by Dana R. Lynn
His contentment at a day well spent on horseback had evaporated, however, when he’d returned to the corral and noted the agitation of their newest horse.
The gelding was pawing at the ground and pacing the fence line.
Most animals felt immediately better when joined with a herd. Family friend and horse breeder Tom Rourke warned before he’d delivered the horse that there could be some settling-in “issues.” He’d rescued Boss from an abandoned farm where he’d been completely alone, so there was no telling how the horse was feeling about his abrupt change of circumstances.
Chad approached the fence. “Easy there, Boss.”
Liam peered at Chad closely, dissecting him in that way only an ex–Green Beret could. “Problem?” Liam’s North Carolina drawl misled people into thinking he was laid-back and easygoing. Not even close.
“Not sure,” Chad said.
“Say again?”
It didn’t matter that Liam was losing his hearing to otosclerosis. Liam would instinctively know that something was bothering Chad even if he couldn’t hear a single syllable.
“Got our first veterans arriving next month, and I’m worried Boss might not be ready.”
Aunt Ginny and Uncle Gus were graciously allowing Chad to start up the Horses for Heroes program at the Roughwater Ranch. Though Chad had never served, all his life he’d wanted to help those who had, especially those who lived with horrors that had changed them. His own father, Rocky, a retired Marine, would only speak of his time in Vietnam in short, reluctant bursts.
It was a great idea, rescued horses rescuing troubled vets. So why had he hit so many roadblocks? Red tape. Insurance issues. Now an unsettled horse. Detours. Why was he surprised? His life had been a series of them.
Liam pulled on his cowboy hat. “Gonna be dark soon. Let’s take him out. Maybe some away time will do the trick.”
“I’ll do it,” Chad said. “Maggie will be expecting you for dinner.”
The mention of his new wife brought a smile to Liam’s lips. “She’s off tonight. We’re gonna go into town for some supper at the Chuckwagon and she has threatened to drag me to the dance floor.” He frowned. “But if you need me, I’ll call her and—”
“Go.”
“If you want a second opinion, maybe Mitch—”
“He has a T-ball meeting.”
Their older brother had barely made it through his ranch chores in time to hurry off to his wife, Jane, and adopted son, Charlie. Family time was precious to Mitch, each moment to be savored since he’d rescued Charlie from his biological father—Mitch’s brother, a serial killer.
They’d all been working to fence off a pasture to accommodate the installation of the solar panels that would generate additional income for the ranch. The Roughwater, like every other ranch, was capital intensive and return deficient. Even with Liam’s assistance and the help of Tom Rourke, Mitch had almost not completed the job in time to meet his family.
Liam had Maggie.
Mitch had Jane and Charlie.
His almost-sister Helen was enjoying her new life with Sergio and their twin girls after they’d almost been taken out during a cold-case investigation.
Life was settling into a peaceful lull. Seemed like everyone had someone to go home to. Chad had almost had that once, too. He shrugged away the ache. “I got this,” he told Liam.
Liam hesitated for another moment. “Call if you need backup. You know I’ll be there.”
Chad decided that what Boss needed more than quiet time was a mentor. So he saddled his quarter horse Zephyr and led him out, leaving the gate open for Boss. He smoothed a hand over Zephyr’s chocolate-brown side. If his instincts were correct, Boss would follow his quiet, confident mount and they’d get some air and return. If he was wrong, Boss would take off and Chad and Zephyr would spend the rest of the night trying to recapture him.
Though Chad was anxious to complete their outing before dark, he gave Boss all the time he needed. It was a small show of respect considering the horse’s troubled past. When Boss eased up behind them, Chad guided Zephyr away from the ranch along the western trail that led off the property.
Tom Rourke called his cell. “Hey. Saw you going somewhere with Boss. What’s up?”
“He’s acting stressed. Taking him for a ride, is all.”
Tom sighed. “I wasn’t sure about bringing you that horse, but you know he’s a beauty.”
“And you’re a sucker for a needy horse.”
Tom laughed. “Guilty. Call if you need help.”
Chad didn’t think he would, but he’d learned everything about ranching was unpredictable. Too many opportunities for disaster on an enormous property that was home to thousands of adult cattle that tipped the scales at twelve hundred pounds. The herd was not accustomed to a lot of human contact, except for that of the ranch hands.
He and Zephyr set a brisk pace. The horse’s nostrils flared as he sampled the early evening air. Boss appeared to relax. Perhaps he was like Chad. They both relished their quiet time.
Passing through the gate, Chad locked it behind them and they continued on.
The grassy trail gradually sloped until they reached a spot where they could view the lower rim of the canyon. He reined Zephyr to a halt as a distant gleam caught his eye. He noted a car tucked deep into the shadows on a shoulder of the road below. Too far away to see any hint of a driver. Odd time for someone to be visiting.
The wind had picked up, skimming the top of the canyon and whirling grit into his eyes. He dismounted, knowing Zephyr would wait in the nearby vicinity. He’d bought the quarter horse from a man who’d kept him half starved and left him to suffer the pains of two fractured ribs. It had taken Chad six months of patient coaxing to get the horse to even take an apple from his hand. Now Zephyr was his devoted companion and they both trusted one another completely. He was banking on the hope that Boss would not stray from Zephyr in this lonely spot.
“Stay close, Zeph,” he said. “And keep an eye on Boss.”
The horse blew air through his lips and began to nose the nearby clumps of grass.
Chad made his way to a spot from which he could observe the canyon. The failing light revealed a narrow path that carved its way through the jagged prongs of rock. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but he couldn’t shake the sense of unease. Something about the car...the time of day.
He heard a noise. Faint, low and unmistakable. Feet moving fast but stealthily. Who was sneaking around? His senses buzzed on high alert. He ducked low and crept around a stout pinnacle of rock, peering into the dusk. And that was when the bottom dropped out of his stomach.
He thought he must be hallucinating—imagining the woman who’d cut out a slab of his heart with her betrayal.
All he could do was gape.
Dory Winslow, white-blond hair tucked in a dark baseball cap, slim in black jeans and T-shirt, made her way gingerly to a clump of scrub. She was unaware of his presence.
Breathing hard through the wallop to his stomach, Chad tried to focus. What was she doing? Why was she back in Driftwood after all these years, hunkered down in this isolated canyon?
Heart slamming against his ribs, he watched as she eased a clump of grass away with her sneaker to reveal a rolled-up sleeping bag. He could not see anything else as she bent to examine what looked like a makeshift campsite.
Sweat broke out on his brow and he realized he was holding his breath. He forced out an exhalation, unable to take his eyes off the woman he’d hoped would become his wife.
Chad was a quiet person, silent as much as he was allowed to be, but now the word would not stay inside him. “Dory,” he said, too quietly for her to hear. Remnants of the anger that had burned him internally for five long years boiled afresh.
He’d not spoken again, but she turned as if she sensed him there.
She
scanned above her, fighting the setting sun, which made it difficult for her to make him out at first. Then her eyes riveted on him, widening, her mouth slackening in shock.
As he wondered what he should say, someone else detached from the rocky shadows.
“Watch out,” he yelled.
His shout was lost in the blast of a gunshot.
Copyright © 2020 by Dana Mentink
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ISBN: 9781488061165
Plain Refuge
Copyright © 2020 by Dana Roae
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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