The Bodyguard's Return by Carla Cassidy Read Free Book Online Page B

the problem in this town is that the men don’t listen to the women.”
    Both Meredith and Winnie had extolled Joshua’s charm, but so far Savannah had seen little evidence that the man possessed any at all.
    As the sound of a siren filled the night, Joshua rose to his feet, apparently convinced that whoever had shot at them was gone.
    He flipped on the light and gazed around the room. Savannah remained seated on the floor. She wasn’t going to stand up until Sheriff Ramsey walked into the building.
    “Whoever made that shot didn’t intend to kill with it,” Joshua said.
    She frowned. “And how do you know that?”
    “Too much damage for it to have been a single bullet. It looks like it might have been birdshot, a fairly ineffective way to try to kill somebody. It can sting like hell, but usually isn’t deadly, especially at this distance.”
    “Then maybe it was done to scare me,” she said thoughtfully. “And if that was the objective, then it succeeded.” She brushed off tiny pieces of glass clinging to her jeans and tried to ignore the headache that was banging at the back of her head.
    The siren came closer. “This might have nothing to do with you or what you’re investigating.”
    “Okay, then who have you pissed off since you’ve been back in town?” she retorted.
    He didn’t reply and at that moment headlights flashed through the doorway, signaling that the sheriff had arrived.
     
    Joshua rode his horse hard, enjoying the whip of early morning wind and the sunshine that spread warmth across his back and shoulders.
    Riding was one of the things he’d missed while in New York City and each morning since being back he’d started his day with a ride.
    This morning, however, his mind wasn’t on the joy of the massive horse beneath him or the beauty of the morning but rather on the events of the night before.
    He and Ramsey had sent Savannah home, then the two men had canvassed the area, looking for clues as to where the shooter might have been standing when the trigger had been pulled.
    As he’d expected, they’d found nothing. The sheriff had thought it was possible that a couple of teenage boys were responsible. He’d told Joshua that last month two of them had gotten drunk on their daddy’s beer and had shot out the windows of the café in the middle of the night with a load of birdshot.
    “Damn fool kids got nothing to do in this town but cause mischief,” he’d said. Still, he’d promised a full investigation.
    Ramsey had called Raymond Buchannan, andwhen the old man had arrived they’d all worked to cover the broken window with plywood.
    Ramsey might think the culprits were a couple of kids, but Savannah had been convinced that the shooting was meant to scare her off her current path. She’d reiterated before she’d left to go home that somebody better wake up and smell the coffee before more people died.
    Joshua wasn’t convinced that the shooter had meant to harm or scare her. He wasn’t convinced the shooting was about her at all. He thought it might have been about him and that worried him.
    He pulled up on the reins as he approached the stables and saw with surprise that his brother Clay was standing next to the corral gate, obviously waiting for him.
    Clay opened the gate and Joshua rode through the wooden fence and directly into the stable. He dismounted, then motioned to Bobby Walker, one of the stable boys. “Bobby, you want to unsaddle and brush her down for me?”
    “Sure, boss.” The young man hurried over to take the reins from Joshua.
    Joshua swept his hat off his head and walked out to meet his brother. “Hey bro, what are you doing here instead of having breakfast with that gorgeous fiancée of yours?”
    “Just figured it was time to check in with my baby brother. I’ve hardly seen you since you’ve been back,” Clay replied.
    The two fell into step side-by-side as they headed for the house. “How’s the wedding plans coming?” Joshua asked.
    Clay