Cowboys In Her Pocket Read Online Free

No, his closet. She’d hide in there. He had a rifle in there. The key to the rifle case was in a locked box on top of the closet. The key to the locked box was in his night drawer. He’d shown her once. Just in case of an emergency, he’d said.
    This was an emergency.
    JJ’s throat grew dry as she slid the drawer open. She found the key beneath the drawer lining.
    Her heart cracked against her chest as she slipped into the darkness of Dan’s closet. Her hands shook as she brought down the locked box that held the key to the rifle case.
    Good Lord! This was just too much to go through in an emergency. What if the intruder was already up here?
    The familiar stirrings of claustrophobia slithered through JJ. She inhaled, trying to breathe. Her throat constricted.
    No !
    She shook uncontrollably as she pulled the closet door closed just enough to give her the light she needed to be able to stick the key into the box lock. It popped open and she grabbed the other key.
    Within seconds, she had the rifle unlocked. She darted the bullets into the chamber just like the guys had showed her during some lessons they’d given over the winter months.
    Quietly she closed the door. She pointed the rifle in such a way that when the intruder opened the door she could shoot right in his chest area. Less chance of missing.
    Her heart cracked like exploding cannons in her ears. She waited.

    “JJ sounded stressed,” Brady said as he removed his shoes, slid them under the hotel bed and lay down on the lumpy mattress.
    Rafe blew out a tense breath as he watched Brady cross his arms beneath his head and stare at the ceiling. He acted as if he wasn’t overly concerned about JJ and that they hadn’t just brought back some fast food for supper. It lay on the bed beside him, untouched.
    But Rafe noted the muscles jump in Brady’s cheeks and the firm set of his jaw.
    Brady was concerned. And Rafe was picking up on it. Big time.
    “Before we headed out to grab the food, you said she said she was fine and there was a storm,”
    Rafe replied, hoping to tell he was reading Brady all wrong.
    “Yeah, that’s what she said.” Brady replied.
    Rafe slung his jacket over the back of a chair and plopped himself down on his bed, leaving his bag of burger, fries and chocolate milkshake untouched. He settled on the other bed and took the same position as Brady. He stared at the ceiling, as frustration clawed through him. Why in hell didn’t they just go home?
    “If we call North Country Air, I’m sure they’d get a pilot out to us by tonight and we could be back early in the morning, before the sun even rises,” Rafe suggested. Hope surged through him.
    Yeah, that was a great idea.
    Brady frowned. “JJ wouldn’t like that. She’d think we were babysitting her. Besides, Dan’s with her. I don’t want her mad at us for coming back early. She said for us to stay. So, we stay.”
    Rafe laughed. “What? You’re afraid of a little bitty lady like JJ? Come on, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
    Brady pouted. “Hell, she could threaten not to feed us, among other things. She’s got us by the balls and if she doesn’t like something we do, she’ll let go of them and then we’re in the doghouse. I for one prefer to be in her bed. We’ll hang here until we get what we need and then we’re heading back.”
    Rafe nodded. Brady was right. JJ held a lot of power over the three of them. They needed to stay in her good graces. Besides, she was going to have to get used to being alone at the ranch house during the days and sometimes even spending some nights alone. Running a ranch included branding and haying and a shitload more things that needed doing when they got back into full swing. Still, Rafe just had a bad feeling he hadn’t been able to shake since Brady got off the phone with her over an hour ago.
    For the short time Brady had spoken with her, Rafe had overheard. There had been something off in her voice. Sure, Brady had said there was a