Ranch Refuge

He hated how distrustful she seemed, unwilling to believe that anyone would want to help her without asking for something in return. She was clearly so used to being disappointed that she couldn’t imagine things going any other way.

God, please help her to believe that I only want to protect her. And grant me the strength and discernment to keep her safe from harm.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Bill Jackson’s number, his stomach turning as he made the call. This was the man who had caused Laura so much pain and grief. It was too real seeing the pain in her face. He knew that look. Oh, how well he knew that look.

“It’s me,” he said when Bill answered. “I have her. She’s safe.”

He listened to the rush of thanks and gratitude from the other end but soon cut him off. He hadn’t intervened for this man’s sake, regardless of how thankful he was. He’d done it for Laura and to make up in some way for the mistakes he’d made. Laura Jackson represented to him every person his own gambling addiction had hurt. If he could keep her safe, maybe he could make up for his past, even if just a little.

* * *

Laura’s mind raced. Sleep was impossible. Thoughts of the night’s events kept playing over and over again, reminding her that she was in a stranger’s home. How had she just gotten into the man’s truck and driven away with him? Away from everything and everyone familiar to her? Yes, she’d been under attack. Those men had been out to get her. But how did she know Colton Blackwell wasn’t one of Randall’s men, as well? For all she knew, his intervention had been planned, premeditated, to get her right where Randall wanted her—alone, frightened, vulnerable...and looking for a hero.

She stopped that line of thinking before she made herself crazy. Randall’s men had been after her and Colton had rescued her. She’d acted on instinct, going along with him because she’d had no choice. But that didn’t mean she had to remain with him now that the moment of danger had passed.

She picked up the phone to call for help, then realized she had no idea where she was...except for the city. Compton. That was, of course, assuming he’d been telling her the truth. She couldn’t trust him. After all, the only thing she knew about Colton Blackwell was that he’d said he had been watching her. What if he was worse than Randall? There was no telling what this man wanted from her.

Certainly she’d been acting purely on adrenaline before. But now that she’d had plenty of time to digest what was happening, she realized she had to get away from him. Now. Tonight. She would sneak out and flag down a car for help.

She slipped back into her shoes and quietly unlocked the bedroom door. Opening it softly, she walked to the top of the stairs and peeked down. The house looked dark except for the dim light above the kitchen range. She glanced at the sofa bed where Colton said he would be sleeping and saw a figure wrapped in a blanket. Now was her time to escape—while he was asleep. Hopefully she would be well out of his grasp before he awakened in the morning.

She tiptoed across the floor and quietly pulled open the door.

“Don’t move!” Colton hollered, leaping from the sofa bed and pointing a gun at her.

“Please don’t hurt me,” Laura cried out. Her heart raced with fear at the sight of Colton’s gun trained on her. This only confirmed what she’d been afraid of: Colton Blackwell was not her friend.

He flipped on the light and the intensity of his expression fell. “Laura, I nearly shot you.” Lowering the gun, he rasped, “What are you doing?”

She pressed herself against the door and tried to breathe. No telling what he might do to her now that he’d caught her trying to sneak away. Would he continue with the charade of trying to protect her? She struggled to find her voice against the rapid shaking of her muscles. “Please, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone who you are.” Tears streamed down her face. “Please. I just want to go home.”

His expression softened and he nodded. “Okay, Laura. Okay.” He placed the gun on the table and then turned to her. “I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to help you.”

But all the reasons why she couldn’t trust him kept flittering through her mind. She didn’t know him. She didn’t know his intentions. How could she really believe him? And why would someone like him want to help someone like her?

He gave a resigned sigh. “Let’s try this another way.” He grabbed the truck keys from the end table and held them out to her. “Take these. Take the truck. Take my phone. Call your father and confirm my story, but don’t tell him where you are. If he knows, Randall could force him to tell.” He pulled cash from his wallet. “Take this money. Find a hotel and hole up there for a few days. But don’t go home, Laura. You’re not safe at home.”

The keys shook in her hand. “You...you’re letting me go?”

“You’re not my prisoner. If you don’t want my protection, fine. I get it. You don’t know me. If this is the only way you’ll allow me to help you, then take it.”

She turned and ran to the truck, certain he would be right behind her to stop her, certain this was all a sick trick to make her trust him. But he was offering her a way out and she was going to take it.

She climbed into the truck and started the engine. Colton was still on the porch, standing, watching her, making no move to stop her. She jammed the truck into gear and sped up the drive. She saw him in the mirror, still watching, making no move to stop her or to follow her.

She stopped at the end of the drive. The house was no longer visible and the darkness of the road stretched in front of her. She had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do. Her pulse was slowing; fear of the unknown replacing her need to flee. If she left Colton, she had no idea what she was getting into. Randall and his men were still coming for her, and if they’d tried to abduct her once, they would do it again.

She leaned against the steering wheel as confusion confounded her. Was it really possible that Colton was just who he’d said he was and that all he wanted was to help her? All she knew for certain was that bad men were after her and that Colton had done nothing but protect her from them.

She glanced at his cell phone on the seat beside her. Colton had said her father had hired him and that would be easy enough to confirm. She picked up his phone and recognized her dad’s number listed under his recent calls.

She pressed the number and waited. He answered on the third ring.

“Dad, something happened tonight.”

“I know, Laura. Colton already called me. Are you okay, honey?”

“I—I don’t know. Who is this guy, Dad? How do I know I can trust him?”

There was a long pause. “You can trust him, Laura. I believe he really wants to help.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she snapped. “I can’t believe you did this to me.”

She heard the catch in his voice as he rushed to apologize. “Laura, I’m sorry. I never thought this would happen.”

She caught herself before she said what she was really thinking. You never thought about me, only about yourself.

“Well, it’s a little too late for regrets now, don’t you think?”

“Laura, please, I—”

Satisfied that the army ranger had indeed been hired by her father and unwilling to stomach any more of Bill Jackson’s lame excuses, Laura clicked off the phone.

She needed to trust Colton Blackwell—and pray he was the good guy he appeared to be.

Taking a deep, bolstering breath, she put the truck into Reverse, turned around and headed back toward the house.

He was still on the porch, barefoot, his dark hair disheveled, as if he’d been running his hands through it. He’d obviously not made a move even to put his boots on. She pulled up to the porch and stopped the truck.

She stared at him through the open window, glad she’d returned, because no matter what her overly analytical mind said, she needed to trust this man with her life.

* * *

She was shivering when Colton led her into the house. He doubted it was from the slight breeze in the night air, though, as much as the threats against her. He ushered her into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. She sat watching him as he turned on the coffee and let it brew, then lowered his large, muscular frame into an adjacent chair and got down to business. “Let’s talk about who is after you, Laura. Your father already gave me the basics, but I’d like to hear it from you. Who were those men tonight?”

Her chin quivered as the weight of her situation settled into her. “They work for a man named Chuck Randall.”

“The loan shark?”

“You know him?”

Colton knew him well. He’d had dealings with him once or twice back in his gambling days. “I’ve heard of him. He prowls the casinos in River City looking for souls desperate enough to utilize his services. But what does he want with you?”

Her face reddened and she lowered her head, shame coloring her face. “My father is indebted to him.”

“And he wants to use you as leverage to get your father to pay?”

“Not exactly. It started with him wanting me to cover my dad’s bills. I refused, but he kept hassling me. He threatened me. He said my father would die if I didn’t pay. Finally he said he would wipe out my father’s debt if I did something for him.”