in.
But if she kept running along the shoreline she’d eventually end up at the ranch. But which way should she go? Left or right?
The snapping branches behind her urged her to go left. Wrong choice. A figure stepped out of the forest, blocking her way.
No!
JJ turned the other way. Another figure.
Oh my God! How many people were there?
In her panic, she almost didn’t see the man directly in front of her motion for her to come to him. A finger was on his lip, instructing her to keep quiet.
What the heck?
Then as he stepped forward and grabbed her by her elbow, she recognized him.
Dan!
In an instant, he pulled her into the safety of nearby bushes and instructed her to crouch down beside him.
“Are you all right?” Dan’s whisper was so low she could barely hear what he was saying.
JJ nodded so quickly, she was surprised her head didn’t fall off her shoulders.
“He was right behind me,” she gasped.
“Stay here. Don’t move until I come back.”
Oh Dan! No! Don’t leave!
But he’d already disappeared.
Silent minutes flew by and JJ froze as someone suddenly shouted. Had it been Dan shouting?
Or Brady? Or maybe Rafe?
Her gut clenched with sickness. She’d put all three of them into danger. If any of them got hurt because of her, she would never be able to survive.
JJ jumped as a gunshot sliced through the air. A wave of cold terror paralyzed her. More gunshots.
She shook involuntarily. She had to do something to help them. But what? And how? Her hands were still cuffed and her shoulders were so sore. She couldn’t move her hands or her arms.
She cringed as another gunshot rang out. This one was very close. Too close.
Silence followed. Her heart hammered in her ears as nearby, some branches snapped.
Oh dear mercy. She didn’t pray much, but suddenly the need to do so overwhelmed her.
Dear God, please protect my three cowboys. Please keep them safe. Please!
A figure suddenly loomed right in front of her. Then a second one. A third followed.
Brady. Dan. Rafe.
She checked her men for any signs of blood. She didn’t see much due to the darkness, but they were all standing, so that was a good sign. Suddenly she spied her white cowboy hat in Rafe’s hand. For some crazy reason, relief spilled through her at the sight of her hat.
“She’s okay. I told you,” Dan said in an exasperated huff.
“Shit! I told you I had to see for myself,” Rafe muttered as he stumbled toward her. His white teeth gleamed as he moved into a beam of moonlight and then he crouched down in front of JJ.
“Hey, beautiful. You are a sight for sore eyes. Looks like we found our thief,” Rafe whispered as he twirled her hat in his hand. Then suddenly she was swallowed in a bear hug that squeezed the breath right out of her.
From Rafe’s embrace, she managed to blink up at Brady who scowled with a concerned
expression.
“She doesn’t look so good,” Brady complained.
Despite the worry etching his voice, he smiled at her. When Rafe released her from the bear hug, Brady held out his hand to her.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
Home. That was the best word of her life at this moment.
Dan dug around in his shirt pocket. “She’s cuffed. I got the key off the dead — ompf.” His sentence was cut off by Brady elbowing him in the stomach.
JJ caught the word dead. Ross was dead. She felt nothing for him. Maybe she was in shock?
“Just let me unlock the cuffs and we’ll go home,” Dan said.
“I gather it didn’t go down good for Ross?” JJ asked.
“Do you know him?” Brady asked.
“Yeah. Long story,” she replied. She didn’t want to go into it now. What she did want was her damned cowboy hat back.
“Can you put the hat on my head?” she asked.
Rafe frowned and blinked in confusion at her. Then he chuckled and plopped JJ’s hat onto her head. It felt right having the hat back. Weird to think that way after a man had just been killed.
“Blue is staying with him,” Rafe said softly. He
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