Christmas Bodyguard by Margaret Daley

and the men will help out. We’ll be keeping an eye out. Anything suspicious, we’ll call you.” Jake ran the leather strap of a halter through his fingers.
    â€œI know I can count on you. Jake and I go way back,” he explained to Elizabeth.
    â€œAnd I don’t forget that.” Jake hung up the halter, then thrust his hand into the pocket of his jeans and withdrew a key chain. “I’m heading into town to see about the bad feed. I’ll get to the bottom of it.” He started for the barn entrance.
    Abbey guided Sassy toward the exit.
    â€œHon, hold up. We’re going with you. I want to see what you’ve been doing lately.”
    Abbey came to a halt near the double doors and twisted in the saddle to peer at her father. “Why? You haven’t watched me ride in ages.”
    â€œI’m here today to watch you.”
    â€œDon’t feel you have to because of the threats.” Abbey sat forward, turning her back on him, but she waited.
    Elizabeth watched the foreman slow his pace and come to a stop just outside. A tall, blonde woman in her late twenties threw herself into Jake’s embrace, kissing him on the mouth. The same lady she’d seen yesterday. His wife? “Who’s that?”
    â€œThat’s Cindy, Jake’s wife.”
    Jake slung his arm around Cindy’s shoulder and sauntered toward a black pickup. He opened the passenger door for his wife to get in, then rounded the front and slid behind the steering wheel.
    Slade observed his foreman. “I’m glad he found someone.”
    â€œYou two are long-time friends.”
    â€œFrom childhood. I was fortunate when he agreed to be my foreman. He’s someone I can trust.”
    But not her. There wasn’t any reason to suspect Jake, but as she told Joshua, trust no one. “What’s this about bad feed?”
    He began walking toward the indoor training ring next to the barn. “Part of the last batch delivered was moldy. One horse got sick yesterday. Thankfully Jake discovered it before any other horses got it.”
    â€œWho gave the feed to the horse?”
    â€œBrody.” His brow wrinkled, he slanted a look at her.
    â€œYou think there’s a connection between the feed and the attempts against Abbey?”
    â€œCould be. They happened at the same time. It could be a tactic to throw you off or occupy your time.”
    At the door he paused and faced her. “Nothing will take my mind off protecting Abbey. Horses, I can replace. Not my daughter.”
    Her heartbeat reacted to his nearness. He was too close—that could rob her of clear thinking. Shutting down her emotions, she placed several feet between them, holding one side of the double doors open for Abbey to ride through. Her gaze tracked over the yard and road that ran in front of the ring. Nothing out of the ordinary. But still, someone was out there who meant to do harm to Abbey, and probably Slade, too.
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    The next day, Thanksgiving, Elizabeth stared out the floor-to-ceiling window in the dining room at all that Joshua and his contractors had accomplished. When money wasn’t a problem, a lot could be done in a short amount of time. The old fence had been reinforced, but new posts were put in place for a taller and stronger one to go up tomorrow. Shifts of three two-man teams with guard dogs patrolled the yard.
    Guards and upgraded camera systems were put on both the front gate and the second gate into the house compound. Cameras were hidden around the property and monitored by a security company twenty-four hours a day. The same with the ones in the foyer and other entrances into the house. Plans to have a safe room had been laid out and would also be started on Friday. By the time the weekend was over, this place would be like Fort Knox.
    As a whole, that should make her job a little easier. At least when Abbey was in the house. Any other place and Elizabeth recognized the potential for