Soldier's Duty

by Elle James

  “Unless you sell,” Bree said.

  Angus snorted. “No way in hell will Iron Horse Ranch ever be sold to strangers. It’s been in the McKinnon family since my great, great grandfather came over from Scotland. If I don’t keep the ranch going and pass it down to my children, one of my siblings will.”

  “What about Molly? She loves the ranch. She’s just as capable of running it as you.”

  Angus smiled. “She is. And I wouldn’t want to take any of that away from her. But it’s a big ranch, and there’s room for all of us to play a part in its success.”

  “Like I said, I’ll be happy anywhere you are.” She squeezed his hand. “For thirteen years, I missed you like nobody’s business. I don’t want to lose you now. If it means following you to the ends of the earth or staying put in Montana, I’m in.”

  Angus leaned across the console and kissed her hard on the lips. “Save my spot. I’m not finished kissing you.”

  He let go of her hand and dropped down from the truck.

  Bree opened her door and climbed down as well.

  They entered the sheriff’s station hand in hand.

  The dispatcher looked up from her monitor. “Can I help you?”

  “Is the sheriff in?” Angus asked.

  Before the dispatcher could answer, a voice sounded from down the hallway behind her.

  “Someone looking for me?” Sheriff Barron poked his head out of an office. “Angus, come see this.”

  Angus and Bree joined Sheriff Barron in his office. He had his monitor up with a blurred image frozen on the screen.

  The sheriff sat in his chair and rested his hand on the mouse. “I just got this from the prison authorities.”

  “What is it?” Bree asked.

  “The dashcam from the prison transport William Reed was on.” He clicked the play button and leaned back so they could see. For a few moments, all they saw was the road in front of the hood of the vehicle. Other cars passed the transport and left it behind. Then out of the corner of the screen, a blur of something moving fast shot in front of the transport vehicle.

  The view of the road veered wildly and bounced as the transport vehicle ran off the road and down into a ditch. Then the world seemed to spin with views of the earth and sky, over and over.

  The sheriff paused the video. “Did you see it?”

  “See what?” Angus asked. “That blur that ran in front of the transport?”

  “Yes!” The sheriff leaned forward and, using the mouse, clicked on the timeline for the video, backing it up to just before the transport flipped. He started the video again at a much slower speed. When the blur appeared in the corner of the screen, he paused it and zoomed in.

  “Now, pay close attention.” The Sheriff played the video, one frame at a time until the blur became evident.

  “It’s a motorcycle,” Angus said.

  Bree touched Angus’s arm.

  A bolt of electricity ripped through his nerves. He liked when she touched him and wanted her to keep doing it.

  “I know that motorcycle, and so do you.” She looked up into his eyes.

  Then it came to Angus where he’d seen the bike. Out in a pasture on Wolf Creek Ranch. “Jeff Kurtz.”

  Sheriff Barron’s lips tightened. “We already have a BOLO out to bring him in for questioning concerning the death of his wife, Shelly. No one’s seen him since they found her remains.”

  “We saw him this afternoon on Wolf Creek Ranch,” Bree said. “He told us he was helping you look for James McKinnon.”

  The sheriff shook his head. “I didn’t ask for his help, and he wasn’t there when the volunteers showed up to assist. He’s operating on his own.” He stared up at Angus. “Since he was out your way, you might want to warn your family to be cautious should he show up again.”

  “Mind if I borrow a phone?” Angus asked.

  “Go for it.” The sheriff stood. “I need to let my nightshift know what’s happening. If he was the one who caused the crash, he could’ve been the one who killed William Reed. He might also know the whereabouts of your father. We need to bring him in. Alive.”

  When Angus placed the call to Iron Horse Ranch, his brother Duncan answered the phone. He gave him all the information he’d just learned and asked him to warn everyone to be careful.

  When he hung up, the sheriff stood in the doorway, shaking his head. “You think you know the people in your town…” He snorted. “I guess we don’t know them as well as we think we do.” He tipped his head toward Bree. “I understand Meredith Smalls confessed to killing Greg Hemming.”

  Bree nodded. “My mother and I thought we had. And truthfully, Meredith didn’t murder him. She was protecting herself. He was a bully, and he didn’t have a problem hitting women.”

  The sheriff nodded. “None of us were sorry to see that barn burn…with him in it. I’ll have to perform a thorough investigation, but I’m with you. She knocked him out in self-defense. I don’t think there’s a judge in Montana who would see it otherwise.” He held out his hand to Bree.

  She placed her hand in his.

  “I’m glad you’re back. Your mother’s a good woman. She missed you.”

  Bree smiled. “I’m glad I’m back, too.”

  “I hope she’s feeling better.”

  “She is,” Bree said.

  “Speaking of Bree’s mother,” Angus’s gaze locked on the sheriff, “have you narrowed down the list of people who purchased bags of rat poison?”

  “The state police have their hands full of other investigations. I wanted the answers sooner, so I handed it to Hank Patterson. He’s a former Navy SEAL who has set up a protective service called Brotherhood Protectors. He’s got a good tech guy who’s looking into that. He thinks he’ll have something on it by tomorrow. Maybe sooner.”

  “Do you think Jeff Kurtz could have dumped that bag of rat poison in the creek?” Bree asked.

  The sheriff shrugged. “He could have. Although we don’t have a motivation for poisoning your mother and the ranch foreman.”

  “Could he have wanted them off the ranch for some reason?” Bree suggested.

  The sheriff tapped a finger to his chin. “It’s possible.”

  “He was interested in searching the caves on Wolf Creek,” Bree said. “He wanted me to show him where they were.”

  “We found William Reed,” the sheriff said. “But we didn’t find the money he stole. People have been looking for that money for the past thirteen years and haven’t found it, that we know of.”

  “If Kurtz helped Reed escape, he must have thought he’d get something out of it,” Angus said.

  Bree nodded. “The money.”

  “Then why would he kill Reed?” Angus asked.

  “Maybe he didn’t,” the sheriff said. “We haven’t established yet who gave Reed the burner phone. Perhaps there’s another person. The one he met in the cave where we found him.”

  “And that person killed him before he could tell Kurtz where the money was,” Angus concluded.

  “We could have more than one dangerous person running loose in the area. At least we know who one of them is. My men are watching for Kurtz. Maybe he’ll lead us to whoever else was in on Reed’s escape.” Sheriff Barron walked them to the door. “You two be careful. Kurtz will be more desperate if he knows he’s being hunted.”

  They said their goodbyes to the sheriff and walked out of the station.

  Angus helped Bree up into the truck. “Ready to head back to Iron Horse?”

  Bree shook her head. “Not really. I’d like to go somewhere that we aren’t under your family’s microscope.”

  Angus’s lips twitched. “How about the Blue Moose Tavern? Can I buy you a drink?”

  She raised her brows. “Is this a date?”

  “Not this time. I want to take you out proper. We can dress up and go somewhere fancy to eat.”

  “I’d be happy to have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a cave. And for dessert, make love on sleeping bag.” She
held out her hand for his.

  He curled his fingers around hers and counted his blessings. “I can arrange that.”

  * * *

  Bree settled back in the seat, a smile on her face as Angus drove the short distance to the Blue Moose Tavern. The front parking lot was full, so he parked at the side of the building and helped Bree down from her seat.

  They entered the tavern through the front door, found a seat at the bar and ordered a couple of beers.

  If her mother hadn’t been poisoned and his father wasn’t missing, they could have been anyone out on the town enjoying each other’s company and spending time making memories.

  Bree wasn’t sure what she was looking for by being at the tavern, but she wasn’t ready to go back to the Iron Horse Ranch. She didn’t want to share Angus with anyone else. Not that night. Not yet.

  He sat with one hand on her knee and the other holding his beer. The warmth of his hand on her leg made her insanely happy.

  Bree couldn’t help staring at him, drinking in how beautiful he was. She wanted to hear all about his life in the military and the places he’d been. This man was her love, her life, her everything. Now that she had him back, she never wanted to let him go again.

  Angus set his beer on the counter and squeezed her leg gently. “I need to visit the latrine.”

  She smiled at the word, loving how “military” he sounded. “I could stand a break as well.” She rose and followed him to the hallway where the bathrooms were located. She went into the ladies’ room and he entered the men’s.

  After she finished her business, she washed her hands, staring at her image in the mirror. The smile on her face almost made her look like someone else. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy. For so long, she’d existed in a gray cloud of misery, wishing she was with Angus, but knowing she never could be.

  Now, everything had changed. She wasn’t going to jail. And Angus wanted to be with her. Her grin broadened, and suddenly, she couldn’t get back to him fast enough. She flung open the door to find him standing there.

  He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “I thought you were going to stay in there forever.”

  “Are you kidding? I couldn’t wait to get back out here to see you. I’ve got thirteen years to make up. I don’t want to waste a minute.”

  “Ditto,” he said and kissed her until her toes curled. When he let her up for air, she leaned her cheek against his chest and listened to the wild beating of his heart. “You know we could stay here tonight. Rent a room over the tavern. Just you and me.”

  “I like the way you think, woman.” He bent to claim her lips again.

  The roar of a small engine sounded nearby.

  Bree laughed. “On second thought, it might be too noisy.”

  “I don’t know why we have laws about mufflers on cars, but don’t require motorcycles to have them,” Angus muttered.

  Bree froze. “You think that’s a motorcycle engine?”

  “I’m betting it is.” His brow descended. “You don’t think he’d be stupid enough to show up in town, do you?”

  “Only one way to find out.” Bree turned toward the exit at the end of the hallway. It led to an alley at the back of the tavern.

  “Let me go first,” Angus said. He pushed the door open a little and looked out.

  “See anything?” Bree whispered.

  “No.” He pushed it wider and walked outside onto the concrete stoop. “I don’t see a bike.”

  Bree stepped out beside him. “Maybe he drove by.” She took off for the corner. “He could have parked on the other side of the building.”

  “Bree, wait,” Angus called out.

  Bree ran toward the corner across from where a large trash bin stood. She stopped short of the corner and looked around the edge.

  “There it is,” she whispered.

  Angus came to a halt behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “We need to call the sheriff.”

  “It’s his,” Bree said. “I remember it from out in the pasture. Do you think he knows they found Shelly’s body?”

  A loud crack sounded behind Bree.

  Angus’s hand on her shoulder grew heavy and then his body slumped against hers, knocking her to her knees.

  “He knows,” a raspy voice said behind her.

  Then a hand grabbed her hair and jerked her head back.

  Bree opened her mouth to scream, but something was stuffed into it before she could utter a sound.

  With Angus’s limp body pinning her to the ground, she couldn’t move, couldn’t run or escape. Her arms were pulled up sharply behind her and secured together with what felt like a thin plastic strap. Face down on the ground, she couldn’t see her attacker, but knew without a doubt it was Jeff Kurtz. That voice. She wouldn’t forget it. Ever again.

  A burlap bag was thrown over her head and pulled over her shoulders. Angus’s body was shoved aside, freeing her legs.

  Bree rolled over, bunched her knees under her and pushed to her feet. She couldn’t see, but she sure as hell could run. Taking off, she ran as fast as she could in a direction she hoped would take her to the front of the tavern.

  She hadn’t gone three yards when she hit something hard and metal. The trash bin.

  “Are you through playing around?” the raspy voice said.

  With her mouth full of some kind of fabric, she couldn’t respond.

  The next thing she knew, she was hoisted up and flung over a shoulder, an arm firmly clamping her legs so that she couldn’t move them.

  She twisted and struggled to make him drop her, but he held on tight.

  The sound of a vehicle door opening made her struggle even harder. If he got her into the vehicle, she was a goner. Hadn’t she learned that somewhere? Never get into the vehicle. If you have to take a knife or bullet, you were still better off than being taken.

  However, no matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t break free. Then she was thrown onto a floorboard, her legs shoved through the door and the door slammed tight.

  No. Please, God, no.

  An engine kicked over and roared to life. If Bree had to guess, she was in a truck, by the sound of it.

  She tried to get her legs beneath her and to shimmy out of the burlap bag but shoved between what felt like a front seat and a backseat, she couldn’t get enough leverage.

  No matter how hopeless she felt, Bree couldn’t give up. She had to get out of this situation and back to Angus. She prayed he was all right. He couldn’t die now. Not when they had their whole lives together to look forward to.

  Chapter 14

  Pain knifed through the back of Angus’s skull. He fought the darkness, knowing he had to wake up. He had to open his eyes.

  When he did, the light wasn’t much better. The grit of gravel pressed into his cheek and hands. For a moment he was confused. This wasn’t his bed. Was he back in Afghanistan? Had he been knocked unconscious by an explosion?

  His head sure felt as if it had suffered a blast. Angus pushed to his knees and finally to his feet, swaying as his vision clouded.

  He leaned against a wall and concentrated on the two things in front of him and making them one. When the double-vision cleared and became a single object, he noticed a motorcycle standing a few feet away from him.

  In that moment of clarity, everything came back to him in a rush.

  “Bree,” he called out.

  She didn’t answer.

  He spun, looking in all directions. She wasn’t there.

  Angus ran to the back door of the tavern and yanked on the door knob. It was locked. He ran around to the front of the building and burst through the door. People turned to stare at him. He didn’t give a damn. He had to find Bree.

  The bartender rounded the edge of the bar and came toward him. “Hey, man, you’re bleeding. Want me to call an ambulance?”

  He shook his head, causing more pain to rip through his head. “No. The woman I came with. Did she come back through here?”

&n
bsp; The bartender shook his head. “No. The last time I saw her, she was with you. You two were headed for the bathrooms.” He frowned. “What happened?”

  “Someone hit me and took her. Give me your phone,” Angus demanded.

  The bartender reached over the counter, grabbed the phone and handed it to him. “Who are you calling?”

  “My brothers,” Angus said.

  The man pulled out his cellphone. “I’ll call the sheriff. Any idea who might have taken her?”

  “No. Yes. Hell. Maybe,” he said, dialing the house phone out at Iron Horse Ranch.

  Duncan answered on the first ring. “Iron Horse Ranch.”

  “Duncan, he got Bree.”

  “Who got him?”

  “I think it was Jeff Kurtz. He’s got her.”

  “Where are you?”

  “At the Blue Moose.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  “No, don’t come here. Jeff wanted her to take him to the caves on Wolf Creek. I bet that’s where he’s headed. You have to get over there. Take Colin, Bastian and Parker. Hurry. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Angus, I don’t know where those caves are,” Duncan said.

  “Then meet me at the Wolf Creek Ranch House as soon as possible. I’m on my way.” Angus tossed the phone onto the counter and turned to run out the door.

  The bartender caught his arm. “I have the sheriff on the phone. What do you want me to tell him?”

  “Find Bree,” he said. “Hell, let me.” He took the cellphone from the man and held it to his ear. “I think Kurtz has Bree. He wanted her to show him where the caves were on Wolf Creek Ranch. I’m headed there now. My brothers are meeting me at the ranch house. If I’m wrong, I need you to set up road blocks. Whatever it takes to stop him from getting out of the county with her.”

  “I’ll get my deputies on the roads, and I’ll meet you at the ranch. We’ll get her back,” the sheriff promised.

  Angus wanted to snark back at the man that they had yet to find his father in the past four days he’d been missing. But he held his tongue. The sheriff had been out there along with the rest of them doing his best to help.