Home For a Cowboy Christmas(42)

Though, he wouldn’t blame her if it did.

He’d been in tough situations before, but he had never had someone hunting him. People had shot at him, but he had never stared down the barrel of a gun—not like Emmy had. The government had trained him for tactical situations, conditions that were stressful and demanding. Emmy had none of that training—not emotionally, mentally, or physically.

The fact that she had been able to get on with her life in what little capacity she had while at the ranch was phenomenal in his opinion. It was a testament to her mental fortitude and inner strength. But a person could only withstand so much before they broke.

And Dwight feared that Emmy was nearing her breaking point.

Unfortunately, she had a ways to go before it was over. Getting from Montana to Denver and the courthouse would be the most stressful of any of the situations, which was why Dwight had begun to form some plans of his own to help both Emmy and Dalton.

They were rough schemes that had begun when he woke last night to Emmy crying. It’d killed him not to know the reason for her tears, but he could guess. She was frightened and worried. The kinds of emotions that couldn’t be dealt with or answered and tended to get heavier and heavier as the days wore on. The only thing he could do was continue to make her feel safe at the ranch while ensuring that she was. Aside from that, he would do whatever he could to fill her days with laughter and fun.

His phone vibrated in his coat pocket. Dwight unzipped his jacket and pulled out his cell, seeing the same number Dalton had used when he’d called about bringing Emmy.

“Hello?” Dwight answered.

A beat passed before Dalton said, “Hey, man.”

“Hey. How are you?”

“I’m good.”

Which meant he was exhausted. Dwight could hear it in his voice. He glanced at the house and then headed inside the barn. “Anything I can do?”

“No. How is she?”

Dwight knew Dalton was purposefully not mentioning names in case anyone was listening to their call. “As well as can be expected. Making progress, but it’s slow. She has good days and bad.”

“Anything I should be worried about?”

“Normal stuff.”

Dalton grunted through the phone. “Have you gone hunting lately?”

Dwight halted instantly. “Hasn’t been a need.”

“If you’re going to have that big celebration for Christmas, you might want to get ahead of things and start bagging some game early.”

Fuck. Dwight placed a hand against the edge of a stall and hung his head. Dalton was telling him that men were closing in. But Dwight needed to know how close they were. “I’ve still got time. I was thinking of holding off.”

“The sooner, the better, I think.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I’m going to miss hunting with you. I know you’re good, but it’s always better if you’ve got a companion to help bring home dinner.”

Dwight pushed away from the wall. Dwight was warning him not to go alone. He wasn’t sure if that meant more than one person was coming, or if the one headed their way was that dangerous. Either way, it didn’t matter. “I know just the person to help.”

“Be careful out there, though I don’t need to tell you that since you know those mountains better than anyone.”

A smile pulled at Dwight’s lips. “That’s for certain.”

“I’ll check in when I can.”

Dwight put his phone away when the call ended. He stood in the barn for several moments, thinking. His options were few, but the one thing he knew was that he wouldn’t let anyone near Emmy. There hadn’t been urgency in Dalton’s voice, which told Dwight that the hitmen weren’t right at their doorstep. But they were getting close.

He blew out a breath and called Carlos, who had worked for his family since Dwight was in college. As soon as Carlos picked up, Dwight said, “I got a tip about possible trespassers coming. You interested in some overtime?”

“Tell me where and when, and I’m there,” Carlos replied.

Dwight had known that he could count on Carlos, but hearing the words made him feel better. “I just got word. I’ve not even set up a plan yet.”

“You know you can count on me, boss.”

“I appreciate it.”

“You need more people? My nephew is a hell of a hunter. He can track anything.”

Dwight thought about that for a moment. “I’d be interested, but this is a private matter. Nothing that happens here can ever be spoken about.”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

“You still on the south range fixing the fence?”

“I am. Junior’s here with me.”

Dwight glanced out the barn doors to the house. “How much longer will it take you?”

“About another two hours.”

“I’d like to meet in the barn before lunch.”

Carlos’s voice was muffled as he yelled something to Junior. Then he said into the phone, “I’ll be there.”

Dwight disconnected and debated whether to tell Emmy about Dalton’s call. She was already strung so tight. He didn’t want her to worry more. But not telling her could make matters worse. Dwight decided that he would keep things to himself until he came up with a solid plan and put it into motion.