Cowboy Protector (8 page)

Hannah crossed the space and took a chair across from the sheriff. “I’ll help any way I can. Anyone who would set a fire knowing animals were inside makes me sick.” The sound of the horses’ fear echoed through her mind, and she shivered. “I want him brought to justice.”

“My thoughts exactly. And I aim to do that, ma’am. Did you see or hear anything?”

“No, Misty and I were in Candy’s stall. I didn’t see the smoke until we left to go feed Snowball and Barney.” She snapped her fingers. “Yes, I did. I’m not sure how important this is, but I did hear Barney bark a couple of times then he was quiet. I was surprised he wasn’t in the barn like Snowball was. We usually feed the pets a couple of hours later, but he starts hanging around early like the cat.”

“We haven’t found Barney,” Austin said, his voice tight.

Her gaze connected with his. “He’s missing?” Fear rose to the surface. “You think the person did something to the dog?” She prayed that wasn’t the case. Misty loved that dog.

Austin drew in a shaky breath. “I hope not. That’s Misty’s dog and…”

“I understand some of the men are combing the area from the barn outward. There’s still a horse missing as well as Barney,” the sheriff said to fill the silence left by Austin.

“How do you know how many horses made it out of
the barn? I didn’t even think to count them.” She thought back to the frantic scene in the barn, rubbing her temple. “I think I let all of them out of their stalls.”

Austin cleared his throat. “Misty counted them as they came out.”

Hannah smiled. “You’ve got one smart daughter.”

He shared a brief grin with her, the corners of his mouth quivering. “Yeah, I think so, but then fathers usually do.”

“So other than hearing Barney barking that’s all you can think of?” The sheriff ran his fingers along the brim of his hat, rotating it in his hand.

“Sorry. I wish I had more. When Misty and I went to the barn, I didn’t see anything. Do you suspect anyone?”

“Right before you came in, Austin and I were talking about who might have a grudge against him. He gave me a couple of names I’ll be checking out.”

“Bob Douglas?” She glanced toward Austin.

He nodded. “As well as Kenny Adams and Slim Miller.”

“Who are they?” Her muscles aching from holding herself so rigid, Hannah finally relaxed against the back cushion.

“Two men who are still in the area that I had to fire in the past year.”

“Ms. Williams, why did you ask if it was Bob Douglas? What made you say him besides the fact that Austin fired him?”

“A week ago I found him in the storage room trying to get rid of a cigarette butt. The place smelled of smoke. I’m sure he’d been smoking in there. I figured someone who got rid of cigarettes irresponsibly might have used fire to get back at Austin for letting him go.”

The sheriff shifted his attention to Austin. “You told me you fired him because he was lazy.”

“Yeah, ultimately that was the reason. That and the fact he lied to me about smoking when I asked him pointblank about it.”

The sheriff stood. “I’ll check him out first. Even pay him a little visit today. He was the most recent person fired.”

Austin walked with the two lawmen toward the foyer. “I know you don’t have to keep me in the loop, but I sure would appreciate it if you would let me know how the investigation is going.”

“Will do.” The sheriff paused in the doorway, put his hat back on and tipped it toward Caroline. “Nice seeing you, Caroline. You just keep getting younger and younger.” While Austin’s grandmother blushed, the lawman swiveled his gaze to Hannah. “Ma’am, if you think of anything else, call me.”

“I will.”

Hannah released a long breath as the sound of the front door closing drifted to her. “How long has Misty been sleeping?”

Caroline looked at her watch. “Three hours.”

“Good. She didn’t sleep well last night, and then with all that’s happened, she needs the rest.”

Austin started to come back into the living room, but a knock at the front door drew him away. A few minutes later Austin finally entered the room. “They found the mare and are checking her out then putting her in the south pasture.”

“But no Barney?” Hannah asked, restless energy surging through her. She rose, needing to move around.

“One team still hasn’t returned. There’s hope.”

Please, Lord, bring Barney home. If anything happened to Barney, it would break Misty’s heart.
It
would break her heart, too, Hannah thought, having become fond of the dog in the past two weeks.

“I’m gonna be near the barn, supervising the relocation of the some of the horses if you need me for anything.”

“I’m going to check on Misty. Can I get you anything, Caroline?” Hannah said as Austin strode into the foyer.

She waved her hand. “No, I’m fine. Go, take care of Misty, and if she’s still sleeping, relax.”

Out in the entry Hannah stopped Austin. “If Misty is still sleeping, is it okay if I use your computer in your office?”

“Sure,” he said, thrusting open the front door and leaving.

After checking on Misty, who was still sleeping, Hannah made her way to Austin’s office. She would do some surfing on the Internet to see if she could find out anything first on Ruby Maxwell or Carlie Donald. She wouldn’t have much time, but she was too wound right now to relax.

Fifteen minutes later, she discovered the write-up on a Ruby Maxwell’s funeral. But no mention of the woman being murdered. Then she looked for anything on Carlie Donald. Nothing but a funeral notice. If the women were murdered, wouldn’t something be in the news about the killings? She’d wanted to know the facts around these so-called professional hits. She just didn’t know what to make of it all. She certainly didn’t have any connections to a Chicago crime family.

Did Violet Kramer know what she was talking about? What if the reporter was looking for a story where there wasn’t a story? Hannah glanced at the clock on Austin’s desk and noticed the time. She would have to research
Eloise Hill later when she got another chance to use Austin’s computer, but she was beginning to believe the reporter was reading more into the situation than what was really going on. She quickly left the office to check again on Misty.

When Hannah eased Misty’s bedroom door open all the way, a smile spread across the little girl’s face. “You’re okay.” She pushed herself up to a sitting position.

“Yep, nothing gets me down for long. Kinda like you.”

The grin grew even wider. “Thanks for saving Candy. She’s so special to me.”

“You’re welcome.” Hannah sat on the bed. “So how do you feel?”

“Okay.” Her mouth turned down.

“Are you sure about that? You aren’t sounding very convincing.”

The child peered down at her hand clutching the coverlet. “It was scary. All that smoke. The flames.” She stared up into Hannah’s gaze. “Somethin’ coulda happened to you.”

“Yeah, but the Lord was looking out for you and me.”

“And Candy and Snowball.” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Where was Barney?”

“He wasn’t in the barn. I think the fire scared him like the horses. They’re still rounding up all the animals.”

“I wanted to run away, too. I couldn’t. You were inside. I was scared.”

Hannah scooted back against the headboard next to Misty and wound her arm about the child’s shoulders. “I know the feeling. You were so brave today, Misty. I’m all right.”

Silence hung between them for a moment, Misty laying her head against Hannah. “I had a hard time holding Snowball. He kept wiggling.”

“He was scared, too.” Hannah stroked her hand down Misty’s arm, wishing she could take the girl’s fears away. She’d had two near-death experiences in a couple of months. That was a lot to handle as an adult, let alone a child. “It’s okay to feel scared. When you get that way, it’s good to talk about it with someone like your daddy.”

“Or you.”

“You can tell me anything.”

“I didn’t want anything to happen to you,” Misty stumbled to a halt for a few seconds, then added, “like Mommy.”

Her throat tight, Hannah pressed the girl closer. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, Misty.” Maybe when she left the ranch, she could at least call and talk to Misty occasionally or e-mail her.

Austin appeared in the doorway, a grim expression on his face that he immediately wiped away when Misty glimpsed him.

“Daddy!”

“Hi, munchkin. I’m sorry I haven’t had much time to be with you.” He closed the space to the bed, leaned down and kissed his daughter on the cheek. “Are you okay?”

Misty nodded, her smile in place.

“Good. I need to see Hannah for a minute. I’m still seeing to all the animals, but we’ll talk later. She’ll be right back in.” Austin took Hannah’s hand and drew her toward the hallway.

A few feet from Misty’s door, he turned toward Hannah and stepped close. “They found Barney.”

“Dead?” she asked, remembering his earlier grim expression.

The same one descended. “He’s barely alive. I think he was poisoned. There was a half-eaten steak nearby. They found him under a thick set of bushes behind the bunk
house. I wanted you to know before I leave. I’m taking him to the vet. I don’t want Misty to know until we know if he’s gonna make it or not.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry. They have to find the person who did this.”

“I’ll be posting a couple of guards around this area until he’s caught. I won’t have a repeat of the fire this morning.” The hard line of his jaw and the glint in his eyes attested to his fierce determination to make sure that didn’t happen.

“Go. I’ll take care of Misty. We’ll have so much fun she won’t have time to think about what happened today or about Barney.”

“Thanks.” He sent her a half grin as he pivoted and strode away.

Hannah heaved a deep sigh, the day suddenly swamping her as though her body finally realized all it had exactly been through. But at the moment it didn’t make any difference how tired she was. She needed to take care of Misty. Make her feel safe and loved.

Exhausted, Hannah settled more comfortably onto the couch in the living room where she could see when Austin came into the house from the vet’s. She didn’t want to go to sleep until she knew what happened to Barney. An hour ago Caroline had finally gone to bed, no longer able to keep herself awake. Misty went to sleep much earlier, still tired even after the long nap.

The quiet of the house, the room only lit by one lamp in the corner, lured Hannah into a semi-awake state. The silence like a balm surrounded her in solace, and she couldn’t resist surrendering to it…

The next thing she knew Austin hovered over her, shaking her shoulder gently. “Hannah, are you all right?”

Seeing the worry in his eyes, she gave him a smile. “I’m fine.” She unfolded her legs and placed her feet on the floor, straightening. “How’s Barney?”

“He’s gonna make it. At least that’s what the doc thinks. He finally sent me home and told me he’ll know for sure tomorrow morning and call me.”

Relief trembled through her. “I’m so glad. I won’t say anything to Misty but let you talk with her about what happened to Barney. She’s going to want to see all the animals tomorrow the second she wakes up.”

“Ask her to wait. Candy and the mare you rode are going to be kept in a pasture close to the house. That way they’ll be more accessible for you two.” He eased down next to her on the couch. “Most of my horses aren’t stabled. I sometimes keep a few in the barn for pleasure riding. Usually only the sick ones or a mare about to give birth. I hate keeping them confined too long. Even Candy is usually in a field except lately because of Misty’s injuries.”

“I’ll keep Misty here until you’ve talked with her.”

“Did you get any rest?”

“Not much.”

In one fluid motion he rose and offered her his hand. “C’mon. I’ll walk you to your door.”

Wrapping her fingers around his, she let him tug her up flat against him. She clasped one upper arm while for a few seconds her body pressed against his. The feel of the semi-embrace felt so right she wanted to explore the sensations his nearness stirred in her. She peered up into his dark coffee-colored eyes, held captive by their swirling depths. She swallowed several times to ease the tightness in her throat but nothing helped.

In the dimness, he reached up and smoothed her hair
back from her face, then framed it. “I don’t know what I would have done without you today. There aren’t words to express my thanks.”

“I did what anyone would have done.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. But if there is ever a next time, and I pray to God there isn’t, don’t put your life on the line for my animals. You came close to dying today, Hannah, and I wouldn’t have been able to live with that. Promise me you won’t.”

She covered his hands on her face. “I can’t do that. Besides, why are we talking about next time? How often do barns burn down around here?” She tried to inject humor into the last question, but the expression on his face remained serious.

“I’m hoping never again. Promise me you won’t take unnecessary risks.”

Urgency and care sounded in his voice. She couldn’t ignore it. “I promise I won’t.” She would only be here another five or six weeks anyway. He didn’t need to know her whole life was a risk—that she had a death warrant hanging over her head.

The tension beneath her palms and in his body melted, and he exhaled a deep breath. “Thanks. Now let me see you to your room before you fall asleep on your feet. I don’t think you’re gonna need warm milk tonight.” He settled his arm over her shoulder and cradled her in the crook of his arm.

“I don’t think so, either.” She cushioned her head against him, his male scent enveloping her.

“I’ll check on Misty and take her monitor so if something happens in the middle of the night I can take care of it.”

“But that’s my job.”

“No, I’m her father. It’s my job and you need to get a good night’s sleep.”

At her door she tilted her head up to argue with him, but the words died in her throat. The simmering look in his eyes robbed her of all coherent thought. She should draw back. But she wanted him to kiss her, had for days.