Her Cowboy Savior (The Winchester Cowboys Series Book 2), page 9
“Sounds perfect.” He withdrew his hand, and her cheek tingled from his touch.
With Aria lying happily in her bouncer, Haley returned to the kitchen.
When she walked back into the living room ten minutes later, she said, “Let’s go down to the barn. I’d like to pet Old Ben again.”
Carson grinned. “That guy’s going to get spoiled. He’ll love getting the extra feed.” He parked the stroller out of the way. “It’s a deal. We’ll go see Ben after dinner.”
Carson’s phone rang. “It’s Officer Danbury.” Carson answered, then said, “Let me hand the phone to Haley.”
Heart pounding, she put the phone to her ear. “This is Haley.”
“A ranger from the Houston office checked out your house, Haley, and I have bad news. It’s been ransacked. It didn’t look like a normal burglary, either. It appeared that someone was looking for a specific item and didn’t find it. The place was pretty torn up.” He paused. “Did you take anything with you from your company other than the paperwork you talked about?”
“Not that I know of—but, like I said, I don’t remember what happened. All I’ve found are the papers.”
“It appears that whoever went through your place was a professional. They were pretty thorough. It’s obvious that they think you have something important, and they want it. I don’t think they’re going to give up.”
Her knees grew weak, but she was standing in the middle of the room with nothing to grab onto. “Carson?” She could barely make her shaky voice heard.
He rushed to her and wrapped her in his arms. “It’s okay, honey.”
Unaware of her distress, the ranger went on, “Officer Cowan’s asking the neighbors if they saw anything unusual at your house in the last couple of weeks. I’ll let you know if he comes up with anything tomorrow when I see you.”
“Thanks, Officer Danbury. There’s something else. Was Officer Cowan able to determine if I lived with anyone? Was I married or living with a man, or did I live alone?”
“Sorry, I forgot to mention that. Cowan said that it looked like it was only you living there. The closets only held female clothing, and there were no wedding photos or pictures of you with anyone who looked like a partner.”
“Oh, thank God.” She let out a long breath. She’d come to care so much for Carson now. The thought of some stranger being her husband made her sick to her stomach.
When the call ended, Carson said, “What’s happened?” He guided her to the couch and sat down beside her.
Pulse still beating loud in her ears, she told him everything the ranger had said.
“Damn!” Carson said. “I know you don’t have any control over it, but I sure wish your memory would come back. We need to know more about this.” He took a breath. “But at least we know that you weren’t running from an abusive husband. At least, not one living with you.”
“But who’s Aria’s father?” Tears leaked from her eyes, and she put her face in her hands as frustration overwhelmed her.
He slid his arm around her shoulders. “We’ll figure this out, even if you can’t remember, honey. Why don’t we do a public records search to see if you’ve ever been married, okay?”
She nodded, then moaned softly.
“Are you all right, Haley?”
“It’s my head. It’s splitting in two.”
He rose and helped her to stand. “You’re going to bed. I’ll get the ice packs and a glass of water. It’s time for your medicine again, and you need to relax where it’s dark and quiet. I’ll put Aria in with Mom while you head into bed.”
Feeling lightheaded and nauseous, she made her way to the bedroom. After putting on a sleepshirt, she climbed under the covers and closed her eyes. She could feel her head pounding all the way down to her toes.
Carson came in. “Where’s your medicine, honey?”
“In my top drawer.”
He brought back the two pills and helped her lift her head while she took them. Then he positioned the ice packs under and on top of her head. “Now, you just relax and concentrate on feeling better. I’ll take care of Aria for as long as it takes.”
“Thanks, Carson. This feels better already.”
He leaned down and kissed her temple. “You’re safe here, honey. Try not to worry. Sleep now.” He brought her fingers to his lips and smiled down at her.
She realized that he’d called her “honey” again, but the pounding in her head made it impossible to say anything more.
He brushed her hair back from her face. “Haley, just so you know, we’re heavily armed. We have shotguns, high-powered rifles, and handguns here. We can defend you.”
She whispered, “Thank you, Carson.” God, she didn’t want it to come to that. She didn’t want these sweet people in a gun battle over her. “Would you lie down with me for a little while?”
“Of course.” He went around to the other side of the bed and lay down. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist and scooted up against her. “How’s this?”
“Perfect,” she said softly and closed her eyes.
Her fear slowly subsided as he lay there beside her. She wasn’t alone anymore. She was with this strong, amazing man and his family now, and anyone searching for her would have to go through them.
Chapter Nine
Carson held Haley as her breathing became regular and then slowed with slumber. Still shaken by the news that her house had been ransacked, he feared what might happen next. He wasn’t sure what resources were available through an organized crime connection, but he was sure they would be many.
He eased out of bed and quietly shut the door behind him. His dad had finished working for the day and was relaxing in his recliner. “Is Mom fixing dinner?”
“Yeah, and she has Aria in there with her. I offered to take her, but your mom said the baby’s happy in her new little bouncer.”
Carson sat down in the other recliner. “Dad, we heard back from the ranger. Haley’s house had been broken into and ransacked.” He gave him all the details and told him of his fears for Haley. “Haley’s scared, but I told her that we’re well armed and that we’ll protect her.”
“That we will. If they come here, we’ll call the law, but they’ll have to go through us before the law gets here.”
Carson got up and clasped his dad’s shoulder. “They sure will. Thanks, Dad. I just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
As he headed for the kitchen, the front door opened, and Landon walked into the house. He’d been gone since the day before on a rock-climbing trip. Something that he’d been doing since his college days. Carson heard his dad telling him about the Ranger’s call and smiled. Knowing that his family had his back was an amazing feeling.
His mom looked up and smiled as he walked into the kitchen. “You here to help or hinder?”
He laughed. “Help, of course.”
“Good. You can make the salad. You know what goes into one, so get to chopping.”
Still grinning, he shook his head and opened the fridge, taking out carrots, a bell pepper, and some tomatoes. That would do for starters.
As he grated the carrots, he told his mom about the call from the ranger.
“I can’t believe it. Poor Haley. She must be scared to death,” she said.
“She is. I lay down with her until she fell asleep. She was anxious—and with good reason. I’m worried these people will somehow find her.” He dumped the grated carrots into the salad bowl and started on the bell pepper.
“That would be terrible. I hope the ranger can do something to prevent it.”
“Let’s hope so. He’s working on the problem.” After washing and dicing several tomatoes, he shredded lettuce with his hands and mixed everything together.
As he put the salad into the fridge, Aria began to cry. “I’ll get her.”
When he walked into his bedroom where he’d moved the cradle, she was howling like mad.
He grinned and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. She stopped crying and looked grumpily at him.
He touched the tip of her nose. “You sure know how to get our attention, don’t you, angel?” He grabbed a diaper, a tube of cream, and a package of wipes and headed for the living room. If she began to cry again while he changed her, he didn’t want her to wake up Haley.
However, Aria lay quietly as he put a clean diaper on her, staring placidly up at him as if she hadn’t just been screaming like hell. He carried her into the kitchen to make her bottle.
His mom looked up as he walked in. “She sure woke up mad.”
He chuckled. “She’s all sweetness and light now. Go figure.”
He sat in the rocking chair to give her the bottle, and she latched onto the nipple with great determination. He smiled. She had such strength of character for one so tiny.
Haley walked into the room and rested her hand on his shoulder. “She definitely knows how to get what she wants.”
“I was afraid she woke you. You couldn’t go back to sleep?”
She caressed Aria’s cheek. “No, I tried. I feel a little better now, though.” She brushed her fingertips across the back of his neck. “Thanks for lying down with me.”
“You’re welcome. I hope you feel more secure now that you know we can protect you.”
“I do. I just hope you don’t have to.” She took a seat on the couch, her eyes troubled. “Surely the Rangers will come up with something to prevent that?”
“I bet they will.”
“I’ll burp Aria when she’s finished eating.” Her hands flitted from her T-shirt to her jeans and back.
“Try not to worry. We’ll get through this.”
Landon walked in, fresh from the shower. “Hey, Haley, Dad told me what’s going on, and you don’t have to worry. We’ve got your back.”
She smiled, and Carson could tell how touched she was by the warmth in her eyes. “Thank you, Landon. That means the world to me.”
After the dinner cleanup, Carson glanced at Haley and said, “How about going for a drive around the ranch instead of using the stroller? We can take Aria with us. I’ll bet she likes driving on the pasture roads. They’re a little bit bumpy, and she’ll think it’s fun. We’ll stop by and see Old Ben first, though.”
“I’d like that. Let me get her pacifier before we go.”
As they headed out the door, Debra said, “You all have a nice time. Enjoy the sunset.”
“Thanks, Debra. This is such a beautiful ranch. I’ll love seeing more of it.”
Outside the barn, Carson rattled the bucket of oats, and the five horses in the big barn pen came toward them at a trot. He glanced at Haley. “Back up against the side of the barn so you don’t get trampled by this lot. They’re going to jostle each other for the feed, and I only want Old Ben.”
He let each horse grab a bite before slipping a halter on the old gelding and shooing the others away. He walked toward Haley as Ben ate hungrily from the bucket.
He grinned as he reached her. “You’d think this old boy never got fed.”
She tucked Aria in the crook of her arm and approached the horse. “He just knows what he wants. Besides, he needs more food. Old people get too skinny, and I’m sure it’s true of old horses too.” She ran her hand down Ben’s neck and patted his shoulder. “Isn’t that right, honey?”
Ben rolled his eye toward her but kept on chomping.
Carson smiled. She was so adorable in the way she pampered the old gelding.
She moved up closer to Ben’s head and said, “Ben, this is my baby, Aria. Maybe one day she’ll ride you if we come back and visit.”
Carson’s heart thumped hard. Did she plan on leaving?
Damn. Of course she did. She was only here because she’d lost her memory and needed a place to convalesce.
He sucked in a breath at the tangle of emotions that overwhelmed him. He didn’t want her to go. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, and now that he was forced to, he found the idea of her leaving unbearable. He couldn’t lose Aria. And what would he do without Haley?
“Is something wrong?” Haley’s eyebrows were drawn together.
He swallowed hard. In a voice much calmer than he felt, he said, “No, everything’s fine.”
“Isn’t he a pretty horse?” Haley said as she held Aria close to Old Ben.
Aria’s big blue eyes stared unblinkingly at the old gelding.
Ben stared back, chewing loudly on the last of the feed.
When the horse had finished, Haley gave his shoulder a final pat. “I’ll see you soon, old man.”
Carson took off the halter. “Go on. Go eat some of that pasture grass now.”
“That was fun.” She kissed Aria’s forehead. “Did you like meeting the big horse, honey?”
Back at the truck, Haley strapped Aria into her car seat again, then Carson helped Haley up into the truck.
“Thanks for the boost. Why is your truck so high?” she asked.
“It’s got a suspension lift, which makes it easier going through the tall grass and over large rocks in some of our rougher pastures.”
“That makes sense, but for a short person like me, it’s the pits.”
He laughed. “I’m always here to help.”
The sun was setting over the horizon, and deep reds, oranges, and purples filled the sky.
He said, “I love this time of day. The air cools, and the evening sounds begin. The cattle gather in groups and talk quietly to each other.”
She smiled. “They talk, huh?”
He grinned. “Of course. One says something, and a few seconds later, another one replies. And they’re such relaxing sounds. Would you like to hear them?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
He drove into a partially cleared pasture and approached the herd but didn’t get too close. He switched off the engine and rolled down the windows. “Now, just sit back and relax. You’ll see what I mean.”
The sky darkened as the minutes passed. Then a cow maaw-ed.
Haley looked at him and smiled.
Seconds later, another cow answered, her cry louder than the first.
Carson grinned. “Told you.”
They waited in silence for a few minutes until another cow maaw-ed.
As before, a second cow responded.
Haley giggled. “They’re so cute. I never knew cows talked to each other like this.”
He shrugged. “We learn a lot being around them every day. Now, I’m not saying this happens every time, but it happens a lot.”
A maaw came from far away, and, a few seconds later, a cow from the nearby herd called out.
He started the engine and slowly headed back to the pasture road.
“That was fun,” Haley said as she peeked back at the baby. “I think Aria liked it too. She’s looking all around right now.”
“We’d better head home. It’ll be dark by the time we get back to the house.”
She reached out and clasped his hand. “Thanks for this. I enjoy spending time with you.”
He squeezed her fingers. “I like it too. We seldom have time alone, and I wish that was different.”
She smiled. “Me too.”
When they arrived at the ranch house, Carson’s parents were just heading to bed.
“Did you all have a nice time?” Debra asked.
“I learned that cows talk to each other,” Haley said.
His dad laughed. “They sure do.” He glanced at Carson with a sly grin. “Goodnight, you two. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight,” Haley said as she put Aria down in her bouncer. “I think I’ll take a shower while she’s in a good mood. Do you mind, Carson? I’ll feed her when I get out.”
“That sounds like a plan.” He headed for the kitchen to grab a beer as she walked toward the bedroom. He didn’t drink around Haley, because he was pretty sure it wasn’t good for her to drink with her concussion.
He sat down in the recliner and sighed. It was funny how tired he got staying around the house all day and helping to take care of a newborn. This must be what it was like for stay-at-home mothers, and he sure felt sorry for them now.
He closed his eyes, and his mind quickly returned to his worries about Haley’s past. Would the men somehow find her connection to him and show up at the ranch?
He took a sip of his beer and savored the taste as the cold liquid slid down his throat. He let his body relax as he thrust thoughts of the future from his mind. The present was all he could control, and he needed to make it as nice as possible for Haley and Aria. They had nobody to count on but him.
When Haley returned, her hair wrapped in a towel, he was in a much more relaxed frame of mind. “Did you enjoy your shower?”
“It was wonderful. I love that old clawfoot tub. I can’t wait till I can take a bath in it.”
He nodded. “It’s great. Aria’s been a very good girl while you were gone. I didn’t even have to give her her pacifier.”
“Great. Maybe she’ll stay happy long enough for me to brush out my hair.”
“I can wait if you like,” he said.
“I’ll be fine. Go ahead and bathe if you want to.” She bent and tugged on Aria’s fist. “We’ll be just fine won’t we, sweetie?”
A few minutes later, he stood under the streams of hot water pounding his shoulders. His pulse sped up as he remembered Haley’s words. She wanted more alone time with him too. Her two weeks were up, but was her body ready then to make love? They couldn’t rush it. Her comfort—no, her enjoyment—was paramount. And hadn’t she said that one post advised waiting even longer than two weeks?
He’d always been a patient man. Maybe too patient, if his experience with Jill was any example. He would encourage Haley to make love only when she felt ready—and not before.
When he returned to the living room, Haley was feeding Aria a bottle. “She finally got hungry,” she said as she looked adoringly at her daughter.
He smiled and perched on the arm of the recliner to watch them rock as she fed the baby. The sweet scene made a wave of warmth rush through his chest.
Haley yawned and smiled at him. “I should have taken a longer nap. I’m bushed.”
