Had someone left a baby out in this cold?
Surely not!
“Hello? Is someone there? Do you need help?”
She rounded the corner and confusion filled her. A recorder? But why?
She looked around to see who could have left it there.
Nothing. The strategically planted trees swayed in the wind. Brown leaves rustled.
A shuffling sound came from behind her.
Before she could whirl to see who was there, a hand with a sweet-smelling cloth slapped over her mouth and nose.
FOUR
Cal crested the hill and pulled his horse to a halt. He couldn’t keep his mind on the ranch’s problems. His sister’s houseguest, Abby Harris, kept intruding.
From his position, he could see the main house, his mother’s house and the home he grew up in, directly in front of him. His house that he’d built six years ago sat to the left, Fiona’s to the right. Where Abby was.
His eyes narrowed on Fiona’s house and he decided to check in and see if Abby was feeling any better. Telling himself it was natural to be so concerned about a strange woman and that if she were sixty-five and ugly as a goat, he’d still feel the worry gnawing on his gut, he set off at a fast clip, his horse covering the ground with long, even strides.
As he approached, movement by the side of the house caught his eye.
He saw a flash of red and thought he heard a horse’s shrill whinny. Clicking to his mount, he moved closer.
What was going on? It looked like someone was fighting with Abby.
“Abby!”
Spurring his horse in the sides, he urged the animal into a full gallop. The closer he got, the clearer the picture became.
“Hey!” Someone was definitely trying to hurt Abby and her struggles seemed to be growing weaker by the second. “Stop! Police!”
Grabbing the rifle from the scabbard on his saddle, Cal raised it and fired a shot into the air.
The horse’s thundering hooves flew over the ground, eating up the space between him and the struggling duo.
Abby’s attacker threw her to the ground and raced out of sight around to the other side of the house.
Soon, the man was on the back of a powerful animal, bolting across the open field, his horse going full out toward the edge of the property. Cal saw Abby lying still, her face turned away from him.
Grabbing his satellite phone, he punched in Zane’s number. When the man answered, Cal ordered, “I’ve got a trespasser headed past Fiona’s house to the edge of the property. He attacked Abby. Chase him down and bring him back here, but be careful, he might be armed.”
“You got it.”
Zane didn’t waste any more words and hung up. A former special ops marine, Zane could take care of himself. Cal pulled his horse to a halt a few feet from Abby’s still form.
Bolting from the saddle, he knelt beside her. “Abby.” His hands ran over her, looking for any wounds. Nothing.
She moaned and he turned her on her back.
She shivered and her teeth began to chatter. Cal took a chance that nothing was broken and lifted her into his arms.
Spinning, he pushed open the door to her small apartment and stepped inside. Kicking the door shut behind him, he felt her start to struggle. “It’s me, Abby, be still.”
At his voice, she calmed.
Settling her on the bed, he took in her pale features. “Hey, what happened? Can you hear me?”
Puzzled, he looked her over again. No bruises anywhere, no blood. Then why wasn’t she responding?
Finally, her eyelids lifted. “Cal?”
“Yeah. Who was that guy?”
“I …” She licked her lips. “I don’t know. Think he had chloroform or something. I managed to avoid breathing most of it in. May have gotten a good whiff because I feel sluggish. Be all right in a little while.”
Cal heard a knock on the door, then Fiona’s voice, “Abby, are you down here?”
“She’s here,” he answered for her.
Fiona opened the door a crack. “Cal—oh, good, you’re here. I heard a gunshot. Is everything all right?”
Cal’s lips tightened at the worry on his sister’s face. “Everything’s fine now, but I think someone just tried to kidnap Abby.”
“What?” Her worry turned to outrage. “Here? On our ranch? But how did anyone know she was here?”
Cal thought about the man he’d chased outside of Dylan’s medical building. Was it possible he’d followed them home?
More than possible, he realized. It was the only reasonable explanation.
He turned to Abby. “Who is he? Who tried to kidnap you?”
She frowned. “I … I’m not sure. He grabbed me from behind. I never got a look at his face.” Her eyes shut and he watched her force them back open. Fear stared out at him and his gut clenched.
Cal wondered if she was telling the truth. “I didn’t, either. Even though I noticed he had dark hair, it was hard to tell his build through the heavy coat. I don’t even think I’d recognize him if I passed him on the street. Abby, if someone’s after you, I need to know who it is.”
She turned her head. “It’s no one. I can’t believe …” She sighed. “As soon as I can, I’ll be gone. I don’t want to bring any more trouble to you or your family.”
Cal took her fingers and squeezed. She didn’t flinch or pull away, but she didn’t look at him, either. “Abby, you’re not the first person who’s needed help around here. After today, your enemy just made the biggest mistake of his life.”
“You don’t mess with the McIvers or their friends,” Fiona stated, eyes narrowed as though imagining what she’d do to the creep who’d dared step foot on her property to cause harm to one there. She looked at Cal. “Sounds like we might need to keep the rifles a little closer.”
He nodded. “I’d say that for now.”
Abby’s gaze bounced back and forth between them and he smiled reassurance. “Don’t worry. Now that we know trouble’s here, we can keep an eye out for it.”
Cal’s phone rang and he pulled it off the clip on his side. He looked at Fiona. “It’s Zane.” Into the phone, he said, “Did you catch him?”
“Sorry, boss, by the time I got to where you said he was, he’d disappeared. I followed his trail for a while, then he started walking his horse in the river. Don’t know if he went east or west. It looks like west, but I never caught up to him.”
The river ran east to west dividing the property in half. About seventy-feet wide, it was one of the reasons Cal’s great-grandfather had chosen this piece of land. An endless supply of water. And either way, as long as the man stayed in the shallow edge, he would be able to get off the property by following the river far enough.
Cal blew out a sigh. “All right, thanks for trying. Tell the boys to keep their guns handy. I don’t want this snake anywhere near the houses. He attacked Abby and there’s no guarantee he won’t be back.”
Cal heard Zane’s swift indrawn breath. “We’ll keep an eye out. Might even need a night lookout.”
“Call a meeting. We need to discuss this and develop a plan.”
“You got it. I’ll be in touch.”
Cal hung up and looked