Alec watched Justin out of the corner of his eye. They were on a private jet Justin had chartered as soon as the private detectives had called to report they’d found Laura. It had been crap luck that Justin was with Alec when the PIs called and he’d picked up on the fact that they’d tracked down Laura. Well, no, not crap luck. Justin had been haunting Alec almost day and night on his new quest to find Laura and liberate her, to tell her she was free to raise the baby without any interference from his mother.

Alec had tried to convince Justin that Alec should go get her alone, but Justin couldn’t be dissuaded.

Justin sipped bourbon on the rocks as the jet carried them to some small Texas town with a landing strip in the Hill Country. Mark and Paul were staked out watching the ranch to be sure Laura didn’t slip away before Justin and Alec arrived. Alec knew he’d need to find a way to convince Justin to let him talk to Laura alone first. Then, he needed to find a way to keep her quiet for good without anyone being the wiser about his true motives. He didn’t have a clue how he’d do either of those things, but he’d come up with a way. He hadn’t gotten where he was in life without being damned resourceful.

The attendant stepped into the cabin. “Gentlemen, we’ll be landing shortly. Can I get you anything else before we arrive?” she asked, her smile polite and solicitous.

“No, thank you,” Alec said. When she left the cabin, he turned to Justin. “It’s an hours’ drive from the private airport to Evers. I’ve got a car waiting for us.”

Justin only nodded as he drained the rest of his drink and then sat back and closed his eyes. He was just as quiet on the drive to Evers, but as soon as they met up with the private investigators, it was clear Justin intended to take over the show. He grilled the investigators about what they’d seen, who Laura was with, where she was. The group stood down the road from the ranch that sheltered Laura, and Justin was ready to drive right up her driveway and try to talk to her. Alec had only minutes to try to see Laura alone so he could get what he needed and take care of her.

“Listen, Justin, I think it might be better for you to let me go in first. If she sees you, she might just think you’re here to take your mother’s side in this, or worse yet, that you might hit her like Patrick did.” Alec knew he’d hit a weak spot with that suggestion. Justin visibly winced at the mention of Patrick hitting Laura, so Alec took advantage and pushed on. “We don’t want to frighten her into running again. If I go in alone, maybe I can let her know you’re here to help, that you know what happened with Patrick, and you want to make sure your mom can’t hurt her. She’s less likely to be frightened by me.”

Justin looked from Alec to the ranch and back again. “All right. I’ll hang back and let you go in first.”

“Good. Mark, Paul, you guys drive us up to the bottom of the driveway and then wait there. I’ll walk up and see her then wave to you guys when she’s ready to see you, Justin. If she does run, be prepared to trail her.” He leveled a look at Mark that he hoped he would interpret correctly since Alec couldn’t be as blunt as he’d like to be with Justin listening in. “Don’t lose her.”

* * *

Cade slowed Cayenne’s Pride to a walk. He rode the fence line along the western edge of their property helping José check for spots that might need repair. It was something he did from time to time to help their friend and just to get out on his horse more often. Cayenne’s rehab was going so well Cade was having a hard time holding him back, making sure he didn’t hurt himself in his eagerness to run again. But this week he’d started letting the horse run, and it felt great to be out on the powerful creature’s back as he worked.

The landscape on the ranch never ceased to calm him, and after Laura’s decision to end what had barely begun between them, he needed something to settle him. But this wasn’t settling him in the least today. In fact, the further away from the barn and house he rode, the tenser he became. Something wasn’t sitting right for him today and the urge to turn back toward Laura, to stay close to her, seemed ever-present.

Cade’s phone rang—the ringtone indicated Shane was calling him. He dropped the reins over the horn of his saddle and let Cayenne amble at a slower pace.

“Hey, Shane, what’s up?”

“Are you with Laura?” Shane asked without saying hello.

The hair on Cade’s neck stood up and he turned Cayenne back toward the barn. “No. I’m riding the fence line. She’s at the barn.”

“It’s probably nothing, but I just saw Tina and Gina. Two men were asking about Doc in the diner yesterday. They said they were old friends of his who wanted to visit, but the girls pretended not to know who he was. The guys said they were leaving town, on their way to Austin, so they could already be gone, but I just thought you should stick closer to her for a few days to be safe.”

Cade grunted a response and disconnected the call before urging Cayenne into a gallop. He prayed he wasn’t pushing the horse too hard, too fast, but he needed to get back to Laura. He shouldn’t have ignored the feelings of unease he’d had since yesterday. Even if Laura didn’t want to be with him, he had to be close enough to watch her and make sure no one came onto the property without him knowing about it. He should have done what he’d promised and taken care of her, watched over her. If he’d just screwed up and put Laura at risk he’d never forgive himself. He lowered himself over Cayenne’s neck and urged the horse toward home.