Page 102 of Brooke's Bliss
Henry’s brows rose but he didn’t say anything because thebarn door was opening.Henry moved into the shadows.
“Hello to the house.Or the barn, as it is.”The cowboystanding there wore dark jeans and a black T-shirt.She could see the brand onhis forearm.
She would bet that was the same brand Kingman used on hiscattle.
The cowboy had a shotgun in his hand, but his eyes were onher.On her breasts, checking her out, likely to see if it would be worth it torisk having some fun with her.“Now see, they didn’t tell me there would be apretty lady in here.Where are your friends, sweetheart?”
Nell let out a low moan, and the guy took his eyes off her.
Brooke was about to make a run at him.She could fight andhopefully get the gun.She would sacrifice if she had to.The whole sceneplayed out in her head, but then Henry stepped out of the shadows and oneminute the guy was trying to figure out what was happening and then next therewas a cracking sound and his ass fell to the floor.
Henry picked the gun up and stepped over the dead body.
Well, that had been way easier than it should have been.
“I can stay in the barn,” Brooke said.No lies there.Henrywas everything they said he was.
“My love, I’m sorry about the noise.Brooke, if you couldscream, please,” Henry apologized, and then the sound of a shotgun going offexploded through the air.
The goats brayed and ran in circles.
“Brooke,” Henry prompted.“I need to make this sound real orhe’ll send someone else.One shot for each of us because I don’t know how goodtheir intel is.”
Brooke screamed at the top of her lungs.It felt good,actually, because it was so fucking unfair.How dare they walk in here andexpect…what?They were walking in and murdering people who’d done absolutelynothing to them, and she included Shane in that.
Another shot and another, and those poor baby goats wereterrified.She screamed again because she was pissed about the goats.They werein their home.They should be safe.
Henry fired again, and Brooke could hear Nell’s long groan.
This baby was coming faster than she could believe.
Henry came back and held the shotgun out to her.“Nowthey’ll think he’s prepping the bodies.They’ve been careful.They made surethe ranch was as empty as possible.I’m going to hope that means they thinkthey’ve got time.I need you to watch over my wife.If anyone walks throughthat door, you shoot.Do you understand, Brooke?”
He was so cold, so unlike the Henry she knew, but he wasalso deeply competent and she trusted him.The Henry who always helped, who’dread her college history papers and edited them for her, was still in there.“Ido.Please help Shane.I know they said they have him, but I can’t help butwonder if he’s been shot.”
The barn door came open and Brooke held the shotgun up, butHenry quickly deflected it before she could fire.
Noah Bennett stumbled in, blood pouring from his left side.“Henry, you have to get Nell out.”
Brooke rushed to help him.“Noah, what happened?”
Henry glanced out the barn door.“Brooke, I need a shot.Someone saw Noah and they’re coming to check on him.We might be able todeflect.”
Brooke quietly apologized to the goats and blasted a shottoward the back of the barn.
“Everything okay in there?”a deep voice asked.
“Is now,” Henry replied, his voice equally deep.“Tell theboss I got it handled.”
He did an excellent laconic Western accent.
Henry turned.“He’s going back.Noah, what am I dealingwith?”
Noah was pale, and he gritted his teeth as he moved.“I’mnot sure, man.I walked into Trev’s place to grab some towels for the ride.Birth is messy.And then this woman stepped out of the living room and shot me.I went down, and luckily she didn’t look too closely.She assumed I would die.She’s a terrible shot and doesn’t know anatomy.I’ve got a while before I bleedout.How is Nell?”
“She’s great if we want to have a baby in a barn in themiddle of some kind of range war,” Lucy replied.“And among a bunch of goats.”
Brooke noticed a couple of the babies were huddled againstNell.Like they knew she would protect them even when she was at her mostvulnerable.One of the little suckers rested his head on her belly.Nell simplypetted the animal as though she got comfort from it, too.
