Where the Heart Leads by Jillian Hart Read Free Book Online Page A

start?”
    “Yes,” Seth answered and took Rose’s hand in his.
    Gabriel blinked. He’d missed Rose walking down the aisle, he was likely to miss more if he kept watching Aumaleigh. The past was so long ago. But was it long enough?
    If he’d been able to get over her refusing to marry him, couldn’t she move past it too?
    He would have to figure out a way to help her do that.

    Junior leaned against the rough bark of the Ponderosa pine, breathing hard. He pressed his hand against the stitch in his side. His lungs burned. Sweat rolled down his face. He hadn’t pushed himself that hard in a long time, and it was all for nothing. He was too late.
    Down below through the boughs of evergreens, he could see Pa’s cabin. A ring of horses surrounded the building, standing patiently while two armed deputies patrolled the grounds. What were the chances Giddy had heard them coming and gotten out in time?
    Maybe next to none.
    There he was—that blasted sheriff strolling out the cabin door. “The fireplace is going. The cup of coffee is still steaming.”
    “Yep, we just missed them.” A big, brawny man strolled out. It was one of the McPhee sister’s husbands, the former bounty hunter. “There’s only one set of tracks out the back door. I’ll grab a few men and follow them.”
    “Take as many as you need.” The sheriff frowned. “But don’t you have a wife waiting for you? She’ll want you to dance with her at Rose’s reception.”
    “Dancing isn’t my strong suit.”
    Whatever the men said next was lost on Junior. The back of his neck prickled—like he wasn’t alone. His hand flew to his holstered revolver before he recognized his brother creeping through the underbrush.
    “Shh!” Giddy held a finger to his lips. “I covered my tracks but one sound and it’ll give us away.”
    “Right,” Junior whispered back, so long it was less than a whisper. “Glad to see you, Giddy, I thought—”
    “Shh.” Giddy didn’t even seem to care. His attention zeroed in on the men below. “There they are, the rats. That’s our stuff now. They have no right.”
    Giddy’s hands shook and he fisted them, like a man doing his best to stay in control. “I could just—just—”
    That bad feeling was back, burrowing in Junior’s guts. “C’mon, we gotta go.”
    Self-preservation kept him hiding in the shadows, leading the way among the ferns and moss, running while they had a head start. There was no going back. The sheriff was gonna figure out who they were, and he was going to see all the stolen stuff.
    Now he was a man on the run, and Giddy too. How were they gonna make Pa proud now?

    The wedding service was over and she hadn’t had a single run-in with Gabriel. So far, so good. Aumaleigh grabbed the silver serving tray. There was only the meal left to go. She could do this. She just had to stay on the opposite side of the manor house from him, and she’d be fine.
    “Aumaleigh!” Nora Montgomery waltzed over with the importance of a woman who was sure of her position in life. Her gown was the latest design and her jewelry ostentatious. “Goodness, you are always the little worker bee, aren’t you? Then again, some women are simply made for work. I hear you bought yourself the darling little place on River Road.”
    Aumaleigh decided to let the insult slide by. “Yes, I moved in yesterday.”
    “How charming for you. Of course, with the income your ranch must make, you should have gotten something much more in line with your stature. I suppose your mother was right. You were always best suited for small things.” Nora swiped a ham and cheese biscuit off the tray. “We’ll be family soon. I suppose Tyler’s will be the next wedding. If only your niece wasn’t so pedestrian. Perhaps you could talk some sense into her. She insists on getting married in town, and as nice as this house is, it’s hardly the Deer Springs Hotel.”
    “Nora, I’m not going to try to manipulate Magnolia for you. It’s not