“I know. Those men have worked here for as long as I can remember, I just can’t see them doing anything like that.”
Lucas stood and put his hand out to her. “We’ve had a rough day and we still need to get Star Gazer better. Do you want to go back to the barn with me?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
Lucas gave a terse nod and they walked outside together. Tinker was heading toward them.
“What is it now?” Lucas asked warily.
“Nick says he was on watch last night.” Tinker glanced away and then back to them. “He said he woke up on the floor around three in the morning. Swears he didn’t fall asleep though.”
“He didn’t think to tell us?” Lucas was angry.
“He was scared but he swears he didn’t fall sleep. He said he was sitting in the chair in the barn and the next thing he knew, he woke up on the floor.”
“Get him and bring him to the house. Now.” Lucas and Emily walked back inside to wait for them. When Nick and Tinker walked in, Lucas motioned for them to sit. He glared at Nick.
“How could you not tell us about this, Nick?” Emily asked.
“I was afraid you would accuse me of harming Star Gazer.” He swallowed. “I would never hurt any animal. Star Gazer is one of my favorites. I swear Miz Emily, I didn’t hurt him.”
“Tell us what happened,” Lucas demanded.
Nick shrugged. “Just like I told Tinker. I was sitting in the chair and the next thing I know, I’m on the floor waking up around three.”
“You weren’t knocked out?” Emily asked softly.
“No Miz Emily. I don’t have a lump on my head and it doesn’t hurt anywhere.” Nick glanced at Lucas. “I swear Mister Taggart, I didn’t hurt Star Gazer.”
Lucas stood and paced. “Well, something happened to him. A horse as healthy as he is doesn’t just up and get so sick he can’t stand for no God damn reason. You were the last one with him.”
“Lucas…” Emily pleaded.
“No.” Lucas put his hand up. “This needs to be done. I want to know what happened last night.” He turned to Nick. “Did you see anyone? Was anyone here?”
“No. I didn’t—” Nick stopped.
“What?” Lucas pulled a chair out, spun it around, and straddled it.
“The only person here was Marylou Johnson. She brought me some coffee.”
“In a cup of some kind?” Tinker asked.
Nick nodded. “Yes. She just showed up. I was surprised to see her but she’s real pretty so I didn’t question it.” He hung his head. “I suppose I should have.”
“Where’s the cup?”
“I guess still in the barn. I forgot about it.”
Lucas stood and ran out the door. A few minutes later, he came back in with the cup and called the sheriff, Nathan Walker. He told Lucas he’d be right there.
“Am I going to lose my job?” Nick asked, gazing at Emily. She glanced at Lucas.
“It depends on what we find, but I have a feeling someone gave Marylou money to drug you enough to make you pass out. If that’s the case, no, you won’t lose your job but no one is allowed on this property unless Emily and I are asked. We clear?” Lucas stared at him.
“Yes sir.” Nick hung his head.
Emily stood and got him a glass of water. His hands shook as he took the glass from her. Lucas moved toward the coffee pot to make some. Emily sat down beside Nick and put her hand over his. Tinker sighed and sat down with them. They waited for the sheriff to show up.
After the sheriff questioned Nick, he took the cup, said he’d talk with Marylou and left. Lucas told Nick he was to take some days off until the investigation was over. Nick wasn’t happy about it but he understood and left. Tinker started out the door when Lucas stopped him.
“Set up a schedule so we can all take turns watching Star.”
Tinker nodded and glanced at Emily. “You don’t need to go back out there.”
“Yes I do,” she whispered.
Tinker gave a nod and walked out with Lucas and Emily behind him. Lucas took her hand in his and squeezed it. She squeezed back as they headed toward the barn.
Chapter Seven
Adam watched through binoculars from his spot in the north pasture. He laughed when he saw them all heading for the barn. He’d been in the pasture the entire time the sheriff was there. Marylou did a marvelous job last night and hopefully the ranch hand wouldn’t remember her being there. There’d been enough Xanax in the cup to knock an elephant out. He stood and made his way down the hill to the dirt road running along the property. It was easy to slip into the pasture from the road. It didn’t seem as if it’d been used very often. Getting into his car, he pulled out and headed back to the motel.
When he stepped from the car, he saw the woman he’d paid to drug the ranch hand standing by his door. He sighed and strolled toward her. “What are you doing here? We can’t take a chance on being seen together.”
“I want the rest of my money now.”
“You’ll get the rest in a few days.” Adam curbed his temper.
“I can go to the sheriff,” Marylou told him.
He sneered. “I’ll take you down with me. Now get the hell out of here. I’ll contact you in a few days as we agreed.”
She sighed and left. Adam entered the room and took a shower. It wouldn’t be long now. He’d have Emily again. They were going to go away together. If she didn’t want to go he’d make her or kill her. He shrugged. It didn’t really matter to him. With his looks, he had no trouble attracting women. The stupid bitches.
Adam laid on the bed, clasped his hands behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. It was going to taste so sweet when he got Emily back. He couldn’t wait to have her under him again and he would, there was no doubt in his mind. She couldn’t resist him anymore than any other woman could. He smiled as he fell asleep
* * * *
As Emily stood watching Star Gazer lying in his stall, she shivered. The horse had been a family member for almost as long as she was alive. She could remember sitting on the horse with her grandfather while he rode the fences in the pastures. The tears rolled down her face as she clung to Lucas’s hand and watched Star Gazer’s labored breathing. Tinker came in to relieve them. Emily couldn’t take anymore and ran toward the house. She had to get away from everyone for a while. Once inside she ran upstairs and into the bedroom then threw herself across the bed. Sobs wracked her body, but she couldn’t seem to stop them. She felt Lucas touch her back. She rolled over, and gazed up at him. Tears made it difficult to see. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
“I’m so sorry, Emily. So very sorry,” he murmured as he rubbed her back.
“I hate him. I know he poisoned my horse. He’s cruel enough to do it.”
“I’m sure we’ll hear from Doctor Woods in a day or two. He took a blood sample with him. If Star Gazer was poisoned, then it had to be Walters. No one on this ranch would harm any of those animals.” He kissed her forehead. “We’ll just wait a few days.”
Emily nodded. “All right but I know he did something to Star. I know it, Lucas.”
Lucas held her and murmured to her. It was going to take her a while to get over this.
* * * *
Two days later, Lucas and Emily drove Tinker to the hospital for his surgery. They would wait during the operation and then drive him home. A woman from town was coming to look after him.
“I appreciate you two doing this for me,” Tinker said from the backseat.
“Would you just shut the hell up about it?” Lucas muttered.
Tinker laughed. “The man can’t accept any appreciation.”
Emily laughed. “I think you’re right, Tinker.” She reached for Tinker’s hand. “We love you, we’re family.”
Tinker didn’t say more. They pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and walked inside. Once the nurse took Tinker back for surgery, Emily and Lucas sat in the waiting room. She took his hand in hers.
“We have a lot of time to wait. Tell me about your childhood. You’ve put it off long enough.”
Lucas growled and sighed. “Shit. I was hoping you forgot.”
Emily laughed softly. “Nope. Now spill it.”
Lucas ran his hands down his face, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on his knees.
“My dad left before I was born. I never knew him. I’m not blaming him for my wild ways, that was all me. My mom didn’t know what to do with me from the time I was twelve until I was in my teens. I ran with a rough group. All of us were from broken homes but that was no excuse for the shit we did. I was fourteen when I stole my first car.” He shook his head. “I didn’t get caught so I did it again. I was boosting my third car when I did get caught. I was lying in the car, under the steering wheel with my feet out of the car, when I felt someone kick my foot. I glanced up and saw this big man standing over me. He says, ‘go ahead, I want to see if you can do it.’ I tried to get out and run but he had me by my shirt collar before I even got out of the car.” Lucas chuckled. “I’d tried to steal a car belonging to a cop. Bill took me into his house, sat me on the couch, and stared at me. I glared at him and told him he didn’t scare me. He laughed and said ‘yes I do.’ He was right. I was scared to death I’d go to Juvie. The prick made me call my mom. To say she was pissed would be a huge understatement. When she got there, I was sure she was going to kill me. Bill told her he wouldn’t press charges if I agreed to clean up my act. Of course, I stood up and yelled ‘fuck you’, which had my mom slapping me for the first time ever. She looked as shocked as I felt. I agreed to do as he asked because I hated hurting my mom. Once I started doing better in school, the other guys I ran with did too. We all graduated top of the class. But we always had the wild reputation. It will always be there. Many people still look down on us although we’ve all done well for ourselves. I have more than enough money to buy Whispering Pines five times over.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, though. We’ll always be the bad boys of Dry River.” He glanced over to her. “So, you married a car thief. You want to divorce me?”
Emily smiled at him. “No way are you getting out of this marriage. I don’t care about your past, Lucas. Just our future.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you have that kind of money. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lucas glanced away then back to her. “I didn’t think it mattered. I put it in the Whispering Pines bank account. It’s our money, just like Whispering Pines is ours. Together. Isn’t that what married couples do?”
“Yes it is, but it’s your money.”
“No. It’s ours. It’s there for our future. Our children’s futures. College or whatever they want to do.”
Emily leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Wait. Bill? Isn’t that the name of your mom’s new husband?”
Lucas chuckled. “One and the same. He wanted to marry her years ago but she was afraid of getting hurt.” He shrugged. “Bill finally convinced her, and I love him like a dad.”
“It certainly turned out well for all of you, didn’t it?” Emily smiled. “Why did you leave here five years ago?”
Lucas shrugged. “I got restless.”
“Let’s hope you don’t again.”
Lucas nodded and put his arm around her while they waited for word about the surgery.
The doctor came into the waiting room a few hours later to let them know Tinker was fine and the surgery went well. He could go home in a few hours if he was still doing well. Lucas and Emily left to go to dinner. They would be back to take him home later. They walked out of the hospital hand in hand then drove to the diner to enjoy dinner together.
A few days later, Doctor Woods called and told them Star Gazer had Foxglove in his blood but luckily not enough to kill him. He advised them to empty the food buckets and put fresh food in. Star Gazer would survive. Emily knew Adam was behind it, she just couldn’t prove it. Marylou left town and no one seemed to know where she’d gone. Emily wouldn’t be surprised if Adam was behind that too. She knew he was an evil man. He may not have killed Marylou but she wouldn’t put it past him to hire someone to do it.
* * * *
May brought warmer weather. Adam hadn’t called again and no one had seen him. Emily knew he was still out there. Plotting. Tinker healed up and worked about the ranch much easier. She was happy to have him back and she knew Lucas was too. She decided to go out to visit them. It was such a beautiful day, a horseback ride sounded perfect. Of course, Lucas would have to go with her and she knew he’d only go if he wasn’t busy. She smiled as she crossed the yard and entered the barn. Letting her eyes adjust, she stood inside the door.
Lucas sauntered toward her smiling. “Hey darlin’. What are you doing out here?”
“It’s so pretty out. I thought we could go for a horseback ride. I can pack a picnic.”
Lucas grinned. “Can we make love in the pasture?” He chuckled when she blushed. “Is that a yes?”
Emily blushed and nodded. “Of course.”
Lucas kissed her and pulled her tight against him. “I’ll saddle the horses. You go make a lunch for us.”
Emily smiled up at him. “All right.”
They both jumped when they heard an explosion. Lucas grabbed her arms. “Stay here.” He ran from the barn. Tinker and the other ranch hands came running from different directions.
* * * *
Lucas halted in his tracks when he saw his pick-up truck on fire.
“Call 9-1-1,” he shouted as he ran for the hose, but Lucas knew it was a lost cause as he turned to see the flames reaching for the sky. The truck was a total loss. He glanced toward the barn then ran for it. Once inside, he gazed around but didn’t see Emily anywhere.
“Emily,” he shouted as he ran through the barn.
Tinker entered. “Maybe she went in the house.”
Lucas shook his head. “She wouldn’t do that without telling me,” he shouted for her again.
“She’s gotta be here,” Tinker yelled as he ran outside. Lucas followed him to the house. They both ran inside and shouted. No answer. Lucas had a bad feeling.
“He has her,” he whispered.
“No,” Tinker said. “We would’ve seen him.”
“We were too interested in the truck. It was a diversion and it worked.” Lucas paced. “Son of a bitch!” Lucas picked up a glass and threw it against the wall. He spun around to look at Tinker. “I will kill him if he hurts her.”
Tinker nodded. They heard the sirens at the same time and walked outside. The fire truck pulled up with the Sheriff’s cruiser behind it. Lucas strode toward the sheriff.
“We think Emily’s been taken by her ex-husband Adam Walters.”
Sheriff Walker stopped in his tracks. “Kidnapping?”
Lucas nodded. “He took her from right under our noses. He somehow had the truck explode and grabbed her when we ran toward it.” Lucas glanced away then back to him. “He’ll hurt her Nathan. He wants revenge.” Lucas swore. “I shouldn’t have left her in the barn. When we heard the explosion, I should have grabbed her and kept her with me. I should have known it was him.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Lucas. I have to call the FBI for a kidnapping. I’ll help them as much as I can but something like this is their field.” Nathan took his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Mont. He’d want to be in on this since you’re friends.” Nathan spoke into the phone, hung up and turned to Lucas. “He’s on his way.”
Lucas headed for the front porch steps and sat down. He ran his hands over his head. Nathan stepped in front of him.
“We’ll find her, Lucas,” he murmured.
Lucas raised his head. “I hope you do before he kills her.”
“You know Mont will do all he can to find her in time.” Nathan sat down beside him. “I’ll have the truck taken in to see how it exploded. My guess is someone shot the gas tank from a good distance away and Walters was close enough by to grab Emily and take her without any of you
seeing them.”
“We all ran toward the truck. I told her to stay in the barn.” Lucas ran his hands down his face. “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”
“Anyone would have done the same thing, Lucas. It was instinct for you to run toward the explosion and think Emily would be safe in the barn.”
“If he hurts her, he’s a dead man.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Nathan stood and stared down at him. “I’ll get my deputies out looking and since Dakota’s in town, I’ll have him round up your friends and they can look too.”
“All right. I’d appreciate it, Nathan.” Lucas stood and entered the house. He wanted to be alone until Mont arrived.
* * * *
Emily woke up groggy and gazed around but didn’t recognize where she was. It was dark and dank. The smell was musty. Her hands were behind her back, tied together, as were her ankles. Adam. It had to be him. She didn’t remember seeing him. The last thing she remembered was the explosion and Lucas telling her to stay put. Adam must have grabbed her then. He must have set something to explode to get everyone to run toward it so he could take her. She blinked the tears from her eyes. He was going to kill her. She knew it. He hated her for divorcing him. The thought of dying before she had a chance to tell Lucas she loved him made her heart ache. He’d never know her entire world revolved around him. She choked back a sob when she heard footsteps and scooched back against a wall. A pair of Italian leather shoes stopped in front of her. Her eyes ran up a pair of black dress pants to a white shirt then to the face of the man she hated most in life.
“Adam,” she said through clenched teeth.
“You were expecting someone else?” He laughed as he squatted down in front of her. “I’ve been waiting for this.”
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it and get it over with.”
Adam laughed. “Oh no. I want your husband to find you first. That way, I can kill you both.”
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