Page 18 of Rawhide and Ransom

“How long have you known him?” She spun his way, looking so delicate and wind-tousled in her borrowed white shirt and jeans that he fought the urge to sweep her into his arms and just hold her. “You and he seem…close.”

They were, and he liked the fact that she’d picked up on that detail. “He and my dad grew up together. They were friends for years.”

“Were?” She worriedly scanned his features.

It hit him like a ton of bricks that no woman had ever looked at him like that before — like she genuinely cared about what he said next. Sure, women had flirted with him in the past. Quite a few of them, actually, but Annalee wasn’t flirting with him. She was seeing him. The real him.

He shrugged again. “I’m pretty sure my dad made Running Bear promise to look after me when he was gone. Since the day we buried my dad, Running Bear has treated me like the son he never had.” His mother had died when he was much younger.

“Oh, wow!” She sounded surprised.

“Until you came along, I was all he had.” He hoped she intended to stick around long enough to pursue a meaningful relationship with Running Bear. It would mean the world to the guy to have someone in his life again who actuallywanted to be his family.

Another gust of wind blew her hair back into her eyes. This time, he reached out to help her smooth it back. “He’s gonna be tickled to pieces to meet you.”

She grew still beneath his touch. “You sound so sure about that, but what if you’re wrong? What if he wants nothing to do with me and Miley and the trouble that followed us here?”

“Impossible,” he scoffed, reluctantly dropping his hand. “Number one. You and Miley are worth knowing. Number two. As far as I can tell, your troubles haven’t followed you here.”

“Yet.” The look she gave him was full of angst.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow,” he quoted, “for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

She looked arrested. “Matthew chapter six, verse thirty-four.”

“Yep.” Her ability to snatch the exact chapter and verse right out of the air fascinated him. Most folks nowadays didn’t bother memorizing scriptures. Whether she realized it or not, she was a rare treasure.

“I’ve been quoting it to myself every day since our farm went into the red,” she confessed wryly. “I prayThe Lord is my Shepherdpassage every morning when I wake up, but it’s been harder to believe those promises lately. A lot harder.”

The grief in her voice tugged at his heart. “No judgment,” he assured huskily.

“It feels like we’re being punished,” she sighed. “Not that I blame God for flaying me to pieces for the imperfect life I’ve lived, but Chayton was good. He didn’t deserve to have his life cut short, and our daughter certainly didn’t deserve to nearly be burnt alive in her bedroom.” Her voice grew choked. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make things right for her again, but I can’t seem to push away from rock bottom.”

As much as he sympathized with her, his gut told him she wasn’t looking for sympathy. “Fortunately for all of us, God’s not in the business of flaying people.”

Her lips curved into a faint smile. “I know you’re just being nice, and I appreciate it, but you’re looking at a complete failure, Hawk.” Her voice grew sad. “I lose or destroy everything I touch.”

Indignation on her behalf churned in his gut. “Again, I can understand how it feels that way right now, but that’s far from the truth. Miley is proof that you did something right. I’ve met the kid, remember? So don’t bother trying to talk me out of that statement.”

“Okay.” Her expression softened. “Maybe I’ve done one thing right, but is it enough?”

“Yeah, it is.” He reached out to tap her chin higher with one finger. “As one very wise person recently said to me, quit asking God why things are happening to you and start asking Him what He’s trying to accomplish in your life through those things.”

The mist in her eyes cleared, and her expression grew thoughtful. “Are you saying that all I need to do is change my perspective?”

“Bingo.” He lightly tapped the underside of her chin. “It’s easier than it sounds.”

“But I’ve lost so much.” Agony stained her gaze, making her eyes appear bluer. “So much that I’ll never get back. My husband. Our farm. Our home.”

“You still have the breath in your lungs.” He wanted to trace the curve of her chin, but he forced his hand back to his side. “And you still have Miley. Think of this like a fork in the road, one that brought you to new friends, new experiences, and a family member you’ve always wanted to meet.”

“I’m trying, but my heart is broken, Hawk.” She closed her eyes as if no longer able to endure the sunlight.

“You’re gonna have to give yourself time to heal.” Something elemental stirred in him at the realization that he would get to watch her heal. If she let him, he’d be with her every step of the way.

“When will I find time for that?” She gave him an exasperated look. “We have a would-be killer to catch.” Her voice cracked. “A killer who may have already killed once. A killer who could return any day to finish what she started.”

“I’m confident you can do both, Annalee Gilbert.” He meant it, too. He already admired her determination, grit, and close relationship with her daughter. She was a fighter. They both were. “For what it’s worth, I’ll help.”

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