it to the edge of the barn.
No sign of Nick.
Or the second gunman.
She stopped and listened for footsteps, but all she could hear was the brutal November wind assaulting her. Kelly ignored the cold and the goose bumps riffling over her skin, quietly went to the front edge of the barn, and peeked around the corner.
There was suddenly a gun right in her face.
She choked back a shriek and had already geared up for a fight for her life before her brain registered that the person on the other end of the gun was Nick.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” he whispered in a snarl.
It took her several moments to find enough breath to speak. “One of the gunmen is about to ambush you.”
The words had no sooner left her mouth than she saw movement at the corner of the barn behind Nick. It was the dark-haired gunman.
And he took aim.
Nick must have sensed what was happening because he tackled her and sent them both plummeting to the ground. The fall was cold and hard, and Kelly felt pain shoot through her. Nick didn’t waste any time. With his body covering hers, he turned, aimed and fired.
Just as the gunman shot at them.
The bullet clipped off a chunk of the barn.
Nick and Kelly were out of position to return fire, but Nick quickly remedied that. He rolled off her, and in the same motion, he spun around and took aim.
But it was already too late.
The gunman wasn’t there.
She caught just a glimpse of him running across the pasture.
Nick sprang from the ground and went in pursuit. Kelly shouted for him to be careful, but she doubted he heard her. His attention was totally focused on the gunman. Correction. The gun men. When she raced to the end of the barn, Kelly spotted both of them.
The dark-haired man was hightailing it out of there, but the taller one was still in the pasture, and he took aim at Nick.
Nick fired at him first, and the shot slammed into the gunman’s weapon. Sparks flew, literally, and some must have caught the tall guy in the right eye because his hand went in that direction.
“Put down your gun!” Nick shouted to him.
The gunman didn’t. Instead, he darted behind a massive bale of hay, and Kelly caught a glimpse of him running away in the same direction as his comrade.
Nick began to run, as well. He used the hay bales and the fence for cover. The men were so far ahead of him that it was almost impossible for him to catch up with them. And if he did, what then?
Kelly didn’t want to think about that.
Using the same cover that Nick had, she followed in his footsteps in case it did come down to a gun fight. She couldn’t stand by and just watch him get hurt. Or worse.
But the gunmen no longer seemed interested in a confrontation. They didn’t even look back. They just continued to run until they barreled over the fence and disappeared into the dense woods on the other side.
And that left Kelly with one burning question. Why had they given up so easily?
Maybe because they hadn’t expected anyone to return fire? But that didn’t make sense. On a Texas ranch there was a solid chance that someone would have a weapon and know how to use it. So maybe the men had come for a quick in-and-out kidnapping and had gotten scared when that didn’t happen? It was a question that she was certain Nick would want answered ASAP.
Nick didn’t turn and come back as she figured he would. He sprinted right over the fence after those men.
N ICK WAS SEVERAL STEPS past being furious. These SOBs had come onto his property, shot at Kelly and him and had planned to do God knows what. He wanted to find them and beat answers out of both of them.
But he stopped and thought of Kelly and the babies.
Running in a thick forest after two armed men wasn’t the brightest thing he could do. In fact, the men might be out there waiting to ambush him. If that happened, they might be able to gain access to the house. Or they might just grab Kelly and run.
Nick glanced behind him and confirmed that
No sign of Nick.
Or the second gunman.
She stopped and listened for footsteps, but all she could hear was the brutal November wind assaulting her. Kelly ignored the cold and the goose bumps riffling over her skin, quietly went to the front edge of the barn, and peeked around the corner.
There was suddenly a gun right in her face.
She choked back a shriek and had already geared up for a fight for her life before her brain registered that the person on the other end of the gun was Nick.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” he whispered in a snarl.
It took her several moments to find enough breath to speak. “One of the gunmen is about to ambush you.”
The words had no sooner left her mouth than she saw movement at the corner of the barn behind Nick. It was the dark-haired gunman.
And he took aim.
Nick must have sensed what was happening because he tackled her and sent them both plummeting to the ground. The fall was cold and hard, and Kelly felt pain shoot through her. Nick didn’t waste any time. With his body covering hers, he turned, aimed and fired.
Just as the gunman shot at them.
The bullet clipped off a chunk of the barn.
Nick and Kelly were out of position to return fire, but Nick quickly remedied that. He rolled off her, and in the same motion, he spun around and took aim.
But it was already too late.
The gunman wasn’t there.
She caught just a glimpse of him running across the pasture.
Nick sprang from the ground and went in pursuit. Kelly shouted for him to be careful, but she doubted he heard her. His attention was totally focused on the gunman. Correction. The gun men. When she raced to the end of the barn, Kelly spotted both of them.
The dark-haired man was hightailing it out of there, but the taller one was still in the pasture, and he took aim at Nick.
Nick fired at him first, and the shot slammed into the gunman’s weapon. Sparks flew, literally, and some must have caught the tall guy in the right eye because his hand went in that direction.
“Put down your gun!” Nick shouted to him.
The gunman didn’t. Instead, he darted behind a massive bale of hay, and Kelly caught a glimpse of him running away in the same direction as his comrade.
Nick began to run, as well. He used the hay bales and the fence for cover. The men were so far ahead of him that it was almost impossible for him to catch up with them. And if he did, what then?
Kelly didn’t want to think about that.
Using the same cover that Nick had, she followed in his footsteps in case it did come down to a gun fight. She couldn’t stand by and just watch him get hurt. Or worse.
But the gunmen no longer seemed interested in a confrontation. They didn’t even look back. They just continued to run until they barreled over the fence and disappeared into the dense woods on the other side.
And that left Kelly with one burning question. Why had they given up so easily?
Maybe because they hadn’t expected anyone to return fire? But that didn’t make sense. On a Texas ranch there was a solid chance that someone would have a weapon and know how to use it. So maybe the men had come for a quick in-and-out kidnapping and had gotten scared when that didn’t happen? It was a question that she was certain Nick would want answered ASAP.
Nick didn’t turn and come back as she figured he would. He sprinted right over the fence after those men.
N ICK WAS SEVERAL STEPS past being furious. These SOBs had come onto his property, shot at Kelly and him and had planned to do God knows what. He wanted to find them and beat answers out of both of them.
But he stopped and thought of Kelly and the babies.
Running in a thick forest after two armed men wasn’t the brightest thing he could do. In fact, the men might be out there waiting to ambush him. If that happened, they might be able to gain access to the house. Or they might just grab Kelly and run.
Nick glanced behind him and confirmed that
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