Ranch Refuge Read online

  She appreciated all he’d done for her, all he was trying to do for her, but there was no point in him cooking for her. She hadn’t eaten since her lunch break, now nearly eight hours ago, but the pit in her stomach would prevent her from keeping anything down. “I appreciate the thought, but I’m just going to go upstairs and try to get some sleep.”

  He was by her side in an instant. “Laura, I’m sorry if I upset you.” His handsome face was full of kindness and concern. For one crazy moment she imagined stepping into his embrace and weeping against his strong shoulders. But that was only a pipe dream.

  “None of this is your fault, Colton. In fact, you’re the one bright spot in all of this.”

  In fact, she didn’t know what she would have done without him and his intervention. She should never have doubted him. She’d prayed for a way out of this mess, and God had sent her Colton. For that, she was grateful, although she would have preferred that God make the entire mess go away so she could continue on with her life.

  Would she ever have a normal life again? She realized she’d taken normalcy for granted when she’d had it. When her mom had gotten sick and died, her father had turned to the casinos for comfort. Laura’s life had not been the same since.

  She longed for the assurance of a job where no one knew how dysfunctional her family was, and the stability of a home that didn’t include having to sneak out in the middle of the night because her dad had gambled away the rent money. Mostly, she longed for a loving relationship. That one day she’d have someone who would stand beside her and share her burdens, and she could share his... A lump rose to her throat. But who would ever want to share the burdens she carried? Any man in his right mind would run screaming for the hills when he discovered her twisted family ties.

  She swallowed hard, determined not to let her vulnerability show. For now, she had Colton, and she would take what she could get for as long as she could. Because eventually he would realize the depth of the hole her father had dug for her, and he would realize the futility of trying to help her out of it. He would be gone, just like the rest, because the load she carried was too heavy for anyone else to bear.

  He stopped her before she reached the stairs. “Laura, we all make choices that have consequences. Some of those consequences are worse than others. I’m sure your father never meant to do anything to cause you harm.”

  “He’s getting what he deserves. He brought this on, not me. I can’t concern myself with him right now.” She rushed up the stairs and locked herself in the bedroom before the tears began to fall.

  * * *

  Colton leaned against the sink. Laura might as well have punched him in the gut. It felt the same. Her words had hit him. Hard. She didn’t know it, but she could have been talking about him when she’d spoken about her father. She was a living, breathing, in-your-face reminder of all the people he’d hurt through his dark time.

  If she knew the truth about his past, she would turn tail and run as far from him as she could get...and then Chuck Randall would get to her.

  But if Colton could rescue her, then maybe he could gain a bit of redemption, too.

  TWO

  Laura’s eyes fluttered open. Sunlight filtered in through the curtain. She lifted up onto her elbows and glanced at the bedside clock. It was already afternoon. She’d slept most of the day and had to admit she felt rested for the first time in a long while.

  She owed it to Colton and his presence. But even though she felt safe here, she knew she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. She heard his voice from outside her window. Glancing out, she saw him walking toward the barn, several dogs following along behind him. She raised the window and heard him talking to them. It caused her to smile that he talked to his dogs. She liked that about him. Then her face reddened as she realized that wasn’t all she liked about Colton. She enjoyed the way his shirt pulled tight against him, revealing broad shoulders and muscles for decades.

  Transfixed, she watched him kneel and pet one of the dogs that jumped up on him, rubbing him affectionately. He suddenly glanced her way. She reddened again, this time at being caught staring. But he good-naturedly raised his hand in a wave to her.

  She moved away from the window. Trusting Colton to keep her safe was one thing, but finding herself drawn to the man was another. Still, she couldn’t deny the attraction. But then, why wouldn’t she be affected? A good-looking man had swooped in and rescued her from the bad men. Her feelings were probably natural, but she couldn’t act on them. She didn’t have a great track record with men. Her last serious relationship had ended ugly, causing her to realize the idiom that girls fall in love with men like their fathers wasn’t just a saying. It was true. Lance liked the casinos as much as her father did. Once she’d realized this, she’d quickly ended the relationship. She already had one gambler in her life and certainly didn’t need another.

  * * *

  Before she went downstairs, she took a few moments to phone her neighbor Mrs. Duncan. Laura told her she was going to be out of town for a few days and asked her to check in on her cat, Misty, and to make sure she had food. Mrs. Duncan agreed and wished her a good trip. Laura hated not being honest with her, but she thought this was the best way. Colton hadn’t even wanted her to phone, but she couldn’t go into hiding while her kitty starved.

  Next, she called her friend Denise Jenkins, another nurse in the ER. She wanted to let her know she was safe and ask her to pass along the message to the nurse manager that she’d had to go out of town unexpectedly, so they could remove her from the work schedule and find someone to cover her upcoming shifts.

  Denise sounded groggy when she answered and Laura remembered that her friend had worked the graveyard shift. She’d begun her shift while Laura was finishing hers. Laura glanced at the clock and realized her friend had probably just gotten home and into bed an hour or so ago.

  “Denise, it’s Laura. Are you awake?”

  “I am now,” she moaned. “Why are you calling me so early? You know I just got off work.”

  “I know. I wouldn’t have called, but it’s important. Something happened last night. A group of men tried to abduct me in the employee parking lot.”

  “What!” Denise’s voice cleared and Laura could tell she was now fully alert. “Are you okay? Are you being held captive? Should I call the police?”

  “No, no. I’m fine. Another man was there and he rescued me. I’m safe, but I don’t think I’m going to be returning to River City for a while.”

  “Did you go to the police? Did they find the guys who tried to get you?”

  “No, we didn’t go to the police. You know this wasn’t a random kidnapping attempt. Randall sent those men to grab me.”

  She had told Denise about her father’s gambling debts and Randall’s insistence she pay, but not the rest—the horrible truth that Randall was demanding she marry him. She shuddered, thinking about the idea of him ever laying a hand on her.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Denise asked her.

  “Yes, for now. Anyway, the reason I called is that I didn’t want you to worry about me, but I also need you to call the nurse manager and ask her to take me off the schedule. Just tell her I’ll call when I get back into town.”

  “When will that be?” Denise asked, her voice growing ever more frightened.

  “I don’t know. Maybe not for a while. I don’t have my phone anymore, so you can’t call it, but you can reach me at this number.”

  Denise was silent on the other end for several moments. Laura wondered if she’d hung up or fallen back asleep, but when she spoke, Laura could hear the uncertainty and fear in her tone. “Laura, tell me the truth, is someone there with you now? Are they making you say this?”

  “No, Denise. I’m fine. Will you please just do as I asked?”

  “I will. I’ll take care of it later this afternoon. And will you do me a favor? Stay safe.”

  “I will,” Laura promised, then hung up the phone, not knowing if she would ever
see her friend again.

  * * *

  By the time she dressed, Colton was on the front porch in one rocker, a mug of coffee in his hand. Laura spotted a well-worn leather Bible in his lap. He placed it aside as she stepped outside. The dogs lazing at his feet lifted their heads to her curiously.

  “Afternoon. How’d you sleep?”

  “Good. Too good. Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

  “What for? I guessed you could use some catching up on your sleep. I made breakfast. Nothing fancy, just eggs and bacon. I saved you some.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” She sat in the opposite rocker and one of the dogs—a brown mutt—moseyed over and sniffed around her. Laura held out her hand to him, then reached down and petted him.

  “That’s Milo.” He pointed out the other dogs one by one. “This is Freddie, Rowdy and Miss Roxie.”

  Laura scratched behind Milo’s ear. “How are you, boy?” In response, he jumped up onto her lap. “What kind of dog is he?”

  “He’s just a run-of-the-mill mutt. All of them are. No thoroughbreds here.” He gave her a wry look. “I hope you like animals because I have a mess of them. The dogs are good for alerting when someone is approaching the house.”

  “I heard them last night, but I didn’t see them.”

  “I had them penned up.”

  “I love animals,” she confided. “I have a cat. Misty. When I was younger, I always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian.”

  His eyes alight with interest, he asked curiously, “What happened to that dream?”

  She sighed. As with most other things, her father’s gambling had stolen another dream from her. “Life happened.”

  He must have sensed her reluctance to talk about it because he set aside his Bible as he stood.

  “I thought we would go into town and see about getting you some clothes and such. But first I want to give you the layout of the ranch.” He walked to the front door and she saw a small box mounted on the wall. “I always keep the alarm set. The passcode is 824. It’s set to ring to my cell phone if it’s set off. I also wanted to show you this.” He moved through the house to the kitchen and into the laundry room, but it wasn’t just any laundry room. He pushed open a closet to reveal what appeared to be a weapons arsenal.

  He reached for a handgun. “Have you ever fired a gun?”

  “No.” She knew many men in this part of the country hunted, but her father had never been one of them. Guns cost money and he’d preferred spending that money at the casinos.

  Laura stared at the incredible display of weapons, some small handguns and some larger. She didn’t know much about weapons, but she knew not all he had were for recreational use. “Do you really know how to shoot all of these?”

  “Each and every one. I wouldn’t have them if I didn’t know how to handle them.”

  He set the handgun back into its place and closed the door. “You should know, too, that I almost always have a gun on me.” He opened his jacket to reveal a gun and holster. “The Rangers are an infiltration group. It was our job to go into an area and clear it of enemy risks. It was a dangerous job, but we got it done and it taught me to never be afraid. Fear of the unknown is often your worst enemy when you’re doing battle.”

  She stared up into his handsome, now clean-shaven face. It seemed to her that he must not fear anything or anyone. He’d swooped in to save her, staring down the barrel of a gun just to protect someone he didn’t even know.

  She suddenly felt a rush of gratitude wash over her. So much for keeping a level head around him. She stared up at him. “Thank you for helping me, Colton. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t shown up when you did.” Tears pricked behind her eyelids, but she willed them away, not wanting to appear weak in front of him.

  He bent and locked gazes with her, his warm, brown eyes assuring her it was okay to be scared. “I will keep you safe, Laura,” he told her. “I promise I will keep you safe.”

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

  She wanted so badly to believe in this one.

  * * *

  Laura had fled River City with only the clothes she’d been wearing from her shift at the hospital. He’d loaned her one of his T-shirts to sleep in while she’d washed and dried her scrubs and she was stuck wearing them again today. But women needed things besides clothes, so they were off to town. Compton didn’t have big-name shops or fancy restaurants, but the town had the essentials.

  As they drove, Colton tried to reassure Laura that finding the ranch would be difficult for anyone who didn’t know where they were. They’d come in last night when it was dark, so she hadn’t noticed the acres of land surrounding them. “We don’t have a lot of traffic on this road anymore, so I don’t have many close neighbors,” he said.

  In fact, his closest neighbor had recently moved away. She was an elderly widow who had run a drive-in movie theater with her husband back when the highway was a main thoroughfare. Once the interstate rerouted traffic from the highway, the drive-in had faltered and eventually closed. However, the widow had lived on the grounds until she’d moved to live with her daughter. The screen was in disrepair but still standing in the middle of a field, which he thought was cool.

  He drove to a large retail store off the interstate that was central to three adjoining towns. If anyone saw them that he didn’t know, they would still have a difficult time pinpointing where Laura was staying.

  To his surprise, Colton ran into someone he knew soon after they entered the store. He heard his name being called, then looked up to see Miranda Ryan heading their way. She was pushing a buggy loaded with groceries. Miranda was engaged to his friend and former army ranger friend Blake. “Miranda, hi.”

  “Colton, I’m glad to see you.” She gave him a hug, then glanced curiously at Laura. “Who is your friend?”

  “Miranda, this is Laura Jackson. I’m working a protection detail for her.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Laura said graciously.

  “You, too,” Miranda responded. She was obviously intrigued about seeing Colton with an unknown woman, but she didn’t question him about her. “Blake has been trying to call you for days. He’s nearly ready to send the Rangers out looking for you.”

  He knew what that meant. He was worried about where he was and what he was doing. “I’m okay. I’ll call him.”

  “Good.” She started to push her buggy away, then stopped and gave Colton a knowing wink. “She’s cute.”

  “It’s not like that, Miranda.”

  She didn’t seem convinced. “Whatever you say, Colton.” She turned to Laura. “It was nice to meet you.”

  “You, too.”

  He envied what his friend Blake had with Miranda.

  Compton had become a safe haven for Colton since leaving the Rangers. The quiet, laid-back lifestyle suited his needs. He had nearly everything he needed here, except someone to share it with. He was ready to settle down and start a family, and had been thinking about it more and more lately. But he doubted that would even be possible given his past.

  He watched as Laura sorted through clothes on the rack. She was just the kind of woman he would choose to fall for if he could. She was beautiful and smart, and she was compassionate, too. He’d seen it when he’d trailed her, noticing her kindness toward her elderly neighbor. Even the way she’d bent and rubbed his old mutt this morning on the porch had touched his soul. Laura was a good person, a giver. And too many people had already taken more from her than she had to give.

  She tucked her hair behind her ear as she leaned over the rack to get a closer look at the tag. He got an up close view of her creamy white skin and long, graceful neck. She moved her head and caught him staring, but she didn’t look upset. Instead her pink lips lifted at the corners, then she turned back to the jeans’s tag.

  He pulled his eyes away from her and tried to focus on something else. No sense pining after something he could never have.
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  He spotted a man looking their way and Colton’s radar went off. It was possible he was merely admiring Laura’s good looks. She was a fresh, new face in town, after all. But something about the man’s expression caught Colton’s attention. The man kept glancing at his phone, then curiously back at Laura.

  He was probably overreacting. No one knew Laura was here. No one could know. Still, he led her away from that department and headed for the grocery aisle with the excuse that he needed to pick up a few things. She went willingly and didn’t argue.

  As they approached the frozen foods section, Colton spotted the man again. This time he was peeking out from behind a freezer, his cell phone raised as if he were trying to get a photo of them.

  “Wait right here,” Colton told her. He moved away from her and around the freezers. The man’s eyes never left Laura, further confirming for Colton that he was targeting her. He approached the man from behind, grabbed him by the shirt and yanked his phone from his hand.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” the man protested.

  Anger pulsed through him when he scanned the device and saw several photos of Laura on the man’s phone. “Why are you watching her?”

  “I—I need the money. At first I thought it was nothing, but then when I saw her, I couldn’t believe it. I’m in deep. I need the money.”

  “What are you talking about? What money?”

  “The reward.” He motioned toward the cell phone. “It was posted this morning on one of the social media sites I’m on. I, of course, just scrolled on through it, but when I saw her...”

  “Show me,” Colton demanded, then watched eagle-eyed as the man scrolled through his social media pages. He stopped when he found what he was searching for and showed it to Colton. “Here it is. Like I said, I couldn’t believe it was her.”

  The image stopped his blood cold—a photo of Laura with the caption Have You Seen This Woman? There was a reward for anyone who could bring her home.

  The message had been posted this morning by an account named Bring Laura Home. Colton saw that it had already been liked and shared many times.