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  “Think they’ll get into the house, too?” the sheriff asked.

  She smiled back at him as she opened the door. “Hope not. But if they do, we’re prepared. Does anyone know how to fix coffee?”

  “Or there’s beer,” Dalton suggested.

  He and Richard and KD opted for longnecks. Raney had juice. The sheriff didn’t seem to care what he drank, so KD bought him a big glass of sweet tea with ice, two slices of lemon, and a sprig of fresh mint. Exactly how Mama liked it. It seemed to settle him down.

  Leaving the men to do a quick walk-through of the house and check that all the windows and exterior doors were still locked, KD and Raney led Ford back to the veranda. KD turned on the misters and overhead fans, but left the shades up, the lights off, and the water coolers on low. She wanted to be able to see and hear if anything, or anyone, crossed the back lawn.

  “Place seems quiet,” Sheriff Ford observed, settling into the upholstered chair Dalton had brought out from the office, so that all five of them could sit around the ottoman.

  KD wondered if he was referring to the absence of her mother or the lack of activity around the ranch buildings.

  “We moved everybody out who was at risk,” Raney told him as Richard and Dalton walked back in and sat down. “After your last visit, we thought it best to be prepared.”

  “Good thing you are.” Ford removed his hat, leaned forward to set it on the ottoman, then sat back. “Heard from my contact with Border Patrol again. Their informant positively ID’d Khalil Farid as one of three Middle Eastern men in a dark blue 2012 Nissan four-door that left Brownsville this morning.”

  Raney reached for her husband’s hand.

  “How’d they cross the border?” Dalton asked.

  “Not sure. The Matamoros Cartel has a lot of money to toss around, which means they have a lot of ways to beat the system.”

  “That’s irrelevant now,” Richard said. “They’re in the country. So where do they head next?”

  “The informant said they turned onto US 77 north.” The sheriff went on to outline the route he thought they’d take—north to San Antonio, then up to Austin, and on to Gunther, ending with the forty-five-minute drive from Gunther to the ranch. “I’ve alerted Texas Highway Patrol to keep an eye out for the Nissan. Unless these guys stay on the back roads, but that would take a lot longer.”

  “So they’re on their way,” Dalton said.

  Raney muttered something.

  KD slumped in her chair, guilt and fear swirling through her mind. I did this. I brought this madman to my family.

  “If so, we’re ready.” Without looking at her, Richard reached over and took KD’s hand, his long fingers lacing through hers in a tight grip. “We have our positions and we know what to do. We’ll be okay.”

  KD looked over at him, her eyes stinging. It seemed that all her life she’d needed to be the strong one, never showing weakness, making as few mistakes as possible, and depending on no one but herself. But with Richard, she could admit to doubt or fear because she knew if she faltered, he would be there to lend her his strength. It was confusing yet liberating. She depended on him more than anyone in her life. Yet she felt freer than she ever had. I love you, she thought. She knew that as surely as she knew he would be there to help her get through this.

  “Do you have a guess when they’ll get here?” Dalton asked the sheriff.

  “Hard to say. It’s probably ten, eleven hours from Brownsville to Gunther, plus the forty-five-minute drive to the ranch.” Ford looked up at the ceiling fan, as if calculating in his mind. “Add a couple more hours for gas and food and to change drivers. Fourteen hours, give or take.”

  “Hard to believe Texas is that big,” Richard muttered.

  “Over eight hundred miles top to bottom. Nearly that wide, too,” Ford continued his calculations. “From Brownsville to here is only about six hundred and fifty miles if they take the faster route along the major highways. They’ll stay under the speed limit, but not by much. And when they do stop, it’ll be at the big truck stops. Places with prepared food, and so busy they won’t be noticed.” He sighed and looked at Dalton. “Might not notice them anyway. The informant said the two guys with Khalil were wearing ball caps and sunglasses and had shaved their beards. Khalil just trimmed his. He’d be the most recognizable because of the scar across his face, so he probably won’t let himself be seen.”

  “When did they leave Brownsville?”

  “After eleven this morning. If they follow the route I think they will, and only make short stops for food and gas and so on, they could be here by one tonight, give or take.”

  Richard checked his watch. “We have at least four hours. Maybe five.”

  “I’ll call Glenn and have Alejandro tell the others to rest up for now, but to be in their positions by eleven o’clock,” Raney said.

  “And have someone walk Shirley down here,” KD advised.

  “I doubt they’ll come before midnight,” Dalton said, while Raney talked to Glenn. “They’ll want the ranch settled in for the night.”

  “Do we keep all the lights on and make him wait?” Richard asked. “Or go dark, and hope to lure them in?”

  They decided to leave lights on at the main gate, the livestock barn and the AI offices, but off in the bachelor quarters upstairs so Sarge didn’t make himself a target. Same with the hay barn where Harvey was posted.

  “Glenn will keep the lights off at his house,” Raney told them after she’d finished her call. “And he said if we keep the house dark, the snares might not be as visible.”

  “Sounds like you’ve thought this through,” Sheriff Ford said. “If you want, I can have Deputy Langers sit outside Gunther and let us know if he sees the Nissan make the turn toward the ranch.”

  Dalton snorted. “Better not tell him it’s to help us, or he might not do it.”

  Ford scratched at the stubble under his chin. “How bad do you need me here?”

  “Up to you. We appreciate all you’ve done for us so far.”

  “Especially getting Mama to safety,” KD put in. And out of our hair.

  “Then how about I head up to Gunther and send Deputy Langers over to Rough Creek? Farid might go there first then double back to the ranch. Probably not, but that would keep Langers busy.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  The sheriff left for Gunther a few minutes later, after reiterating his instructions to avoid lethal force if possible and for all of them to stay safe. Sounded like a mixed message to KD.

  At nine o’clock, Richard left to patrol the perimeter of the house. Dalton checked the dozen flashlights on the kitchen counter, set aside three for the women, two for him and Richard, and took four to distribute among the men.

  KD drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair and watched Raney chew her thumbnail. “It might be hours yet, sis. Why don’t you go upstairs and stretch out?”

  “I’m not tired. Besides, it’s almost time for Mama’s nightly harassment call.”

  KD didn’t want to be around for that. At a sound, she saw Shirley and Sarge coming across the lawn. “Shirley can sit with you.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter.”

  KD struggled to curb her temper. Sometimes Raney could be as hardheaded as a rented mule. “And if you doze off down here, you’ll be able to hear Shirley call out from Len’s room?”

  “Why would I call out?” Shirley asked as she came up the veranda steps and Sarge headed back to his post above the AI lab.

  “I’d feel better if I knew you and Raney were watching out for each other.”

  “Where will you be?”

  “Patrolling the house.”

  Shirley looked at Raney. “Makes sense.”

  With a deep sigh, Raney rose from her chair.

  “Before you go up,” KD told them, “grab a flashlight off the kit
chen counter. Shirley, there’s a big coffee urn and coffee in the pantry. Could you make us a pot? I think we’ll need it before this night is over.”

  “I’m on it.”

  As soon as her sister and Shirley went upstairs, KD walked through the house, checking windows and doors and turning off lights. The silence creeped her out. Grabbing a cup of coffee on her way through the kitchen, she went to stand at the office window. From there, she had a partial view of the road past the gate, and a good view of the driveway leading past the house to the horse barn and AI lab, and on down to the dark, looming shadow of the hay barn, where Henry waited with his rifle.

  As she watched, the floodlight at the main gate came on. Then the exterior floodlights at the livestock barn. And finally, the lights in and around the ground floor of the AI building. The upstairs bachelor quarters where Sarge sat remained dark. No lights showed at the hay barn, the married duplex, or Glenn’s house near the front gate. With the early moon already down, a stranger wouldn’t know those buildings were there.

  They were ready.

  Satisfied, she stepped into the guest room for a quick shower since it was early yet and Khalil probably wouldn’t get near the ranch for several more hours.

  * * *

  * * *

  Dalton and Richard agreed it might look too much like a trap if the house were completely dark, so they turned on the front porch light, a lamp in the office, and a lamp in Lyric’s bedroom, as well as a yard light on the left side of the house where the cars were parked. Hopefully, that would encourage intruders to approach the house from the right or rear, where snares were set and anchored, or through the darkened veranda, where either he or Dalton would be waiting.

  A good plan, considering what they had to work with. Unless the Afghans came in on three sides and sprayed the whole house, dark or not. But Richard doubted that would happen. He was still convinced Khalil was a coward and would send in his two flunkies before he made an appearance. They would use a stealth approach, cruising by the gate several times then parking out of sight and coming through the fence. If so, and they got past the snares along the fence line, Alejandro, Chuy, or Glenn would spot them and call Dalton. Or if they tried to come through the back of the ranch, Harvey would spot them. Or they’d end up in the creek.

  Hope for the best, plan for the worst. That’s all they could do. That, and wait. Battling impatience, he settled on the veranda with Dalton to do just that.

  At nine thirty, Dalton’s cell buzzed. When he saw who it was, he put it on speaker. “What’s up, Sheriff?”

  “Highway patrol just stopped the blue Nissan sedan south of Austin.”

  Richard sat up, heart pumping. “Farid?”

  “Not unless he’s a young Caucasian. Said he bought the car off a lot in San Antonio that afternoon. They checked him out. The car, too. He was legit, but the car had a false bottom in the trunk that tested positive for gunpowder and gun oil.”

  It’s them. Richard was sure of it. “Did they check out the dealer who sold him the car?”

  “Said an old Hispanic guy brought it in. No arrests or warrants.”

  Now what? Had the informant lied about the car? Had there been another car waiting outside of Brownsville? Or were they totally on the wrong track?

  “What do you want me to do?” Ford prodded. “Do you want me to stay here?”

  “How many cars drive through Gunther after midnight?” Dalton asked.

  “On Sunday? Not many. Maybe five, six at most.”

  Dalton asked the sheriff if he could stay in Gunther awhile longer, and let them know if any unfamiliar cars with three men made the turn toward the ranch.

  Ford said he could.

  After ending the call, Dalton called Glenn, told him to forget the Nissan and watch for any car coming down the road from either direction, and to alert them if he spotted one that seemed suspicious. Then he went upstairs to let the women know what the sheriff had said.

  Since neither Harvey nor Sarge had cell phones, Richard jogged down to tell them about the change in plans. After checking the locks and windows at the AI lab and the horse barn, he went back to the house and found Dalton sitting on the veranda, a mug of coffee in his hands. “Heard anything?” Richard asked.

  “Nary a peep.”

  Richard went into the kitchen, filled a mug with coffee, then came back and plopped into the chair beside Cardwell. “How are the women?”

  “Raney and Shirley are dozing. KD’s about to.”

  “She look okay? No panic?”

  “Not that I could tell. Seemed pretty focused.”

  Richard felt a surge of pride. His KD was tough. She’d get through this.

  His KD? Where’d that come from? Yet the sentiment rolled sweetly through his mind, and the more he thought about it, the righter it felt. KD was his. As much as he was hers. He couldn’t imagine a life without her.

  “What are you smiling about?” Dalton asked.

  “KD.” Richard’s grin spread. “And what I have to do to get her to marry me.”

  “Good luck with that. These Whitcomb girls don’t fall easy. But when they do, watch out.”

  “She thinks I care that she might not be able to have kids.”

  “You don’t?”

  “We can adopt. Use a surrogate, in vitro, whatever. It’s definitely not a problem with me. I just have to convince her of that.”

  Dalton studied him for a moment, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “I don’t think she’ll put up much of a fight. The way she looks at you, she’s all in.”

  “Really?” Richard rose from the chair. “Maybe I should go talk to her.”

  * * *

  * * *

  KD stepped out of the shower to find Richard stretched out on the bed, arms folded behind his head, a sexy grin on his face.

  “I can’t believe you showered without me,” he scolded. Then he must have seen something in her face. His grin faded. “What’s wrong?”

  She gave a broken laugh. “Wrong? You mean other than a psychopathic pederast coming thousands of miles just to kill me?” She tried to sound offhand, but she felt like she was coming apart inside. What if something happened to Richard? What if he died because of her? How could she go on?

  “Babe.” He patted the bed beside his hip. “Sit down and tell me what I can do to convince you we’re going to be okay.”

  Slumping onto the edge of the bed, she brushed back that fall of dark hair that shadowed his beautiful eyes. “You can live.”

  “I plan to.”

  Tears she had held back too long rose in her eyes. “I need you, Richard. I know you can’t stay here forever—damn.” Her voice gave out as tears rolled down her face. “I hate being so clingy.”

  “I like clingy.” He pulled her down and kissed the tears from her cheek. “And it’s okay to need me. I need you, too.”

  She sat back, losing him in a blur of tears that wouldn’t stop coming. His was the voice that calmed her before a storm. The hands that steadied her when she stumbled. His was the body that made hers sing. She needed him like water and air and hope. “I love you, Richard.”

  He went still. Then, with a deep breath that swept hot across her cheek, he pulled her back down against his chest. “Oh, babe . . .”

  Since they had hours yet, he made love to her with slow, gentle hands and coaxing words until KD abandoned herself to sensation, her limbs trembling, the taste and scent of him filling her mind. And when she could bear no more, he took her away from herself and sent her soaring to a place she had never been. It was more than sex. It was a joining on some elemental level she had never known existed. It was bliss and boundless joy and total, unquestionable love. And after she slowly sank back to earth, replete and renewed, she fell into dreamless sleep, safely anchored in his arms.

  * * *

  * * *

  J
ust after midnight, Richard’s phone buzzed. When he saw who it was, he went instantly alert. “What?”

  “Glenn called.” Dalton sounded out of breath, like he was running. “Chuy saw the same car twice. First time, driving slow, lights off. Two in front, one in back. Couple of minutes later, they came back by with only two in front. He sent Chuy to see if they parked somewhere up the road by the west pasture. I’m going now to check if Harvey or Sarge have seen anything.”

  As soon as the call ended, Richard bolted from the bed and began pulling on clothes. “One of them must have gotten out somewhere along the front fence line.”

  KD was already up, half-dressed and reaching for the belt holding the holster and her S&W .357 revolver, speed loaders, and extra ammo. “He might be coming in early to start a distraction. A fire. Something explosive.” Excitement that the waiting was finally over gave her a surge of energy, even as fear for Richard closed like a vise around her heart. “I’ll go warn Raney and Shirley.”

  “Wait!” Before she could leave, Richard pulled her into his arms. His heart was a drumbeat against her chest. His breath rasped in her ear. “I love you, KD,” he said in a ragged voice. “I should have told you earlier. I wish I had—”

  She stopped him with a hard, fast kiss. “I know. I love you, too.” She kissed him again. Softer this time. Salty with tears. Hers. His. Both. It didn’t matter. “You said we’ve got this and I believe you.” She swiped a hand across her face and gave him a shaky smile. “Now go do what you need to do.”

  Richard reached the veranda just as Dalton bounded up the steps after talking to Harvey and Sarge. “They see anything?”

  Dalton shook his head. “Nothing’s moving out there. Shit! Where is he?”

  Using the faint starlight, Richard scanned the back lawn with binoculars, but couldn’t see much without night vision. “Anything from Glenn?”

  “Nothing. Alejandro’s riding the front fence line to see if there are any breaks. Chuy’s still checking for a car parked up the road.”