Lucas. Delores Fossen

if he was calling then maybe that meant the shot had been fired close to the house.

      Or in it.

      Hailey pressed her fingers to her mouth and listened, praying.

      “Sawyer fired the shot,” Mason said. “The guy’s alive for now.”

      “Is he talking?” Lucas asked.

      “No, but I just called an ambulance, so maybe he’ll say something on the way to the hospital. Sawyer has a way of getting dirt to talk.”

      Good. But that didn’t mean this was over. “Are there any other attackers out there?” Hailey pressed.

      Just as the ranch hand had done, Mason hesitated. “No. Nothing else is showing up on any of the security feeds, either. It looks as if this clown came alone. And I don’t think he came here to kill anybody. He had surveillance equipment on him.”

      So there could be others on the way. It was too much to hope that this guy’s injury and arrest would get the person behind this to back off.

      “It’s safe for you to come to the house,” Mason continued. “If you want to come, that is.”

      She knew what he meant by that. Mason was giving his cousin an out in case Lucas didn’t want her to see the baby. Hailey was about to insist that happen when Lucas gave Grayson the go-ahead to get moving.

      Toward the house.

      Hailey sat back up, keeping watch around them, but she was also looking for the house. It finally came into view since it was the first building on the ranch road. All of the interior lights were off, probably as a safety precaution, but there were security lights on all four corners of the property. Enough for her to see the barn and corral that hadn’t been there a year ago.

      Lucas was making this place a home.

      Part of her was thankful for that. Their son deserved it. But she was betting there was no place in this home for her.

      Grayson pulled to a stop directly in front of the porch, and the door opened. Mason. Yet another unfriendly face, but then, Mason usually looked unfriendly. As he’d done at the sheriff’s office, Lucas got her in—fast. This time, though, he didn’t carry her. He looped his arm around her waist to steady her, and the moment they were inside, he moved away from her.

      Hailey immediately looked around for the baby. But there was no sign of him or the nanny. She was about to demand to see him, but Mason stepped in front of her.

      “Just got a text from Sawyer,” Mason said, his voice low and dangerous. “The guy he shot is drifting in and out of consciousness, but this is what the guy said.”

      He held his phone screen up for her to see, and the words there caused her to drop back a step.

      Hailey Darrow paid me to take the kid.