Cowboy Who Came For Christmas (Harlequin Romance) (21 page)

“To do,” she finished. “We all know that.”

“What does that mean?” he asked, spoiling for a fight. Or a kiss, maybe.

“It means you don’t have to sit around waiting for him to return. It means now that the roads are passable, you can call in reinforcements and let the state of Arkansas take things from here.”

“I’ve already alerted the proper authorities,” he blurted. “The state police have put out an APB on Pritchard and we could have a manhunt on our hands before this thing ends.”

Fear flittered through her eyes. “So...you can leave.”

“I should leave,” he replied, peeling out of his jacket while he favored his left arm.

“Where’s your sling?”

“I ditched that thing this afternoon. Had to get those tires back on the truck.”

“And of course, you had to prove you could do it with only one good arm.”

“I had help, thank you.”

She looked skeptical but didn’t have a comeback. “David used to work at a big-box store. I’m sure he knows all about changing tires.”

“He told me that, and he helped me get the mechanic to hurry on up this morning.”

“Sounds like you three had a great day away.”

“I’ve had better.” Hoping to clear the air, he asked, “What’s got a bee in your bonnet, anyway?”

“You,” she said, her hands on her hips in full warrior mode.

“Me, what have I done?”

“You seem... I don’t know...different.”

Adan lowered his head and wished he could get in his truck and leave. But he couldn’t do that. Then he wished he could sweep her up and take her with him. But he couldn’t do that, either. So he decided to be honest.

“I’m tired. I had a long day of waiting around a garage and going over details with the local sheriff. Then I had to get those tires back on my truck. Or at least, I tried. Jacob and David did most of the work.”

“So your manhood is threatened because your shoulder hurts?”

He turned then, full of mad. “Excuse me? This has nothing to do with my manhood. But it has a lot to do with you.”

“Me?” She stepped closer. “Explain that comment.”

“I had a background check done on you,” he blurted. “And you’re clean.”

Shock clouded her face. Followed by relief. “All you had to do was ask.”

“I did,” he retorted. “Several times.”

“So now that you know...you can hunt down Joe and get on with things. You certainly don’t have to protect me, especially since you still don’t trust me.”

Adan could tell she was hurt and upset. “I had to be sure. It’s what I do. I need honesty, Sophia. Complete honesty.”

She nodded and lowered her head. “I can accept that, but I don’t have to like the way you go about things.” With a shrug, she added, “I told you a long time ago you could leave any time you want.”

Adan dropped his hands to his side. “Yeah, and I keep telling you that I can’t abandon you. Not if Joe comes back.”

“Then I can make it easy for you,” she said, advancing even closer. “I’ll leave. I’ve been trying since the first night you arrived, but—”

“But the first night, you had to find out why I’d come here,” he interrupted. “And then we were both too tired to fight about it. Then I got shot and...you had to watch over me all night.”

“And don’t forget last night and all that hot chocolate,” she retorted.

“And those kisses.”

“Can’t seem to find a time to run,” she said, her voice going soft. “Maybe I’m still a coward after all.”

Adan couldn’t stop himself then. He rushed to her and gathered her close. “Do not go out there and try to be a martyr, Sophia. If you do that, you’ll be letting down all the people who love you. You don’t have to put yourself in harm’s way.”

She gazed up at him as if she had a lot more to say. “But I—”

He lifted her chin up. “But nothing. If I have to put guards on the doors around the clock, I won’t let you sneak away in some misguided effort to find Joe. He’s dangerous. You know how these things can end. If he takes you, you might not make it out alive.”

“I don’t have any other choice,” she said against his throat. “I don’t want the people who’ve been so good to me to get hurt or worse, killed.”

“You do have a choice,” he whispered, hoping he could convince her. “You do. Always.”

Her eyes went a deep blue. “But you don’t need to stick around. It would be better if you leave.”

“Yes, I do have to stick around,” he finally admitted. “I...have a choice, too. And this time, I’m choosing you.”

“What about Gaylen?”

“I’ll be home by Christmas Eve,” he said. “But tonight, I’m here with you.”

He leaned in to kiss her, to show her that he wouldn’t abandon her.

But a knock at the back door pulled them apart.

Sophia rushed around, Adan on her heels.

“Who’s there?” she asked, her words full of apprehension.

“It’s David.”

Adan opened the door and David pushed inside. “Maggie just showed up at our door without Arnie. He fell down a ravine. She says Joe Pritchard pushed him.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A
DAN
AND
S
OPHIA
grabbed coats, flashlights and guns and rushed out the door.

Sophia shook her head and put a hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe this. Do we need to post more guards all over this mountain?”

“Guards can’t cover every inch of this place.” Adan grunted, his hand guiding her as they hurried behind David. “The Burtons chose to ignore the warnings, but we can’t worry about that now. I’m calling the sheriff and a rescue team. Pritchard is a menace and he’s running amok on this mountain.” He pulled out his phone and made the necessary calls and then turned back to Sophia. “I should have gotten the locals involved from the beginning, but I had him cornered.”

“You thought you’d be long gone from here.” Sophia stopped and glared up at him. “And then I came into the picture and you had to change your tactics.”

“I had to protect you, yes,” he countered. “But I can’t do that by myself anymore.”

“And I can’t keep putting people in danger, Adan. It’s the same argument we’ve had since you got here.”

“It ends now,” he said when they started toward where David and Jacob were standing with Maggie and Bettye.

Sophia took one look at Maggie and rushed to her side. “Maggie, I’m so sorry—”

“You both need to get this man out of our lives,” Maggie said, tears streaming down her face. She was dirty and disheveled, her hair matted with leaves. “He came at us when we were almost home and terrorized us. This isn’t a game anymore, Sophia.”

Adan stepped between Sophia and Maggie. “Maggie, tell me what happened.”

“No.” Maggie pushed at him. “Not until we call a search party and an ambulance. My husband is hurt and he could die if we don’t get him help. I don’t even know how bad he is, but I do know he’s in a lot of pain. He was able to talk to me a little but he...he passed out and I... I couldn’t get him to wake up and answer me.”

Adan held a hand on her arm. “I’ve called the authorities and the paramedics are on the way. We’re going to start an extensive manhunt for Pritchard and I need your help since you were the last person to see him on the mountain.” Lowering his voice, he asked again, “What happened?”

Sophia wanted to curl up in a ball and hide away. The look on Maggie’s face said everything. Maggie and Arnie had chosen to go on a hike even though Adan had warned them all to stick close to home, but it was Sophia’s fault they’d all gotten involved in this. If she’d left Adan alone that first night instead of holding a gun on him and tying him up because of her own fears, she could have told him the truth immediately and he might have been able to capture Joe that night.

“I messed up, Bettye,” she said to her friend. “I should have told Adan everything right up front.”

Bettye gave her a frown. “Let’s don’t dwell on that, honey. You’ve had a long, hard road and you were scared. I’m the one who hit the Ranger-Man over the head with a frying pan.”

“But you did it for me,” Sophia said. “I don’t want to dwell in self-pity, but this is my fault.”

“You can whine all you want later,” Bettye said in a harsh voice. “You need to go with them to see about Arnie. Karen and I will get Maggie calmed down and we’ll both have our guns with us.”

Sophia pulled herself together and decided Bettye was right. Nothing to be done now but get this over with. “Where’s Melissa?”

“Inside with Romeo,” Bettye said on a more cheerful breath. “Those two are lost in their own little world.”

Sophia wished she could be lost in that kiss Adan had been about to plant on her, but that kind of distraction had contributed to this mess. She had to get her head back in the place where she stayed safe and made sure everyone else on Crescent Mountain did, too. “Okay. I’ll go with the men and I’ll report in to you and Maggie.”

“Good idea,” Bettye said, relief obvious in her words.

Sophia decided her friend wanted to keep her away from Maggie for now. So Sophia listened while Maggie explained what had happened. What else could she do at this point?

* * *

A
DAN
TOOK
IN
Maggie’s breathless explanation, a throbbing beat echoing in his aching head and wounded shoulder. Something wasn’t right here, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe he was still caught up in how he’d wanted to kiss Sophia back before they’d been interrupted. Pushing aside that aching need, he focused on what Maggie was telling him.

“We were tired of being cooped up in our cabin,” Maggie said. “We decided to take a short hike right before sunset, to one of our favorite spots near the stream. We’d had a good walk and enjoyed the sunset when this man came out of nowhere and blocked our way.”

“Pritchard,” Adan said, nodding. “What happened next?”

“He held a gun on us and demanded we bring him back here so he could...find Sophia.” She glared at Sophia, anger in her moist eyes.

Adan gave Sophia a reassuring glance but wondered why Pritchard hadn’t just tried to get to Sophia on his own. He sure knew which cabin belonged to her. “And did you comply with his demand?”

Maggie bobbed her head and wiped at her eyes. “We started walking back toward home with him right behind us, holding the gun on us. When it got dark it was hard to see, but Arnie decided to be a hero. He turned at a curve in the path and tried to wrestle the gun away. They fought and Arnie had the shotgun in his hands, but Joe Pritchard charged at him and Arnie fell. He fell down into that ravine and I heard him calling out. We need to hurry.” She started at a run but Adan followed and halted her.

“What did Pritchard do then?” Adan asked, his tone demanding since Maggie glared up at him.

“He wanted to take me with him, but he didn’t have a weapon. The gun fell with Arnie.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I took off running as fast as I could and here I am. Now can we please go and check on my husband?”

“You should probably stay here,” Sophia said before she could stop herself.

Maggie turned and stalked back to her. “No, you need to stay here. This is your fault, so don’t even try to help me now. I have to show them where Arnie fell.” She pointed a finger at Sophia. “If she goes with us, I’ll demand she’s arrested for what she’s done to all of us and I’ll make sure everyone knows she helped Pritchard get away from the law.”

Sophia swallowed back a retort. Maggie was right. This was her fault and she had to accept that. She was tired of running from the truth.

She gave Adan a quick nod. “Okay, I’ll stay behind but...be careful.” Then she turned back to Maggie. “I’m really sorry.”

“Save it,” Maggie retorted. “I have to go and find my husband. And you’d better hope he’s not dead.”

Adan stepped around Maggie and got inches away from Sophia, forcing her to look at him. “Stay with Bettye. Keep the gun nearby. Jacob will watch out for all of you, too.” Turning to Jacob, he said, “Show the authorities the path. The first responders will have to go down on foot, so you can guide them to the path, but don’t leave the women alone, okay?”

“Got it,” Jacob said, his eyes bright with determination. He handed David an extra flashlight.

“We’ll be back soon,” Adan said to Sophia.

Sophia couldn’t speak, so she just nodded. Then she watched Adan walk away and prayed he’d stay safe.

* * *

A
DAN
FOLLOWED
M
AGGIE
down the path toward the stream, his mind whirling with this latest turn of events. Something didn’t add up. Why had it taken Maggie so long to reach the cabins if they’d started back at sunset? That had been over two hours ago.

Even Pritchard could walk faster than that. And how had Pritchard managed to survive out in these woods for days now while somehow eluding the authorities and the only people on this mountain? Deep inside the trees, snow still stood in places. It grew cold here each night. Yet they hadn’t seen a campfire or any other signs of him being around. Other than the poster he’d left for Sophia that first night and him taking David hostage down the mountain, Pritchard had somehow managed to avoid being seen or caught.

Now he was back again. Sure, Adan had wanted this, but not in this way. Arnie was badly hurt in a ravine while his wife had managed to get away and run for help?

Why hadn’t Maggie called the authorities herself?

Too many unanswered questions nagged at him like the shadows chasing them back down toward the creek. So he held his gun close beneath his flashlight and half expected Pritchard to jump out of the shadows and attack them.

Maggie didn’t speak. She moved swiftly down the familiar path, David and Adan on her heels. The high beam of the powerful flashlights danced ahead of them in an eerie yellow stream while she hopped like a nimble gazelle across the treacherous tree roots and rocky curves.

“Are you sure you can remember where Arnie fell?” David asked breathlessly.

“Of course,” Maggie said over her shoulder. “I know every ridge and path on this mountain.” She hurried ahead, her focus on getting to her hurt husband. “I just hope Sophia’s ex-husband is long gone.”

“He could be hiding out, waiting for us,” David said. “I don’t want him to take me with him this time.”

“The local sheriff’s office will send someone soon.” Adan pressed on, his boots hitting the dirt path with skidding urgency while he tried to watch the moonlight-dappled woods. “Did you try to call an ambulance before you found us?” he asked as he caught up with Maggie.

“I was too busy trying to get away,” she retorted. “I had to save myself so I could help Arnie.”

But she could have called for help while she was on the run. Any woman alone in these cold woods would have pulled out her phone and tried to get help. Maggie had found the way home without a flashlight, so she was obviously capable and strong.

And she’d called the gun a shotgun. Pritchard had taken David’s high-powered rifle. Had she just misspoken? Or maybe Pritchard had stolen another weapon.

Adan grabbed her by the arm. “Maggie, what really happened today? It took you two hours to get back to us. Why did it take you so long?”

Maggie pushed at her hair and pulled away. “I told you, that man kept messing with us.”

“But you also told us he wanted you to bring him to Sophia.”

“He did. He...he kept saying that over and over.”

“And what did he do when you ran away?”

“He tried to follow.”

“He didn’t catch up with you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t look back, but I could hear him on the path. I don’t know where he went. He could have been injured from the fight with Arnie.” Pushing at her bangs, she kept glancing around. “Why all the questions? You’re wasting time. Why don’t you believe me?”

Adan refused to bulge. Her voice shook and her story was beginning to unravel. “We can’t do much for Arnie until the paramedics arrive,” he pointed out. “And I never said I didn’t believe you. I just want to know what happened.”

They heard a siren coming up the winding country road. Maggie’s eyes widened. “They’re here already!”

Had he heard panic in her voice? Or just relief?

David swung his flashlight back. “New roads make getting here quicker. Thank goodness the snow and ice melted enough for them to get through.” He let out a sigh. “Don’t worry, Maggie. We’ll have Arnie out and in good hands before you know it.”

Maggie glanced at Adan then turned back. “Good, because if he’s dead it’ll be Sophia’s fault.”

“And what about Joe Pritchard?” Adan asked. “Won’t it be his fault, too?”

Maggie didn’t bother to respond. She took off toward the ridge where she’d left her husband.

But Adan didn’t believe a word of her story.