Page 101 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
“We’ll be careful. You watch out—that person isn’t where they should be. Who knows what they’re up to or if they’re alone.”
That issue hadn’t even occurred to him.
The instant she hung up, Finn headed toward where he and Zach stabled their horses. “Someone is trespassing and stealing our horses. Is it still called horse thievery if you’re shoving them toward the wilderness instead of the back of a trailer?”
Cody started getting his horse saddled in double-quick time. “If it’s one of our crew, I swear I’ll skin the bastard.”
“You’ll have to get in line. Sounds as if Karen is ready to do that with her bare teeth.” Finn told them what little she’d shared before looking at his best friend. “If I remember correctly, there are two ways to get to that field.”
Zach tightened the cinch on his horse. “You want me and Cody to come in along the north fence line?”
He considered the route, even as he placed the bridle over Mywaye’s head. “Josiah goes with Cody. You and I will approach from the south. If by some chance the guy tries to escape straight east, we’ll have security waiting.”
“I’ll give the guards a shout as soon as we’re riding,” Cody promised.
“Are the girls okay?” Josiah asked. He sounded more concerned than expected. “I mean, this was supposed to be a fun moonlight ride, not a roundup.”
Finn thought over the list of women who had headed out that evening. “They’ve got three newbies but also five highly-skilled horsewomen. They can handle it.”
It seemed to take forever, but he knew they were out of the barn faster than usual. He led Zach to the same path he and Karen had walked only days before. They moved cautiously, but the sense of urgency was there. And it wasn’t about the horses, and it wasn’t even about whatever the hell was going on at the ranch.
It was about making sure Karen was safe.
Hoofbeats rang loudly against the hard-packed dirt.
The instant Karengot off the phone with Finn, she started handing out orders. “Finn’s taking care of our mystery man. We need to make sure Thor doesn’t take off with our mares. Tamara, are you good to stay here with Tansy and Rose and make sure everything’s dealt with?”
Tamara nodded. “We can head back to the ranch the same way we came once the fire’s out. You’ve got the trail well marked. I’m okay if we go slowly.”
“Someone will come back to meet you as soon as possible,” Karen promised. She turned to her other sisters and Kelli. “We’ll deal with the herd.”
Three heads nodded, all of them moving toward their horses without any questions.
“What about me?” Brooke asked.
She’d been the most competent of the three inexperienced riders on the trip up, and Karen needed one more set of hands. “You okay coming with us? You’ll ride with me to the bottom of the hill and then work as a backup.”
“No problem.”
The smooth grace with which everyone responded made Karen proud.
Starlight had done the trail enough times that he moved confidently even in the darkness. It gave time for Karen to talk to Brooke about what her task would be.
Once they hit the bottom of the hill, Karen helped Brooke to the ground then directed Lisa and Kelli to the trail leading north. “Julia and I will go south for ten minutes then head toward the river. I’m hoping with the fuss over by Red Boot ranch, the stallion won’t be interested in moving in that direction. He’ll wait for the mares to come to him. We should be able to cut them off before they join his herd.”
Brooke held up her phone. “And if the wildies head inthisdirection, I set off my alarm so they don’t take the trail up past the fire pit and spook the rest of our group.”
“Just don’t set the alarm off unless you have to, becausenoneof the horses are going to like that sound.”
The five of them headed in different directions. Karen was amazed at how quickly the group had gone from laughing and joking to dead serious and a competent team.
But then again, she’d worked with some of these women most of her life. She knew what they were capable of.
Maybe that was part of what had called her to Heart Falls. Called her to make this home, because even in the midst of not knowing what the hell was going on, it seemed she was in the right place and with the right people.
As she and Julia moved quietly along the trail, Karen took the time to loosen the straps holding her shotgun in place.
Julia noticed. “You think that’s necessary?”
