Chapter 9
9
A rcher bolted toward the sound of Annalee’s call for help. He cursed at himself for leaving her alone in the first place. She’s not alone. Kade is there.
He nearly crashed into her in the hallway, forcing sensible thoughts out of his mind. No matter what anyone thought, Annalee’s safety was his responsibility. Dammit, if he hadn’t screwed up again.
“Who just pulled up?” Annalee asked after practically bouncing off his chest. “We have to stop them from getting out of their vehicle while someone is out there, on the loose.”
“I’m on it, but I need to know you’re safe,” he said with more emotion than he’d intended.
“This is my bad,” Kade said, a half-step behind her. “I should’ve stayed closest to the door. I just didn’t think she would take off like that.”
“Don’t worry about it.” There wasn’t time to assign blame or do anything else for that matter. He turned toward the vestibule as a door closed outside putting the driver in danger of the shooter. Shit.
“Hold her,” Archer said to Kade before turning and sprinting toward the door. He unlocked it and then ran outside, waving his arms in the air at his sister. “Go back inside the car and lock the door. Get out of here.”
Chloe’s expression morphed to outright concern as she scanned the area. She’d caught on to the fact someone was out there. Her gaze locked onto a target. She dropped a large bag of what he assumed was food. Not a second later, she lifted a shotgun and fired at a spot to the left of the building near a shed. Then, she bolted toward him, taking cover. “I brought another gun in case you need it. It’s on the floorboard. Backseat.” She didn’t hesitate or pause as she loaded another round and then repositioned to take aim.
Kade and Annalee came barreling out the front door as Archer started toward the vehicle. He stopped.
“Stay with Annalee,” Archer told Kade. “I’ll go with Chloe to catch the bastard.”
“Like hell,” Kade said as he came straight toward Archer. “Annalee won’t listen to a word I say. You try.”
With that, he took the shotgun and then caught up with Chloe, who locked the vehicle doors with a remote.
Archer grabbed the bag before ushering Annalee back inside the building. It was probably better this way because for the few seconds he’d been apart from her earlier, he’d been racked with worry. “We can’t be apart until this ordeal is behind us.”
Annalee was quiet. At a loss for words? In shock?
Not a good sign.
After closing the door behind them, he set the supplies down and positioned a chair at the door instead of locking it. If his siblings needed a quick entrance, the barrier wouldn’t stop them. It would alert Archer and Annalee that someone was trying to get inside.
Annalee went straight to the west window and stood there.
Not a good idea.
He walked over, linked their fingers, and moved her out of sight. It might still be dark, but her silhouette would be visible from outside while standing there. He needed to get her talking to bring her back down to earth because she’d gone somewhere else mentally.
“Tell me more about you,” he said, trying to settle on just one of the many questions he had.
“Like what?” Her voice came out in little more than a squeak, a surprising contrast to the quiet confidence she’d always shown.
Where to start? “Where do you live?”
“That’s easy,” she said. “Austin.”
He wasn’t trying to trip her up, but her walls were up so high not even a skilled climber could scale them. “Do you like it there?”
She shrugged. “Mostly.”
“What do you like about it?” This was like pulling teeth, but it was a start.
“Live music.”
“Anything else?” he asked.
Annalee issued a sharp sigh. Her shoulders sagged like a deflated balloon. “All of it, I guess. I like the weirdness of the city. I like kayaking on Lady Bird Lake. I like how different and strange the people are—all the festivals. I like tacos, and there’s no contest about which one is better…Torchy’s by a longshot. I stand firm on that one.”
He couldn’t help but smile a bit as some of the fire came back to her eyes. “Do you have a home there?”
“In Austin?” She shook her head. “It’s a great city, but I can’t say that it’s ever felt like where I belong. It’s a good place to get lost in a crowd.” She crossed her arms over her chest as he kept one eye on the window. “The next obvious question is, where does it feel like home? Don’t bother asking. I’ll tell you when I figure that one out myself.”
Ouch. A little piece of him wanted her to say it couldn’t compare to her time in Saddle Junction, but that was just his ego talking.
“As for having a home—no, I have an apartment over someone’s garage,” she continued. “I can stand in the middle of my living room and practically touch every wall. That’s how little ‘stuff’ I’ve amassed in more than three decades on this earth.”
“I’ve never been a fan of having a place just for storage,” he agreed.
“People build lives with that stuff, though, don’t they? Every coffee mug or shot glass collected holds a memory.” She threw her hands up in the air. Being animated was actually a good sign she was coming back. “What do I have? I’m a gypsy with a burner phone. Speaking of which, I haven’t shown you the picture of Owen yet, have I?”
“No,” he said.
She produced her cell and then the picture.
Archer winced as emotion nailed him. He issued a sharp sigh as she tucked her phone away. Anger ripped through him like a rogue storm. He needed a distraction or the fury might consume him.
“What were we talking about a minute ago?” he asked.
She hesitated, then seemed to catch on. “Me living like a gypsy.”
“Traveling light has never bothered me,” he said, trying to unclench his jaw.
“Because you have a home to come back to should you want it,” she said, then turned the tables. “Why did you leave Saddle Junction, and why did you come back?”
“That’s easy. I left because I couldn’t stand living anywhere near Beaumont. I came back after being summoned when he died.”
“Did you want to come back?” She placed her fisted hand on her hip.
“No,” came out with a chuckle. “Thought I’d never set foot on ranch property ever again.” His siblings had felt the same. Chloe had been the only one who’d come back to live on the outskirts of town after leaving her music-industry boyfriend. She’d come back pregnant and alone and had built a life for herself with a roommate. All the brothers had left town, vowing never to step into Beaumont’s shoes. “Living here was torture, save for a couple of good years.” He didn’t point out those years had everything to do with her or that she’d shredded his fool-heart when she’d rejected him and then disappeared. “Gypsy” sounded about right to describe her life.
“Will you stay?”
She surprised him with the question. “Now that we’ve turned part of the horse operation into a rescue, I’m considering taking my place in the new vision,” he said.
Annalee cocked her head to one side. “Won’t you miss the freedom of moving around? Going anywhere you want when you want?”
“Nah. Being able to take off when I want is one of the benefits of having so many siblings to share the load. A lot of work has to be done, but we split it up. Each person more or less takes the job they’re interested in doing, and then we draw straws for what’s left over.” They made a good team. Being back at the ranch under new terms—and without Beaumont—was something he could see himself doing for the long haul.
“I wouldn’t know what that’s like since it’s been the two of us for most of my life.” The words came out in barely a whisper.
“Have you ever considered sticking around in one place? Making a life somewhere?”
“Me? No. Why would I do that?”
Archer couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or serious. He might not have the opposite sex down, but he knew wild horses. Domestic life could kill the truly wild spirits.
Wishing that kind of life on Annalee would be a sentence akin to prison. She would hate being confined. Living in a cell.
A shame, really, because it would give her the stability she deserved. For a few seconds when they’d kissed in the woods, he could see more developing between the two of them. An image of the two of them in love, with a little one running around, had stamped his thoughts.
Wild horses can’t be tamed. It would be worse than death.
Reminding himself of the fact might make it hurt less when this ordeal ended, and they went their separate ways again.
You’re too far gone for that, dude.
Annalee opened her mouth to speak, to tell Archer there might be one person she could see herself being with for the long haul, when the front door burst open, and the chair went flying.
He stepped between her and the commotion, tucking her behind his back.
A light flipped on as Chloe walked inside.
“We ran off whoever was creeping up on you guys,” she said, setting the shotgun next to the door and turning the chair upright.
Relief flooded Annalee. Temporary relief.
Chloe’s gaze shifted to Annalee. “It’s been a long time. Good to see you again.” The two exchanged a greeting as Archer dragged a table and a few more chairs over.
“You’re sure the threat is gone?” Archer asked once they sat.
Chloe nodded. “For now, at least.” She shifted her gaze to Annalee, studying her face. “When’s the last time you got any rest?”
“I dozed off a little while ago.”
Kade came in through the front door, locking it behind him. Archer went around closing the blinds before rejoining them at the table he’d set up.
Kade wiped tired eyes. “The sonofabitch flipped the breaker.”
“Wouldn’t he have to do that from inside?” Choe asked. “Aren’t most junction boxes inside?”
“Not in this building,” Kade said with a frown.
“He’s gone for now,” Chloe said. “And we have lights.” She shifted her gaze to Annalee.
Annalee couldn’t deny how good it was to see Chloe again. She had always liked Archer’s sister.
“And we should take advantage of this time,” Chloe continued. “Breaks in situations like these can be rare.” Chloe pointed toward the bag of food. “Which means the two of you should eat.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Archer said with a grin.
The burgers and fries were beyond good. Being starved had a way of making food taste like the best thing you’ve ever had.
“We shouldn’t stay here,” Kade said when they’d polished off the last fry. “Let’s head to the ranch and figure out our next steps.”
“Okay.” Annalee wouldn’t argue. “I thought Travis was on his way.”
“I called him and told him what happened so he’s out in the woods searching for the bastard,” Chloe said.
Now that she was married to a sheriff, she must be used to all this. Being shot at was very new to Annalee and rattled her more than she wanted to admit.
“He’ll stop by to pick up the evidence before we head out,” Chloe said.
The thought of handing over the backpack along with the weapon caused panic to squeeze her ribcage. It was the only leverage she had to stay alive and keep her mother safe, not to mention Owen. “If the bastard realizes I don’t have the evidence any longer, what will stop him from shooting to kill?”
“He’ll more likely move on and leave you alone,” Chloe said.
“Where would that leave Owen and my mother?” she asked.
Chloe reached over the table and squeezed Annalee’s hand. “I can only imagine how difficult this situation is for you. Not turning over the evidence doesn’t guarantee your safety, though.” The compassion in her voice said she understood better than Annalee realized. “I also see that turning it over can feel like cutting off an arm.”
“More like firing a bullet into the ones I care about,” she muttered.
Chloe nodded. “Or, it can mean identifying the bastard who is behind this, catching them off guard, and arresting them, which would put an end to this nightmare for everyone.”
It sure felt like a dangerous gamble to Annalee.
She needed to think about her next move. Every fear inside her said to excuse herself to the restroom, locate the backpack, and bolt out the window. Running away might save a life, considering others were willing to put theirs on the line for her. For Owen. The entire reason the family was involved was because their sibling was in danger. Period. This had nothing to do with how much they cared or didn’t care for her.
Think. Think.
An idea came to her. Could she pull it off? “Where do we go next?”
“You could stay at my trailer on the edge of town,” Chloe offered.
“Too far,” Archer said. “We need to be closer to family in case we need help.”
“There’s always the main house,” Kade offered.
Annalee was already shaking her head. “I don’t want to put your family in any more danger than I already have.”
“I think that ship has already sailed,” Archer said.
She listened for resentment in his voice and was surprised when she found none. At least, not about the current situation.
He gave her a nod. “Owen is still missing and that involves all of us.”
Kade shot her a look of solidarity. “We stand together on this, including Beau.”
“At least we have one crime that can’t be attributed to him,” Archer said before adding, “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Learning to trust an outsider can be a slow process,” Kade said. “Beau showed up unexpectedly and with an attitude. He might have turned it around, but it’ll take time to fully trust him again.”
Those words stung more than they probably should have. She’d blown their trust years ago.
“Is there an abandoned house somewhere that we can hide in? A boathouse? An RV parked in a driveway?” She was spitballing, hoping an idea stuck. “There has to be somewhere we can hide while your husband figures this out.” She was also realistic enough to know that an investigation would take time—time they didn’t have.
“Those are good ideas,” Chloe said. She looked to Kade. “What about the bunkhouse? Is there room?”
Annalee’s cell buzzed, shutting down all conversation.
She checked the screen:
It’s me. Mom
…
He wants money and backpack
…
Now
…
500k
…
Says he’ll release us
…
The dots disappeared.
Nothing.