Whispering Hills of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 3) by Dorothy Wiley Page B

valuable asset to damage with scratches and bruises.
    The crisp air cooled his face, but the sun shone through the trees in brilliant crystal rays that promised a warmer day. The beautiful morning and the prospect of bedding Kelly soon, boosted his spirits and he inhaled the sweet scent of pine deeply into his lungs.
    He wasn’t worried about Kelly’s father following. They’d come out upstream of the Kentucky River and made their tracks disappear into the woods, and they had a significant lead on the man. Even if her father did catch up to them, he could easily handle the miserable drunk. In fact, he hoped McGuffin would show up. If he could dispatch the man and send him to hell, hewould never have to worry about her father attempting to find her in Lexington. He tried to avoid murder anywhere near a town. That only drew trouble, but out here in the middle of nowhere, he could dispose of the body somewhere where only the wolves would find it.
    And Kelly would sleep through it all, unaware that her father was dead.

    After some time, Sam picked up Kelly’s trail again and within a half hour located their campsite. “They camped here for part of the night,” Sam said, dismounting. He peered around the area.
    “That bastard better not have laid a hand on Kelly,” McGuffin swore.
    It was the first thing the man had said that William entirely agreed with.
    “There’s no sign of a struggle,” Sam said.
    “Let’s see how long ago they were here,” Bear suggested. He dismounted and strode over to a fresh pile of horse manure. His expression grew serious as he studied the dung, moving the round clumps on the top aside until his fingers were in the middle of the pile. A half smile crossed his face. “They just left, judgin’ by the freshness of these droppings. They’re still a wee bit warm,” he said and then stood, grabbing a handful of leaves to wipe his fingers on.
    Still mounted on Smoke, William spun the stallion around and took off at a gallop up the trail. He soon heard the other three men following close behind him.
    His determination to reach Kelly before her captor could harm her surged though him with the force of a tidal wave. Evenrunning at his fastest, Smoke could not gallop fast enough to suit him.
    If the bastard had hurt her, he would soon be a dead man.
    William clung to the belief that she would be unharmed—that he would reach her in time. But even if she was unharmed, this ordeal was the last thing Kelly needed. How far would this second trial set her back?

    McGuffin trailed behind William and his brothers, struggling to keep up with their superior mounts. His old horse couldn’t stand this pace for long, and would start slowing soon. But he wanted to be there when they caught up to Kelly. He had to be there. As her father, it was his duty to protect her and by God, he would from now on. He’d done a lousy job of it so far. He knew that now. The prospect of losing Kelly for good had woke him up. He couldn’t stand even the thought of her dying too.
    Losing her mother changed his life in ways he just now understood. Kelly looked so much like her mother, he could hardly stand to look at his daughter. She remained a constant painful reminder of his loss. He’d loved Kelly’s mother with his entire soul and when she died, his soul seemed to die too. Only one thing kept him alive at all—whiskey. It fueled his sorrow just enough to keep his soul from dying.
    Kelly was right. His life spun around in a negative cycle, again and again. Could he break the pattern? Could he become a real father again? Affection for his daughter gripped his heart. He loved Kelly, he knew that, but could he accept her as a loving father should? Could he put aside how she not only looked just like her mother, but sounded and acted like her too? Their voices were identical—soothing and infinitely compassionate. When Kellyspoke, the gentle softness in her voice only hardened his heart. The only thing he wanted to hear