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“Make sure everyone’s careful. This guy isn’t a good aim but he’s not afraid to pull the trigger and spray shells from here to Louisiana. Wish I’d gotten a better look at him so I could give a description,” Will admitted.
“We can work with what we’ve got.” Mitch paused. “He should be the only one out there aside from you since you were working alone today. Right?”
Will had thought about the possibility of others. “Can’t be one-hundred-percent sure what we’re dealing with. It’s safer to assume there are more.” His family was his rock and always had been. The Kent people were a close bunch and especially after losing both parents in the last four years. “I appreciate you.”
“Goes without saying,” Mitch acknowledged.
This land and this family were Will’s life and had become the only two things he cared about since his ex had walked out. Even so, he’d been restless since returning from his tour. He figured it came with the territory. Leaving the military, where his life was literally on the line daily, and returning to a quiet civilian life had seemed like a good plan. Get back to nature. Get his bearings again. Be normal. But things had changed. He’d changed. He hadn’t quite gotten his footing yet.
“The minute she wakes I’ll find out what I can,” Will stated, still on a whisper so as not to draw unwanted attention.
“Zach will need anything we can give him to work with,” Mitch agreed. “Be careful out there until we can get you some backup.”
“Will do.”
“Love you, man,” Mitch said before he ended the call on a similar sentiment.
Fifteen minutes after the conversation with his brother, Will came upon the spot where he’d left Domino.
The horse was gone.
KELLY BLINKED HER eyes open. She felt woozy and disoriented as she pushed up on her elbows.
Fear seized her as she realized it was pitch black and she had no idea where she was or what she was doing there.
“You awake?” A familiar male voice sent a shiver of awareness through her.
She didn’t respond because warning bells also sounded.
He must’ve realized she was scared beyond belief because he added, “It’s Will Kent. I found you on my ranch about an hour ago.”
She searched her memory… Will Kent? The wealthy kid she remembered from grade school? What on earth would she be doing with him? An image of a large man wearing a tuxedo rippled panic through her.
“What are you wearing?” she said in a whisper. Her voice was raspy.
“What?” He sounded bewildered but she needed to know.
“Clothes. What do you have on?” she choked out.
There was a moment of silence before a sharp breath issued. “Well, let’s see. I have on jeans and a T-shirt.”
Tux was definitely not Will Kent. Relief was a flood to dry plains.
“Where am I?” she whispered.
“In a casita on my family’s land. I’d open a curtain or turn on a light but we can’t risk being discovered until help arrives.” His voice brought a sense of calm over her she knew better than to trust.
She strained to remember but it felt like someone had poured concrete inside her skull and it had hardened.
“Why am I here?” she finally asked, hating that she sounded scared.
“You tell me,” the strong masculine voice said. The deep timbre reverberated down her spine, sending sensual tingles behind it. Her reactions were totally inappropriate to the situation and she mentally chided herself for them.
“Mind if I come closer?” Will asked.
She felt around her body to see if she was wearing clothes and was relieved to find that she was. But then she couldn’t imagine a man like Will Kent taking advantage of her.
“Okay,” she said.
She was being cautious but that was silly because a voice inside her told her that she could trust this man. And then the memory of the tuxedo man flashed in her thoughts. Fear was a living, breathing entity growing inside her. The overbearing smell of piney aftershave hit her—Tux’s aftershave. It had burned her nose and threatened to overwhelm her again just thinking about it.
She gripped her stomach to stave off nausea.
The mattress dipped next to her but she felt his male presence as he walked across the room toward her.
She should be afraid. Instead, warmth blanketed her.
This wasn’t the time to remember the crush she’d had on Will Kent in grade school, or that being near him now brought certain feelings to life. As a grown woman she didn’t do childish fantasies and it felt silly that her cheeks flamed with him this close despite her internal admonishment.
Apparently, reason flew out the window as soon as a hot cowboy entered the picture. Will was more than a good-looking face with a body made for sin, though. He was intelligent but careful. He’d always been a little quiet and intense, which only made him more attractive in her eyes.
Will seemed the kind of man who stood by his principles and didn’t seem to see the need to move his lips unless there was purpose.
“Are you taking medication?” he asked.
“What?” She didn’t bother to hide her shock at his question.
“You seemed out of it when I found you—loopy. And at first, I thought you’d been drinking with it being your wedding day and—”
“Hold on right there. My what?”
Chapter Four (#u64557e94-6d7f-534a-b9a5-4a53236cde39)
Kelly’s reaction threw off Will. But then she seemed to be having a day if ever there was one. “You’re wearing a wedding dress. It seems to fit. I assumed you meant to put it on. So, I’m guessing it’s your wedding day.”
“I put that much together for myself but I have no idea what I’m doing in this getup,” she admitted. If she was lying she was damn good at it.
“You’re Will Kent,” she added.
“That’s right.”
“We were in grade school together,” she said.
“Right again.” His phone buzzed, indicating a text message. He cupped the screen to block light so as not to make it act as a beacon, and checked the message.
“The sheriff is outside.”
He texted back, letting his cousin know the two of them were in position and alone as far as he knew. Zach would take extra precaution so as not to bring the shooter to their doorstep. The last thing anyone wanted was a shootout. A text informing him that Domino had been found spooked but unharmed had come forty-five minutes ago and was a welcome relief. Thoughts of his horse being butchered like the heifer had anger brewing inside him.
He glanced up. His eyes had long ago adjusted to the dark. He could see Kelly’s outline and she was making a move to stand.
“Whoa. Hold on there.” In the next second he was by her side, steadying her and stopping her from taking a fall.
Physical contact sent more unexpected and unwelcomed currents of electricity thrumming through his veins. It hadn’t been that long since he’d been with a woman. An annoying voice in the back of his mind reminded him that it had been too long since he’d been with one who caused that kind of reaction from him. The thought was about as productive as drinking a shot of whiskey after eating a ghost pepper.
“I can’t stay here,” she said and her voice was shaky.
“Why not?” He remembered that she’d warned him against bringing in the law. “Are you involved in something illegal?”
“No.” She took a step and her knee gave.
Will pulled her in tighter, ignoring the shot of electricity.
“Thank you,” she said and her voice was laced with emotion. He didn’t need to see clearly to know that she was crying and it caused his heart to squeeze. Whatever was going on, she was in a fix and he found himself wanting to help. Then again, his blood was pumping for the first time since returning to the ranch. He couldn’t ignore the possibility that being shot at a little while ago was the first time he’d felt alive since leaving the military. Readjusting to the real world, when he’d been damn good at being a soldier, was proving harder than he expected. Thinking about it caused the restless feeling to return.
Those were dangerous thoughts so he shoved them down deep.
“Hang in there. Help is almost here,” he reassured Kelly as she leaned more of her weight against him. The soft curve of her hip came up to the outside of his upper thigh and lit a thousand fires at the point of contact.
His hands felt a little too right on her as he shouldered more of her weight. He told himself that he needed to call Renee back. She’d been after him for a date since her friend’s New Year’s Eve shindig. Will had gone to the party out of boredom and found himself even more restless among the dancing and boozing. He was definitely off-kilter. The old Will would’ve enjoyed a night with a pretty woman. But that was before Lacey had left him at the altar and shredded his heart. He’d tried to convince himself that he wasn’t over her, but that wasn’t true, either. Being burned still stung, but part of him had known he and Lacey had been making a mistake.
Being on the ranch was supposed to provide the answers he searched for. So far, he’d just counted cattle and shoveled manure. Busy work kept his mind from spinning out.
Will moved to the door, maintaining a slow pace so that Kelly could keep up. He situated her so that she could lean against the wall as he texted Zach. The rescue team was in position. He and Kelly were stationed and ready to go.
The doorknob jiggled.
Even knowing who was on the other side didn’t stop the familiar—and comforting?—adrenaline rush from thrumming through him, awakening all that had been dead. There had been one too many times that he felt like one of his parents, or both, would come walking through the kitchen door of the main house since his return. He needed to get it through his thick skull that both were gone.
Within a couple of minutes Will and Kelly were being guided out of the woods and ushered toward the main house.
Kelly had that frightened-deer expression, her violet eyes wild.
He tightened his grip around her waist in a move of silent reassurance as he led her into the house, then to the living room and onto the sofa, where he gently placed her.
Dr. Carter, a longtime family friend, went to work. The man was in his early sixties and had the face of a weathered grandfather. He had a medium build and kept himself in shape with a competitive cycling club. He was average height, had medium brown hair and a prominent nose. In his office there were enough degrees and accolades hanging on the wall to litter a small town. The doc was the best.
“Thanks for coming on short notice,” Will said with a handshake.
The doc smiled, then sanitized his hands and put on a pair of gloves. He took a knee beside Kelly. “I can see that you’re in pain. On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt?”
“A solid seven,” she said in between breaths. Those huge violet eyes of hers outlined her panic.
Will rounded the coffee table and perched on the edge, opposite the doctor. Kelly reached for Will’s hand and issued a sharp breath with the move.
“I’ll be able to give you something to help with that pain when I’m finished with the exam,” the doc assured her.
“Okay.” Kelly’s shoulders tensed as he dabbed what Will could only guess was some type of cleaning agent on her wound. Her chin came up and he admired her strength. His heart pitched and he reminded himself not to notice these things about her. Soon enough, she’d be whisked away to the hospital and would be out of his life.
EMTs were pulling up outside as Zach came through the front door. Deputies Lorenzano and Peabody were outside standing guard, after having rushed Kelly and Will to the main house.
Will turned and caught a look from his cousin.
“Do you remember Kelly Morgan from elementary school?” Will asked.
Zach shook his head.
Will motioned toward her. Zach had been two grades behind them, so it wasn’t a shock that he didn’t remember her.
“We were classmates. Haven’t seen her since her family moved away from Jacobstown in fifth grade,” he said by way of explanation.
“I just got a call about an abandoned vehicle,” Zach warned. “The owner is missing.”
“We can all see that I’m right here,” Kelly said as she winced.
For the second time, Zach shook his head. “I’m sorry, but the name the car is registered to is Christina Foxwood.”
Kelly took in a sharp breath. “She’s my cousin.”
“When did you last see her?” Zach asked.
Kelly seemed to search her memory. “I can’t remember.”
“Is it safe to say that it’s been a long time?” Zach had a notepad out, and was jotting down a few notes.
“No. We live in the same building.” She massaged her temples as though that might stimulate her thoughts. “I know I’ve seen her, I just don’t remember where or when. I also know that I was forced to drink something and it’s playing havoc with my memory. There was a man. I mean, he’s so hazy but I feel like there was a guy in a tux trying to hurt me. I struggled and got away from him but things are hazy. I feel dizzy and like I might vomit.”
“But you remembered me,” Will stated.
She nodded. “When I saw you. You seemed familiar, so I searched my brain and came up with the connection.”
“Do you have any idea where your cousin might be right now?” Zach asked.
“Not really.”
“Have the two of you spoken to each other?” Zach asked and Will figured his cousin persisted with the line of questions to see if he could spur something in Kelly.
“This can’t be happening.” She had that bewildered look Will had seen earlier when he’d first found her. “Who reported her missing?”
“We know that her abandoned vehicle was found on the side of the road alongside the Jasper property two hours ago. There was blood splattered inside the vehicle.” He held up a hand, as though in surrender. “We don’t know who it belongs to. I put a call in for help from neighboring counties. My deputies are processing the scene but that’ll take time.” He shot a glance toward Will. “Keys were still in the ignition and the vehicle was left running with the passenger-side door open.”
“She wouldn’t just run off and leave her car on the side of the road,” Kelly choked out in between sobs. She bent forward and clutched her stomach, as if she was staving off throwing up.
“I want you to take in a few slow breaths,” Doc soothed, but Will was certain the comforting words fell on deaf ears.
Will moved next to her and, ignoring the sharp look from his cousin, put his arm around her shoulder. She repositioned underneath his arm and she felt a little too right there.
Zach’s cell buzzed. He glanced at Will and Kelly.
