Protecting Her Daughter

“Good.” He glanced around. “Hopefully, these trees will be enough cover for the time being.”

Aaron felt for a pulse and found it relatively strong. He must have missed anything vital. Relief flowed. As much as he hated what Pete was, he didn’t want to be responsible for the man’s death.

“I don’t know where the other two went, but I’m guessing if they heard the sirens, they took off.”

Aaron nodded. “They might be gone for now—” he looked up and caught Lance’s eye “—but I don’t doubt they’ll be back.”

FIVE (#ulink_c88fcdb5-76fa-55b5-8357-13e48f0308cf)

Zoe settled herself in front of the fire Aaron had finished building about thirty minutes ago. Once the authorities had arrived on the scene near the cave, things had gone quickly. They’d been ushered to the local hospital, they’d given their statements, answered a zillion questions, been examined and finally released. Sophia’s sugar levels were slightly elevated, but not enough to admit her. Zoe would keep a close eye on her throughout the night.

Although it was only six o’clock in the evening, it was dark outside, the sun setting early this time of year. She stared at the dancing flames and considered the day. One day. Half a day, actually. Not even twelve hours and she felt as though she’d just lived a lifetime. She ran a hand down her cheek and decided it was probably better not to think about it. She knew things could have ended far differently, and the only thing she knew to do was be grateful it had ended the way it had—and try to figure out the why of it all.

Aaron came back into the den, two sodas in his hands. She looked away from the fire as he took the seat on the couch next to her. “It’s over,” he said.

She accepted the offered drink and popped the tab. “No, I don’t think it is.” She met his gaze, thinking how kind his eyes were. Deep blue and filled with an ocean of compassion, caring...and strength. To match the rest of his well-muscled physique. He really was a handsome man. She looked away and took a sip of the sugary drink. She didn’t drink colas often, but tonight she wanted one while she wrestled with the fact that she was attracted to him. Which was the last thing she needed. “And neither do you.” She wasn’t staying in Wrangler’s Corner. Being in the small town was merely a necessity right now. She would be going back to Knoxville and her life as soon as possible.

“No, I don’t.” He took her hand, and she let him in spite of her misgivings. “How’s Sophia?”

“She’s in her room cuddling with her favorite stuffed animal and watching TV, a comedy she’s seen a dozen times, but never seems to tire of.” She gave him a small smile. “She needs something to laugh about. Tickles, the cat, is sleeping at the foot of the bed, too.”

“And she’s all right staying in her room by herself?”

“For now. When it’s time to go to sleep I have a feeling she’ll be keeping me company.” She looked back at the fire. “Have you heard from the hospital?”

“Lance called while I was in the barn with the horses. Pete survived surgery.”

She squeezed his fingers. “I’m glad.”

“You are?”

“Yes. It’s true I’d feel safer if he was dead, but aside from living with the regret that I already see in your eyes, Pete is our only chance to find out why the men are after Sophia. But whatever happens, you shot him to save Lance, Aaron. To save us all. You’re a hero as far as I’m concerned. I imagine Lance feels the same way.”

He flushed and cleared his throat. “I’m no hero, Zoe.”

“Maybe not in your eyes.”

He took a swig of the soda then set the can on the coaster on the coffee table. Then his eyes lifted to the painting above the mantel. “That’s beautiful. Who did that?”

“I did.” She turned to look at the painting she’d done shortly after Sophia’s seventh birthday. “It was a lovely day at the park that afternoon. So peaceful and serene. Sophia was on the swing, and I was pushing her. Trevor took the picture, and I turned it into an oil. It’s one of my favorites. I couldn’t leave it behind when we left Knoxville.”

“Of course not.”

“I was in such a hurry when we left Knoxville that I’m surprised I remembered to grab most of what I needed to continue to work.”

“You’re very talented. Have you been painting all your life?”

“No, just since high school. I started during a very tough time in my life. My parents were going through a pretty messy divorce and I needed an...escape. I found it in painting...and some other not so productive things.” She twisted her fingers together. Now why say that? Because she wanted to confide in him? Trust him? Did her heart know something her mind didn’t? He’d put his life on the line to keep her physically safe, that was true. She wasn’t sure she was ready to trust him emotionally, though. And until she was, she’d better keep comments like that to herself.

“What are you going to do now?” he asked. His question surprised her. She figured he’d push for more information, more details. Moments from her past better forgotten for everyone.

She gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know. I’m thankful there are deputies outside that are willing to stand guard tonight, but they can’t do that every night. I guess I’ll have to run again.”

“Run? Again?”

She blinked. They’d been through so much over the past few hours she’d forgotten he didn’t even know why she was in Wrangler’s Corner. “I’m originally from Knoxville. About a month ago someone tried to kidnap Sophia while she was walking home from school.”

“What?”

She nodded. “We just lived five houses down from the school. It’s a pretty busy street, but she liked to walk so I let her because there was a crossing guard. The day of the incident I was standing on the front porch watching for her. The crossing guard made sure she got across the street, then when she was almost to our house, a gray sedan pulled up beside her and the back door opened. I immediately had a bad feeling and yelled at her to run. Thankfully, Sophia didn’t hesitate. I guess she heard the terror in my scream. The person in the vehicle was already getting out when Sophia took off, but he managed to grab her backpack. She slid out of it and ran as fast as she could toward me. The person drove away. I was so scared I didn’t even think to get a license plate.”

“What did the police say?”

“There were a lot of witnesses and confirmed it was definitely an attempted kidnapping. The police took it very seriously and looked into it. They had officers patrolling the school before and after hours for about a week and it was all over the local news, of course. But when nothing else happened, they decided whoever it was had moved on. They alerted everyone in the area to be on the lookout for the gray sedan, but truly, there are a lot of gray sedans out there. They said it was probably just a random thing and it wouldn’t happen again, but I couldn’t stop looking over my shoulder. I didn’t want to leave Sophia with anyone, didn’t want to take my eyes off her.”

“I can understand that,” he said softly. “So you came here?”

She hesitated. “Yes, but only after someone tried to run me off the road.”

He stilled. “Run you off the road?”

“It was late at night. I’d finally been able to leave Sophia with my sister-in-law, Nina, for a few hours to go to a Bible study. On my way home, I was on one of the back roads between my house and the church. I passed a side road and headlights came on. A car pulled behind me and rammed my back end. I managed to avoid a wreck and get my car under control. The person was coming back for a second hit when several vehicles came from the opposite direction. The car drove off and I drove to Nina’s house. Sophia and I just stayed there for the night. I called the police, reported it and—” She shrugged. “That’s it. I’d had enough. So I emailed Amber.” She gave him a flicker of a smile. “My old college roommate.”

“My sister?”

“Yes.”

He narrowed his eyes. “College roommate? Why don’t I remember you?”

She gave him a small grin. “There’s no reason you should. I came to the ranch with Amber a couple of times on weekends, but you and your brothers...well, you guys were never there much.”

“And we never really paid attention to who Amber brought home.”

“No, from what I recall, everyone was kind of going in their own direction. Seth was doing the rodeo thing. I remember that clearly. Clay was into law enforcement in Nashville. You were always working with an animal or away at school or something.” She shrugged. “I don’t really remember.”

He reached out and touched her hair, let a dark curl wrap around his finger like a baby’s small hand. Then he captured her gaze. “I should have paid attention.” Zoe let herself get snared in his eyes for a brief moment before she cleared her throat and looked away. Aaron’s hand dropped. “So, you ran. And now this. You’re being targeted.”

She nodded. “It looks that way.”

“But why?”

She shook her head and looked up at him again. “I truly don’t know. I make a decent living with my painting and I have some money from my husband’s life insurance policy, but it’s not enough to commit a crime for.”