Cowboy Who Came For Christmas (Harlequin Romance) (11 page)

They all hurried around the house, making enough noise to scare away even a criminal. The curtains were closed so Adan couldn’t see inside, but they could hear the muffled wails growing louder.

“That’s coming from the bedroom,” Bettye said. “It’s just down from this window.”

Adan tried the window. “It’s locked. Let’s go check the back door.”

When they got to the back door, Adan turned to Jacob. “Latch on this one, too?”

“No, they have a key to this one. David always locks things up when he leaves Karen alone here.”

Adan tried the door. “It’s locked.”

“Break one of the panes,” Melissa suggested with a shrug.

Adan took an old hammer Jacob found in a toolbox on the porch and hit it against one of the wide panes then reached in and found the dead bolt. “I think I can get it open.” He drew his weapon. “Y’all need to stay here.”

“I’m going with you,” Sophia said against his shoulder.

Adan turned to stare at her, the scent of her spicy shampoo assaulting his senses. “No. You will
all
stay right here.”

He yanked his heavy jacket away and dropped it on the floor. Then he put his right hand through the hole and with a little bit of muscle, clicked the lock on the old door. After that he kicked the door back and held his gun in front of him.

“Texas Ranger. Coming in.”

Sophia pushed past all of them again. “I’m going in, too,” she said on an impatient note, the dare in her eyes telling Adan she met business.

A moment of doubt ticked away in Adan’s mind, but he had to trust her at some point. “Okay,” he said. “But stay behind me and be careful.”

She hurried through the door before he could change his mind.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

S
OPHIA
CALLED
OUT
in a loud voice. “Karen? David?”

“Umm.”

She hurried toward the hallway to the bedroom, but Adan’s hand on her arm stopped her.

“Behind me,” he reminded her, his tone firm.

Sophia stepped back but she called out, “I’m right here, Karen. We’re coming.”

She added that last in case Pritchard was still here.

Carefully creeping toward the bedroom with Adan, she jumped when a hand touched her arm.

Adan. He tugged her close and put a finger to her lips. “Stay here and stay quiet.”

Sophia almost followed on his heels to the bedroom but the touch of his finger on her skin threw her into a stupor of longing. How could she think about what it would be like to kiss him when her friend was in danger? Shaking her emotions away, Sophia rushed after him and found Karen on the floor with a gag over her mouth, her hands and feet tied up and her body strapped to a bedpost. When she saw Sophia, tears ran down her face.

Sophia slipped around Adan. “It’s okay. We’re here. You’re okay.” She untied the gag.

“He took David,” Karen said on a wail. “This afternoon when he saw the Ranger going down toward the creek. He took my husband and made David lock me up inside the house. He was gonna take me but David begged him to take him instead.”

Adan got out his phone. “I have to get someone up here. Now we can add kidnapping to Pritchard’s many illegal acts.”

“He said he’d kill David if we called anyone,” Karen said as she rubbed her blistered red wrists. “I’ve been so worried and I don’t know what to do.” She wiped at her eyes. “He said he needed to get down the mountain.”

“We’ll find your husband,” Adan said, but the look he gave Sophia said differently. “With unreliable phone service to call for backup, we’ll have to do it on our own. The roads are still too frozen to get down the mountain for help and besides, we can’t waste time with that now.”

Karen stared crying again, her brown eyes red-rimmed, her dark hair tousled. She glanced up at Adan. “He was here when you came by earlier. But he held a gun on me in the old root cellar. Told us if we squealed he’d kill everyone on this mountain.”

Her gaze moved to Sophia and then she gave a little nod that Adan probably didn’t even notice.

Sophia felt sick to her stomach. Pritchard was here because of her and all she’d done so far was lie to protect herself.

“Adan?”

He looked at her with a new trust, his eyes brightening. How could she tell him here and now, with Karen so distraught and everyone waiting on the porch?

“We’ll talk later,” he said, understanding passing through his eyes. “Let’s get her over to Bettye’s place.”

Karen moaned in pain when they lifted her, but she straightened and nodded when Sophia took her hand. Adan grabbed a jacket to wrap over her shoulders and together they helped her out onto the porch.

Soon everyone was fussing over her enough to get her off the porch and back in a warm safe place. Sophia watched as Adan stared out over the snow-covered mountain, his eyes dark with a dangerous sheen.

He would go after Joe Pritchard and he’d kill him if he had to. She didn’t doubt this at all. But Adan lived by the law, so he’d do his best to abide by that law. And that might mean he’d have to bring Sophia to justice.

She once again reminded herself that she was involved with two very dangerous men.

One who wanted her dead.

And one who wanted her to tell the truth.

She knew the danger in both, but her heart was telling her to trust Adan. She had to stop this, so what other choice did she have? She couldn’t put her friends through this just to keep Adan from finding out the worst. Things had progressed way too far for that now.

* * *

A
DAN
STOMPED
AROUND
the yard in frustration.

He couldn’t get a signal on his phone and all of the landlines were down because of yesterday’s storm. The best option was to try and drive down the icy mountain road to the sheriff’s station in town to get help. But that was at least ten treacherous miles and it left everyone here vulnerable to Joe Pritchard’s wrath.

The other option wasn’t much better. He’d have to track Pritchard in almost whiteout conditions. And with more freezing temperatures tonight.

He went back into Bettye’s cabin and sat down on a chair near Karen Harper. “So...can you tell me anything about where he might have taken David? Do you remember anything at all?”

Karen sipped the hot tea Bettye had offered her, her eyes still swollen. “We heard someone on the porch early this morning. David thought it might be Bettye or Jacob, so he didn’t think a thing about opening the door to check.”

Adan shot a glance toward where Sophia stood near the window, then returned his gaze to Karen. “And what happened when David opened the door?”

“He, uh, pushed his way inside and then held us at gunpoint for hours. He wanted someone to help him get back down the mountain so he could be on his way, but he was real nervous and he kept glancing out the window.” She gulped back a dry sob. “When you knocked on the door this morning, he held the gun on me and told David he’d kill me and everyone on this mountain if we told anyone he was here.”

“And he took you down into the root cellar?”

She bobbed her head. “Yes, it’s under the hallway there by the kitchen. I could hear David telling you to come inside. I think he was trying to drop you a hint, but then he didn’t want me to get shot, either.”

Adan shook his head, a memory of David’s calm demeanor haunting him. David hadn’t let on about anything and because Adan suspected all of them, he’d cataloged that as a good sign. “I looked right inside the front door and never suspected a thing.”

“David did a good job of pretending,” she admitted. “He was so afraid for me.”

“I understand,” Adan replied. “Anything else stand out? Something Pritchard said or did?”

Karen glanced toward Sophia. Adan didn’t miss the couple of seconds of that exchange. Everyone was in on this but him, obviously. But for now, he chose to ignore that realization.

“Karen?”

“He said he needed a car, so he took ours. Made David drive him... They left after he saw you headed toward the stream.”

“Why didn’t I hear them going down the road?” Adan asked Sophia. “The road follows the stream in most places and with these icy conditions, I don’t understand how they even made it.”

“He took him the back way,” Karen hurriedly added.

“The back way?” Adan scrubbed a hand down his face. “We have a back way and no one thought to tell me that.”

“Didn’t know it mattered,” Bettye retorted, her expression laced with a pragmatic blankness.

“Everything matters,” Adan replied, his words rising.

Karen started crying again. “He forced David to take him that way. I shouldn’t have told you that. He might kill my husband.” She rocked back and forth. “I heard him tell David he’d let him go when they reached the main road. But it’s been hours now and I’m worried.” She started crying again. “I’m so afraid David’s had a wreck...or worse.” She gave Adan an imploring look. “He seemed agitated about a lot of things.”

Sophia stalked across the room. “A word with you, Adan?”

He gave Karen a pat on her arm. “I’ll find David, I promise.”

* * *

S
OPHIA
TOOK
HIM
out on the back porch. Jacob and the Burtons had all gone home and Melissa was in her room.

Once they were out of earshot, he turned to face her, the memory of her soft lips against his fingers causing his gaze to drift down to her mouth.

She must have remembered that heated touch, too. Their eyes met and held for a brief moment before she looked away, into the setting sun. Then she held her arms around her as if to ward off the bone-chilling dusk. Or maybe to ward him off.

“What do you want to say, Sophia?” he asked, hoping she’d finally tell him the truth.

She leaned against the porch railing. “Everything. Nothing. I don’t know anymore.”

He tugged her around and stared down at her. “I’m through playing games. Pritchard came to this mountain for a reason and I think that reason is you.”

She didn’t protest, so he figured she was about to come clean. But when she shivered and turned away, Adan forgot about getting the truth out of her. He only wanted to protect her.

“What did he do to you?”

She shook her head. “I can’t say. Not here, not now.”

“When?” he asked, his hand touching her hair. “When, Sophia?”

She wiped at her eyes. “Later. When we’re alone.”

“I have to go out and find them tonight,” he said on a frustrated whisper. “If I don’t stop this, David Harper might be dead by morning. Pritchard won’t let him live to identify him. Do you want that on your conscience?”

She shook her head. “No. And that’s why I’m going with you.”

Adan stomped back. “Oh, no. You can’t do that.”

“He came here because of me, so yes, I can do that. We’ll take Jacob’s SUV. It has four-wheel drive.” Lifting her right arm in the air, she went on a rant. “I’ve learned how to use just about any weapon. I’ve learned how to protect myself by using defensive techniques. I won’t be afraid anymore.”

Adan shook his head, but her words sent a chilled warning down his backbone. “You’re trying to save everyone but yourself, aren’t you?”

“Yes, yes. Because he took David for a reason and that reason is me. He knows I won’t let him hurt any of them. He wants me to follow them and that’s what I intend to do.” She whirled and met his gaze, her eyes misty. “Maybe they all need saving more than I do.”

“Don’t talk like that,” he said, wishing he could get this woman to truly open up to him. But fear and pain held her trapped inside her own agony. He’d be willing to kill Pritchard for that alone. “Your life is worth a lot—to your friends and to me.”

“You don’t know me,” she replied. “But you will, soon enough.”

“And what’s the worst thing I should know about you?”

She started back inside then turned to stare up at him. “The worst right now—if we find Joe Pritchard, I’ll make sure he’s really dead this time.”

* * *

A
DAN
AND
S
OPHIA
finally headed back to her cabin. Now his mind was full of even more turmoil. He had to get out there and quick, to try and find Pritchard and David Harper, but he also wanted to grab Sophia and pull her close so they could finally get to the bottom of this.

But duty had to come first. At least she was beginning to trust him and that counted toward solving this case, at least.

After going back over the events of the day with Karen, Adan had a clear picture of Joe Pritchard’s whereabouts.

He had tracked him to Crescent Mountain after Pritchard had stolen a car. Then Pritchard must have ditched the vehicle in town and walked the mountain road. Adan had arrived late last night and taken that turn into the snowbank and wound up at Sophia’s door. Pritchard had to have been in the area but before he could do anything, he’d obviously seen Sophia and Bettye knock Adan out and drag him inside.

Pritchard then left that wanted poster on Sophia’s door to taunt her before he came after her. But Adan’s arrival had put a damper on that little reunion. So then Pritchard must have tracked back down the road and found Adan’s truck and deflated the tires to keep Adan from having a way to get around. Then traveled back up the mountain, probably through the woods just off the road, and managed to hide out until he could find an opportunity to get someone in the more remote cabins to open their door to him. The Harpers had fit the bill since they’d kept to themselves over the last day or so. Pritchard was desperate now. He needed to get away and he’d kill anyone who got in his path.

Only one thing didn’t make sense. Why besides trying to stall Adan would Pritchard flatten Adan’s truck tires? He could have hot-wired the truck and taken it or he could have just left it so Adan could leave. Sophia had wanted Adan to leave, too.

Maybe someone else around here needed him to stay. What if Pritchard had also threatened another person?

Melissa.

That made sense. The girl was skittish around Adan, but she pretended she was worried about her boyfriend. Adan didn’t buy that. Melissa’s showing up here at the same time as Pritchard couldn’t be a coincidence. Things usually didn’t happen that way.

Or perhaps Pritchard had decided to mess with Sophia and Adan before he got away yet again. Another distraction to throw Adan off his trail.

Melissa, meantime, had somehow found the truck and hidden inside for the night. At least Pritchard hadn’t taken the girl any farther than this mountain. Adan made a note to question her again. He’d let her slide this morning since Bettye had been so glad to see her.

Now, Adan and Sophia were gearing up for a long cold trek on a slippery road down the back side of the mountain. He couldn’t leave her unprotected and she refused to involve anyone else again. Jacob had readily agreed to let them borrow his SUV, but he’d told Sophia to be careful.

“You better take care of her, Ranger-Man,” he’d warned Adan.

So she was going with Adan while the neighbors stayed on high alert and used their own judgment on how to handle this situation.

“Is this road passable?” he asked Sophia, his mind on so much more than his job.

“As passable as the old road can be.” She didn’t look at him but kept her head down while she packed supplies in a dark canvas backpack. “We only use it if the main road is blocked. It’s more of a hiking trail now.”

“Does David know the area?”

“He should. He and Karen like to walk on the road rather than in the woods. Karen’s afraid of bears and snakes.” She stopped her packing. “But in this weather and with these conditions, I’m not sure any of us should be out on that road.”

Adan agreed with that, at least. “Do you know this road?”

She nodded and looked away. “I’ve taken strolls back there looking for things to use in my art.”