Eleven

WALLFLOWERS DON’T LEAVE A WOMAN BEHIND

HEAT HIT MY BACK SOMETIME before dawn, and I relaxed into Bo’s chest. Arms like steel covered with warm flesh pulled me deeper into his body, then hands that had only known hard work began to bring me to life. I arched my back when a single finger brushed seductively over my warm heat, teasing, stoking a need in me until I shook, so I grabbed Bo’s hand to keep it where I needed it most.

Lacing his fingers with mine, Bo slipped them inside my panties and urged me without words to touch myself. Anxious to please him, I ran a finger through my wetness, then found my clit and rolled it, moaning as prickling sensations rocked my body. My panties disappeared moments later, then Bo lifted my leg as I kept working my clit. With a muffled groan, Bo slid inside me, burying himself completely in a single thrust. I almost came instantly from the beauty of it.

“Been waitin’ my whole life for this,” he breathed into my ear. “Been waitin’ my whole life for you,” he continued. “With you, I feel whole again. Like the past doesn’t matter,” he groaned, then turned my head and claimed my mouth. Our tongues danced frantically as he worked my body into a shuddering mass.

Moments later, light exploded behind my eyes, the colors swirling together as I ignited for him, and I called out his name into the inky darkness of our room.

Bo didn’t follow me into the sweet abyss; instead, he kept at me, ordering, “Say it again,” as he drove deeper inside me.

I gasped out, “Bo,” like he asked, but he grabbed my shoulders, anchoring himself deeper inside me, thrusting harder as he hissed. “Say it again, goddamnit.”

With each thrust, I was coming apart at the seams. I was on the precipice again, but Bo wouldn’t let me fall. I needed to release the building orgasm before I split in two, so I shouted, “Bo!” louder this time, hoping he’d finish me off.

With a frustrated growl, Bo jerked up, rolled me to my back without a word, and sank back inside me, caressing my walls with his cock agonizingly slowly. I was confused and frustrated to the point of screaming.

“Bo, please,” I cried out, bucking hard, trying to find relief as my eyes welled with tears.

“Not ‘til you say it again,” he hissed as I scored his back.

“I did!” I shouted.

“You said my name,” he whispered, laying his forehead against mine, “I want the other words.”

My breath caught in my throat at his tenderness, and I thought back to what I’d said. I began to shake with awareness. I hadn’t said his name before, I’d begged him to love me.

There was no turning back now. No shielding myself. I’d said it, and he wanted me to repeat it.

Reaching up, I cupped his face and brought his mouth to mine, begging once again like I had before. “Please love me.”

Bo’s eyes flashed with heat, and he drove in deep until he was buried to the hilt, vowing in a hoarse voice full of emotion, “Every fuckin’ day for the rest of your life,” before slamming his mouth over mine. What my parents had broken inside of me, after years of neglect, sealed shut with Bo’s uttered vow.

They say time heals what reason cannot, but I think the Bible said it best. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Or, simply put, love conquers all.

Time ceased to exist as we rolled around the bed, touching and tasting each other. Bo moved slowly this time, building the heat again until a thick sheen of sweat covered my body. We were both shaking with need when he thrust deeply one final time, igniting the ember to a white-hot flame. With no words spoken, love spilled between those sheets and healed us both, wrapping us in a cocoon that neither time nor space could weaken. For the first time in either of our lives, we were finally home.

Finally secure.

Finally loved for who we were.

 

 

I stared at my coffee mug, groggy from lack of sleep, but I didn’t mind. Today, I’d woken with a new sense of belonging. The feeling was foreign to me, but I wrapped it around me like a shield. For the first time since I was a child, I felt like I could take on the world and win, thanks to Bo.

Years of reading romance novels still hadn’t prepared me for a man like Bo. Fictional heroes seemed perfect, but with Bo, the perfection came with knowing that like me, he had a past that molded him to be the man he was. As Jolene had said, “They’re just words on a page. Real men come with baggage you gotta fix. Muscles that keep you safe. And hearts that beat only for you.”

I smiled when I thought back to the early morning hours and how much Bo’s heart beat for me.

“She’s lookin’ dreamy,” Poppy whispered to Cali.

Cali turned in her seat and studied Poppy, looking back to gauge my mood. “She looks like a woman who has found a man she can trust.”

Poppy looked back at me and took my measure. “No doubts?” she asked.

I shook my head slowly. “No doubts. Bo was the best decision I’ve made in my life. He makes me feel safe. Wanted. Needed in a way I’ve never felt.”

Poppy’s face melted into a mask of warmth, and her eyes began to glitter with moisture. “I’m so happy for you.”

I reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “You could have the same thing,” I whispered. “You just need to let down your wall around the man who holds your interest.”

Poppy pulled her hand back and grabbed her cup of coffee, acting as if she didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. “Someday,” she shrugged.

“Are you willin’ to risk Nate findin’ someone else?”

She’d wrapped her lips around her coffee cup and was taking a sip when I brought up Nate. She choked on the coffee, sputtering the brown liquid on the table.

“Nate?” she coughed, trying to clear her lungs. “Why on earth do you think I want Nate?”

“For goodness sake, Poppy. You don’t think we’re ninnies, do you?” Cali snapped.

“No one is callin’ you a ninny. I just don’t understand where you got the idea that I have a thing for Nate?”

“How about the fact that when he’s around, you watch him out of the corner of your eye. Or the fact that when he showed up at the ranch, you hightailed it like a jackrabbit into the barn.”

“I only had a T-shirt on. It wasn’t proper.”

“That didn’t stop you from walkin’ around in front of Bo and Devin,” I pointed out.

“They’re like brothers!” she exclaimed.

“And Nate’s not?” Cali smiled.

Poppy opened her mouth, then closed it. “Look, he’s . . . he’s, well, hot. Gorgeous. And way the hell out of my league. I’d only be courtin’ trouble if I set my sights on him. Maybe I watch him,” she shrugged, “but what woman wouldn’t? He’s—”

“—hot, we get it, you’ve said that already,” I interrupted.

“Well, surely you’ve noticed?”

I looked at Cali and shrugged. “I suppose he’s hot. But nothing compares to Bo.”

Cali nodded. “Nate has a certain appeal, I suppose, but Devin’s way hotter.”

Poppy snorted. “In the looks department, Nate wins hands down.”

I had her, and she didn’t even know it. “Yes, I’ve read when you love someone, you prefer them to all others. That even in the face of superior beauty, love blinds you to it.”

“Exactly,” Poppy agreed. “You don’t see his hotness because you’re blinded by love.”

Lord, she was hardheaded. “Ooor,” I drew out, “you don’t see we’re right because you’re blinded by love.”

Poppy blinked. “That’s not it,” she denied.

“Pitter-patter versus a stampeding mustang, Poppy. Which is it?” I asked, reminding her of what I’d said a few days before.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she began shaking her head rapidly. “No.”

“Yes,” Cali and I said in unison.

Bernice, Eunice, and Natasha walked into the diner, drawing our attention away from the matter at hand. It was just as well. Poppy looked like she needed a good half-day to chew on the information.

“We’re grabbin’ coffee to go, then headin’ over to check on old man Craig before we visit Boris at the hospital.”

“Old man Craig?” I questioned.

“The old man who lives on the property next door. The one the herd was on. We figured he might be unsettled by all the activity over at our place. He’s in his seventies now and doesn’t like surprises, seein’ as he’s got a bad ticker.”

“Didn’t the sheriff go over and talk to him?” Cali asked. “Seems like that would be a likely place to start, since the fence was taken down between the two properties.”

“No idea,” Natasha shrugged. “And it doesn’t matter. We’re his neighbors, and he’s an old man. It’s our duty to make sure he’s okay.”

And he might have information about Boris and Natasha that could help Bo.

“We could go for you,” I blurted out. “There’s no need for you to drive all that way when I know you’d rather be at the hospital. We could pick up a Bundt cake at the store and take it with us as a peace offerin’.”

Natasha blinked, then smiled. “That would sure be a help,” she said, digging in her purse. “He likes lemon poppy seed. I’ll just give you some money and you can say it was from me and Boris.”

I held up my hand to stop her. “I’ve got it covered. It’s the least we can do. If you’d like us to run any more errands for you, just ask. The guys are gonna be tied up all day investigatin’, so we’ve got a ton of time on our hands.”

“All right,” Natasha beamed. “You three sure are a godsend. I don’t know where Boris and I would be if you hadn’t been here when he got sick.”

I shuddered thinking about it. Probably burned to a crisp in their beds.

“Be safe,” Bernice said as they turned to leave.

I grinned. “Bo told you to keep remindin’ me of that, didn’t he?”

“If a man’s any man at all, his first priority is always the safety of the ones he loves,” Eunice threw out.

Bernice turned and looked at her. “Did Odis Lee teach you that?”

Eunice rolled her eyes, then turned and headed for the door.

“She’s an ‘Unapologetic Bitch’ when it comes to that old coot.”

Cali gasped, “Bernie, you gotta give him One More Chance,” referring to Odis Lee’s years of spying on their family for her grandfather. He’d finally manned up when he saw it would hurt Cali, who was like a daughter to him.

Bernice beamed at Cali for using a Madonna song title. “Gotta say, I love havin’ you back like this, butterbean. Love has helped you Open Your Heart to the world around you.”

Cali’s smile softened. “I’m an Armstrong. We can rise above anything.”

Bernice’s eyes welled, and she cleared her throat, mumbling, “And don’t you forget it.”

“Never,” Cali laughed, “You’d never let me.”

“Bernie!” Eunice shouted from the door. “Get the lead out, sister. Boris is waitin’.”

“Tell him we’ll be by later to visit, and we’ll sneak him in a piece of pie,” I said.

We waved the aunts and Natasha off, then headed for the nearest grocery store to find a lemon poppy seed cake.

Cake in hand, we headed out of town. The drive to old man Craig’s place took twenty minutes. When we pulled in, we were met by an old goat that was chewing on grass. His face reminded me of an old man, and I wondered if that was why the cranky old man had chosen him for a pet.

I looked toward the house and found the gentleman in question sitting on his front porch, rocking slowly as residual wind from the storm the night before whipped around us.

The difference between the two ranches was glaring. Boris and Natasha had state-of-the-art everything, right down to the spacious barn and outbuildings. Old man Craig’s home was small, weathered, and broken down by life. It didn’t look like anyone had run a coat of paint over the clapboard house in years. And the roof had seen better days. I was angry just looking at the place. If he had family, they were obviously ignoring him to the point of neglect.

I waved and called out, “Hello,” but he just kept on rocking.

The girls shrugged at me, so we slammed the car doors and headed for the front porch.

Old man Craig eyed us suspiciously as we approached, so I put on my warmest smile. “Mr. Craig?”

“Who’s askin’?”

“Well, I’m Sienna Miller, and these are my friends, Poppy Gentry, and Cali Armstrong. We’re friends of Boris and Natasha.”

He locked onto the lemon poppy seed cake Cali was holding and jerked his head toward it. “Is that for me?”

Cali looked down at the cake, then held it out to him. “Yes, sir. We came by to check on you. To make sure you’re doin’ okay after the storm, and to see if all the ruckus goin’ on next door was botherin’ you.”

His eyes narrowed. “What ruckus?”

“Didn’t the sheriff come by and speak to you?”

He leaned over and spit what looked like tobacco into the dirt yard, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. My stomach lurched a bit, but I held my smile. I needed to gain his trust so I could ask him questions.

“Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. I’m old. Sleep a lot, you know. He could have come by, and I didn’t hear him. So why don’t you tell me what’s goin’ on instead.”

Cali looked at me for direction. I looked at Poppy. We weren’t investigators, but I’d read enough romantic suspense to know that when talkin’ to a witness, you have to hold your cards close to your vest. I mean, I doubted this old man had anything to do with what was happening to Boris and Natasha, and he couldn’t possibly have killed Clint Black, but I’m pretty sure Sheriff Moore would be pissed if we said too much.

“Well?” he asked angrily, snatching the cake from Cali’s hand.

I took a deep breath and went for it. “Mr. Craig, the Winkles’ house burnt down under mysterious circumstances, and then a section of the fence between your two properties came down, allowing their herd to escape. We recovered them, but evidence suggests foul play. The police think someone is purposely tryin’ to hurt the Winkles.”

I left out the fact Clint had been murdered. He was old and didn’t need to be unnecessarily frightened.

Craig didn’t even blink when I told him what happened.

“Why does the sheriff want to talk to me? I can barely walk from the bathroom to my bed without usin’ a walker.”

I looked at the girls to see if they found his lack of surprise concerning. They looked at me and smiled.

Guess not.

“Well,” I started, then looked around his property. Nothing had been done in years. There was no way he could be involved. He didn’t have the strength. “Mr. Craig, has anyone ever come around here asking for access to survey the land? Maybe a man about medium height with tattoos on his arm?”

Recognition registered on his face, and he looked at the three of us, slowly taking each of us in. “I’ve never seen you three before. Are you from town?”

The sharp turn in the conversation surprised me.

“No, we’re from Savannah. We came for the week as guests of the dude ranch.”

“Women came all the way out here on their own just to ride horses?”

That seemed rather sexist to me, and Poppy appeared offended as well, because she bit out, “Why can’t women go to a dude ranch on their own? We can do anything men can do.”

“Settle down,” he snapped. “You young folk are always goin’ off half-cocked. It’ll get you in trouble one day.”

This was getting us nowhere. “Mr. Craig, did you see the gentleman who came around to do the survey?” I asked again.

He hesitated a moment, then nodded. “About a month ago. Asked if he could have access.”

“Do you know where?”

“You mean specifically?”

I nodded with excitement. This might be the break we were looking for.

He rose slowly, shuffling his feet, and all three of us rushed to his aid until he was standing firmly in place.

He turned and pointed up the hill. “Over that ridge is a cave. He went in there several times. It sits on the property line, mind you, so most of the cave is on the Winkle side.”

“Have you ever been in it?”

He shook his head. “Bad legs. Got shot in the spine during the war. It was before I bought the place. Black called it a veritable gold mine once. That he thinks Civil War soldiers must have camped out in there. Said he found some buttons. He gave me a couple hundred bucks for them and asked if he could come back. But he never did. I was hopin’ he was right about the Civil War stuff. I could have used the extra money.”

I stretched my neck and rose to my tiptoes, trying to see the opening.

“You’re welcome to go up and look inside. Black said it’s not full of bugs. Smooth walls and dry. Cool, too. Said it felt like there was air conditionin’ inside.”

I looked at the girls. “Should we?”

“Does this fall under ‘Be safe?’” Cali asked.

I smiled. “Probably not. But Mr. Craig here knows where we are, so what could happen?”

“I won’t say famous last words,” Poppy chuckled.

“We can call it into the guys if you’d rather wait?” I said.

“No, it’s fine. It’s not like we’re gonna go inside, right?”

“Right,” I said, shrugging. “No flashlights.”

“I’ve got a bunch in the livin’ room if you want to look inside. Could be more Civil War stuff in there, and I could sure use the money.”

How could I say no to that?

“Um, sure. I can look if you want.”

Poppy gave me a look, then headed inside and found a flashlight.

“Ready,” she said as she came out.

I put my hand under Mr. Craig’s arm and helped him back to his rocking chair. “Do you want a piece of the lemon cake before we go?”

“I’ll save it for later,” he smiled, patting his stomach. “Just had breakfast.”

“Okay. We’ll be back in a jiffy,” I said.

“Take your time. Might miss somethin’ valuable inside.”

I nodded and stepped off his porch. Poppy and Cali followed me, and we didn’t say a word until we were out of earshot.

“You’re not really goin’ inside, are you?” Cali asked.

“I’ll shine the light inside. If I see anything, I’ll get it. But not unless the crown jewels are involved.”

“Then why did you say the only reason you couldn’t go inside is ‘cause you had no flashlight?”

“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to appear chicken.”

“Chicken is good. Chicken keeps you alive and spider free. And snake free!” Poppy cringed, shuddering in disgust.

“Good point,” I agreed, shuddering in solidarity.

We made it to the top of the rise, then scanned the outcropping of sharp, jagged rock for anything that looked like a cave.

“Do you see it?” I asked hopefully.

Cali shook her head at me, slightly annoyed. “Maybe it’s further up? Let’s give it a few more feet, then head back.”

We hiked up the rocky rise, sliding on stones, holding on to each other to keep from falling, and we still didn’t see the cave.

“Maybe he’s confused about the location. Let’s go back and call the guys. They can look for it,” I finally said.

We started to turn when a sharp sound echoed across the muggy air.

“Did you hear that?”

We stood stock-still and listened. The sound of metal hitting something solid grew louder.

“Okay, I’m officially spooked. Can we go back?” Poppy asked in a strained voice.

I nodded empathically and turned to head down the hill. Whatever that noise was, it was definitely man-made. And considering Mr. Craig lived alone, that could only mean one thing. Someone was on his property without his knowledge.

We made it five feet before movement caught my eye. A woman I recognized immediately stepped out from behind a bush about ten feet away, startling us. She was holding a gun with a phone plastered to her ear. If I’d been the damsel in distress type of woman, this would have been the moment I swooned from fright.

“Got them. We’ll take care of it.”

Red, the woman I’d danced with the night before, hung up the phone and slipped it into her back pocket. Then she leered at me and winked. “You should have taken me up on my offer, gorgeous,” she called out. “Now I have to kill you.”

“Oh, shit!” Poppy gasped.

“Devin’s sixth sense better kick in quickly,” Cali whispered.

“Maybe I can flirt my way out of this,” I offered.

They both looked at me in disbelief.

“What?”

Red strode the ten feet separating us and stopped in front of me. “How’d you figure it out?”

“Um,” I mumbled. Figure out what, exactly? “We looked at the geological survey,” I lied, stalling for time.

She narrowed her eyes. “Black said you couldn’t see it on the map.”

See what?

“He must have lied.”

“Who else knows about the gold?”

Gold? I glanced at Cali. She had her best poker face on. Devin really was rubbing off on her.

“Answer me,” Red bit out.

Here goes nothing. “The sheriff, Bo, Devin, Nate, Natasha, and Boris. We figured it out last night. We just didn’t know who was involved. They’re headed here now. We came ahead to check on Mr. Craig to make sure he was okay.”

Red’s mouth pulled into a sneer, and icy fingers of fear ran down my spine. Something told me I’d said the wrong thing.

“Then I have nothin’ to lose,” Red stated cryptically. She grabbed my neck and pulled me to her mouth for a quick, hard kiss, then shoved me back.

“We’re goin’ for a little walk. Since they don’t know who’s involved, we’ll keep it that way.”

I closed my eyes. I was so stupid.

“I’m T.S.T.L.”

“We all are,” Cali replied, grabbing my hand. “From now on, I’m listenin’ to Devin.”

“Works for me. Books and more books,” I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.

“To Live or Die,” Poppy whispered.

I turned my head. “What?”

“Let’s go,” Red growled, shoving Cali first.

“Don’t touch her!” I shouted.

“To Live or Die,” Poppy ground out.

It hit me slowly what she was saying. She was referencing a romantic suspense book where two friends were held at gunpoint, and one of the friends rushed the bad guy so the other could escape. It didn’t end well. The hero’s friend died.

“NO!”

Red put her hand on my chest and shoved, ordering, “Get a move on.”

Poppy lunged then. She went for the hand holding the gun and screamed, “Run!”

I leapt for Red’s waist and tried to take her to the ground. “Wallflowers don’t leave a woman behind,” I grunted.

Cali joined in the fray, jumping on Red’s back, and the weight of the three of us took her to the ground. The gun went off on impact, and I froze. I looked down with trepidation and saw bright crimson blooming freely across a chest.

“Poppy!”

“What?”

“You’ve been shot!”

“No, I haven’t.” Looking down at Red, I pushed her off the top of Poppy, rolling her to her back, and snatched the gun from her hand, throwing it behind us. Blood spread across her chest at an alarming rate, and an eerie gurgling noise bubbled up from her throat.

Pressing my hand on the gaping hole in her chest, I shouted, “Call 911!”

Cali started to pull her phone from her pocket, but an angry voice bit out, “Nobody move,” stopping her.

We spun around to find the bodybuilder woman from last night holding the gun I’d just tossed away. My eyes closed while I berated myself. In the confusion and fear, I’d forgotten about the metallic hammering we’d heard. I should have known Red wasn’t working alone. She’d popped out from behind a bush, away from the noise.

“We need to call for an ambulance,” I snapped. “She’ll die without help.”

As if Red was following a script on how to die theatrically, she drew a rattled breath one last time, grabbed the front of my shirt, spasmed suddenly, and closed her eyes.

Her chest never rose again.

“That’s unfortunate,” Bodybuilder Lady said. “Jennifer was a good friend.”

I looked down at Red. She didn’t look like a Jennifer. Jennifers were perky and friendly, not villainous killers.

“Get up and grab her arms. We need to hide the body.”

“This is ridiculous. Our men will be looking for us by now, and my aunts know we came here. You won’t get away with this.”

“Jennifer’s granddad will convince them you never made it here.”

“Mr. Craig?” I gasped.

She looked at me and grinned. “Convincin’, isn’t he?”

I’d say.

I looked at the girls. Poppy was covered in Red’s blood, and the color had drained from Cali’s face, her eyes widened in pure panic. Icy claws of fear shuddered down my spine.

We might not make it out of this.

I turned to the woman and tried to reason, “Look . . . What’s your name by the way?”

She studied me for a moment, scanning me from head to toe, then shrugged and said, “Alice.”

Alice. Appropriate, since I felt like we’d fallen down a rabbit hole.

“Look, Alice. Right now, you haven’t done anything. Jennifer is the one who held us at gunpoint and threatened to kill us. So why don’t you let us go, and we’ll leave your name out of the whole thing.” My voice shook as I spoke.

Alice shook her head slowly and raised the gun higher. “I killed Black. So you see, I’m in this up to my neck.” What hope I might have had fled like a mouse chased by a cat. “So grab her arms and get movin’.”

Poppy crossed her arms. “And if we refuse?”

Alice turned her gun on me and pointed it at my forehead, pulling back the hammer.

Poppy moved quickly, followed by Cali, while I tried unsuccessfully to keep calm. They both grabbed one of Jennifer’s arms and then looked at Alice.

“Up the hill about ten feet, then turn toward the fence line.”

If I was going to die, I wanted to know why.

“Jennifer said something about gold,” I said in a long, shuddering breath.

Alice motioned up the hill to Poppy and Cali with her free hand, but kept her gun trained on me. “Jennifer and Black found the entrance while he was doing a survey. He could see somethin’ in the images he took, and they investigated. There’s a cave with an opening on this side of the property, but the gold sits on the Winkles’ side. Jennifer knew he would tell them, so she made a deal with him. Keep quiet, and she’d cut him in. Then the old man had a heart attack, and Black got the idea that in his condition, he wouldn’t be able to keep the ranch runnin’. He decided to make sure the Winkles came to that same conclusion. He burned down the house and set the cattle free without consulting us. I wouldn’t even have known he was over there workin’ if I hadn’t seen him leave. When I confronted him about what he was doin’ over there, he admitted what he’d done.”

“So you killed him?”

She shrugged. “He became a liability. We knew people would start diggin’ into what had happened, like you ladies did at the weddin’. We had to get rid of him before he lost his nerve and talked.”

Just like Poppy, Cali, and me.

I swallowed hard, praying Bo had figured out we were missing.

 

 

“Got him,” Bo growled. “Clinton Theodore Black.” Devin and Nate moved behind him and looked over his shoulder at the screen. It had taken them most of the night and into the morning before they’d hacked Shelton Geological.

“Pay dirt,” Devin mumbled. “Now all we need are his accomplices.”

“I’ll call Moore and let him know,” Bo said, grabbing his phone.

Devin reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, swiping ‘Call Calla.’

When it went to voicemail, a trickle of caution tumbled through his brain. Scowling at the phone, he hit redial. He got the same response. Searching through his contact list until he found Bernice’s number, he hit ‘Dial.’

“Hey handsome,” Bernice said.

“Is Calla with you?”

“Nope. She’s runnin’ an errand for Natasha.”

“Where?”

“Old man Craig’s house. She took him a lemon poppy seed cake.”

That news settled in his gut, and it rolled around like a lead weight.

“Thanks,” he bit out, then ended the call. “We need to get to Craig’s house. Calla and the girls went over there for Natasha, and Calla’s not answerin’ her phone.”

“I’ll call Sienna,” Bo responded, pulling out his phone. He found her number as all three men started heading for the door. It went to voicemail as well. “Nothin’. We should have locked them up in the jail,” Bo growled.

“They’re probably shoppin’,” Nate supplied casually, but Bo heard a note of apprehension in his voice.

They moved with urgency and piled into Bo’s truck. “Anyone got Poppy’s number?” Bo asked, looking at Nate. Devin turned and looked at him as well.

Nate pulled his phone out and hit ‘Call Poppy,’ mumbling, “Calla gave it to me last night. I forgot I had it.”

For the first time since he’d called Calla and got no answer, Devin grinned.

“She’s not answerin’,” Nate growled. “Floor it.”

“Now you’re worried,” Devin muttered as Bo punched the accelerator.

Nate glared at Devin. “I’m not as apt to overreact as you two are.”

“You think we’re overreactin’?”

Nate’s jaw tightened. “No. They find trouble without tryin’.”

The twenty-minute drive to Craig’s home served to tighten the mood in the cab. By the time they pulled in front of the old man’s house, you could cut the tension with a knife.

Bo scanned the yard looking for Poppy’s car. It was filled with rusted equipment that had seen better days and an old goat tethered to a chain. Poppy’s car was nowhere to be seen.

An old man was sitting in a chair, gently rocking the day away. Bo approached him.

“Mr. Craig?” Bo asked.

“Who’s askin’?”

Bo stuck out his hand. “I’m Bo Strawn.”

Craig stared at his outstretched offer, then rose his own shaking hand to grasp Bo’s.

“What can I do for you?”

“We’re lookin’ for three women. They were supposed to come by here. Have you seen them?”

Craig’s eyes darted to Devin and Nate. “I think I would remember three beautiful women stoppin’ by.”

“So you haven’t seen them?” Devin asked.

“Nope. Just me and Bob.”

“Bob?” Nate asked.

“My goat,” Craig answered, pointing in the direction of the tethered goat.

Devin glanced around the porch, then through the window looking into the dining room. Something yellow caught his eye. On an old wooden table sat a yellow Bundt cake, and a piece was missing.

Turning to Bo, he said casually, “They’re probably next door playin’ with the pigs. I’m sure they’re fine. They never get in trouble.”

Bo’s eyes shot to his, and he nodded. “Sorry to bother you,” Bo said between clenched teeth, then turned swiftly and headed down the stairs. All three men folded into the truck before Devin spoke.

“Bernice said they were bringin’ lemon cake over when they checked on the man. There was a new one sittin’ on the table inside. I saw it through the window. He’s lyin’.”

“If he’s lyin’, then they’re in trouble,” Bo growled. “We need to come in from Bullwinkle Ranch and search his land. Whatever’s goin’ on, Craig’s clearly involved, and they must have stumbled across it. I’d bet my life they never left here.”

Fear coursed through Bo’s body and squeezed, constricting his lungs.

Hold on, baby. I’m coming.

“I’ll call Moore,” Devin stated, pulling out his phone. The call went directly to voicemail. “You got your gun?” Devin ground out. “Moore’s not pickin’ up.”

Bo nodded. “Since Moore’s tied up, we’ll go in hard on horseback,” he stated flatly, controlled. “And when we find whoever’s holdin’ them, I’m not a cop. Do what you need to do.”

Devin looked at him. “Extreme prejudice?”

“Yeah,” Bo returned, then punched the accelerator.