The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret. Karen Whiddon

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СКАЧАТЬ he must have an outbuilding on another part of the ranch. No doubt far enough away from the livestock that it would never be a threat.

      Hefting the heavy flashlight in one hand, she set out, glancing back over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching her. Flashing lights down the road indicated the arrival of the fire trucks. The still-burning barn illuminated the corral of agitated, frightened horses, the flickering light of the flames an eerie mix with the sour smell of smoke.

      The acrid scent seemed to follow her as she set off. At the last moment, she decided to go the same way as Matt. She had a hunch. While she didn’t doubt he was actually searching for his stallion, she knew if she were in Matt’s position and someone had set fire to a barn, her next concern would be to check on the stored ammunition. In case that was his plan, her best bet would be to follow him while continuing to keep an eye out for the missing horse.

      * * *

      “That Skylar chick surprised me. She was really something,” José mused, falling into step beside Matt.

      Matt hid his grin. “Yes, she was. She’s obviously a horse person. Without her, I’m not sure we could have gotten all the horses out.”

      “Yeah, we need to have a talk with the stable hands.”

      “I agree.” Matt grimaced, the knot that had settled into his gut twisting. “They were so disorganized and in such a panic that they got in each other’s way.”

      “You’re also wondering if one of them might have had something to do with starting the fire,” José guessed.

      “Exactly. They said they’d already fed the horses. What were they doing feeding so early?”

      “True. And why didn’t they smell the smoke?”

      Considering, Matt nodded. “Especially since Skylar did.”

      “True. Speaking of her...” José glanced back over his shoulder as if to make sure she hadn’t followed. “Do you think she might have had something to do with this?”

      “What?” Shocked, Matt stopped, staring at his friend. “Why would you think something like that?”

      “To smoke out where the ammo is, of course.”

      “But to endanger all those valuable horses...” Matt’s horror-filled voice trailed off.

      José shrugged. “Just a thought.”

      “I think you’re way off base with that one. You saw her this morning. She was obviously concerned for the horses.”

      “And that’s it? That’s the only reason you don’t suspect her?”

      “Isn’t that enough? Plus, what would be her motive? The ammo thing doesn’t really fly, as any idiot would know not to store explosive ammunition anywhere near horses.” And, even though Matt didn’t say it out loud to his friend, the simmering attraction he felt for the redhead also had something to do with it.

      Ha. He needed to make sure he thought with his head, not with his groin. Which was ironic, in its own way. He’d never had a problem getting women, and most of them, like the models he occasionally dated, were happy with his no-commitment philosophy as long as he occasionally bought them a bauble or two.

      Maybe that would be the solution. But though he knew if he picked up the phone and called, any one of them would come running, the knowledge did nothing for him. He simply wasn’t interested.

      No, he was better off keeping his focus where it belonged’on his plan to draw in Diego Rodriguez. He was too close now to screw it up.

      Meanwhile, his most valuable horse had completely vanished.

      “I don’t see him.” Once again, José shone the flashlight beam out into the pasture. The high-intensity light illuminated a good area, but there were no signs of the stallion.

      “Keep looking,” he ordered tersely, turning in the opposite direction with his own light. “The sun should be up soon.”

      “Do you wanna check out the’”

      “No.” Matt cut José off before he could finish the sentence. He gave a second, meaning-filled glance behind them. “You never know who might be following or listening.”

      José grimaced. “Got it.”

      They branched out, Matt calling Saint’s name in a low voice, the way he might have called for a dog. The horse knew his voice and had even come to it once or twice, though no time had been spent actually training for this. In the predawn light, he doubted it would work this time, either.

      Add to that the fact that the stallion was no doubt terrified and possibly wounded... No, they’d have to find him and corner him before he got a chance to run again.

      Matt could only hope he wasn’t hurt too badly.

      Twenty minutes passed, then thirty. José had begun to slow down, his defeat evident in the rounding of his broad shoulders.

      “You can go in if you want,” Matt offered. “I’m going to keep looking.”

      “I still think it’d be better to wait until full light. Go back to the house, grab a cup of coffee and something to eat, and head back out.”

      “Eat?” Matt asked. “I doubt anyone’s getting much breakfast this morning. Not with the barn still burning and the fire department there trying to put out the fire. Also, Doc Bertram is working overtime checking out my horses, so I’d say if anyone deserves breakfast, it’s him.”

      José acknowledged the truth of that statement with a weary grimace. “Still, right now with these flashlights, it’s like looking for a needle in a damn haystack.”

      The old cliché made Matt shake his head. He felt a deep exhaustion as well, but refused to give up until he found his horse. “Saint’s worth it,” he said. “Besides, you know as well as I do how many coyotes roam these parts. I can’t risk it. If he’s wounded and they catch wind of the scent of his blood...”

      They’d surround the horse and take him down. Maybe. Still, he couldn’t take the chance. Not only was Saint a valuable purebred stud horse, but he was Matt’s personal mount.

      When they reached the end of that pasture, they stopped. “No sign of him.” Matt tried not to sound defeated.

      “The gate’s closed to the next one,” José pointed out. “He didn’t come through here.”

      “He can jump.” Pushing away the exhaustion, Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “Normally, he doesn’t, but if he’s out of his mind with terror, who knows?”

      “So you want to check out the next pasture, then?”

      It was dangerously close to the caves. Matt wasn’t about to take the chance of Skylar following them. Though there was nothing illegal about the amount of ammo he had stockpiled, he needed to keep the location secret if his plan was ever going to work. Everyone’including the ATF’had moles. Once the cartel learned of the location, they’d simply take what they wanted.

      It СКАЧАТЬ