Page 85 of Don't Burn Bridges
“Son of a bitch.”
“Troy gave her until the end of today to get a check from me. If she didn't...” Shane's jaw clenched. “He said he'd make me—then threatened everyone at the ranch.”
A loud metallic clang erupted through the phone a second later. Shane didn’t know what his husband had punched or kicked, but whatever it was could be replaced. He understood the man's rage and didn't ask for details.
Finally, Tuck said, “Okay. What's the plan?”
“I want everybody carrying. Quietly.” Most of the men at the ranch wore sidearms daily, and everyone took a rifle with them while working the fields on horseback or ATVs. Coyotes were a common threat to the cattle. “Move a few of the hands closer to the house, but don't make a production out of it. Keep an eye on Paige, Mya, and the kids without telling them why. I don't want anybody worried until we know exactly what we're dealing with.”
“Got it. Text me a description of him and his vehicle. If Shylo has a picture, send that too.”
“I'll ask, but I doubt it. I'll have her text you the details while I drive. And, Tuck, don't go looking for him by yourself.”
An obnoxious snort sounded on the other end of the call. “Wasn't planning on it.”
“Sure you weren't.” He shook his head and would've laughed under different circumstances. “I'm bringing Shylo back with me. She's not safe until he's gone. I'll call Lane and the chief next and give them a heads-up.”
Chief Graham Hughes had been the head of the HFPD for over seventeen years and was best man at Peter and Helen's wedding almost forty years ago. Shane trusted him with his family's lives.
“’Kay. I'll... uh... I'll let Seth know.”
Shane glanced at Shylo, but her gaze remained downcast.
“Yeah, good idea.”
After ending the call, Shane set the phone on the table and studied Shylo.
She looked as though the weight she'd been carrying for days had finally become too much.
Her gaze lifted to meet his. “I'm sorry.”
The apology came so quietly that he almost missed it. “For what?”
“For bringing all of this here.” She shook her head. “If I hadn't come to Kansas, Troy wouldn't have followed me. None of this would've happened. Now you and Paige, the kids... everyone’s in danger because of me.”
“No.” Shane didn't hesitate. “Troy followed you because he wanted money. He threatened people because that's the kind of person he is. Those are his choices, Shylo. Not yours.”
She lowered her eyes, but he could see the guilt still clinging to her.
Reaching across the table, he gave her hand another reassuring squeeze. “From this point forward, we'll handle him.”
She looked back up. “I don't want him hurting anyone because of me.”
“He won't.” Shane withdrew his hand and reached for his wallet. “Not if I have anything to say about it. I'm not sure what things were like in your hometown, but in Hazard Falls, folks look out for one another. And that includes you now. You're not staying at the motel anymore. You're coming back to the ranch with me. Between Tucker, the hands, and me, it's the safest place for you to be until we run Troy outta Kansas.”
She opened her mouth as if to protest, then seemed to think better of it.
He tucked a few bills beneath his coffee mug, more than enough to cover the drinks and the table they'd occupied without ordering lunch.
Standing, he reached out his hand. “C’mon, Shylo. Let’s go home.”
Chapter 30
The headache behind Seth's eyes had faded to a dull throb by early afternoon. Between the greasy breakfast Tucker had insisted he eat, two bottles of Gatorade, plenty of water, and a couple of pain relievers, he was at least functional again.
The hurt and anger from the previous night still sat like a rock in his gut.
He'd spent the rest of the morning keeping busy around the ranch houses, watering flower beds, pulling weeds from the landscaping, and checking the paddocks where several mares grazed with their foals. Physical work usually gave his mind somewhere else to go.
