Protecting Their Child Read Online Free Page A

wouldn’t interrupt since she’d be right. Then it would be too dark to leave till morning. And then they’d be sleeping here on that one mattress. ’Cause he was certain he wasn’t sleeping on the cold, drafty boards forming the floor. No, sir, now wasn’t the time to hash out how stunted his emotions were.
    Remind her how dangerous the situation is.
    “Don’t get me wrong, Kate. I know there’s a lot to talk about. Now’s just not the best time.” He dropped his spoon on the table. “Serna probably has someone watching the ranch house. The longer we stay here, the more likely the bastard will get curious about why we’re not heading back. Hell, he might already know where we are ’cause Juan showed up.”
    “I understand all that. I didn’t say a word. And it’s amazing how you can’t unless you’re issuing orders.” She grabbed her bowl and ate.
    The silence grew.
    He turned his bowl up to his lips and spooned what he could in his mouth, chewing the rest as he stood and stretched his aching back. This afternoon had been the most activity outside of physical therapy that he’d had in three years. He was not looking forward to a couple of hours on horseback over rocky terrain, in the dark.
    “Leave the dishes in the well bucket. I’ll put out the fire.”
    She didn’t argue, just dropped the metal bowls with a clunk into the only water inside the shack. He pulled the extra blankets off the shelf, rolling them tight for their saddles—just in case they didn’t make it to the cabin.
    Man, he needed the dad-blasted water to put out the fire.
    Slow on the uptake. That’s what he was. She’d known and that’s exactly why she hadn’t made a different suggestion. He might be a Texas Ranger, investigating drug cartels and other illegal activity, but his wife would always be a whole lot smarter.
    * * *
    K ATE ’ S FAMILY HAD kept the line shack simple. She loved the hand-assembled furniture put together from boredom by ranch hands over the years. Some of the cast-iron pots had been used on cattle drives a century ago. There was no way she’d let it rust. She scrubbed and oiled the old Dutch oven while Cord made a trip to the well to water the horses they’d leave behind.
    Keeping it simple kept the shack an unattractive place for people passing through their property. Nothing of real value to steal or carry off. Her family and all the ranch hands had to accept the fact people were going to cross the land. There was a lot of acreage, making it impossible to monitor one hundred percent of the time. A plus on their side was that the land wasn’t desirable for much.
    It had only been in the past five years that they’d cleared and widened the trail so a vehicle could drive here. About the same time they began utilizing ATVs. That was a long and muscle-aching project. Every free day Cord had off from duty that summer was spent moving rocks and smoothing the road. Her dad had loved how his son-in-law had just assumed he’d be there to help.
    Kate swiped the back of her hand across her eyes. No crying. Nope. Nope. Nope. There were things to do and definitely places to go.
    Everything was stored. Supplies were sealed away. She pulled her sweatshirt on and packed herself in her winter garb. She’d just stepped out the door with the rifle when the muffled sound of an engine caught her attention.
    Then it was gone.
    She ran the short distance to the corral and opened the gate. She didn’t have to see a vehicle to know whoever had driven up wasn’t on their side. Whoever “they” were, they had stopped far enough away to hope for a surprise attack. She pulled the cinches and shooed the extra horses into the open field.
    “Kate.” Cord’s voice was deep and low, barely audible. “You ready?”
    She slid the rifle into the center of the blanket he’d already tied to the back of her saddle and stepped into the stirrup. “I am now.”
    His arms were right behind her, circling both ends of the saddle, his