Ranch Refuge Read online

  HER COWBOY BODYGUARD

  Laura Jackson trusts no man—especially after her father’s gambling debts force her into the crosshairs of a ruthless loan shark. But when fearless army-ranger-turned-cowboy Colton Blackwell charges in to save her from the barrel of a gun, the self-reliant nurse must accept his help. Whisking Laura away to his secluded Louisiana ranch doesn’t provide the sanctuary Colton planned. But he intends to keep his promise to protect her, despite secrets in his past that could drive her away. Laura may have a bounty on her head, but the only thing at risk under Colton’s care will be her heart.

  “Have you ever fired a gun?”

  ”No.” Nor did she want to. Although she had a feeling she might have to.

  “You should know that I always have one on me.” He opened his jacket to reveal a holstered weapon. “As a ranger, it was my job to go into an area and clear it of enemy risks. It taught me never to be afraid. Fear is your worst enemy in battle.”

  She suspected he didn’t fear anything or anyone. He’d swooped in to save her, facing death to protect someone he didn’t even know.

  She felt a rush of gratitude. So much for keeping a level head around him. She stared up into his face. “Thanks for helping me, Colton. I don’t know what would have happened to me…” She fought back tears.

  His eyes met hers. “I’ll keep you safe, Laura. I promise.”

  How long had it been since she’d been able to trust a man?

  And why did she want so badly to believe in this one?

  Virginia Vaughan is a born-and-raised Mississippi girl. She is blessed to come from a large Southern family, and her fondest memories include listening to stories recounted around the dinner table. She was a lover of books from a young age, devouring tales of romance, danger and love. She soon started writing them herself. You can connect with Virginia through her website, virginiavaughanonline.com, or through the publisher.

  Books by Virginia Vaughan

  Love Inspired Suspense

  Rangers Under Fire

  Yuletide Abduction

  Reunion Mission

  Ranch Refuge

  No Safe Haven

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  RANCH

  REFUGE

  Virginia Vaughan

  Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,

  nor His ear too dull to hear.

  —Isaiah 59:1

  This book is dedicated to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You have seen me through the ups and downs of life, always preparing me for what is to come and helping me to stand strong against the storms.

  Also, to my sister, Lisa, for your nursing expertise that greatly added to the authenticity of this story.

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  EPILOGUE

  DEAR READER

  EXCERPT FROM SECRETS AND LIES BY SHIRLEE McCOY

  ONE

  Laura Jackson quickened her pace as she headed for her car. The parking lot had been full of activity when she’d arrived for work at the River City Medical Center at seven this morning, but now, after a nearly sixteen-hour shift, the employee parking lot was all but deserted. Her car sat in the back of the lot, along with a handful of other vehicles of shift workers, abandoned for the night.

  The streetlamps illuminated a scattered area of the dark lot, but her car was on the back row, past the safety of the bright lights. Although she’d initially toyed with the idea of calling the security office for an escort, she’d opted against it because she hadn’t felt like waiting for them to arrive. She was ready to get home, into her own bed, and try to get some rest. Wiping away a trickle of sweat from her brow, Laura hiked her backpack up on her shoulder as she crossed the parking lot. The Louisiana summer night was muggy and added to the lethargy she was already feeling. As an ER nurse, she was accustomed to the long shifts at the hospital, used to operating on only a few hours of sleep, but lately something else had been keeping her up, even on her nights off work.

  She stopped short when a man stepped from between two rows of cars. He nodded at her, then leaned against the back of a truck, seemingly paying her no more attention. He was tall and good-looking, dressed in boots and jeans, and, even without a hat on his head, she could tell he was a cowboy. Laura continued past him, her senses on high alert for anything suspicious. As she walked past, she felt his eyes follow her, watching as she neared her car.

  She readied her keys, prepared to do battle against him if necessary. She hated how her mind automatically moved toward evil intentions. A few weeks ago she might have smiled flirtatiously at the ruggedly handsome cowboy or confronted the man and demanded to know why he was lurking around the parking lot. But that was before the notes began...before the late-night visits from Chuck Randall and his goon squad...before she’d learned her father had done the unthinkable and promised loan sharks and bookies that Laura would cover his gambling debts. Was this cowboy one of those men who’d come to try to collect from her? She’d made herself clear. She wasn’t paying. And she certainly wasn’t interested in anything else Randall wanted from her, either.

  Laura hit the button on her key fob and the lights on her car flashed. The cowboy moved, approaching her as headlights from another car in the lot flickered on and an engine revved loudly. She glanced at the car and saw it roar from its parking space and head her way.

  Laura ran for her car, fumbling with her keys as the car sped toward her. The keys slipped through her fingers and hit the ground. She reached down to grab them and suddenly the cowboy was upon her, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the way as the vehicle barreled past her.

  Heart hammering in her chest, she hit the hood of a parked car with a thud and heard tires screeching behind her. She scrambled to her feet to see the cowboy pull a gun from his belt and aim it at the vehicle that was turning back toward them.

  “The black pickup. Go now!” he shouted at her.

  But Laura stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the vehicle barreling toward them.

  “Laura, move now!” The cowboy punctuated his words by firing several shots at the approaching car.

  Oh, God, help me!

  She couldn’t move. Paralyzed with fear, she could barely drag in her next breath. This can’t be happening... It just can’t be.

  The cowboy sprinted in front of the oncoming car and grabbed her, once again pulling her out of the way just in time. He fired off a couple more shots as the vehicle screeched to a halt and then he gripped her arm and pulled her alongside him, his stride brisk and determined.

  Laura tried to wrench herself free from his iron grasp as he headed toward the black pickup. Safety lessons rushed through her mind about getting into cars with strangers. She wouldn’t go with these men...refused to let Randall win. “Let me go! What do you want with me? I don’t have anything of value. Please! Just let me go.”

  He stopped and loosened his grip on her arm. His sharp features softened as he turned his warm, brown gaze to her, his eyes reflecting urgency. “I’m here to help you.”

  He was trying to rescue her. Maybe he wasn’t one of Randall’s men.

  She looked at the car headed their way. Those were Randall’s men. She was certain of it. But something about this stranger was different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what, but she saw more than strength in his square jaw and rock-hard physique. He had kindness in his face.
Should she take a chance that he was one of the good guys? What choice did she really have?

  He turned and fired toward the thugs again, hitting the windshield. The car swerved and smashed into a row of parked vehicles. “Get in the truck now,” he commanded.

  This time Laura did as she was told. She pulled open the passenger door and hurried inside. The cowboy slid into the driver’s seat, gunned the engine and took off. Laura scrambled to find the seat belt and buckle it as they raced away from the would-be abduction.

  She glanced back to see that the car was following them, but the cowboy—her rescuer now—pressed down hard on the accelerator and took off. His shoulders were tight, his jaw tense, yet his composure remained calm, cool, self-assured. She had the feeling he knew what he was doing and hadn’t happened upon her by accident.

  “Hold on,” he instructed as he slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel, causing her to slide toward him. The seat belt locked and she was yanked back in the opposite direction. Laura grabbed hold of the dash and tried to hang on. She wasn’t complaining. Anything to keep free of Randall and his crazy obsession with her!

  He gunned the engine again as the car came alongside them and the man in the backseat pulled out a gun.

  “Get down!” her cowboy shouted, pushing her head down as shots rang out, dinging the truck and smashing the side window behind him. “Get on the floor!”

  She unbuckled her seat belt and crouched on the floorboard as another shot whizzed past her and hit the passenger door.

  He jerked the steering wheel and Laura heard metal crunch metal as he smashed into the side of the car, pushing it onto the shoulder and off the road before maneuvering the truck back onto the road, never once taking his foot off the accelerator.

  Laura peered out the back window and saw the car on its side in a ditch and several men scrambling from the vehicle. “You did it. They’re not chasing us.”

  He nodded curtly. “They’ll regroup and be back.”

  Relief flooded her, then the startling realization that Randall had indeed sent men after her. She’d tried ignoring his threats and his advances, but it had done no good. If it wasn’t for this handsome stranger, who knew where she might be now or what Randall would demand of her.

  She stared at him as he concentrated on the road. His rugged jawline and profile seemed the embodiment of strength and courage. She wasn’t afraid of this man, but she had no logical reason not to be. She didn’t know him, yet she’d jumped into a truck with him. He’d swooped in like a hero in an action flick and rescued her.

  “How did you know they were going to try to kidnap me?” she asked.

  He turned his chocolate-brown eyes her way and her toes tingled at his gaze. However, his next words stopped her cold.

  “Because I’ve been following you, Laura.”

  * * *

  Colton didn’t let up on the accelerator as he sped down the highway. He was less concerned about getting a speeding ticket than he was about getting Laura to safety.

  She pressed herself against the passenger door, her hands shaking and her expression morphing from one of acceptance and gratitude to confusion and fear at his words.

  “You...you were following me? Who are you? What do you want with me? And how do you know my name?” Her green eyes were wide with fear and her lips pressed hard into a line.

  He gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t want anything from you. I just saved your life. Those men were going to abduct you.”

  “And what were you doing? Why were you following me?”

  “I was trying to help you.” He saw the terror written across her pretty face and his gut clenched. He’d seen that expression too many times before during his deployment as an army ranger when his team had arrived out of the blue with guns and orders. But this wasn’t Afghanistan and he hadn’t brandished his weapon at her. And he was no longer taking orders from anyone.

  He’d met her father in Gamblers Anonymous and seen a man who was where he used to be. When Bill had confided that his daughter was in danger, Colton had offered his expertise. “I was only following you so I could be on the lookout. I figured Randall would send men after you. I just didn’t know who or when. I wanted to be close by when they appeared. I’m not going to hurt you, Laura. I’m here to help.”

  A cautious relief flowed over her as she sat straight and tall on the seat, her auburn hair tumbling from its ponytail, soft wisps falling around her pale face. “I appreciate what you did tonight. You can drop me at the closest convenience store and I’ll call someone to come and pick me up.”

  He grinned, having already summed up her type from shadowing her over the past two days. No gushy gratitude from this lady. She was set and determined to take care of herself. He admired that. She was a strong woman, but even strong women sometimes needed help. “Who?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Who are you going to call to come get you?”

  Her eyes widened as if surprised that he would ask and she took on an indignant tone. “I don’t see how that’s your business.”

  “I just rescued you from kidnappers. I’d hate to have wasted my time only to have them find you now.”

  A flush of anger crept over her face at his unwillingness to stop. “I appreciate your stepping in tonight, but I must insist you stop the truck and let me out. Now.”

  He understood her frustration, but he also wasn’t going to allow her to walk right back into a dangerous situation. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Laura.”

  “Again...how do you know my name?”

  “I know all about you. My name is Colton Blackwell, in case you’re interested.”

  “Thank you, I’m very interested. Now I know who to tell the police abducted me.”

  He flashed another grin, enjoying her quick wit. She was smart. He liked that. “You’re not my prisoner.”

  “Then stop the truck and let me go.”

  “Think of this less as an abduction and more like protective custody.”

  “Are you a cop?” she asked.

  “Nope. I’m a cattle farmer.”

  “A cattle farmer? Really? So a cattle farmer has kidnapped me and placed me in protective custody?”

  He nodded grimly. “I’d say that’s a fair assessment of what’s happening.”

  She pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her scrub top. “I’m calling the police.”

  He couldn’t allow that, either. He snatched the phone from her hand and tossed it out the open window.

  “Hey, that’s my phone!”

  “They can use that to track you. Better safe than sorry,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on the road. “I’m taking you to my ranch in Compton. It’s about an hour’s drive. My buddy is the sheriff there. I’ll have him meet us and you can explain to him what happened.”

  She reluctantly sat back in the seat and her manner softened. “Look, Colton, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but what good can a small-town sheriff in Compton do? No one can help me.”

  “I trust him. He’ll be able to help.”

  “This is not your problem. It’s mine.”

  Her knew her story and saw the truth on her beautiful but sad face. It was a heavy burden she was carrying.

  But she no longer had to shoulder it alone.

  * * *

  The hum of the highway and the soft sound of country music spilling from the radio greeted Laura as she awoke. The cab of the truck was dark except for the lights of the dash. She rubbed sleep from her eyes, surprised that she’d nodded off so easily. She shouldn’t be surprised. She hadn’t slept well in more than two weeks, not since she’d discovered the predicament her father had placed her in. She’d found herself triple-checking the doors of her apartment and even then sleeping fitfully in case someone tried to break in. But tonight, in the cab of Colton Blackwell’s pickup truck, she’d slept soundly.

  She stared at the black road stretching out in front of them, lit only by the bright lights of the truck. “Where
are we?”

  “About twenty minutes from my ranch in Compton, Louisiana.”

  She took a good long look at the man who had been her rescuer tonight. His face was sharp and angled and the stubble on his face appeared as rough-and-tumble as he seemed to be.

  She turned away her eyes. She shouldn’t be examining any part of this cattle rancher except his intentions toward her. “Why were you following me?”

  “I heard you were in trouble. Whenever I hear of someone in trouble, I try to help if I can.”

  “What makes you think you can help me?”

  “It’s kind of what I do, Laura. I used to be an army ranger. When I got out of the service, I looked around for something else I would be good at. This is where my skills lie, so I try to lend a hand if I hear of someone in trouble. Think of me as your very own private security.”

  “But how did you know I was in trouble? Who told you about me?”

  “Your father told me about your predicament. He was worried someone might be after you. It looks like he was right to be worried.”

  “My father hired you? I don’t think so. He doesn’t have any money. He can’t afford to pay you.”

  “I didn’t ask for anyone to pay me.” He shrugged. “I only want to continue to protect and serve.”

  She sat, tense, uncertain what to do. On the one hand, Colton had saved her from a kidnapping. Those men had undoubtedly belonged to Randall. In his last communication with her, he’d told her he was tired of waiting. But on the other hand, Colton was a stranger and just another man making assurances to her he might not keep. How could she trust him?

  He turned off the road and Laura saw a two-story ranch house appear in the headlights. As they approached, she glimpsed a barn off to one side and a large metal shop to the other side. He parked in front of the house and cut the engine.