Page 29 of Cowboy Peril

“Nothing that he said made sense.”

“What did he say?”

She met his eyes. “That it was too dangerous for me to continue seeing you. Dangerous for me, you, my parents… and after that he gave me one last warning. If I should continue on my path to marry you, I would lose everything.”

“Everything? “What does that mean?”

“Looking back, it didn’t have anything to do with money. I think he was being threatened, and that’s why he made the demand. By the time I started believing this was his reason, you were gone.”

His heart constricted. “You could have come to me.”

“I was too embarrassed, and then trouble came. Doesn’t it mean anything that you’re the one I ran to?” Tears ran down her cheeks, glistening in the starlight.

It meant she needed help and thought he could rescue her. Colt might not be the right person for her to have chosen for the role, but he’d do everything in his power to meet her expectations. He ran his hand along her long tresses and pulled her face close for a kiss. For tonight, for a moment, he’d forget all that had transpired between them and hold onto a glimmer of hope for a future together.

Her lips rounded, and her soft breath washed over his face before he claimed his lips. The horses shifted under them, huffing and stomping their feet.

Colt pulled Parker into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss.

Call him a fool, but he wanted, no needed, to give this woman another chance with his heart. But not until after the threat of death was behind them. Until then, he’d do his best to keep his distance and focus on keeping her alive. The thought of these soft lips so close was too much to resist. Everything he’d been holding back broke through into this kiss.

Chapter Thirteen

Coming to theRocking W had been the best decision Parker had made in a very long time. It was probably her imagination, but she swore her lips still tingled from the horseback kiss from the night before. She hugged the bedsheet to her chest and smiled. Colt was going to forgive her for her stupidity. Things were going to be just fine between them. Somehow, she’d find a way to acquire the money for his cattle ranch. The hard part would be convincing him to accept the gift, or to consider it a loan without interest, if that made him feel better.

A sharp knock on her door propelled her from the bed. They were expecting a group of kids out of school for the summer for riding lessons and a cookout, both of which Parker was to help with. The riding lessons, yes. The cooking over an open fire, not so much.

“Coming. Sorry!” She sprinted for the bathroom, took a quick shower, threw on her jeans and cowboy boots, fed Tuxedo, then rushed out the door. Twenty minutes had to be a record for her.

She skidded to a halt at the sight of a white sheet of paper tacked to the post of her porch. With trembling hands, she yanked it free and read,

Get the cowboy to back off or he dies.

A warning for her to stay away from Colt

She glanced toward Colt’s house. Should she show him the note? What could he do?

The killer had to be watching them. He had to have seen them in the woods last night. But why would he worry about herrelationship with Colt? Not that there was a relationship exactly, but even if there were, what did it matter?

The clanging of the cowbell signaling breakfast pulled her attention back. She’d show Colt the note later. Shoving it into her pocket, she made a dash for the main house. The day promised to be a busy one that would keep her mind too occupied to dwell on all the unanswered questions, and she didn’t want to distract either of them from their work.

Colt glanced up from the table when she entered, a question in his eyes. He always knew when something was on her mind.

Parker ducked her head and filled her plate with eggs and bacon before pasting on a smile and taking a seat at the table as far away from him as she could. Ignoring the frown that had replaced his questioning look, she ate as fast as she could, then excused herself, mumbling that she had some things to do at home before the guests arrived.

The pounding of hammers from those working on the barn accompanied her walk to her house. She entered and slammed the door, locking it behind her. If she didn’t compose herself before seeing Colt again, he’d get too suspicious and demand she tell him what was on her mind. Parker was becoming a very bad liar.

Parker took a photo of the warning with her phone and sent it to the sheriff’s department via text. She would still have to tell Colt, but at least she’d already done what he’d tell her to do.

A sharp rap sounded on her door.

She clasped a hand over her mouth, relaxing only when Colt peered through her window. Darn. She wouldn’t be able to wait before alerting him to the note. “Good morning.” She opened the door and offered a weak smile.

“Is it?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Mind telling me what has you more skittish than a yearling surrounded by coyotes?”

She sighed and pulled the wrinkled note from her pocket and handed it to him. “I was going to show you after the guests left. I’ve already texted a copy to the sheriff.”

He grunted and read the note. “Did you think you were protecting me by not sharing this right away?”

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