Home For a Cowboy Christmas(51)

“He said he wouldn’t leave.”

“Some things have come up.”

She was shaking. Emmy wasn’t sure if it was the cold or the fear. Probably both. “Where is he?”

“There,” Carlos pointed to the mountains.

The only reason Emmy had gotten through each day was because of Dwight. Without him, she didn’t know what to do.

“Easy,” Carlos said. “Take a breath. You need to breathe.”

She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Then realized she had been holding her breath. Emmy gulped in air and leaned back against the fence.

“Emmy, I need you to listen to me carefully.”

“You know my name,” she said. Had Dwight told him everything?

A frown briefly marred Carlos’s forehead. “I know Dwight cares about you. I know he’ll do everything in his power to keep you and everyone on this ranch safe. I know he’s trying to keep his promises to everyone, and he’s having a hard time. It’s why I finally stepped in.”

She wanted to like Carlos, but she didn’t know the man. “Why do you say that?”

“I’ve known Dwight and his family for over twenty years. I didn’t tell him or anyone else that I saw your arrival. Nor did I say anything when I saw you and Dwight together with the horses that morning. I told him all of this, just as I’m telling you. I wanted Dwight to know that whether he told me what was going on or not, I would stand with him and fight. However, he came to the conclusion that everyone needed to know who they were up against.”

“The couple,” she said. “That set him off.”

Carlos nodded once. “We both felt something wasn’t right about them. It could be nothing, but I know Dwight. The way he’s been taking extra precautions told me that something was going on. I trust his instincts.”

“Why didn’t he tell me this himself?”

“He wanted to get to the others and warn them.”

Emmy put her hands in her pockets in an effort to warm them. “If he went off that quickly, it’s because he’s worried. He wouldn’t be troubled if there wasn’t a reason.”

“He’s taking precautions. There’s a difference.”

Emmy shook her head. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

At this, Carlos chuckled. “You aren’t from here, so you don’t know. You should be worried about those coming. We know this land. We’re not only avid hunters, but we’re also expert marksmen. These people won’t know what hit them.”

“I wish I could believe everything you’re saying, but you’ve not gone up against these people.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t need to in order to know what kind they are. They kill for money.”

Her eyes widened. “Exactly.”

“And we’re defending a ranch and the occupants we call friends.”

“These are assassins. They don’t care about anyone or anything. Their job is to take lives.”

Carlos merely smiled. “That is what will allow us to win.”

She knew there was no way she could change his mind. Emmy blew out a breath, a white cloud forming in front of her face. “How long will Dwight be gone?”

“Not long. I’ll be here until he returns. The best thing you can do is go back inside the house and wait.”

“That’s all I’ve been doing for weeks.”

“Trust Dwight. He won’t let you down.”

Emmy knew that. She was just afraid that she would destroy everything Dwight held dear. Her worst fear was that he would be killed trying to keep her safe. He had given his word to Dalton, but now it was time for her to think about going out on her own. Dwight’s entire life had been upended thanks to her.

She nodded and walked away from Carlos, her mind turning a thought over and over again. Once inside the house, she locked the door and removed her coat to hang it on the hook. Then she looked around the house with a heavy heart. Suddenly, she realized what she wanted to give Dwight for Christmas.





Chapter 25


Orso lowered his cell phone as he sat in the parked car at a rest stop. He drummed his fingers on the center console. This was only the second time in his career that he had called in outside help. There was just too much terrain for him to cover in the time allotted. He should’ve already finished with this job and moved on to another.

Yet, he was still in Montana, looking for a woman who seemed to have vanished into thin air.

His search hadn’t uncovered any more places where the marshal had changed vehicles. After a call to a friend, Orso was able to determine Silva’s last location based on CCTV footage. Emmy would stand out in the small town of Field Point. Unfortunately, Orso stood out, as well.

While parts of Montana were developing subdivisions, ranches made up most of the state. Going to each one and poking around was simply out of the question for one individual. Which was why Orso had brought in help. But even those now working for him had come up empty.

The ranchers weren’t talking. Unless they searched all the houses and every outbuilding on the ranches, there was no telling where Emmy and the marshal could be. For all Orso knew, they were in a remote hunting cabin somewhere.

It seemed infeasible to him that he wouldn’t finish an assignment. It would be the first time. And it didn’t sit well with him at all.