The Rancher's Return

by Karen Whiddon

  “I will.” Kaitlyn rubbed her hands together, eager to begin.

  “Do you need cookbooks?” Zoe asked. “Because I don’t have any. When I need to find out how to make anything, I just go to the internet.” She gestured toward a laptop set up on a built-in desk in the corner. “Feel free to use it. It’s not password protected.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ve got to go back to work,” Zoe said. “Listen, I know you’re bored and I would be, too, stuck in the house all the time.”

  Jumping up, this time Kaitlyn hugged her. “Now that I have this, I won’t be bored at all. Thank you so much again.”

  Zoe hugged her back. “Have fun.” And with that, she left.

  Feeling happier than she had in days, Kaitlyn began perusing recipes. Her first search—exotic brownies—turned up something that had nothing to do with cooking. She finally settled on one of the three biggest cooking sites and began scrolling through different brownie recipes.

  She wanted her second batch to be simple, yet mouthwateringly delicious. One of her favorite blog sites, Pioneer Woman, had a double chocolate recipe that seemed perfect. Especially since if Kaitlyn remembered right, Zoe was a chocoholic.

  Humming to herself, she got busy assembling the ingredients.

  Once the pan was in the oven, Kaitlyn sat down to figure out some sort of business plan. When all this was over, she hoped Zoe and Brock might let her stay a bit longer, at least until she was established. She’d talk to them about that, maybe.

  Gradually it dawned on her that it was too quiet. Frowning, she went to check on Bentley, who’d been sleeping on the sofa. The little dog was nowhere in sight. Alarm mounting, she checked the hallway, the bathroom and bedroom before returning to the living room. “Bentley,” she called for the tenth time. “Come. Bentley, please come.”

  Nothing. No sound of little claws on tile, no answering bark. Which made no sense. Her pet had to be around here somewhere. The only time the door had been open at all had been when Zoe had gotten home and again when she’d left.

  Calling, her heart pounding, she searched the house again, this time peering in every nook and cranny, behind boxes, inside closets. She checked the backyard, the side yard, and even peeked out into the front.

  Finally, she had to face the fact. Her little dog was gone.

  Bentley must have slipped out when they’d carried in the boxes of produce. She took several deep breaths, pushing back her panic and calming herself long enough to figure out what to do.

  She had to find him. Running to her duffel bag, she quickly put on one of her shapeless dresses and the big eyeglasses that made up her disguise. Just in case, she popped in the muddy-brown contacts. A quick look in the mirror told her she looked completely different, as unlike herself as she could get.

  She grabbed her house key and went out the front door to search for her dog.

  Taking care to act normal, she started off calling Bentley’s name softly at first. After all, she’d only had the little dog a short time and she wasn’t even sure he even knew his name was Bentley.

  But after another quick search of the yard and the ones on either side failed to turn up a hairy little puppy, her worry and panic had her raising her voice. “Bentley! Here, boy. Bentley!”

  Canvassing the street, she zigzagged from house to house. He had to be around here somewhere. A little puppy couldn’t have gone too far. She hoped he hadn’t made the main road with all its traffic.

  When the police cruiser pulled up, her first thought was gratitude. Then, as the passenger-side window went down, her second was panic.

  George Putchinski. Her heart sank.

  “Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” he drawled.

  There was no way he could have recognized her. Just in case, she kept her head down. “My little dog got out and I’m trying to find him.”

  He put the car in Park, got out and crossed around to her side. She could try like hell to bluff and hope he didn’t realize who she was. Or she could run.

  “What kind of dog is it?” he asked, his voice overly kind. “I can help you look.”

  Still keeping her gaze averted, Kaitlyn gestured toward the street. “He’s a mix. Long hair, kind of scruffy. Maybe a sheltie mix.”

  “I see.” Saccharine sweetness colored his tone.

  Suspicious, Kaitlyn steeled herself and raised her head to meet his gaze. The instant she did, she knew he’d recognized her. He’d probably even known she was here, somehow.

  Alex’s reach went far and wide.

  Run! Her inner voice screamed. But she hesitated, still needing to find Bentley. “I’ve got to find my dog,” she said.

  Slowly, never taking his gaze from her, George withdrew his service revolver. “Put your hands where I can see them,” he ordered.

  Pushing back the panic, again she hesitated before she finally did as he asked. “What are you doing? Why?”

  His smirk told her not to waste her time. “You’re a fugitive, my dear. And someone very powerful has been looking for you for a long time.”

  Her heart sank. Still, she tried to brazen it out. “I’ve done nothing wrong. You can’t arrest me.”

  “Arrest you?” Laughing, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs, the metal glinting silver in the sunlight. “I’m just detaining you for questioning. Now put your hands behind your back.”

  She wondered if he’d shoot her if she took off running. She was pretty sure Alex would kill anyone who tried to harm her—he wanted the pleasure of doing that himself.

  “No.” She said, lifting her chin. “I need to find my dog. Now get out of my way.”

  This time his laughter had a hard edge. “Honey, I know ways to hurt people and make sure it doesn’t show. Now you either do as I told you, or suffer the consequences.”

  The hell with it. She took off, praying he wouldn’t shoot her in the back. Instead, he came after her, the pounding of his footsteps making her run faster.

  She might have escaped him if she hadn’t tripped and twisted her ankle. Down she went, crying out in pain and frustration. George yanked her to her feet, pushing her arms behind her and slapping on the cuffs. He gave her a shove. “Now walk.”

  The first step she took, her ankle gave way. She would have fallen, if not for George’s iron grip on her arm.

  “I think I sprained my ankle,” she told him, wincing and trying not to cry.

  “That’s too damn bad.” He shoved her again and then, when she didn’t move, he dragged her the rest of the way to his car. He opened the door and pushed her into the backseat before going around to the front and getting behind the wheel.

  “I hope you have dashcam video. Because you sure as hell are going to be in trouble when the sheriff see this.”

  He sneered at her. “I disabled that a long time ago. Those fools never check it. They trust me.”

  “Look, I have brownies in the oven,” she began, then snapped her mouth closed, not wanting him to know where she’d been staying. But she also didn’t want Brock and Zoe’s house to burn down, either.

  “Tough,” George said. “Looks like they’re going to be burned, because I’m not letting you go back to take them out.”

  Crud. Again, she tried to figure out a way to get away. She came up with nothing.

  “Where are you taking me?” she finally asked, her ankle throbbing, unable to keep from still looking out the window to find Bentley. “Just wait, because once I tell the sheriff—”

  “Oh, honey, we’re not going to the sheriff’s department.” Putting the car in Drive, he grinned at her in the rearview mirror. “I’m taking you back where you belong. Alex is going to be very happy to see you.”

  Chapter 12

  Kaitlyn supposed she should be grateful that George didn’t take her directly to Alex. Instead, he took her to a deteriorating trailer house on a lot near the edge of town.

  “Come on.” Opening the back door, George yanked her out. “Get inside before someone sees you.”


  She stumbled and he pushed her, nearly sending her down onto her knees.

  “Get inside,” he barked again. Heart pounding, she hurried up the wooden steps onto his little porch, moving aside while he unhooked his screen door, then his regular door.

  Inside, the place smelled like pizza and cat urine. It took Kaitlyn a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

  “I’m gonna pat you down,” he warned. She had to force herself not to cringe or comment as he did. He removed her cell phone and left the small tube of lip gloss she always carried.

  “I’m surprised you’re not armed.”

  She looked away and didn’t even respond. She’d meant to ask Reed to give her a gun, but time and circumstances had prevented that. She’d never actually shot anyone. But she thought she could. Especially Alex. The thought made her grimace.

  “How did you find me?” she asked.

  “We have eyes on everybody. Every single person who knew you is being watched. Including and especially your friend Reed.”

  Her blood froze. Did that mean Alex knew what Reed was trying to do? Frantic, she tried not to show it. Somehow, she had to get a message to Reed. But how?

  “This way,” George said, pointing toward a narrow hallway.

  For the first time she wondered if George operated on his own agenda, one not even remotely connected to Alex’s. Did he plan to rape her, hurt her?

  As she took the first footsteps on the dirty green shag carpet, he grabbed her arm, directing her into a small room on the left. “In here.”

  The room was empty except for a mattress on the floor. George flipped a switch on the wall and a light came on overhead. “Your new home,” he told her.

  She noted the window, and also the burglar bars on the inside. “I can’t get out.”

  “Exactly.” He smirked. “This ain’t my first rodeo.”

  In lieu of her sanity, she decided not to ask him what he meant, even though she guessed he’d kept someone else prisoner in this room.

  “There’s a washroom right there.” He pointed to a second door. “I’ll make sure and bring you something to eat later. Have fun.”

  When he closed the door, she couldn’t help but notice the unmistakable click as he locked the handle. A moment later, she heard his car start and then pull away.

  Great. Now what? Just to make sure, she crossed to the window and checked the burglar bars. They were sturdy and secure. She could only hope a fire didn’t break out in this hellhole, as she’d be toast.

  The washroom held a toilet and a sink, nothing else. It had no window. She spotted a closet and checked that out, too. Empty.

  Great. She sank down on the mattress and covered her face with her hands. She needed to think, to try and come up with a way out of here. She had no doubt that once George had finished with her, he’d deliver her up to Alex.

  * * *

  That afternoon after lunch at home, Reed took his time leaving, pretending to be unaware of the man lurking on the sidewalk four houses down.

  He almost pitied the guy. Except for the little belt of trees in the median, hiding places were in short supply, especially in such a tight-knit residential neighborhood. At least Reed had been right to send Kaitlyn away, no matter how much he surprisingly missed her.

  Walking slowly out to his pickup in the driveway, Reed wondered if the other man planned to break in and do some more snooping around the place once he was sure Reed was gone.

  Though he hated having his privacy invaded, Reed had expected no less. Alex wasn’t the type to trust blindly, if he trusted at all.

  Reed drove exactly the speed limit on the way to Alex’s estate, to make it easy on anyone who might have been assigned to follow him. He didn’t spot a tail, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have one.

  Finally, he pulled up to the massive front gates and pushed the button on the call box. As soon as he’d identified himself, the gates began to swing open to allow him to drive through.

  Though the prospect made him inwardly wince, Reed knew he’d have to interview Alex Ramirez sooner or later. And it might as well be sooner, otherwise Reed would be floundering around the mansion like a fish out of water. If he was going to pretend to search for Kaitlyn, he’d need to get Alex to sit down and give him some details. Judging from what he’d seen of the other man’s behavior thus far, Alex wasn’t going to like that.

  Oh, well. Tough. If the politician wanted to pretend he really cared about finding Kaitlyn, he was going to have to answer a few questions.

  Straightening his shoulders, Reed made his way to Alex’s office. The massive mahogany double doors were closed, so he knocked.

  “Come in,” Alex ordered.

  When Reed opened the door, Alex was just hanging up the phone, a strangely satisfied expression on his patrician features. Something about that look sent a little prickle of warning up Reed’s spine.

  “I needed to talk to you,” Reed began.

  “Your services are no longer needed,” Alex interrupted, his cold tone final. “One of my people will show you out.”

  Dumbfounded, Reed scratched his head. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I have found my fiancée.” Alex’s malicious smile hinted at what he planned to do next. “Ergo, I don’t need you.”

  Found his...Kaitlyn? Reed went hot all over, refusing to acknowledge the possibility. “How? Where? When?” he asked.

  “That’s none of your concern.” Alex pressed a buzzer and one of his large bodyguard types in a dark suit appeared. “Please show Mr. Westbrook out.” He narrowed his eyes at Reed. “Fair warning. If I find out you helped her in any way...”

  Reed got the point. Shaking off the bodyguard’s hand on his arm, he marched out of the room, down the hall and all the way to his truck. Alex’s goon stood, arms crossed, and watched as Reed started his vehicle and pulled away.

  “Damn it,” Reed cursed. Driving back down the drive, heart pounding in his chest, he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened. He itched to pick up the phone and call Brock and Zoe, but couldn’t say for sure this wasn’t a trap. Until he knew something, he didn’t plan on doing anything to endanger anyone.

  He checked his rearview mirror constantly and was absolutely certain he wasn’t followed. When he reached the turnoff for his street, there weren’t any other cars behind him.

  Once home, he paced, then cursed and said the hell with it and dialed Brock.

  No answer.

  Next he tried Zoe. Again nothing. What the...? He swore. If Alex had touched one hair on either of their heads...

  Reed ran to his truck and headed over there, still checking to make sure he wasn’t followed. The fact that he didn’t have a tail most likely meant that Alex had been serious. He had Kaitlyn. How or why, Reed didn’t know.

  As he pulled up to Brock and Zoe’s house, he felt another frisson of alarm. There were no vehicles in the driveway and worse, the front door sat wide-open. Hurrying up the front sidewalk, he saw inside every light appeared to be on. And the place smelled like smoke, as if something had burned badly inside the oven.

  He swore. He’d never forgive himself if Alex had harmed either of them. A quick search revealed the house was empty. A pan of charred brownies sat on top of the stove, which explained the awful smell.

  As he headed back outside, Brock’s truck pulled up. Brock jumped out and hurried over to Reed. “Something’s happened to Kaitlyn,” he said. “Zoe’s out searching.”

  “Alex told me he has her.” Realizing his hands were clenched into fists, Reed deliberately relaxed them. “What happened?”

  “Zoe’s pretty upset. She came home after work and when she got here, she found it like this, with the front door wide open and a pan of brownies burning in the oven.”

  “Any signs of a struggle?”

  “No.” Brock grimaced. “Though we’re lucky the place didn’t catch on fire. That’s what makes this really strange. I mean, if they’d found her and took her, she would have put u
p a fight.”

  “Exactly.”

  Zoe’s car rounded the corner. She pulled up, parked and jumped out. “I found Bentley running down the street.” She held up the scruffy little dog. “And no sign of Kaitlyn anywhere.”

  “That’s because Alex Ramirez somehow found her.” Reed told them what Alex had said. “I’m not sure how, but he says he’s got her back.”

  Still holding the wiggling animal, Zoe glanced at Brock and then back to Reed. Her horrified expression matched how Reed felt. “We’ve got to help her. What are we going to do now?”

  “Not ‘we,’” Reed corrected her. “I don’t want you and Brock involved any more than you have been. Alex is too dangerous.”

  Zoe shot him a look that plainly said “we’ll see about that.” But instead of arguing, she nodded. “Okay. Then what are you going to do?”

  Reed didn’t even hesitate. “Rescue her, of course.”

  Zoe agreed to keep Bentley until Kaitlyn’s return. Though Brock wanted Reed to come in and talk strategy, Reed left. He needed to get home and try to think this through.

  Once inside his little house, he began to pace. The truth was, he didn’t know where Alex would take Kaitlyn, but most likely it’d be to that ridiculous monstrosity of a house. Reed had only been there a couple of times, but he’d seen the setup and the security. Getting in there was going to be difficult, to say the least.

  None of that mattered. He had to save Kaitlyn, no matter what. He could only imagine what she must be going through. His chest felt tight and he wished he could hold her and reassure her it would be all right.

  The instant he realized this, he froze. What the hell? When had she come to mean so much to him?

  He thought of the way he’d felt when they’d made love, the complete lack of walls she’d put between them. In everything, including this, she’d given herself to him with openness and candor, willing to trust despite what Alex had done to her.

  And then he understood something else, something he’d known all along but hadn’t been willing to admit. Kaitlyn was beautiful both inside and out. Her loveliness went all the way to the core of her. She deserved none of this.