Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble Read Free Book Online Page B

with me for years, but I just hired Sam a couple of months ago. And I hired an assistant for the cook two weeks ago. There weren’t any other applicants for counselor, if you want the truth. No one wants to live this far away from civilization.”
    The kidnapper. Had he wanted only Clay to come? As far as the kidnapper knew, she and Clay had divorced. “We have to tell Clay about the note.”
    “I will. But not until the morning, when he’s got a clear head.”
    “Some kind of prank by a teenager from town, maybe?” She knew better, but maybe it would derail Rick’s line of thinking. He was eyeing her with a speculative glint in his eyes.
    Rick shrugged. “Maybe. It’s a weird situation. I don’t know what to make of it. Maybe the sheriff will have an idea.”
    “I hope so.” But she mostly hoped Clay could call in some help from his special ops buddy, Brendan. If she had to go to bed every night and wonder what creepy crawlies would slither out to meet her, she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep.
    And if this had anything to do with Brianna’s disappearance, could the children be in danger? She rushed down the hall to check on them.

    Clay felt as if he’d been hit by a truck. He blinked until his vision cleared. His leg felt encased in hot tar. When a cool hand touched his forehead, he turned his head toward Eden.
    So beautiful . How had he ever let her go? He wanted to reach up and touch her cheek. It would be as soft as Brianna’s skin had been.
    “How do you feel?” she asked.
    “Thirsty,” he croaked. She helped him sit up and he practically inhaled the cool water that she offered him. “Where is everyone?” A vague memory of Rick and Allie as well as an older gentleman floated through his brain.
    She backed away. “Looking around outside. The doctor had another emergency and had to leave once he was sure you were out of danger.”
    Her evasive manner sharpened his senses. “What aren’t you telling me?”
    She bit her lip. “They’re looking for whoever put the snake in here.”
    “Put the snake in here? What do you mean?”
    “There was a note on the door. It said, ‘You shouldn’t have brought her here.’”
    His fatigue fell away. He set down the water glass. “It was deliberate?”
    She nodded. “I’d bet he was trying to scare me away. I doubt he thought we’d be bitten. How did that happen anyway? A rattlesnake gives a warning.”
    “Its rattler didn’t work.” The room felt small and sinister to him now. “What does he want? There hasn’t been another demand for money.” She didn’t have the answers for him, but it helped him to ruminate out loud. “Did anyone check for more snakes?”
    “Rick did. The place was clean.”
    The bed moved as she sat on it. He resisted the urge to inhale deeply of the clean scent of the soap she’d used to bathe the girls. “Why would he care if you came with me? Seems odd.”
    “I wondered about that too.” Her eyes glistened and she blinked rapidly. “I was thinking about what you said about revenge.”
    “We have no idea what he’s planning. Whatever it is, it won’t be pleasant.”
    “Maybe it’s all a prank.”
    He held her gaze. “I wouldn’t have interrupted your life for a trick.”
    The corners of her lips curved. “That leaves me with hope. You consider everything before you jump.”
    “Except when it came to you,” he said, then winced. Had he actually said that? So much for protecting himself.
    She looked away. “I always thought you examined what needed to be done and did your duty.”
    “My feelings for you had nothing to do with duty.” Enough of this. He yanked the IV from his arm and swung his legs over the bed.
    She grabbed at his arm. “You can’t do that! Look at you, you’re bleeding.”
    “The bag is empty. The bleeding will stop. Besides, the doc didn’t think I got a full load of venom.” He pressed his fingers to his arm. “Got a Band-Aid?”
    She sighed but opened the first-aid box beside the