Page 95 of Winning His Wager

Tylersevery single one.

One pulled her free—Derrick. He pulled her free while some of the others got her father and Old Mr. Rutherford out.

They sat her on the ground and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Abby just stayed right where she was and cried.

Every plan she had ever made was ruined.

And her brother was just gone.

What was Abby going to do now?

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Will ran.He didn’t know how he had managed to get away, but he had. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he had a gun now. Hayden had given it to him to protect their dads. Will wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

But he had to get away. If they caught him, those guys out of Texas would kill him and Abby and their dad. But maybe if he killed Bruce, they wouldn’t hate him so much. If he got away, he could get back to them and tell them what Bruce wanted. What he was looking for.

Or, maybe Will could go to the cops himself. Tell what he knew.

He just couldn’t let Abby be with him when he was arrested. She and his dad, they had to look like victims. Completely innocent. It had to look like it was all Will’s fault so they would be okay. Abby could take care of their dad okay, and Will’s dad had always kept an eye on Abby.

But if Will was blamed for this, his dad would be safe. His head still hurt, from the OPJ and from hitting the front window when those fucking Tylers on horses had run him off the road. It made it hard for him tothink.

Maybe he could even get to Dylan, and she would listen to him. Talk to her uncle for him. Or the sheriff. They were related now, he thought. The sheriff was the son of her aunt or something.

Maybe Dylan would help.

He just knew—people couldn’t think any of this was Abby’s fault.

Abby was a bitch and selfish and catty, but she was his sister—and she was completely innocent. He had to take care of his dad and sister.

Abby didn’t deserve to pay the price for his mistakes.

Will ran back to the house that had been in his family for generations once. Until he could see?—

A man was there. Behind Toby.

BehindDylan.Her hair was so distinctive, even in the dim light.

And the man was getting closer.

Bruce.

Will pulled up the pistol in his hands. He closed his eyes.

And fired.

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Dylan was gettinga wee bit tired of dealing with delusional lunatics with guns pointed in her direction. She was starting to think delusional lunatics with guns grew on trees in Masterson County or something.

She stayed on the ground, listening to Quade as he tried to reason with a lunatic she had never seen before. Who had a gun pointed ather.

There were at least six men surrounding them. She recognized Quade, of course. And Hot Guy Martin was there, a rifle in his hands, looking beyond hot and dangerous and everything now. Darcey was seriously missing out on all that hotness.

Ben was there too, of course. She had suspected he would be her cranky cowboy’s sidekick for this rescue mission and everything. Right next to Quade was Clint, the guy who was married to Fletcher’s cousin Maggie. He was the man in charge right now. She’d known he’d been a cop with the Wyoming Highway Patrol before this. Marin had complained about Clint’s bestie Rex, commander of the WHP, many, many times before. Dylan thought it was because Marin had a thing for Rex but wouldn’t admit it.

These were people she knew, people she trusted.

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