Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) (27 page)

“What happened?” Natasha asked, looking more annoyed than concerned.

“Your pie,” Cassie said. “It slipped right out of the tin.”

Natasha dashed over to look. The horrified expression on her face was golden.

“I am so sorry,” Cassie offered, sobering up for the apology. “You must make one perfect crust. I’ve never seen one slide from the tin like that.”

With full on flames darting from her eyes, Natasha reached out and snatched the pie tin from her. “No problem. I’ll bring him back another when he comes home. Maybe I’ll wait until your out of our way. From what I hear, it won’t be much longer.”

Cassie’s heart began to hammer. “Hear from who?”

Natasha gave her a disbelieving glance. “The news. They’re relocating all you jurors.”

A dose of panic rushed through Cassie’s body. “What station did you see that on?”

“I’ve been following Seattle news since I got here, seeing that I know your whole story and all. Another juror was found dead this morning, and two detectives from the case were shot. One was killed.”

Cassie could barely digest it all.

“The Lawsons were trying to get them to talk. So they’re relocating all the rest of you.” Natasha glared at her. “I hope they hurry. I’d hate to see the Emersons put in danger because of
you
.”

Cassie didn’t say goodbye. She only stepped over the pie and made for the door, feeling as if she might faint. “My gosh, oh my gosh,” she chanted, racing for the remote. Gonzalez could be dead. The Lawson brothers might be on her trail. And the Emersons may be in danger – like Natasha said – all because of her. Images of Shane’s family flashed through her mind. From Betty and Grant, to Jonah and Kate.

The TV blared to life, and Cassie thumbed the remote until she saw a news reporter speaking. The news team was smiling and laughing and looking more annoying with each passing second. She moved onto the next channel. And then the next, flipping a few more times to find herself back on the cheesy news team. “Ugh. Do these guys not have cable?” She mulled over her limited options. Jade and Reese – they’d probably heard. And what about Shane? Shouldn’t he be notified about what was going on? Or Grant?

She considered that as she headed into the kitchen, mind racing like a jet. In a frenzied rush, Cassie leaned over the counter, securing the phone in her grip, and froze as a loud thump pounded against the front door.

“Cassie Lovell?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“Trey and his guys are herding in the next round of calves,” Grant said over the CB. “You boys about finished with that bunch?”

Shane nodded to Gavin, indicating he could open the gate. “Yep. We’re letting them out now.” He flipped open his notepad and scanned over the list. They still had a lot more immunizations to give before the day was through. He’d been hoping to head home early that afternoon, but instead Shane would be lucky to make it back in daylight.

Another burst of static broke through the intercom before he heard his dad once more. “Shane, are you there?” His voice had changed. Carried a hint of urgency in it.

Shane ripped the CB off his belt and pressed down the button. “Right here.”

“You need to drop what you’re doing and get to the house, Son. Right away.”

Shane lifted his head, eyeing his truck across the field. “What’s wrong?” In seconds he’d hopped the corral’s fence. Once his feet hit the ground, he broke into a run, the speaker held up to his ear.

“They’re coming to get Cassie. Take her to a different location. You’ll want to tell her goodbye.”

He ran faster, his feet suddenly numb, his heart fevered.

“How do you know? Why didn’t they call me?”

“They tried. Said they couldn’t get you on your cell,” his dad replied.

Shane cursed, realizing he’d left it in the truck.

“They’ve got a lot of people in danger and they need to be as quick and discreet as they can be.”

Shane’s mind was wracked with worry. And loss. And raw panic for the woman he loved. Where would they take her? How would they keep her safe? And what if he didn’t get to her in time to say goodbye?

The keys rested in the ignition and Shane wasted no time turning it over. The thing roared as he tore onto the road, cursing under his breath one minute, then praying for help the next. “Please, please, let me get to her in time. I have to get to her.”

His pulse raced while he sped toward the ranch, squinting against the afternoon sun once the house came into view. A black, unmarked sedan with dark, tinted windows sped along the dirt road coming from the house. He watched as it tore past Betty and Grant’s and pulled onto the main road. Shane had a sick feeling Cassie was inside that very car.

He pressed the pedal hard to the truck floor, desperate to close the gap, but the black car was fast. Too fast. His heart picked up speed in a race of its own, trying to make up the difference. He’d almost lost Cassie once. Why hadn’t he told her then – after it was all said and done – that he loved her. That he didn’t want to live life without her? At least he would have found out where she stood.

A new and terrible question occurred to him then: What if the person who had her was one of the Lawson brothers?

No, that wasn’t their style. They would have butchered her on the spot. The thought had him calling his mother from his cell.

“Where are you?” Betty asked as she answered.

“On the road. Chasing a black car that just pulled out of the drive. Will you go check on the house? See if Cassie’s there?”

“She’s not,” Betty said.

Shane pressed harder on the gas, his leg cramping beneath the pressure.

“They sent a deputy for her. Dad said he told you. They’ve got a private jet waiting at the airport.”

“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye. You were really falling for this girl, weren’t you?”

His mother had said it so lightly – like Cassie was simply going on vacation. “Mom, do you realize Cassie could be in danger right now? I have to… I just can’t let her go.”

Betty released a faint sigh. “She’ll be fine, Shane.”

The black car must have had some trained racer behind the wheel. The thing sped beyond his view as the grounds went from flat land to valleys and hills. They weren’t headed toward the main airport. His frustration only mounted as he considered what his mother had said. “Why in the world do you sound so calm?”

“Because I know she won’t be gone for good, Shane. And you know it too. That girl is in love with you. She’s in love with this ranch, with this life. Just like Reese and Jade.”

“Yeah, but Reese didn’t get shipped out before…”

“Before what?” Betty asked.

Shane shook his head, too angry to finish the sentence.

Betty spoke up. “Before you had a chance to tell her you loved her too?”

“She never told me she loved me, Ma.”

“But you know she does. And when it’s love, it will find a way. Fate brought her from Seattle to Montana. It can surely bring her back from wherever she’s headed now.”

The short burst of a whining siren sounded from behind, and Shane looked back to see a police car’s lights flashing in the rearview. He muttered a curse under his breath. “Got a cop on my tail. I gotta go.”

“You better pull over for that man-” Betty’s voice cut out as Shane hit the button. Like he was stupid enough to try and outrun a cop.

Once the truck was stopped, Shane rolled down the window, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, all the while praying his mother was right. The officer, upon retaining Shane’s license and registration, proceeded to lecture him on keeping the speed limit. Shane chuckled darkly under his breath. Speeding? Compared to the Sedan up ahead, Shane’s truck was slower than a snail. The guy would never have caught up to that man though. Nobody would. Cassie was about to be ripped from his arms and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

Shane couldn’t stop himself from driving back to the house. He had a lot to take care of where those calves were concerned. Another passing day could make all the difference. But he had to get into the house. Into her room – see if perhaps everyone was mistaken and she was really there in the kitchen with a smile on her face, waiting for him to come home.

The first thing he noticed as he pulled up was a loaf pan balancing on the railing. Why would she have left it there? He rounded the corner and barreled up the porch steps, barely missing a flattened pie on the stairs. “What the heck?” He looked around, further disturbed. It seemed as if there’d been a struggle of some sort.

His heart hammered as he ran down the hall, through his room, and the bathroom too, flashbacks of their recent horror shifting through his mind. At last he stepped into the place  where Cassie had slept for the last month. Her things were gone. All of them. The colorful patchwork quilt lay smooth over the bed. It looked as if she’d never been there at all.

Shane gave the doorframe a good, hard kick and cursed. His hands flew to his head, his hat falling to the floor as he raked fingers through his hair, gripping at the strands. His eyes searched over the remainder of the room, looking for some sort of note – something she may have left behind.

Anything.

No, not just anything, he realized. The ring. He had to know if she’d left it behind, or if she’d held onto it. The matter held great significance in his mind, as if it indicated the action she planned to take where he was concerned.

He checked the bathroom next, relieved when he saw that no ring had been left there. He was equally pleased to see evidence of her though, in a forgotten hair band on the counter. He gripped hold of it, wrapped it around his hand, and went on to check his bedroom next.

No ring. No note.

Shane pictured the kitchen counter, nearly knowing the wedding ring would be there. He was there in seconds, looking over the empty countertop. Just as he had decided the ring was not there, a glint of light caught his eye – the shimmer of sunlight bouncing off the small diamond on her ring, resting in the window sill. But there was something odd about the way she’d set it there. Rather than place it flat on the tiled surface, Cassie had placed the ring on top of a raw potato – a toothpick holding the gold band in place.

Shane approached the ring, wondering what Cassie was trying to say. Surely she’d meant to send him some sort of message. He lifted the ring off the toothpick, slid it part way onto his pinky finger, and searched the kitchen for any other signs of her. Of what had happened before she’d been taken away from him.

As his eyes rested on the crockpot in the corner, he smelled the delicious aroma of what could only be his mother’s stew. He thought of Cassie’s attempts to become a better cook and sighed. If he couldn’t get her back, Shane doubted he’d ever have an appetite again.

He spun around to scan over the home once more, feeling like he had to do something, unsure of what he could possibly do. It was hard to see straight. Nearly impossible to breathe. He noticed then that the phone was off the cradle, and when he picked it up, Shane saw that it was dead; Cassie had either been on the phone with someone, or was about to make a call.

His detective skills were limited, and it was time to find out, from a professional, just what was going on. The department had given him a card, disguised as a coupon for a party clown. He found it quickly enough, but was interrupted by a familiar voice coming from the front room.

“Knock, knock.” It was Natasha’s nasally twang, and he didn’t have time for the woman. With his eyes set on the card, Shane tapped out each number on his phone.

“Shane, you home?” Natasha shuffled into the kitchen, smiling at him like it was some sort of reunion.

“I can’t talk,” he told her, tuning into the ringing on the other end of the line.

She stepped toward him, rested her hand gently on his back. “Is this about Cassandra?” she whispered.

Shane took a step forward, enough to get her clammy hand off his back. A machine picked up, and Shane paused as he considered leaving a message. He didn’t want to endanger anyone, least of all Cassie, and leaving a message could do just that. What if it got in the wrong hands? At last he opted to disconnect. The only thing that kept him from chucking his phone across the room was the idea that somebody may try to call. Someone who might know something about Cassie’s whereabouts.

“I want you to leave, Natasha,” he said. “I appreciate you coming by and all but this isn’t a good time.”

“Did she tell you I brought over that pie?”

Shane spun around. “You saw her? You saw Cassie?” He reached out, took hold of Natasha’s elbow.

“She’s not real friendly, Shane. She ruined that pie–”

“Tell me what happened,” he pled. “Who came and got her? Did you see?”

Natasha’s face fell flat. She shook her head. “No. No I didn’t see. I was just bringing you a home made apple pie-”

“I don’t care about the pie, Natasha. Did she know she was leaving?”

“No. She looked surprised when I told her.”

“Told her what?” Shane asked.

“What I saw on the news. They said they were moving all surviving jurors to different locations. They wanted the news spread so the Lawsons would stop pursuing any locations that might have been leaked. It was all over the news.”

Shane released the hold he had on Natasha’s arm and walked past her. Out of the kitchen. Through the family room. He didn’t know where he was headed, only knew he had to get out of that house. Away from the place Cassie had been taken from. As he neared his truck, ready to drive it ‘til the tank ran dry, Shane saw Blake’s Durango pulling onto the dirt road. Gavin was sitting in the passenger side. Dad was seated in the backseat.

Not many things in life ranked higher than livestock on a cattle ranch. The fact that his family had put that aside for even a moment spoke volumes. While the men exited the vehicle, Shane’s footsteps slowed, and then stopped altogether as they approached him. A small, reverent huddle formed as their arms wrapped around him. Shane was humbled by their demonstration of love. Strengthened by their support. And somehow justified in the immense pain of his loss. A loss he had tried to prepare himself for and failed miserably.