Holiday Hideout. Lynette Eason
at the weapons. “I’m sure you noticed the wall in the little apartment.”
At her nod, he said, “Those were Dad’s, too. I guess one day, I’ll take them down and store them, but for now …” He shrugged.
Her sympathetic look said she understood. For a moment he just stood there, staring at her, taking in her beauty, unable to look away.
“Hi, Uncle Cal.” The little girl’s voice grabbed his attention and he swung around to see his mother standing in the door of the barn holding Tiffany’s mittened hand.
He smiled. “Well, hey there, kitten.”
“I’m not a kitty,” Tiffany protested with a giggle. “Who’s her?” She pointed to Abby.
Abby smiled and stepped forward. “I’m Abby.”
“I’m Tiffany,” the little girl said. Cal shook his head. That kid would talk to anyone. It was kind of scary in this day and age. Tiffany let go of his mother’s hand and walked to Snickers. “I wanna ride him.”
His mother laughed. “Not today. And not him. He’s too big for you.”
Tiffany planted tiny fists on her hips. “I’m big, too.”
Cal squatted to look her in the eye. “Give me some time and I’ll take you on a ride soon, I promise. If you can do that, I’ll let you feed Snickers another apple.”
She screwed up her nose and squinted at him. Then shrugged. “Okay.” She held out her hand.
Cal gave her the apple and helped her feed the delighted horse.
He heard his mother ask Abby, “How are you feeling, dear?”
“I’m better. A little weak, but that’s to be expected. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me.” Then she grimaced. “Speaking of feeling a little weak, I think I’d better go lie back down.”
Immediately, Cal went to her and grasped her hands. “What’s wrong? What hurts?”
He saw the surprise in her eyes—and a new warmth as she looked at him. “I’m all right, really. Just still trying to recover. A couple hours of sleep and I’ll feel like a new person.”
Relieved, Cal nodded. “All right. Come on, I’ll walk you back to the apartment.”
“And I’ll just take Tiffany back to the house,” his mother said. “She was antsy and needed a little outing. I thought the barn might be a good place to start.” The barn sat about midway between Fiona’s and his mother’s houses.
Cal flushed as he realized he’d forgotten all about his mother and Tiffany. His mother’s knowing look deepened the red he was sure was prominent on his cheeks.
As his mother led Tiffany back toward her house, Cal and Abby walked the gravel path back to Fiona’s. She asked him, “How many acres do you have?”
“About three thousand.”
“Wow!”
He smiled. “I know. It’s a lot of land for this little town. But we all pitch in to take care of it.”
“That’s nice that you all live near each other and get along.” Her soft voice held that wistful sadness he’d seen in her eyes earlier that made him wonder about her family and what kind of situation she was running from.
Before he could ask, hoofbeats sounded behind him. He turned to see Zane Dodson gallop up. Reining in the mare, the man tipped his cowboy hat to Abby, but focused his attention on Cal. “We got a fence down in the northwest quadrant. Fortunately, we’d already moved the horses, so we’re good in that area. Just need to fix the fence and find the yahoo who cut it. I’ve got Donny and Mike up there working on it right now. But you might want to come check it out.” The look in the man’s eyes made Cal’s nerves sit up and take notice. Only one kind of downed fence would put that expression on Zane’s face.
“You sure it was cut?”
“Yep.”
“Be right there.” Cal looked at Abby. “This is Zane, my right-hand man on the ranch. Zane, this is Abby, a guest here.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” He was polite, but Cal could tell he was itching to get back to the fence.
“Where are the rest of the horses?”
“I’ve got ‘em corralled over in the south pasture.”
“We missing any?” That would be a problem.
“Nope.”
Relieved, Cal nodded. “Can you ask Jesse to saddle up Snickers for me?”
“You bet.” Zane galloped off toward the barn and Cal placed a hand on Abby’s back. “I’ll just see you back to the apartment, then go see what’s going on.”
“I’ll be fine,” Abby reassured him. “That sounds urgent. Go ahead.”
Cal looked to the barn, then back to Abby. It wouldn’t take Jesse long to have the horse ready. “All right, if you’re sure.”
She smiled, her eyes kind, encouraging him to go. “I’m sure.”
“I’ll see you in a little bit.”
He took off, worried what the cut fence might mean. Trespasser? Or possible horse thief? It didn’t happen often in Rose Mountain, and he was going to do his best to make sure it didn’t happen to the horses he was responsible for.
To be on the safe side, he’d stop by his house and grab his rifle.
* * *
Abby entered the apartment and went straight for the bed. She was still weak and the long walk after being so sick probably hadn’t been the best idea. But she’d felt smothered, claustrophobic in the small bedroom and getting out had been the best medicine she could have prescribed.
Her mind went to Cal McIvers. A tall man, compassionate, welcoming. Gorgeous blue eyes and a smile to die for.
And a cop.
She swallowed a sigh and rolled to her side as she felt sleep come over her. Thoughts of Cal would have to wait. Her body needed healing.
The baby’s wail brought her upright in the bed with a gasp. She blinked and rubbed her eyes.
How long had she been asleep?
A quick glance at the clock showed she’d rested for a little over an hour. Sitting still in the middle of the bed, she listened, ears straining.
Had she been dreaming?
And yet there it was again. The faint sound of a baby’s cry.
Had Fiona had her baby early?
By herself?
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Abby stilled her panicked thoughts and found her boots. Pulling them on, she paused when she heard a horse’s whinny outside her window.
Had Cal come back? Her heart thudded at the thought of seeing him again and she took a deep breath. The man had definitely made an impression on her. He had her interest for sure. Was it because he was incredibly good-looking or the fact that he’d caught her when she passed out? Or because he was one of a dying breed? A man who took care of his family and had compassion for strangers?
Or was it that when she was with him, she didn’t think about the trouble she had on her tail?
All of the above, probably.
She walked to the door and pulled it open. Another wail rent the air and Abby felt her knees lock. Grief pierced her and she almost doubled over to stop the pain. Every time she heard a baby cry, it felt like sandpaper scraping across her heart.
A gust of cold wind buffeted her and she shivered even though she still had on the warm wool sweater from earlier.