Meant to Be My Cowboy

by R. C. Ryan

Annie sat as far from her abductor as she could manage, considering the small space of their shelter. She’d crawled to the opposite wall, forcing herself to sit up, praying the last dregs of whatever he’d used to knock her out would soon be gone. She was beginning to get some feeling back in her hands, but her feet were still too numb to allow her to stand.

  Her vision was clear, but she still battled the feeling of nausea. Each time she saw Park take another swig of whiskey, she had to look away and swallow hard, fearing she might be sick.

  “Want some?” He held up the bottle. “I guarantee it’ll make you feel better.”

  She swallowed back the bile rising in her throat.

  Seeing her, he chuckled. “You’re looking a little green, girly. Come on. Try it. It’ll put a bloom in your cheeks and heat in your belly.”

  When she refused to answer, he shrugged and took another swig before capping the bottle and setting it aside. He lumbered to his feet and walked to the door, and for a moment Annie felt her hopes rise. If he left her alone for even a minute, she would take a chance and escape, even if she had to crawl.

  He opened the door and paused with his back to her. She heard the sound of his zipper and felt all her hopes dashed as, moments later, he finished his business and stepped back inside, firmly closing the door behind him.

  Billy wheeled in a trolley with tea and coffee and sandwiches and parked it to one side before inviting everyone to help themselves.

  No one showed any interest.

  At a knock on the great room door, they looked up to find Chief Crain in the doorway.

  “Newt is off following a lead.”

  The others perked up as Jonah asked, “Does this mean they’ve found Annie?”

  Noble shook his head. “No. Sorry. But Newt thinks this is a solid lead and said to tell you all to stand by.”

  Seeing their looks of defeat, he added, “I’m heading to your office, Bo. The task force is ready whenever the kidnappers make their call.”

  He turned to Jonah, who stood alone near the windows, looking fierce enough to single-handedly fight a den of wildcats. “When your cell phone rings, don’t answer. Just head to the office and follow the team’s instructions.”

  Jonah nodded. “We’ve gone over the details four times now.”

  When Noble Crain walked away, Des Dempsey cleared his throat. “In all these years, Bo, I never had the chance to tell you how sorry I was about the fire and”—he coughed—“and losing Leigh.”

  “I figured you were too busy gloating.” The words were out of Bo’s mouth before he could stop them.

  A pall of silence fell over the occupants of the room. They braced for the fight that Bo had been spoiling to have for all these years.

  Ham started up out of his chair before looking around and sitting back down.

  “Why would you say a thing like that, Bo?” Des looked more shocked than angry. “I’ve heard rumors, of course, through the years. But I never understood how you could think I’d enjoy your misery.”

  “I know that you and Leigh were planning on getting married when I came along.” Bo’s eyes narrowed. “Believe me, I didn’t plan on getting in the way of your happiness. It just happened. I saw her and was struck by something beyond my control. One minute was all it took for me to know she was the one. And I guess it was the same for her.”

  Des nodded. “She came to me and told me how she felt. When she gave me back the ring, I have to admit I was jealous. I said some things I’m sorry for. It hurt my pride to lose her to another man.”

  “And to get even, you refused to give my family a loan that we needed to keep our ranch afloat.”

  Des frowned. “I’m not proud of that, Bo.” He turned to Hammond, and then to Meg and Egan. “I’m really sorry for what I did. It was mean and petty.” He managed a wry smile. “I was young and stupid, and it cost me my best customers.”

  “That it did, boy.” Hammond actually grinned. “And the bank over in Stockwell made a bundle on us over the years.”

  Now Des’s smile wasn’t forced. “You know, Bo, you actually did me a favor. A couple of years later, when I met Bev, I realized I’d never felt about any woman the way I feel about her.”

  “That’s good.” Bo stepped closer, looking directly into Des’s eyes. “That’s how every man should feel about the woman he marries.” Now it was his turn to clear his throat and try to talk about something that was clearly painful. “About the fire…”

  The family went completely still.

  “Even though most folks thought it was caused by sparks from the fireplace, I harbored a lot of anger in my heart, thinking you could have had a hand in it.”

  Des was shaking his head. “I give you my word, Bo, I’d never consider such a thing.”

  Bo nodded. “I guess I realize that now. And hell, I’m just sorry I’ve wasted so many years over something that I never should have considered, for even one minute. I was a broken man, but that’s no excuse for what I was thinking.” He stuck out his hand. “I hope you can forgive me, Des, and we can put this behind us, especially in light of our common concerns over Annie.”

  This time Des grabbed his hand and held it. “Done. Not just because we should have had this conversation years ago, but as you said, so we can concentrate all our energy on finding Annie. Together.”

  The two men were nodding vigorously as they stepped apart.

  Annie leaned against the wall of the shack, keeping an eye on Park. He’d already downed half the bottle of whiskey and was beginning to slur his words.

  The tingling in her toes proved that the drug was wearing off. If only he would leave, she could slip away. But the way he was staring at her had all her senses on high alert. She knew that look. Had seen it on enough men in her life to know what he was thinking. This could very quickly get out of control. He was dangerous enough without adding alcohol to the mix. And the gun she’d seen in his pocket added another layer of danger.

  As if reading her thoughts, he lumbered to his feet and stumbled across the narrow space to stare down at her, fingering the pistol in his pocket.

  “I figured I’d have gotten my marching orders from Arlen by now, but since we’ve got some time…” He released his hold on the gun and dropped down beside her. “Let’s you and me get to know each other, girly.”

  He leaned in, pressing his mouth over hers.

  As his sour breath filled her lungs, Annie shrank back, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth.

  Park fisted a hand in her hair, forcing her to face him. “You think you’re too good for me? Is that it? Now you listen, girly. You can make this easy or—”

  As he ground his teeth against hers, she raked her nails across his cheek, causing him to pull away with a vicious curse.

  He touched a hand to his cheek and it came away stained with his blood.

  He swore again and slapped her hard enough to cause her head to slam against the wall.

  Stunned, she sucked in a breath, hoping to clear the spots dancing in front of her eyes.

  “So, you like to fight, do you?” An evil smile split his lips. “Even better. I get off on women like that.”

  He raised a fist and Annie realized, too late, that no matter how hard she fought back, she had no defense against his brute strength.

  Before he could strike another blow, his cell phone rang.

  Breathing hard, he fumbled for his phone. “Yeah.”

  At the voice on the other end of the line, his manner changed. He stood up and leaned an arm against the wall, listening intently.

  When Jonah’s cell phone rang, he held up his index finger, indicating the call was coming from an unknown caller. At that signal, the family fell deathly silent.

  Following the orders set up by the head of the task force, he raced down the hall to the family’s office, currently filled with high-tech equipment and trained personnel.

  The rest of the family followed, crowding around the doorway to watch and listen.

  The di
rector of the task force, Agent Mavis Johnson, signaled for Jonah to accept the call, while the staff began recording.

  “Hello.” Jonah felt oddly calm in the midst of the storm. This was what he’d been waiting for. Now, finally, he would learn where Annie was and the fate awaiting her.

  “Jonah Merrick?”

  Agent Johnson counted down three, two, one, before pointing at Jonah to respond.

  “Yes.”

  There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the line. “Very good, cowboy. They’ve trained you well. I know you’re probably waiting for a ransom demand. I know, too, that this is being recorded. It won’t do you any good. The authorities may be smart, but I’m smarter. I’m using a burner phone. By the time they trace it in a dumpster, I could be in another country.”

  Jonah’s calm feeling dissolved, replaced with rising anger. The confident tone on the other end of this call had alarm bells going off in his brain. Arlen Lender had anticipated all of this. Was, in fact, enjoying his audience and was showing off for them.

  The voice continued. “From the number of cops crawling around that cabin in the woods, it’s obvious you’re as stupid as Annie Dempsey. She was warned to keep quiet, but she chose to go to the authorities and then thought she could run and hide. You can see how well that worked for her. Now she has to pay the price for defying me. I’m bigger, smarter, and more influential than the state police or the federal government. Their little two-bit dog and pony show will never shut down my organization. I’m too smart for that. But just in case anyone else is thinking about breaking ranks and ratting me out, hear my message loud and clear. There will be no ransom request. For disobeying my orders, Annie Dempsey is going to die. So pack up your expensive equipment and go home, everybody. The show’s over.”

  Park was sweating profusely as Arlen’s voice thundered over the phone.

  Annie could overhear every word.

  “Just as I figured, there are cops swarming over that cabin like locusts. You’d better hope, for your sake, that you followed orders and left nothing that could ID you.”

  “I did everything you said, Arlen.”

  “Good. I just called the cowboy. By now, every cop in Wyoming will be out looking for the bitch. Time to waste her and bury her inside the shack before you set it on fire.”

  “Won’t the fire bring the cops?”

  “Then you’d better be long gone before they get there.”

  Seeing Park wipe a hand across his glistening face, Annie used that moment of distraction to slip her cell phone from her back pocket. She’d thought, this high in the hills, there would be no reception. But since Arlen got through, so could she. She looked down, fumbling to press the speaker button, hoping someone, somewhere, could pick up the conversation.

  Seeing the slight movement, Park swore and rushed over to grab the phone from her hand.

  “What was that?” Arlen’s voice roared.

  “The bitch was trying to use her phone. Don’t worry, I’ve got it.”

  “Her phone? You didn’t search her?”

  More sweat popped up on Park’s face. “There wasn’t time. I had to get her away before the cowboy came back. Then”—his face became dark with fear and fury as he realized his blunder—“I…I forgot.”

  “You know the rules.” The sudden icy calm of Arlen’s tone was even more frightening to Park than his boss’s screams of anger. “Time’s up. Get rid of her and get out of Wyoming without a trace.”

  “Where will we meet?”

  “I’ll call you with that information later.” The smooth-as-silk voice left Park trembling.

  That tone of voice, that quiet dismissal told him his fate had been sealed.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  At Arlen Lender’s words, the entire room at the ranch had gone silent.

  Jonah stood staring at the phone in his hand, as though expecting it to ring any moment with another call saying it had all been a misunderstanding.

  He desperately wanted a ransom request. A location. A measure of hope, no matter how slim.

  Annie was out there somewhere, alone, frightened, her life in the balance. And the so-called experts were looking as perplexed as he felt.

  Chief Crain pushed his way through the crush of family and walked down the hallway, speaking rapidly into his phone.

  Agent Mavis Johnson began moving around the room from monitor to monitor, asking questions, causing heads to shake in defeat.

  Suddenly one of the officers wearing headphones gave a shout and the agent rushed to his side as he held up a hand for silence.

  Mavis Johnson turned to the others. “We just got a ping from Annie Dempsey’s cell phone.”

  Jonah’s heart started racing. “Did she speak? Is there a message? What’s she saying?”

  The officer monitoring the call shook his head. “It was cut off quickly, which tells us that her abductor probably found out about it and took it from her. But the location is fixed and we’re already on it.” His eyes were trained on the monitor as the others gathered around.

  He pointed. “Got it. In the hills, about six-point-eight miles from the cabin where she was abducted.”

  Just then, Chief Crain came hurrying into the office. “The state lab has identified the vehicle used in the abduction from the tire tracks. It’s a Range Rover.”

  Agent Johnson nodded. “That’s a start.”

  “There’s more.” Noble held up a hand for silence. “We have good reason to believe the vehicle is gun-metal gray with tinted windows…” A flush stole over his cheeks. “Since my wife, MaryAnn, spotted one yesterday with California plates rolling through town and thought maybe a celebrity was visiting.” He winced. “You know how my wife would love to brag about having a movie star in town.”

  He didn’t need to say what the Merrick family already knew. His wife loved to share any bit of gossip she could glean.

  A small ripple of nervous laughter followed that admission.

  He continued. “And one more bit of good news. Julie Franklyn told Newton that a man came by her salon a couple days ago asking where her former tenant had gone. She was able to give a very good description of the man, because she thought he needed a haircut. She’s working with the state police sketch artist. We’ll get that out to all law enforcement ASAP.”

  “All right.” Jonah couldn’t keep the tiny thread of hope from his tone. “We’ve got a description of the vehicle, and we know approximately where Annie is. Let’s go get her.”

  He spun around, heading for the doorway.

  “Hold on.” Agent Johnson used a tone of voice that commanded respect.

  Everyone froze.

  “This is not your operation, Mr. Merrick. You’re ordered to stand down and let the experts handle this.”

  “But…” He turned to her, eyes blazing.

  “No buts, Mr. Merrick. I’m in charge.” She fixed him with a look guaranteed to freeze his blood. “See that you remember that.”

  Park was sweating bullets as he caught Annie by the wrist and yanked her to her feet.

  His other hand closed into a fist, and she braced herself for a beating.

  Instead he hauled her along to the door of the shack. “Since I need to get something out of the car, and I can’t leave you alone here, bitch, you’re coming with me.”

  She had to run to keep up with his quick strides as he opened the back hatch and pulled out a spade before returning to the shack.

  She couldn’t resist taunting him. “Your partner in crime didn’t sound too happy.”

  He swore before giving her a shove that sent her sprawling. “Sit there and shut up.”

  As she crawled to the far side of the shack, she sagged against the wall watching him dig a hole.

  He shot her an evil grin. “Maybe I should measure you before I dig your grave.”

  A shudder raced down her spine and her mind seemed to freeze as she realized the enormity of what was happening.

  Seeing her pallor, his smile widened. �
��Sorry there isn’t time for that little party I’d planned, but hey, when I get back to civilization, there will be a warm and willing female waiting for me.”

  “If you live long enough to party.”

  He slanted her a hateful look.

  “Your boss didn’t sound too happy with you. And who knows? Maybe somebody is digging your grave right now, too.”

  She could see that she’d hit a nerve. Park paused and pulled a filthy handkerchief from his back pocket to mop at his dripping face.

  “Know what else I’m thinking?”

  “Shut up.” He held up the shovel in a menacing manner, and Annie could see the veins popping at his temples. His hands, she noted, were actually trembling.

  In the silence that followed, he went back to his digging, all the while gritting his teeth and swearing under his breath.

  When the hole was nearly finished, he grunted at the exertion and set aside his shovel. Pulling his cell phone from his shirt pocket, he turned away, punching in a number and then speaking to someone in a voice so low Annie couldn’t make out the words. But whatever he was saying, he sounded desperate.

  She glanced at the open doorway. Though there wasn’t much of a chance that she could make it very far, it might be the only chance she would get.

  She stood up and tentatively lifted the shovel, testing its weight. Then, with a mighty swing at Park’s head, she heard his cry of pain as he fell face-first into the open grave.

  Without bothering to look back, Annie dashed through the open doorway and headed into the woods.

  Though she was barefoot, and every stone and twig and root cut into her tender flesh, she never made a sound. All her energy, all her being, was concentrated on making good her escape.

  Jonah stood in the family study, watching and listening as Agent Johnson spoke to endless voices on endless phones, ordering reinforcements on the ground and in the air.

  The trained agents who’d remained at his cabin were now ordered to head toward the spot where Annie’s phone had given off its signal. State police helicopters were dispatched to the site.