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“You stole horses,” she stated.
“Freed horses,” he corrected.
“Let me go.”
“They were going to die here, slowly, brutally, sweltering in the heat. They’ve got no shade, no protection from the sun. They’re standing ankle-deep in dust, and the government doesn’t care.”
“I’m sorry. It’s terrible. Can I please go home?” Her heart was slowing to a more regular thud. She had one goal. To get out of here, fast.
“Have you seen them?”
What, he wanted to have a chat now? “Yes,” she told him.
“Did you know that a foal died last week, right here? It wouldn’t have died in the wild. They’re our country’s iconic wild horses and we’re leaving them here in squalor because the government can’t make up its mind about what to do with them.”
With her fear fading, anger crept in. He was some kind of ecowarrior. He’d freed the horses on principle, to keep them safe. But without thinking of human safety. “They almost killed me when they ran.”
He visibly recoiled. “You were out there?”
Her voice shook at the memory, and she gripped the door frame more tightly, fighting her fear. “I got behind a rock. Just barely. I was sure I’d be trampled.”
“I’m sorry.” The shock in his voice was audible. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated. He sounded truly upset. This was bizarre.
“Where are you taking them?” she asked. And then mentally kicked herself. Why was she still talking with this maniac? All she needed to do was agree with him and get out of here.
“Somewhere they’ll be free to roam and find the shade they need during the day.” He paused, hesitated. “Look...are you hurt? I’d feel horrible if...”
“I’m okay. But I want to leave.”
“Don’t call anyone.” The man shifted restlessly.
“I won’t. Now can I go?”
“Sure. Just hand me your phone.”
She hesitated.
“Hand me your phone, please.” He glanced over his shoulder again, obviously anxious to be done with this conversation and get on with his horse-liberation project. Reluctantly, Nora reached into her pocket and handed him her phone. With one quick flick of his wrist he sent it sailing out into the desert blackness.
“Hey!” Outrage made her fearless. “I told you I wouldn’t call.”
“I know.” Again he sounded genuinely apologetic. “But I have to make sure I have enough time to get out of here.”
As her fear subsided, a thought in the back of her mind solidified... His voice sounded familiar. How was that possible? Who did she know from around here who might free wild horses?
“Do we know each other?” she blurted out. And instantly regretted it. If he suspected she recognized him, would he hurt her?
Something changed. She could swear a current of worry ran through him. And she knew, without a doubt, that he knew her. He knew exactly who she was.
“No,” he said quickly. Too quickly. “Goodbye.” And he was gone, his footsteps crunching unevenly on the gravel as he jogged back across the parking lot. Whoever her masked man was, he had a limp.
She climbed into her Jeep and slammed the door, warm relief filling her veins as she hit the lock button. Turning the key, she welcomed the sound of the engine roaring to life, and floored the gas to get out of the parking lot as fast as possible. She didn’t know anyone with a limp, and right now she didn’t even care who he was. What mattered was that he was gone and by some miracle she was safe. All she wanted was to go home.
* * *
TODD RAN A hand over his face. Getting the scratchy wool mask off provided him with about a millisecond of relief from his shock and horror. Nora Hoffman. After all these years, Nora had been here in the dark, almost killed by the horses he’d released.
This was insane. It made no sense. Why was she here?
Nora, his ex-girlfriend, face-to-face with him. Afraid of him.
Nora, of all people, witnessing him doing something illegal. Nora who hadn’t so much as jaywalked when he’d known her back in college. When he’d loved her.
He urged his horse into a lope until he caught up to where Walt was riding, flanking the mustangs. The wild horses were moving quietly now. They were tired after their ordeal under the dubious care of the Department of Range Management. A few stumbled. “Do you think they’ll all make it?” he asked his friend.
“Elliot’s place is only eight miles northeast. It’s mostly flat. If we move them slowly, don’t run them, and nothing spooks them, we can get ’em there.”
Todd sighed in relief and dropped back again, determined to keep any stragglers moving forward to safety and relative freedom. Once again he thanked God, or whoever was in charge of this messed-up world, for eccentric billionaires like Elliot Baxter. The elderly and ornery businessman was happy to flout government procedures and let the horses live in peace on his vast empty acres. He’d even put up a miles-long boundary fence, just to make it clear to the world that this particular group of wild horses was off-limits to further intervention from DRM incompetents.
Wendell, the formerly wild mustang Todd rode, was calm, seemingly uninterested in returning to his feral roots. It was gratifying to have concrete evidence that he’d done something well, even if it was just training a horse.
He glanced up, looking for the solace he usually found in the infinite stars that hung in the summer sky east of the Sierras. But instead of peace, he found uneasy thoughts of Nora. Disbelief that she’d been here tonight. Such a bizarre—and almost deadly—coincidence.
She must have been absolutely terrified. Too clearly, he could picture the way it might have ended, with her body crumpled and lifeless on the ground. He shuddered and looked at the sky again, grateful beyond measure that she’d stayed safe.
He’d thought of her so often, especially since moving to his ranch outside the small town of Benson. He’d always known she’d come from this part of California—though in their years together she’d never told him the name of her hometown. She’d almost never spoken of her family. Just joked that they were trouble and that she’d divorced them.
What were the odds of seeing her tonight? He’d almost said her name while they were talking. He’d wanted to say it, to reveal himself, to somehow reconnect with the woman he’d left behind so abruptly nearly a decade ago. Though clearly tonight wasn’t the time for a reunion.
Since moving here, he’d assured himself that making his home east of the Sierras had nothing to do with Nora. He’d fallen in love with the rugged landscape, the contrast of high desert and majestic mountains, all on his own. But seeing her tonight... It felt like some kind of twisted fate.
Three dark shadows veered from the group, and Todd squeezed his legs against Wendell’s flanks, urging the horse into a gallop to come alongside the strays, moving them back into the herd. The moon was rising, a lopsided circle, almost full. They’d timed their work tonight perfectly, making sure the sky would be dark when they freed the horses, but lit by the moon for these next few miles.
Focus on the job at hand, he reminded himself. Seeing Nora tonight was just a strange coincidence. Something to think about later, when the stakes weren’t so high. Except his racing brain wouldn’t let it go. Wouldn’t let her go.
Do I know you? She’d almost recognized him, just because of his voice. He’d recognized hers almost immediately. The car light behind her had cast her face in shadow, but her voice had sent an eerie shock of recognition through him the moment he’d heard it. It had always been a little low, a little husky.
Stop. His mind was like a dog with one of those tug toys. It refused to let her go. If she was living around here, he’d have plenty of time to find out. One of the perks of owning an equipment repair shop in a small town were the customers who were happy to hang out and share all the latest news. People always said that women were the biggest gossips, but after three years repairing the tractors and trucks of Benson, Todd was pretty sure the men were the ones who truly liked to dish the dirt on their neighbors. He had no doubt he’d be able to get the scoop on Nora by noon tomorrow.
Until then, he had to keep his focus right here on the long night ahead. Once they rode out to Elliot’s and left the mustangs there, they still had to get back to his truck and horse trailer, parked alongside a deserted back road a few miles beyond. It wasn’t a perfect plan—an amateur tracker could trace them, no problem. But Todd was banking on his hunch that the government would be relieved to have the horses off their hands. He doubted they’d put their scarce resources into pursuing mustangs they’d locked up and left to die in the high desert heat.
Right now the animals were just tired shadows, moving uneasily through the dark. Todd eased Wendell back a little to match the herd’s slowing pace. He wished he could stay with them all night—to see them as the sun came up tomorrow when they realized they were free. It would be a joyous sight, but one he’d just have to imagine. He was due back in Benson to open up his shop and carry on as if this night had never happened—as if he’d never been out here under the stars risking everything, including the life of the one woman he’d never forgotten.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_cd6500c4-bece-5eb1-9d74-1c717300cb74)
NORA OPENED THE tailgate and stared at the enormous pile of tools stacked in the back of the rickety old pickup. “How is it that we own five broken weed whackers?”
“And three mowers?” Wade pulled on his work gloves, ready to unload the mess. “And eight chain saws? And don’t forget the wood chipper with some company’s name scratched off it.”
“Stolen?” Nora glanced at her brother, her stomach knotting.
“I’d bet the ranch on it.”
Wade’s voice was flat, as if he was determined to shove any emotion somewhere deep down inside. He’d been like that ever since he left the army. Nora tried to ignore the prickling worry. It had only been a couple of weeks. She needed to give him time. No one came home from war all relaxed and happy.
Wade handed her a chain saw. “Looks like every time something broke, Dad just threw it into one of the outbuildings and swiped one from someone else. So far I’ve found four different sheds on the ranch, all packed with old tools. You have to take a look when we get home. You’ll be amazed.”
“Or horrified, more likely.” It was crazy how their dad still had the ability to embarrass her, even from wherever he was hiding in Mexico. How mortifying, and how totally predictable, that she and Wade were now responsible for all his stolen property. Her dad had always excelled at making huge messes and leaving them for other people to clean up. “What should we do with it all?”
“See what can be fixed, first off.” Wade pointed to the repair shop across the gravel parking lot.
“But after? Do you think we can find who used to own them?”
Her brother shrugged. “I hope so. And if we can’t, let’s just give it away.”
“Unbelievable.” Nora sighed and set the chain saw down on the gravel, yanking her own gloves from the back pocket of her jeans. When she’d agreed to help Wade get the family ranch going, she hadn’t realized there’d be more public humiliation involved.
“Do you ever think about how Dad’s doing down in Mexico?” Wade set a blower on the ground and reached for another. “Whether Arch and Blake are still with him?”
“Honestly?” Nora pulled on another chain saw, tugging it free of the pile. “I try not to think about them. I know I should... He’s my dad and they’re my brothers. But I figure they’re probably in trouble down there, too. I mean, stealing farm equipment was just a hobby. Do you really think they’d give up dealing drugs and all the other stuff they were into?”
“Probably not,” Wade grunted as he tried to heave the chipper out.
“And who knows if they’re even still alive? All it would take would be cheating the wrong guy, or infringing on someone else’s territory for them to be killed down there.” Nora glanced at her younger brother, worried that she shouldn’t have voiced her fears. Decades of protecting him made the instinct automatic. But he just looked mildly frustrated, untangling a power cord that had wrapped itself around the leg of the chipper. Sometimes she forgot he was all grown up and a veteran, as well. “So I guess that’s the long way of saying no, I don’t think about them very often. Or at least, I try not to.”
Wade got the cord off and yanked at the chipper again. “Well, that’s probably the best way to handle it, at this point.”
Nora looked away from the overwhelming mess in the truck, to where the granite peaks of the Sierras rose abruptly from the hills beyond town. “I know I sound harsh, but they weren’t exactly kind to us. Do you think of them?”
“He’s my dad,” Wade answered simply. “They’re my brothers. Of course I think of them. And I hope they’re okay. But I don’t miss them.”
Nora pondered that statement for a moment. Wade might be a decorated soldier who’d done two tours of duty in Afghanistan, but in many ways he had a gentler heart than she did. He didn’t hold the same grudges against their dad. Of course, as the youngest, he’d had Nora, three years his senior, to protect him from a lot of their father’s craziness. She turned away from the mountains. “Well, whoever owns this repair shop nowadays is going to love us,” she said. “We’ll probably pay his mortgage for the next year, getting all this stuff fixed.”
Wade glanced at her. “This is my first time coming into town.”
She understood the anxiety written on his face. She had it, too. “It’s not that bad. When I went out to get groceries, most people just stared. You know they’re dying to ask about Dad, or Arch and Blake, but they don’t know how.” Grabbing a weed whacker in each hand, she forced an upbeat note into her voice. “Come on, let’s do this.” She started toward the battered garage with Mountain Machinery Repair painted in blue above the door. A couple of tractors were parked alongside the building and a riding mower was just inside, most of its internal parts scattered around it. “Hello?” she called into the cavernous entrance. “Anyone here?”
“Hang on,” a deep voice echoed from the back of the shed. The clank of something metal made her jump—she was still shaken from her encounter with the mustangs last night. Footsteps approached, a welcome relief from the memory of the stampede.
A man’s figure emerged from the gloom and Nora could see his frame in the shadows, tall and lanky. Then he stepped into the afternoon light and she gasped, shock paralyzing her lungs for a suffocating second. She reeled backward and crashed into Wade. Her hip bumped the handle of the chain saw he carried. “Ouch!” Tears welled in her eyes, from the pain, or emotion, or both.
“Jeez, Nora, be careful!” Her brother steadied her against him and then stepped carefully to the side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, clutching her throbbing hip bone and staring at the proprietor of the machine shop. Todd Williams? How was this possible? He was staring back, but not in shock. Instead, he looked wary. Probably thought she’d smack him with her weed whacker. She’d certainly dreamed of smacking him plenty of times since the day he’d dumped her.
She’d know that face under the faded John Deere cap anywhere. The high cheekbones, the green eyes, the sandy hair, the wide mouth. Her college boyfriend. The guy who’d broken her heart into a million pieces nine years ago. Pieces she’d never been able to put back together in quite the same way.
Case in point. Right now she was a mess, while Todd seemed pretty calm. After all this time, it was still easier to be the dumper than the dumped.
Todd looked at Wade. “Afternoon.”
“Afternoon,” Wade returned the greeting. “I’m Wade Hoffman. Are you the owner of this shop?”
“I am,” Todd answered. He paused for a fraction of a second then gave his name. “Todd Williams.”
Nora felt suddenly nauseous, as if some part of her had been hoping that she’d been mistaken. Though she knew that was impossible.
“Good to meet you,” Wade said. “This is my sister, Nora. We’re hoping to get some work done on a bunch of equipment.”
“Hey, Todd.” She tried to make the words sound casual but instead there was an awkward squeak in her voice. Her face felt hot.
She saw him swallow once before he answered. “Hey, Nora.” His expression was guarded, his jaw tense.
Nora forced herself to keep her gaze steady. She waited for him to say more, the silence growing awkward in its length. Finally he broke it. “Long time, no see.”
“Wait, you know him?” Wade turned to look at Nora in surprise.
“We went to college together.” Todd stepped forward with his hand out. “Good to see you again.”
It wasn’t good to see him and the last thing she wanted to do was shake his hand. But no other option came to mind, so Nora set down one of her weed whackers and held her hand out. Glancing down, she realized she was still wearing her filthy leather glove. “Hang on,” she muttered, setting down the other tool to pull off her gloves, cursing this awful situation.
She’d wondered, over the years, what it would be like if she ever saw Todd again. In her imagination she’d always been well dressed, made-up, calm and in control. She’d pictured regret in his eyes when he looked at her and finally realized what he’d given up.
In reality, she must look pathetic. Sweaty, streaked in grease, staggering into her brother, in possession of stolen property. There certainly wasn’t any regret to be seen in Todd’s expression. Just discomfort while he waited with his hand out, and she wrestled with her glove, which was inexplicably stuck on her knuckles.
Finally her hand was free and he took it in his own. She should have left the glove on, because the touch of his skin brought it all back in an instant—how much she’d loved holding hands with him, how right it had felt to be linked together like that. All the years between them evaporated in his warm grip. Then his hand was gone and she was back in the present, standing in a machine shop with a stolen weed whacker on either side of her.
“What are you doing here?” She tried to sound as if she barely cared what his answer would be, but her words came out too abruptly. Wade glanced her way and she saw one of his eyebrows go up. For an instance she regretted how close she was with her brother. Nothing about this bizarre situation would get by him.
“Working.” He stated the obvious and left her feeling stupid.
“In Benson?” His presence here made no sense. It was as if she’d found a tropical plant growing out among all the high desert scrub.
“I came out here to do some environmental work a few years ago. I fell in love with the area. The work dried up, but I stayed.”
“I never knew you could fix things.” She should stop interrogating him, but how? She had so many questions.
He looked down for a minute, finally seeming as uncomfortable as she was. “Well, I learned an awful lot about how machines work in my...” He seemed to search for his words. “In my environmental career.”
“Huh.” Brilliant comeback, Nora. She tried to think of what to say next, but her mind lit on random details instead. The slight curl in his hair where it lay against his neck. The unique green-gold color of his eyes.
In college she’d loved the feeling that she could lose herself in those eyes like she might lose herself in a forest, walking from patches of dark green to sunlight. But then he’d left. And she’d still been lost. It had taken years to find herself again.
He broke the awkward silence. “So is this where you grew up?”
She listened, in between his stumbling words, for the regret she’d always wished he’d feel. Then she caught herself and stopped. Whatever he was feeling didn’t matter. They were ancient history and she needed to pull herself together.
But it was unfathomable. Todd Williams was a machine repair guy in Benson? The information ricocheted around her brain, disorienting her. “Yes. I...” She glanced at Wade, “I mean, we grew up on a ranch just outside town. Marker Ranch. It’s been empty for years. Wade is fixing it up again. I’m just helping him out for a while.”
