The Rancher's Return. Karen WhiddonЧитать онлайн книгу.
time.”
“So it’s not just that you witnessed him kill Tim that makes you valuable to him. It’s all the other information you could use against him.”
“Exactly.” She looked down at her hands, which she’d begun wringing.
“But now that everyone knows about you, if he got you back, he could no longer keep you locked away.”
“No.” She never looked up. “Which is why he won’t stop until I’m dead.”
The bleak despair in her voice made him ache to comfort her. “You don’t need to worry about that. He isn’t going to find you. Plus, he’s going to dig his own grave with these lies,” he said. “Sooner or later, someone’s going to catch on and his honesty will be called into question.”
“Since he has a lot of law enforcement people on his payroll, I doubt it.”
Reed considered his next words carefully. “I’m guessing he’s doing this to keep the case fresh in the public’s eye. The more people hear about you, the more likely someone will spot you and report to the FBI.”
“And then to him.” She grimaced. “Anything’s possible, where Alex is concerned. It even makes a kind of twisted sense, though I don’t like it.”
“Of course not.” Again he had to fight the urge to touch her. “Me, either. That settles one thing, though. Until I have a handle on who we can and cannot trust, you’re definitely going to have to keep a low profile. Even though we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“Thank you again for helping me.”
He waved her thanks away. “Do you still want to go riding?”
“Yes.”
“Great.” Considering her shapeless dress, he carefully avoided meeting her gaze. “Why don’t you put on some jeans and meet me at the barn? I’ll get the horses saddled and ready.”
Without waiting for her to answer, he grabbed his cowboy hat and headed outside.
* * *
Watching out the window as Reed sauntered down to the barn, Kaitlyn tried to get a handle on the complicated emotions roiling inside her. She’d known she’d have some lingering trauma after what she’d been through with Alex, but she hadn’t expected to cringe every time he moved too fast. Luckily, so far she’d managed to keep all her flinching inside. As far as she could tell, Reed had no idea.
Which was good. The last thing she wanted from him was pity.
Despite the abuse she’d suffered, being around Reed again, even after all these years, made her want things she’d never thought she’d be able to want again. In fact, after the way she’d been treated, she’d come to believe she’d never feel attracted toward a man again.
She’d been wrong. Very wrong. Disgusted with herself, she ran her fingers through her ugly haircut and grimaced. All along in the back of her mind, she’d known her old crush on him might make her uncomfortable, but she’d thought she could deal with it. Right. What she hadn’t expected was this full-blown craving. Though she thought she’d been successful at hiding it, she trembled with the urge to get close to him every time they were in the same room.
She had to get past this. Her life was at stake after all. Since Reed had made it perfectly clear he didn’t feel the same way about her—how could he—she’d rely on him to keep her safe and help bring Alex to justice. Nothing more.
In fact, she wanted this over and done with so that she could move on to the next chapter of her life. So they both could.
Restless and unsettled inside her own body, she pushed through the kitchen door and headed down toward the barn. Dusk had settled on the landscape, though darkness had yet to envelope the farm. Nevertheless, a bright spotlight on the outside of the barn illuminated not only the yard, but the corrals. Reed stood inside a round pen, lifting a Western saddle up onto a beautiful gray horse.
A few feet away, she stopped. Her mouth went dry as she stood and watched, admiring the way the muscles in his arms worked while he hefted the bags. Again the desire, the raw urge, stunning her, shocking her. Once more, she managed to push it away.
He turned and faced her, dipping his chin in acknowledgment. “I got this gelding ready for you. He’s docile and well trained. You shouldn’t have any trouble with him.”
“Thank you.” Making her feet propel her forward, she took the reins. “Where’s your horse?”
“Inside the barn.” He held out his cupped hands for her to step into. “Let me give you a leg up.”
Just like that, her heart began hammering in her throat. She wasn’t sure she could bear his touch. As she stood staring at him, feeling foolish, she forced herself to move forward. Using his hands as a springboard, she jumped up into the saddle. Only when she’d gotten settled did Reed go and retrieve his own mount.
The sun felt warm, the horse’s gait smooth, and as they rode up a winding dirt road, Kaitlyn finally began to relax. She wished she could stop having the need to keep reminding herself she was safe here, and hated also the expectation that at any moment, she’d find out she wasn’t.
Maybe after she’d been free awhile she’d stop jumping at every shadow and her neck wouldn’t hurt from constantly looking over her shoulder.
This person she’d become, the woman Alex had turned her into, wasn’t who she wanted to be. But she wasn’t sure she even knew how to get back to her old self. Or even if she wanted to.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Reed rode up alongside her, sitting as easily on the saddle as if he’d been born on horseback.
Despite her sudden melancholy, she gave him her brightest smile. He had no need to know how damaged she’d become inside. “More than nice. This is exactly what I needed. I’d forgotten what it feels like to be this free.”
His expression changed, just a minuscule amount, but enough to remind her she’d again managed to bring her past in and ruin the moment. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, hating that she felt she had to apologize. “I’ve only been away a day. I’m trying to get used to the idea.”
“No need to be sorry.” Despite the kind words, Reed sounded grim. “Believe me, I remember how it feels. As if the sky is too big, too open, and you wonder if you could be crushed to death under the vastness of it all.”
Her heart leaped at his words. Of course he understood, and he didn’t appear to be ashamed to speak it out loud. “You’re exactly right.”
One quick jerk of his chin was his only response. As he spurred his horse into a jog, then a lope, he called back over his shoulder at her. “Come on, let’s ride.”
The afternoon passed much too quickly as far as she was concerned. They rode and rested, Reed taking time to point out various landmarks. She was glad the sky turned cloudy as she hadn’t thought to locate sunscreen.
“I think it’s time to head back toward the ranch,” Reed said.
Kaitlyn sighed. “Thank you again. I haven’t had such a nice afternoon in years.”
He barely glanced at her, his attention focused on the darkening sky. “We need to ride faster,” he said. “That storm out west is heading this way.”
When she looked where he’d pointed, she realized he was right. And now that he’d mentioned it, she could smell the hint of the coming rain on the breeze.
“Let’s go.” He slapped her horse on the rear before urging his own mount into a gallop.
Without looking she could feel the storm gaining on them. The wind picked up, carrying moisture. Thunder boomed, still off in the distance, but gaining.
Finally, they rode up a hill and she could see the ranch spread out below them. Her horse seemed winded, so she slowed the animal to a