Safe In His Arms (Manhunt) (8 page)

She shook her head.  “No, he doesn’t like animals. Too dirty.”

“He could have borrowed or stolen one of the ranch hand’s horses. Do they keep them in the barn near you?”

“No,” Mia said. “There’s another stable near the bunk houses for the workers. The ones I exercise are being groomed to sell.”

They crossed the pasture and entered the stable together, and she headed into the tack room for saddles. 

He saddled one horse while she saddled the other, and in minutes, they were prepared to ride. Alex snapped his reins and led the way across the pasture toward the hill where she thought she’d seen someone earlier. As they rode, he searched the ground for hoof prints. Boot prints. Any sign of Jones.

When they made it to the top of the hill, he paused, dismounted and studied the ground.  A partial boot print marred the dirt, the horses hoof prints muddying the soil. “Someone was here,” he said.

Mia’s face looked pained.  “There’s a petal from one of the lilies,” she said in a haunted tone.

Suddenly a shot rang out, the horses bucked and whinnied and Alex shouted for Mia to get down.

C
HAPTER
S
IX

Mia dove from the horse, then hit the ground on her hands and knees. Who the hell was shooting at them?

A gun wasn’t Geoff’s style.

But he was desperate and would do anything to get back at her for destroying his life.

And exposing him for the monster he was.

“Stay low,” Alex murmured as he covered her head with his body.

She nodded, her breath rasping out.

Alex pulled his gun, lifted his head from their perch on the ground, scanning the area where the shot had come from. To the right, not far from them. Near the woods.

He pointed toward a cluster of rocks a few feet away. “Take cover there. I’m going after the son of a bitch.”

She caught his arm. “Be careful, Alex.”

He squeezed her hand in reassurance, then led her to the rocks. The two of them stayed low, Alex covering them by firing a round at the woods.

When she’d crouched behind the boulder, he shocked her by dropping a kiss into her hair. “As soon as I’m gone, ride back to the McCauley’s. If I’m not back in half an hour, call the local sheriff. I’ve already talked to him. He knows what’s going on. He’ll get in touch with my chief.”

Fear nearly choked her. “Alex –“

“Just do it,” he said. Then he was gone. Diving on his horse and racing in the direction of the shooter.

She held her breath, anxiety warring with guilt. Alex had been the only one to protect her, to listen to her cries at night during those first few weeks after the arrest.

The only person she’d connected with.

And that had terrified her.

So when the trial had ended and Geoff was locked away, she’d cut all ties to the handsome Ranger for her own sake.

Ironic that now he might die to protect her from the one man who claimed he loved her.

At one time she’d been thrilled to have that love. A happily-ever-after in a dreamland that he’d created for her.

Now she didn’t believe that happily-ever-after existed. At least not for her.

The loss of her unborn child was proof of that.

Her fingernails dug into the rocks. Why was God punishing her? What had she done so wrong? Been blinded by Geoff’s charm and power?

She hadn’t thought she was that shallow, but maybe she had been.

Not anymore.

Survival was the only thing that mattered.

Love was for others. People without a past.

Dust rose in a thick cloud behind the horse as Alex disappeared over the hill. She froze in silent prayer, listening for sounds of more gunshots. One. Two.

Had someone been shot?

Terrified, she jumped on her horse, snapped the reins and steered the animal back toward the McCauley’s farmhouse.

She just prayed that Alex caught Geoff and didn’t lose his life over her.

She couldn’t live with herself if he did.

Alex kicked the horse’s sides, urging him to go faster as he fired at the shadow in the woods. But the figure moved too quickly, and he missed the shot. The sound of racing hoofs across the terrain splintered the air, his determination to catch the shooter warring with common sense.

He shouldn’t have left Mia alone. If this was a trap and the shooter was a distraction, he’d left her vulnerable for Jones’s attack.

Dammit.

Another shot zinged by his head, and he ducked, guiding the horse to the right to cut through the woods. But the thicket of trees slowed him down, and the shooter disappeared in the distance.

A noise on the opposite side caught his attention, and he spotted another figure running toward the road that bordered the ranch.

Seconds later, the sound of a motor firing up rent the air, tires squealing on pavement. Reality hit him.

There were two of them.

The road provided easy access for Jones or a hired shooter to slip onto the land while another shooter had been in the woods on horseback.

He steered the bay to the left in search of the vehicle, but by the time he reached the edge of the road, it was gone. Pivoting, he steered the horse toward the man on horseback, weaving between the trees until he reached the clearing. The horse had disappeared as well.

Dammit.

Frustrated but resigned the shooter had escaped, he turned and headed back toward Mia.

Relief filled him as he spotted hoof prints heading toward the farmhouse.  Hopefully Mia had made it back safely.

He kicked the bay’s sides, sending the animal galloping across the property. His pulse slowed as he approached, his breath finally steadying when he saw Mia’s horse tied to the hitching post.

He secured his ride, then climbed the porch steps, angry the shooter had escaped and desperate to see Mia.

He didn’t like that feeling of desperation.

But he couldn’t help himself. Another few inches, and the shooter could have killed her.

Except now that he thought about it, the bullet had come closer to him than her.

Shit. The shooter
was
firing at him. Hoping to get him out of the way so he could have Mia to himself.

That wasn’t going to happen.

At least not as long as he was alive.

Mia’s heart was hammering so hard she thought it would explode. Dear God, if anything happened to Alex, she’d never forgive herself.

“Honey, I’m sure he’ll be all right,” Joy said as she handed Mia a cup of tea. Mia sank into the wooden chair at the kitchen table, her legs giving way.  The woman had been doting on her like a mother hen ever since Mia had run in the door frantic.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Mia said, her throat strained from holding back tears.  “Geoff has been here. I have to leave.”

“You’re not leaving,” Joy said.  “We’ll hire extra security to cover the ranch.  And Henry’s already called about installing a security system.”

The teacup rattled in the saucer as she set it on the table. The McCauleys didn’t have the money for extra security any more than they had it for a security system. They needed every penny to keep the ranch afloat.  

Maybe she should have killed Geoff instead of trying to run from him. At least then he couldn’t hurt anyone else.

She wrung her hands together, then froze at the sound of a loud knock on the door. Joy twisted her hand in her apron and glanced toward the hallway leading to the foyer.

“This man after you, he wouldn’t knock,” Joy pointed out.

Mia released a shaky breath. Joy was right. She rose and hurried to the door, relief flooding her when she spotted Alex standing on the other side. His dark eyes looked intense, his jaw hard, his big body so handsome and virile that her heart fluttered with longing.

Alex had offered her support during the worst time of her life, and he was here for her now.

She swung the door open and threw her arms around him. “Thank God you’re all right.”

He drew her into a hug, burying his head into her hair. “Thank God you are.”

A nervous laugh bubbled in her throat. “I was terrified when you rode off,” she whispered.

He framed her face with his hands and looked into her eyes. “I’m fine but he got away.”

“Was it Geoff?”

“I didn’t get a look at his face,” Alex said. “In fact, there were two of them. One on horseback, the other escaped in a car.”

Behind her, Mia heard Joy’s soft sigh.  She pulled away from Alex, knowing how it must look to her friend.

“What happened?” Joy asked.  “Did you catch him?”

“I’m afraid not.”

A worried look pulled at Joy’s brows. The phone jangled and Joy startled, then rushed to get it. “Yes?”  A pause. “Oh, dear Lord.”

Her hand trembled as she reached for the bannister by the table holding the phone. “Yes, the Texas Ranger is here. I’ll tell him.”

Mia’s pulse clamored as Joy hung up the phone. When Joy looked up at them, tears clouded her eyes.

Mia released Alex and rushed toward Joy. “What’s wrong?”

Joy’s lower lip quivered. “It’s Joleen…Henry found her.”

Alex cleared his throat. “What do you mean, found her?”

A sob escaped Joy, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Mia helped her to the bench against the wall. “She’s dead,” Joy cried. “Joleen…she was murdered.”

Panic and guilt slammed into Mia. Had the cook been killed because of her?

“Call the sheriff,” Alex said. “I’ll ride over and meet him at the scene.”

Mia’s face turned a pasty white. “How did she die, Joy?”

Guilt darkened Mia’s expression, making Alex angry all over again. But this case was too important for him to let his emotions rule his actions. And time was of the essence.

“Henry said she was shot at the chow hall,” Joy said in a broken voice.

“Oh, my God,” Mia whispered. She turned to Alex, panic streaking her face.  “You think the same man who shot at us killed Joleen?”

“I don’t know.” He checked his weapon.  “We’ll need the ME to establish time of death. And we’ll compare bullet casings to the one that killed Joleen.”

“This is all my fault,” Mia cried.  “I never should have come here.”