Sheltered by the Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

  Graham. He’d been suspicious of the man initially, but between his alibis and his beating, Brody had been certain Graham was innocent.

  How was it possible he was the source of the danger? He’d been at a Christmas party in Dallas when his father had been murdered. He had solid alibis for when the attacks had occurred on Mandy. Hell, he’d even been beaten up by somebody. The injuries he’d sustained certainly hadn’t been self-inflicted. So, what in the hell was going on?

  He got into his truck and pulled out his cell phone, trying to staunch the flood of fear that consumed him. He wished like hell he’d asked for Graham’s phone number at some point in time, but it hadn’t seemed important for him to have that number until this moment. He dialed Dillon’s number, grateful when the man picked up on the first ring.

  “Dillon, Mandy is missing,” he said. “She disappeared from the café this afternoon with Graham and never came back.”

  “Where are you?” Dillon asked.

  “I’m at the café. I’m going to head out to the ranch and see if they’re there.” God, he hoped they were there and she was okay.

  “I’ll check in town for them and get back to you. And Brody, try not to worry. We’ll find them.”

  Try not to worry. Dillon’s words rang in his head as he started his truck and headed for the ranch. There could be a perfectly logical and innocent reason that Mandy hadn’t returned to the café.

  If Graham had seemed excited, Brody hoped it had something to do with the house. Maybe Graham had found something they’d missed when packing everything up.

  Graham knew the danger they were in. Wouldn’t he do everything in his power to protect the sister he’d been reunited with? He appeared to adore her. Mandy was so easy to adore.

  Still, even with these reassuring thoughts in his head, they didn’t stop the frantic beat of his heart or the screech of alarms ringing inside his head.

  He just needed answers as soon as possible. He drove fast, unmindful of the speed limit as he prayed they would be at the house and no harm had come to Mandy. It was the only place he knew to look, the only place that held something in common for both of them.

  He pulled into the driveway and drove past the house to the detached garage.

  Mandy’s car was there, parked where it had been since he’d moved in. Graham’s rental car was no place in sight. Brody turned off his truck and raced up the stairs to the apartment. The door was locked and he was fairly certain she wasn’t inside, but he banged on the door anyway.

  “Mandy?” He called her name and pounded on the door several more times to confirm to himself that she wasn’t home. He then ran to the big house and knocked on the back door. Answer...please, Mandy, answer the door.

  No response.

  He hurried back to his truck and had just started the engine when his cell phone rang. It was Dillon.

  “Graham is here at the Watering Hole. He says he dropped Mandy back at the café at about three.”

  Brody nearly dropped his phone at this news. It was his worst nightmare. Somebody wanted Mandy dead and now she was missing. “Did he see anyone else around? Did he see her go inside?”

  “Negative on both counts. She got out of his car and he drove on.”

  “But she never made it inside the café.” Brody’s heart began to pound once again with a nauseating fear. “And I’m at the ranch and she isn’t here. I’ve checked both her apartment and the house.”

  “I’ll get all my men out looking for her. We’ll find her, Brody.”

  “Thanks, Dillon.” Brody hung up before emotion could completely overwhelm him. Oh God, where could she be? Was somebody holding her against her will? Had she been grabbed off the street or had she gotten into somebody’s car willingly? And who would she have gone with willingly? Nobody. The answer echoed inside his head. She knew not to trust anyone.

  What he feared more than anything else was that they were already too late to save her.

  Chapter 14

  It felt as if Mandy had been seated in the car waiting for death for forever. Guy had the audacity to try to visit with her, asking her about her Christmas holidays and if she’d made any plans for New Year’s Eve.

  He told her about growing up in Texas and that he loved to hunt and fish. He asked her what her hobbies were and if she liked pizza.

  She didn’t speak to him. She certainly didn’t want to pleasantly chat with the man who intended to kill her. He was nothing but murdering scum and he didn’t deserve a breath of conversation from her. The only person worse than Guy was her brother.

  Her brother. Emotion squeezed her throat tight. She’d been so happy to see Graham on the day of their father’s funeral. It had been like a dream come true.

  She’d been thrilled when they’d talked about a close and loving future together. They’d made plans for her to come to Texas and for him and his fiancée to visit her for the Fourth of July celebration.

  Lies...all lies. He had hugged her and kissed her cheek. He’d eaten at her table on Christmas day and all the while he’d been plotting her death.

  She’d never suspected his rage, his utter hatred of her and their father. She’d never suspected that he was behind the attacks, that he was so sick in the head he’d let Guy beat him to further his show of innocence.

  It had been a devious and successful plan. Graham had made sure he had alibis for everything that had happened, and Guy had been a ghost in the night committing the crimes and getting away. She had no idea where he’d been staying, but she did know nobody in Bitterroot knew of his presence.

  Her biggest regret was, she knew somehow Brody would believe this all happened because of some sort of failure on his part, when in fact she’d put herself in this position. She should have never left the café. She should have insisted that if Graham had something exciting to show her then he could just wait until after work when Brody was with her. Brody had warned her not to trust anyone and she’d definitely trusted the wrong person.

  “Is it true what he said about the oil?” She finally broke her silence.

  “According to Graham it’s true, and he wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble if it wasn’t true. Although I can’t for the life of me figure out why your old man did nothing about it for all these years,” Guy replied.

  Laziness, she thought bitterly. Laziness and drunkenness. Who knew why her father had waited so long to do something about the oil on the property? None of that mattered now. All that mattered was time was ticking by and it wouldn’t be too long now before Guy killed her.

  “I’m assuming Graham promised you something. Maybe you and I could cut some sort of a deal—a better deal—if you don’t hurt me and let me go right now.” She turned in the seat to look at her captor.

  He grinned at her, exposing a missing eyetooth on one side of his mouth. “Your brother would hunt me down and kill me if I turned on him.”

  Mandy didn’t miss a beat. “Then kill him first,” she replied without blinking an eye.

  Guy roared with laughter. “Aren’t you the big bad girl now.” Mandy’s cheeks warmed at his obvious derision. “Your brother and I go way back and I’m not a double-crosser.”

  Her embarrassment gave way to a cold despair. “Could you turn on the heater again? I’m freezing.”

  “Sure thing,” he replied. He started the car engine and within a matter of minutes warm air blew from the vents. But it couldn’t begin to warm the iciness inside her.

  Sheer panic rose up in the back of her throat. She had to do something to save herself. But what? She couldn’t even get out the passenger door.

  She shot a quick glance to the car door behind the driver seat. It had a handle. A small burst of adrenaline filled her, adrenaline combined with a hint of wild hope. If she could get to the back seat she could get out of the car.

&
nbsp; Over the past couple of hours she’d desperately prayed for rescue, but time was ticking off for her and no rescue had come. She didn’t believe anyone would find her. Even if Brody or the police went to the big house and her apartment, there would be no reason for anyone to look out to the wooded area of the pasture.

  It wouldn’t be long before the sun would start sinking in the sky. She wouldn’t live to see the sunset and had to take a chance. She’d rather die fighting than just sitting and waiting for death to claim her.

  Drawing several deep breaths, she steadied herself and then slid off her shoes. She could run faster without them. As Guy stared out the window and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, she shot over the seat. Guy tried to stop her, but she managed to get to the back door and flew outside.

  She ran without direction, wanting to find someplace to hide, someplace where Guy couldn’t find her. She heard the slam of his car door.

  “Damn you, girl,” he shouted from behind her.

  She didn’t look back. She put her head down and ran for her life.

  * * *

  “Dammit, I should have waited to see that she got into the café okay,” Graham said as he, Brody and Dillon stood just outside of the café. “I let her off right outside and assumed she’d be okay. Would she have gotten into another car of her free will? Maybe a girlfriend’s?”

  “Mandy doesn’t have any friends. All she has is me,” Brody said flatly. His heart hurt so badly he could scarcely get the words out.

  They had all, along with Dillon’s men, driven around town, checking out the suspects Dillon had, but they hadn’t found her. Too much time had gone by now and a sense of despair nearly overwhelmed Brody.

  He was lost. What could have happened to her? How had this happened and who was responsible? Jimbo had been at his pawn shop when Dillon had checked him out. His lackeys had been missing and Dillon had a couple of his men trying to find Sean Watters and Donny Pruitt.

  Lloyd Green had been at the Humes ranch and Aaron Blair had been with his wife at the local pizza place at the time when Mandy had disappeared.

  So, was Jimbo behind all this? Had his men picked Mandy up off the street? Were they just trying to scare her? As Brody thought about the ring of bruises around her neck, he knew he couldn’t fool himself into pretending this was just a scare tactic.

  “Why did you take her from the café in the first place?” Brody asked.

  “I found a letter to us from our mother,” Graham replied. “She’d written it when she knew she was dying.”

  “Why couldn’t you have just brought it into the café?” Brody asked, his chest still so tight he could scarcely breathe.

  “It was stuck on the floor in the master bedroom between the trim and the wall. If I tried to remove it, it would have ripped to shreds. I took her with me to read it because I knew it would do her good to hear how much our mother loved us.”

  Dillon’s phone rang and Brody’s heart leaped to life. Had somebody found her? He watched intently as Dillon listened to whoever had called.

  “Okay, got it,” Dillon said and then disconnected. “That was Ben. Sean and Donny were together at Donny’s place and there was no sign of Mandy.”

  Brody stared at Dillon, the moment of hope seeping out of him. “If nobody on our suspect list has her, then who?” he asked desperately, even knowing nobody had the answer.

  Their conversation was interrupted by several familiar pickup trucks pulling into parking spaces in front of the café. A lump formed in Brody’s throat as Sawyer, Flint, Mac and Jerrod got out.

  “We heard Mandy is missing and we’re here to help,” Sawyer said.

  “The other men will be coming in a few minutes,” Flint added.

  Brody’s brothers. The lump got bigger in the back of his throat.

  They had come to help because that was who they were...a team who had always looked after each other. Since they had been young teenagers, they had always had each other’s backs when bad times hit.

  He listened while Dillon caught them up on what had happened and where they had already searched. As the Holiday Ranch cowboys scattered to continue the search, another howling wind of despair blew through Brody.

  “What if whoever took her isn’t even on our radar?” he said to Dillon. “What do we do next? Search every house in town? Besides, it’s probably already too late.”

  “Don’t say that,” Graham replied. “It can’t be too late.” His eyes welled up with tears. “I already lost so many years with her. I refuse to believe that it’s too late.” He swiped at his eyes with the back of his arm.

  Brody’s tears were trapped inside him, making him feel half-nauseated. “I’m going to drive around again,” he said, needing to do something...anything but stand here with his emotions growing to a point he could barely maintain control.

  “Let’s plan on checking back here in about an hour,” Dillon said. “And in the meantime if you find her, call me immediately.”

  Brody got back into his truck and sat for a moment, the press of tears burning hot at his eyes. He’d called her phone over and over again and had been surprised when Daisy had answered it, letting him know it had been in Mandy’s coat pocket in the café’s break room. Wherever Mandy was, she didn’t have her phone and she didn’t have a coat.

  As he headed down Main Street at a snail’s pace, he didn’t even know what he expected to see. It wasn’t likely Mandy would be on the sidewalk walking without a care in the world. Nor would she drift out of a storefront and tell everyone she was just shopping the after-Christmas sales.

  Mandy would never do anything to make him worry about her. He knew with a gut certainty she’d been somehow taken off the street, and who knew where her body would eventually be found?

  Tears blurred his vision as grief grabbed him by the throat. Unable to see the road through the mist, he pulled over to the side as wracking sobs escaped him.

  He hadn’t wanted to pursue a long-term relationship with her because he wanted to keep her safe from any harm he might do to her. It was inconceivable to him that harm had found her anyway.

  His shoulders shook with the force of his grief. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried, but he was definitely not in control of the tears that escaped him now.

  Giving into them, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes as he wept for Mandy. Although he’d intended to walk away from her, he wanted her to live and find that love she’d been searching for. He’d wanted her to find her prince and have the babies she’d wanted.

  He couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing her beautiful smile, of not having her in the world. It wasn’t fair. Dammit, it just wasn’t fair that she was the one targeted.

  If he could, he would gladly change positions with her. He wasn’t worth much to anyone and nobody would really miss him if he wasn’t here. Mandy deserved her future of a husband and children, of love and laughter.

  He finally leaned forward and swiped at his eyes as the tears began to subside. He didn’t want to just sit here and waste time crying. His tears served no purpose. He needed to keep looking for her. Damn, but he needed to find her.

  For the next half an hour he drove the streets of Bitterroot, and then he headed back to her place on the desperate, improbable chance she might be there.

  When he reached the detached garage, once again he raced up the stairs and banged on the door. Just as he expected, there was no answer.

  Mandy... Mandy. His heart cried her name over and over again. He leaned against the door as his breath hitched painfully in his chest.

  He finally pushed himself off the door and headed back down the stairs. It would soon be time to meet Dillon back at the café. He’d received no phone calls so it was apparent nobody had found her.

  Starting back to his truck, his gaze swept the area. He fr
oze in his tracks as the sun sparked off something metal in the distance.

  Squinting his eyes, he focused in on the object. A car parked close to the woods. It was a silver car he’d never seen before.

  Heart thudding in a new rhythm, he headed around the house where he could get a closer look and not be seen. His hand automatically reached for his gun and he moved in a crouched position.

  Why would anyone be parked on this land? Who in the hell was in the car and what were they doing here? His heart slowed to a beat of cold determination.

  He kept to the tree line at the side of the house and crept forward. He breathed through his nose, afraid that even a puff of frosty air might alert whoever was out there to his presence.

  Closer and closer he got. Now he could see that the car appeared empty. What the hell?

  A scream rent the air. Every muscle in his body tensed. Mandy! She was still alive. Then he saw her...being dragged by her hair out of the woods and toward the car by a burly bald guy he’d never seen before.

  Whatever was happening, Brody needed to stop it right now. Afraid to shoot with the two of them so close together, instead he yelled to make his presence known.

  “Hey,” he shouted.

  Mandy was thrown to the ground and it was only as the bald man attempted to get into the car that Brody fired his gun. He was an excellent shot, but the first shot hit the side of the vehicle.

  He steadied his aim and fired again. The second one found its mark. The man screamed and fell to the ground, holding his knee.

  Brody ran toward the man, who writhed in agony just outside the driver’s door. The man tried to fight him off and cursed as Brody frisked him, retrieving a wicked-looking knife and the car keys.

  “Brody,” Mandy cried. She got up from the ground and ran to him. She slammed into him with a frantic force and shivered and cried.

  He held her tighter than he’d ever held her before, his heart beating wildly as she cried into the front of his coat. “It was Graham. He’s behind everything. He’s...he’s a monster,” she managed to weep.