Lonestar Sanctuary by Colleen Coble Read Free Book Online Page B

said.
    Allie wanted to laugh, but she bit it back. The idea of the big guy
on his knees, cleaning the porcelain throne, was ludicrous. But she
might actually pay good money if she had it to see a sight like that.

     

5
    THE BLOATED MOON SHONE IN THE WINDOW AND MADE MONSTERS OUT OF
the dresser and nightstand in Allie's room. She closed her eyes against
the images. There were enough monsters in her life. With all she had
to do today, she'd managed to avoid considering Rick's proposal but
now that darkness had fallen, it was all she could think about.
    What if he had a temper or was some kind of pervert? The possibilities of danger were enormous. He could be a serial killer for all she
knew. She thumped the pillow like it was the obnoxious man's head.
Okay, maybe not a serial killer. Everyone said serial killers seemed
nice, and Rick Bailey would never answer to that description. Rude
and opinionated, but not nice.
    What on earth had Jon seen in Rick to recommend him so highly? All she saw was a muscle-bound jerk who looked at her like she was a
cow patty under his boots.

    Still, it took guts to make an offer like that.
    His solution hung out there, tantalizing and repelling at the same
time. It would work, there was no doubt in her mind. Betsy would be
safe from any custody suit. But what a price to pay. Allie didn't know
if she had it in her to make that kind of sacrifice, even for Betsy.
    There had to be another way.
    She rolled onto her side and stared at the hump in the bed next to
hers. Her daughter enjoyed the sleep of the innocent. Betsy's deep,
easy breathing should have eased the tension humming along Allie's
veins, but something was off. She strained to hear the sounds outside:
the crunch of horse hooves in the paddock outside, the shuffle of cattle
in the pasture, the wind chimes tinkling in the night breeze.
    He couldn't have found her already. The sense of something lurking outside was her imagination. Rick's preposterous suggestion had
put her out of kilter.
    Though all the sounds were normal, she swung her feet out of bed
and moved to the window. The breeze lifted the gauzy curtains and
brushed them against her cheek with a touch as light as spiderwebs.
She shivered and pushed the fabric away, but the wind blew it right
back against her. Moving them out of her way, she stepped to the
screen and looked down on the bucolic scene, illuminated by the
moon and the security lights.
    The remuda of horses stood in a corral west of the barn. Huddled
together against the chill that had swept down off the mountain with
the setting of the sun, they dozed on their feet. A few head of cattle
lay nestled on the other side of the fence. The two trucks sat silent and
empty on the far side of the barn.

    Nothing stirred but the wind.
    Then why did the hair on the back of Allie's neck stand out? Why
did she feel if she breathed someone would hear? Something had awakened her, but nothing in the barnyard below gave any cause for concern.
    Then she heard a sound that stole the oxygen from her lungs. The
bloodcurdling scream pierced her eardrums.
    Someone was in trouble.
    In her bare feet, she leaped for the door and threw it open. The tile
chilled her toes. Her feet pounded down the steps, then she was at the
front door. She threw it open and stepped out onto the porch. The
scream came again, and she shuddered. The poor woman was in deadly
peril. Did no one else hear? Why wasn't Rick out here too? Or Elijah?
    "Rick, Elijah, help!" she yelled up the steps.
    Maybe they were exhausted from lack of sleep tonight. She needed
a gun. Whirling, she dashed back inside and grabbed the key from the
top of the gun cabinet. Twisting it in the lock, she threw open the cabinet and lifted out a shotgun. The shells were on the top shelf. She
grabbed a handful, jammed two into the gun, then relocked the cabinet.
    The moon illuminated the outdoor scene. The horses moved restlessly in their paddock. Their