Page 43 of Cowboy Peril

Parker frowned. The teacher seemed to be the one who always accompanied the children to the ranch. She’d heard Mrs. White and Marilyn mention it a few times. Did she have her sights set on one of the cowboys? Colt maybe? Parker went to join them and introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you.” Susan clapped her hands to get the attention of the group. “You’re in this man’s hands now. Please do not make me have to give a bad report to your parents.” She smiled at Colt. “I’m strictly here to help you keep them under control.”

“Me, too.” Parker grinned, squaring her shoulders.

Colt gave her a strange look. “All right, guys, our first stop is the creek. Each of you grab a bucket. You’ll need water. Then to the barn for fire building. If you want to eat later on, you need to be able to prepare it.”

One boy raised his hand. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“You’re going to need to dig a hole first. Grab a shovel.”

Parker’s mouth fell open. Was he serious?

Colt laughed. “Outhouse is next to the barn, but you will be digging a hole today.”

It took over an hour to hike to the creek and back. By the time they did, most buckets held less than half the water inthem. Colt said it taught a lesson about trying to do it all at once, but it looked like a waste of time to Parker.

In the barn, the group set their buckets aside while Eric and Derrick instructed them on how to build a fire in order to purify the water and cook the hotdogs waiting for them.

Parker perched on a hay bale, more than happy to let Colt and the twins take charge.

A rustle at the back door made her glance over her shoulder. She gasped.

Mark, gun aimed at her, approached within inches, the metal touching the side of her head. “Nobody move unless I tell you.” He swung his gun toward Colt who dove to the side.

Colt dropped in a heap.

Screams filled the barn.

“Quiet, or I shoot again.”

“Colton!”

“Stay there, Parker,” Colt said from behind a barrel. “He got me in the leg is all.”

“I’ll do more than that if I need to.” He trained the gun at one of the twins. “Lock that back door. The other one, do the same with the front. Teacher Lady, move those kids to the far wall. On the ground, backs against the wall, legs crossed.”

“How did you—” Parker gripped the edges of the hay bale.

“Get on the ranch? All it takes is for me to be smarter than the cowboys. That, and giving the dog a sleeping agent.” He grinned. “Now, you, Miss Wells, are going to do exactly as I say, or do I start shooting these kids?”

Cries rose again.

“Dawson, scoot out here where I can see you!”

Colt, a bandana tied around his thigh, crawled into the open. He cut Parker a quick glance, then returned his attention to Mark. “What now?”

“I’m going to take Parker out of here. The other cowboys should be surrounding this building real soon after hearing all the screaming. Once they know I’m serious about them not interfering, Parker and I will leave. Once we reach Mexico, I’ll let her go.”

Mexico! She wasn’t naïve enough to believe she’d live to cross the border. The man had to be lying.

Voices drifted from outside. How she wished there was a window or two that would allow law enforcement, once they arrived, to shoot Mark. Instead, they were stuck inside this sauna of a tin can.

Parker shoved aside a strand of hair that had stuck to her cheek. She glanced back at Colt’s pale face. Lines of pain creased his forehead as he scooted to rest against the wall with the kids. Blood seeped through the bandana.

“Why did you shoot Colt?” She glared.

“To take him out of the picture. If I need to, I’ll make sure the next bullet puts him out permanently. Get your cell phone out.”

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