, fury shooting fire from his eyes. “What do you mean an explosion?”
She shrugged and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I don’t know. A loud bang. Dust and debris flew up.”
“Did you check it out?” Lane asked, making his way over to the direction she pointed.
“No, I didn’t want to leave Heather’s side. I didn’t know if someone was out here, waiting to cause more damage. I should have—” A choked sob stole the rest of her words as the fear from before came back with the force of an avalanche.
Duke shot to his feet and erased the distance between in them in three long strides. He pulled her to his chest, securing his strong arms around her. “You’re safe and Heather will be fine. Listen, I hear the sirens. You did everything exactly right, you hear me?”
Nodding, she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. The soft material of his flannel rubbed against her cheek and soaked the remaining moisture from her face. She inhaled a shuddering breath. The subtle notes of orange peel and leather invaded her senses and soothed her like a healing balm.
This is where she wanted to be. Pressed against Duke, knowing he’d protect her against any lingering threats. That he’d stand with her and be her rock when she needed one.
He kissed her forehead before pulling away and her knees almost buckled beneath her. He nodded behind her. “The cavalry’s arrived.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see a deputy and two medics hurrying their way. Thank God they hadn’t made it too far from the house or it’d take the authorities forever to get to them, and Heather needed medical assistance now.
A small groan from the ground sent Duke back to Heather’s side.
“Heather, can you hear me? It’s Duke.”
Heather’s eyes fluttered but remained shut.
A pulse of hope beat against Suzy’s veins. Heather had to keep trying, keep breathing.
Deputy Spencer Goodwin led the charge to their little group and frowned. “What’s her status?” he asked, dipping his chin to Heather who continued to lay motionless on the ground.
“Pulse is strong and there’s movement in her eyes, but she hasn’t opened them,” Duke said.
“Any other injuries?” Spencer asked
“She hasn’t been moved to check,” Suzy said. “I didn’t want to make things worse without knowing the extent of her head injuries.”
The emergency responders approached behind Spencer with their medical bag and stretcher.
Trisha, a middle-aged blond woman, set the bag on the ground. “Good thinking. We’ve got her now.”
“Spencer and Duke, I need you to take a look at something,” Lane called.
Suzy’s attention was torn between her friend being tended on the hard earth and the sharp tone of her brother’s voice. Curiosity won out, and she shifted to face Lane who was crouched low behind a cluster of bushes.
“What is it?” Duke called out.
“I need someone to verify I just found bits and pieces of a homemade bomb.”
The steady beep of machines hooked to Duke’s sister hiked his anxiety instead of calming it. Sure, it was nice to know her vitals were stable as she struggled to regain consciousness, but she shouldn’t be in this stupid bed to begin with.
The doctor assured him there was no reason to believe she wouldn’t wake soon.
She was young and healthy, and the swelling in her brain was minimal.
They’d keep an eye on her and run more tests to make sure the swelling didn’t get worse.
But no amount of assurance would make him feel better until Heather was awake.
He sat in a chair by her bed, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees.
“You’ve got to wake up soon or I’ll have to call Sara and Riley.
You know they’ll both drop everything to come up and see you, probably bring all their kids with them.
That crew would create enough noise to wake the dead and give you an even worse headache.
So, you better open your eyes soon or we’ll have a hell of a crowd in this room. ”
A light knock lifted his gaze to the door.
Suzy stood in the entryway with a Styrofoam cup in each hand. “I’m not one of her sisters, or a noisy kid, but mind if I come in for a while?”
“Please.” Wanting Suzy close, he snagged the arm of a nearby chair and scooted it next to his.
Suzy sat and handed him a cup. “It’s from the nurse’s station so it’s okay to drink. Better than the sludge in the vending machines.”
“Thanks.” He took a sip then circled his hands around the warm cup. “How you holding up?”
She leaned back in her seat and shrugged. “Shaken. Scared. Wishing I hadn’t suggested that stupid ride.”
“Looks like even if you two had stayed inside, someone was there with intentions to hurt Heather. One way or another, they would have found a way.”
“You might be right, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Setting his coffee on the floor by his feet, he captured Suzy’s free hand and squeezed. “You’re freezing.”
“That’s why I got the coffee. It’s not working, though. I hoped it’d warm me up a little, but I can’t get rid of this chill.”
He plucked her cup from her grip and set it beside his then placed his other palm on top of her knuckles. He skimmed the pads of his fingers over her soft skin. “I’m sorry for what you experienced but glad you were there to help.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t do anything but struggle not to panic.”
“You called me. You stayed with her. You shielded her as best you could. I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know.
” He coughed to clear his tightening throat.
“I keep thinking if I’d been around more, none of this would have happened.
And now this guy is out there, stalking her. Making sick plans on how to hurt her.”
“Are you sure it’s Mason?”
“Who the hell knows, but it makes the most sense right now,” he said. “When I went by The Tumbleweed earlier, Ms. Sally told me Chrissy checked out, and she was adamant Chrissy didn’t leave her room last night. And honestly, Chrissy would have no reason to go after Heather.”
“Does this Mason guy know how to make a homemade bomb?”
“We sure it was a bomb?” Once Heather’d been loaded onto the stretcher, he’d stayed glued to her side. As much as he wanted to know what Lane had found, he couldn’t leave his sister. “I haven’t had a chance to speak with Lane or Spencer yet.”
“Looks like it,” Suzy said. “They found the remnants of a pressure cooker as well as what Spencer thinks are parts of the trigger mechanism. I didn’t catch much of what they said. My mind was a little elsewhere.”
“I’ll give Lane a call soon. Get more details. I just hope whatever they found can lead them straight to the person responsible.”
“And you think it’s Mason?”
He tightened his grip on her hand and stared at Heather’s still face. “At this point, I hope it is. Because if it isn’t, I don’t know who else could have done this.”
Another knock at the door grabbed his attention seconds before Lane strolled into the room. His gaze landed on their joined hands, and his jaw tightened.
But Duke didn’t care, didn’t move. He wanted to show Suzy that Lane’s approval didn’t matter more to him than her, and right now she needed him.
Or hell, maybe he needed her.
But either way, he wouldn’t break the connection that had finally eased a tiny sliver of his anxiety.
“How’s she doing?” Lane asked.
“About the same. Just waiting for her to wake, but it’s no surprise she’s milking her moment. She’s always been a tad dramatic, right Heather?” He grinned at his sister, hoping she could hear his gentle teasing. Maybe if he annoyed her enough, she’d wake up and slap him upside the head.
Lane rubbed the back of his neck, darting his gaze between their joined hands and Heather. “Spencer’s on his way. He got a call right after he parked that he had to take. He wants to go over everything with all of us, and I figured you’d rather do it here where you can keep an eye on your sister.”
“Appreciate that.” Duke let his attention trail back to the beeping machines.
“So, uh, what’s going on with that?” Lane dipped his chin toward where Duke still held Suzy’s hand between his.
Suzy stiffened and attempted to slip away from him.
He held her in place, pinning her with his stare before shifting to face Lane. “That’s between me and Suzy, and something we need to discuss before we talk with you.” He cast her a quick glance, unsure if he said too much.
The quiet smile on her face told him he hadn’t overstepped.
Lane opened his mouth to respond, but Spencer stalked into the room. He swept his hat off his head, a scowl drawing down the corners of his mouth. “Sorry, but I need to make this quick.”
“What do you mean?” Lane asked. “You said you wanted to talk through Suzy’s statement and discuss what was found on our property.”
“That was before I got that phone call,” Spencer said.
The hairs on the back of Duke’s neck stood on end. “What was the call about?”
“I spoke with the sheriff back in your hometown,” Spencer said. “They found Mason. He’d been on a bender, holed up at a friend’s house. Has been for three days. There’s no way he’s the one causing all these problems.”
A tremor shook Duke’s entire belief system, knocking him off balance. He thought he’d figured his shit out. Had fixed his past issues and put whatever needed to be behind him in the rearview mirror for good.
But if what Spencer said was true, he’d made one mistake after another. And this mistake had landed his sister in the hospital.