Ranch Hideout

by Sandra Robbins

  She stopped before she said too much. She glanced at him and saw that he was studying her with a somber expression on his face. After a moment he swallowed and looked back at the plants. “That’s certainly a breathtaking scene.”

  Relieved that he hadn’t pushed her on what she’d meant to say, she reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. “I think I’ll get some pictures.”

  She fumbled with balancing the reins and the phone. Gabriel reached over and grasped the reins in his hand. “Let me hold these while you take the picture.”

  She released her grip, shot a quick smile his way and aimed the phone camera at the flowers that towered above them. Before she could take the picture, Dandelion raised her head and whinnied. Liz tightened her legs on either side of the horse and grabbed for the reins that Gabriel held. She had just wrapped her fingers around them when a gunshot split the air. The bullet kicked up dust a few feet in front of them.

  Dandelion snorted and lunged toward the right side of the trail, away from Buttermilk. Liz’s cell phone tumbled to the ground, and she tightened her grip on the reins in an effort to stay in the saddle.

  “Liz!” Gabriel cried out, but she had no time to look at him.

  She gritted her teeth and pulled back on the left rein. Dandelion’s head turned in that direction as if they were going in a circle. Then a second shot hit the ground in front of them, and with a loud whinny the horse jerked her head, reared up on her back legs and pawed at the air.

  Liz tried to keep hold of the reins, but when they slipped from her hands, she grabbed the saddle horn in an attempt to stay seated. At the sound of a third shot, Dandelion surged forward. Liz tightened her legs on either side of the horse to keep from being thrown, but it was no use. Dandelion bucked once more, and Liz felt herself falling.

  She screamed just before darkness consumed her.

  * * *

  It all happened so fast Gabriel didn’t have time to react. One minute Liz was taking a picture, and the next, bullets were flying. He heard the crack of the rifle and saw the dust kick up. His first thought was to grab for Liz, but Buttermilk lunged away in the wrong direction. She was as terrified as Dandelion. The second and third shots sent the horses into a panic.

  He yanked on Buttermilk’s reins as he watched in horror as Liz fell from the saddle to the ground. As soon as Dandelion was free of her rider, she took off running and disappeared down the trail. Gabriel jumped off his horse, which gave a loud whinny and then galloped off after Dandelion.

  There was no time to worry about the horses. He pulled his gun from its holster, aimed into the forest where the shots had come from and fired as he ran toward Liz. When he reached her, he grabbed her arm and dragged her across the trail into the trees opposite the shooter. Two more shots hit on either side of him as he pulled her to the shelter of the forest, and he returned the fire.

  When they were in the relative safety of the woods, he released his hold on Liz, pulled off his jacket and placed it under her head. His gaze raked her from head to foot. He didn’t see any injuries, but she must have hit her head when she fell or she wouldn’t be unconscious. She could have serious internal injuries. He slipped his fingers into her hair and felt around her scalp but found nothing that seemed out of the ordinary.

  He sat back on his heels, closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. He couldn’t believe he’d been so careless in bringing Liz out here. Instead of convincing her to go riding with him, he should have thought up ways to gain her trust without leaving the ranch. He’d only begun his assignment to protect her yesterday, and she’d already had two incidents that reeked of Daniel Shaw’s gang.

  Now she lay injured in a forest, someone was out there shooting at them and there was no backup anywhere close by. The more he thought about it, though, the stranger it seemed. If the gunman was a hit man for Daniel Shaw, why were the shots aimed at the trail and not them? From such a short distance the gunman shouldn’t have had any trouble hitting them if that’s what he’d intended. Maybe this had been a warning, an attack designed to scare Liz and keep her from testifying.

  He glanced at his watch and realized it had been at least five minutes since the last shot. Maybe whoever was out there had gone. Only one way to find out. He crawled to the edge of the tree line and peered across the trail. He saw no movement. Taking a deep breath, he raised his gun and shot into the forest opposite them. There was no answering gunfire. He shot once more. When nothing happened, he crawled back to Liz. She still hadn’t moved.

  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in Dean’s number. He answered right away. “Hello.”

  “Dean, we’ve had a problem. Someone took a few shots at us, and Liz was thrown. The horses have run off, and we’re stranded. Can you come get us?”

  Dean gasped. “Are you both all right?”

  “I’m okay, but Liz is unconscious. You’re going to need an ATV to get her. There’s no way we can get her on a horse, and I wouldn’t want to risk potentially aggravating any injuries she might have, anyway.”

  “What about the shooter?”

  “I think he’s gone, but be careful. He could be waiting until we come out of hiding.”

  “Emmett and I will be right there. Where are you?”

  Gabriel searched for a landmark, and he thought of the flowers. “We are off the trail next to a big stand of Joe-Pye Weed. They’re really tall and have lilac blooms. You can’t miss them.”

  “I know the place. Hang in there,” Dean said. “We’re on our way.”

  Gabriel disconnected the call, slipped the phone back in his pocket and looked down at Liz. A wince flitted across her face, and she groaned. He bent closer. “Liz, can you hear me?”

  Another groan, and her eyes blinked open. She squinted as if trying to focus and then stared up at him. “Gabriel, what happened?”

  “You had a fall from your horse. Just lie still. Dean is on his way to get us.”

  She frowned and tried to push herself up, but Gabriel grabbed her shoulders and eased her back to the ground. “Don’t move until Dean gets here. I don’t think you have any injuries, but we won’t know for sure until you’re checked out by a doctor.”

  She rubbed her forehead with her hand and furrowed her brow. “I fell? I’ve never done that before. Something must have...” Her voice trailed off, and her lips began to tremble. “Gunshots. I remember gunshots hitting the ground in front of Dandelion, and then the horse reared.”

  He nodded. “Yes, but I think the shooter is gone now.”

  Her eyes grew wide, and she pushed up into a sitting position. “Oh, Gabriel, do you think...”

  She bit down on her lip and stopped talking. From the fear in her eyes he could almost read her thoughts. There had been the attack yesterday in the movie parking lot, and today someone had shot at her. She had to be wondering if the two incidents had anything to do with her testimony.

  But he wasn’t supposed to know about that, so he’d have to play dumb. “Think what?” he asked.

  Her face turned ashen, and beads of sweat popped up on her forehead. With a groan she jumped to her feet and let her frightened gaze dart about the forest. Then she took a step back from him and fixed him with a questioning look. “I don’t get it.”

  “Liz, sit down. You’ve had a fall.” He moved toward her, but she shook her head and backed away.

  “I’ve been attacked two days in a row. Yesterday you just happened to be coming out of the movie when I needed help. Today you convince me to go riding with you, and someone shoots at me. It’s quite a coincidence that you were there both times.”

  He took another step toward her, but she retreated even farther. “Don’t come any nearer,” she said. “If you were telling the truth, Dean should be here any minute.”

  He sighed. “Of course I was telling you the truth. Why woul
dn’t I?”

  She frowned. “I don’t know, but I’m not an idiot. I knew from the first moment I saw you that something wasn’t right. You’re too intent on getting close to me.” She continued backing away, and she gasped when she found herself with her back against a tree.

  His heart lurched at the fear he saw in her eyes, and he moved closer. “Liz, you’re being unreasonable.”

  Tears filled her eyes, and one rolled down her cheek. “Who are you?” she screamed. “What do you want with me?”

  Gabriel sighed and raked his hand through his hair. He should have known Liz would see through him. She had run to the mountains to try to save her life, and she was scared and afraid to trust anyone. He couldn’t blame her. Honestly, he was glad she was wary. If she was too trusting, it would put her in danger. But if she kept doubting him, he wouldn’t be able to do his job. Her safety was the most important thing, which meant that now he was going to have to tell her the truth.

  “Okay, I guess you deserve an explanation. I would be skittish, too, if I’d been through what you have.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wh-what do you mean?”

  “I know it was hard seeing your friend killed, and it was even harder agreeing to testify. That took a lot of courage. Not many people would do that.”

  Her face looked as if all the blood had left her body. “Y-you know about that? But how?”

  He hesitated a moment before he spoke. “I know because I’m an FBI agent, sent here undercover to protect you.”

  Her forehead wrinkled, and she shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “We thought that if we got you out of Memphis, we could keep you safe until Shaw’s trial. Then one of our informants told us that a contract had been placed on your life, that there was a hit man trying to track you down. My boss sent me to protect you until I can return you safely to Memphis.”

  “A contract?” Her voice quivered as she spoke. “Do Dean and Gwen know?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why did they let me go to the movies yesterday?”

  “Your location has been very well protected—we didn’t have any reason to believe that anyone had succeeded in finding you. Besides, they knew I was going to be there, so they felt okay about it. Turns out we should have been more concerned. I’m sorry about today. I kept after you to go riding, and you could have been killed.”

  She didn’t reply for a second, studying him. “How long will you be here?”

  “Until the trial date. There’s another agent coming today to help. Her name is Andrea Cauthorn. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re safe. I know you haven’t felt at ease with me, but you’re going to have to get over that. If someone knows you’re here, then it’s not safe for you to be alone, even on the ranch. From now until I deliver you to the court to testify, I’m going to stick to you like glue.”

  She directed a frosty gaze at him. “At least now you won’t have to play on my loneliness to spend time with me. I won’t delude myself anymore by thinking maybe I’ve found a friend I can enjoy doing things with. I’ll know it’s just a job with you, not a real attempt at friendship.”

  “That’s not true, Liz,” he said. “I like you. I do want to be your friend, but most of all, I want you to be safe. I did what I thought was best in keeping my identity a secret. Please try to understand. I’m not your enemy. I’m here to protect you.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and she started to say something but was interrupted by the sound of a voice on the trail. “Liz! Gabriel! Where are you?”

  “That’s Dean,” he said. “Can you walk back to the trail, or do I need to carry you?”

  He reached out as if to help her, and she raised her hands to ward him off, then let them drift to her sides. “No, thank you. I can do it by myself.”

  His heart sank at the cold glare she leveled at him. He really had liked the time they’d spent together today, and he regretted that she might not feel as relaxed with him again. He watched her turn and walk toward the trail. After a moment he took a deep breath and followed her.

  He hoped he hadn’t ruined everything by blowing his cover, but she was bound to find out sooner or later. That had never bothered him before on other cases. Each one was just a job to be done so he could move on to the next one. In this case, it was his responsibility to see that Daniel Shaw went to prison. He wasn’t here to make friends with a witness. He just had to protect her until she could testify in court. When she’d done that, he would be through with this case and turn his attention to the next.

  That’s the way he’d always worked, and that’s what he intended this time. It was the way he rolled, and he wasn’t about to change now.

  FIVE

  An hour later, Liz sat at the kitchen table with Gwen, Dean and Gabriel drinking a cup of coffee. A heavy silence hung over the room, and for the first time since coming to the ranch, Liz felt uncomfortable. She still couldn’t believe that Dean and Gwen had known that Gabriel was an FBI agent and hadn’t told her. She picked up her mug and stared into the hot liquid, then took a sip.

  From time to time Liz glanced at Gabriel, but they really hadn’t had a chance to talk since they’d returned to the ranch. She was still trying to figure out how she really felt about the things Gabriel had said.

  Gwen, who sat in the chair next to her, reached over and wrapped her fingers around Liz’s arm. “I wish you’d reconsider and let us take you to the emergency room just to make sure that you don’t have any internal injuries.”

  Liz shook her head. “I’m okay. I’ve fallen off horses before. I may be a little sore in the morning and will probably have a few bruises, but that’s all.”

  She looked across the table at Dean and swallowed at the troubled expression on his face. “I know right now you feel like we should have been more forthcoming with you, but we did what the head of the Memphis FBI office wanted. He was afraid you’d take off and disappear if you knew how dangerous the case had gotten. We felt you’d be safe here. Maybe we were naive to think that.”

  Liz composed herself and sat up straight in her chair. “I’m not angry at any of you. I’m angrier with myself for not realizing it sooner. I feel like I should have known. If I had, I could have made some different choices. I wouldn’t have gone to the movie yesterday.” She cut her eyes around to stare at Gabriel. “And I wouldn’t have made the mistake of going riding with you today.”

  Other than a quick blink of his eyes, Liz couldn’t tell her words had affected him at all. “It wasn’t your mistake, Liz. It was mine. I should have known better. We won’t let that happen again.”

  She set her cup down and turned to face him. “So now that I know who you really are, how are we going to handle this? Do we need to leave, now that Shaw’s people know where I am? Will I be relocated to somewhere new?”

  “Not at this time,” Gabriel confirmed, having just gotten off the phone with Bill and discussed this very question. “We’re looking into other options of places where you can go, but in the meantime, we feel you’re safer here, where you have plenty of people looking out for you.”

  “Will you spend every waking minute with me? Will we be joined at the hip, so to speak?”

  His mouth quirked a bit, but he didn’t laugh. “No. You’ll just go about life as usual, but from now on you’ll stick close to the ranch and I’ll be here with you. Or... I told you there’s another agent coming today. You may find you like her better than you do me and want her to be with you most of the time.”

  Liz wondered what this new agent would be like. At least they’d be able to be honest with each other from the start—there’d be no need for pretense now that she knew why the agents were there.

  “I’m sure both of you are good agents. I admit I was angry at first when you told me who you were, but that’s because I was left in the dark while the peopl
e closest to me knew. You don’t have to worry about me causing any problems. Just do your job and offer me protection—I’ll be happy with that.”

  A small smile pulled at Gabriel’s lips. “I’m relieved to hear you say that. I thought for a moment there I might have to tell Bill Diamond that you disliked me so much I needed to be taken off the case.”

  “No, I won’t do that.” She pushed back from the table and stood. “Now, I’m going to excuse myself and go upstairs. I think I could use a nap before dinner. I’ll be back down to help you when it’s time to serve, Gwen.”

  Gwen shook her head. “No, you rest. Shorty and I can handle the dinner guests.”

  “All right. Then I’ll see you later.” She turned to leave but stopped at the door leading into the dining room and looked back at Gabriel. “By the way, what’s the other agent’s name again?”

  “Andrea Cauthorn. She should be arriving soon.”

  Liz nodded and left the room. She had just reached the stairs and was about to go up to her room when the front door opened. A woman dressed in a black pantsuit walked in. Her dark hair was pulled back in a severe bun that offered a sharp contrast to her flawless porcelain skin. Liz didn’t think she’d ever seen a woman with such a beautiful complexion.

  A smile brightened her eyes as she set down an overnight bag she was carrying and stuck out her hand. “I’m Andrea Cauthorn. I’m checking in.”

  Liz shook the woman’s hand and let her gaze drift over her. “And I’m your assignment,” she said. “Liz Madison.”

  Andrea’s eyebrows arched. “You know who I am?” she asked.

  “Yes. Gabriel told me you’d be coming to help keep an eye on me. I’ll try not to give you any problems while you’re here. I know you and Gabriel are here to help me.”

  Andrea’s eyes widened in surprise, and then her gaze drifted down the hallway and to the rooms on either side. “Where is Gabriel? I expected him to be close by.”