Cowboys In Her Pocket Read Online Free Page A

storm going on, and that she was probably nervous about it. But he just had that feeling something else was wrong.
    JJ didn't know how long she'd been waiting in that closet with the rifle aimed at the door opening.
    Waiting. Worrying. She didn't dare move. Didn't dare breathe.
    Who was here? Why didn't they call out? Did they know she was home? Why didn't she hear anything anymore? Had they left?
    What if they were right there on the other side of this door, waiting for her to come out? Was the intruder ready to pounce on her?
    Sitting in here brought back crazy memories of her stepfather. Of the many times he'd come home drunk and flown into a rage if JJ or her mother said one wrong thing. Or if one of them gave him the wrong look.
    Hell, he hadn't needed an excuse to lock her in closet so he could beat her mom. The dull thuds of fists pounding flesh, the harsh screams of her pain and her shuddering sobs when he finished using her as a punching bag rang like sharp blades of pain in her ears.
    She'd pound on the closet door until her fists were bloody and raw. No one ever came to her rescue. No one ever called the cops.
    Why would they? Her stepfather was a cop.
    The couple of times they'd called for help, his cop buddies showed up. They removed him, he came back, and things just were worse.
    Instinctively JJ's finger tightened on the trigger. She struggled to inhale a breath as, for an instant, she was thrust back to that time in her life when hope had been nonexistent. She'd known the only ways out had been to run away from the situation. Her mother was so afraid of him, she'd refused to even discuss such a thing. And JJ couldn't leave without her mom.
    The only other way to get rid of him was to kill him.
    So she'd killed him.
    JJ blinked as she forced her thoughts back to reality.
    The rain had stopped hours ago. The crack in the door was letting in too much light. The sun was shining. It was too hot in here. Sweat dripped into her eyes. She blinked away the stinging wetness.
    Yet JJ refused to move. He could be out there. Waiting.
    Her legs were cramping as she kept her crouch. She needed to go pee. Her hands were getting sore from holding the rifle.
    Dare she peek out?
    She shook her head. Why was she being such a wimp? She had a rifle. She could blow the intruder's head off.
    This is my home .
    A fierce territorial rage suddenly slammed into her. She would fight to her death to protect her home and her men and not cower in some stupid closet.
    Why in the world had it taken her so long to get herself some balls?
    A burst of courage surged inside JJ. This daring to die for what was right was an odd feeling. It was something she hadn't experienced since the day she'd killed her stepfather.
    Suddenly, she knew she would kill again, if she was threatened. And she was feeling
    threatened. Big time.
    Using the barrel of the rifle, she pushed the door open inch by inch. Silence met her.
    From the angle of the sunlight, she knew it was late in the day.
    Unease whipped through her. Dan hadn't returned. He had said he might be late.
    But still…
    She pushed the door open a bit more. Slowly, she stood. Then she slipped out into the bedroom.
    No one. Not a sound.
    It was very hot in here. Keeping the rifle trained at Dan's bedroom door, JJ tiptoed sideways to the nearest window and looked outside.
    Raindrops sparkled on the glass panes. Beyond, the yard was devoid of movement. Large black clouds blinked with lightning to the east over the lake and shadows were spilling over the forest as the sun dropped behind the horizon in the west.
    Despite the heat, JJ shivered.
    It would be dark within minutes, and Dan wasn't back. She needed to get her ass downstairs and find out if she had only imagined someone being in the house.
    Edging toward the bedroom door, she quietly opened it and stepped into the hallway. It was quiet here as well. For a few minutes, JJ stood at the foot of the stairs and peered down the stairway, half expecting