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BOOK 6
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Being Yours BOOK 6
Her movements stiff and panicked, Jill snatched her keys from her shoulderbag as she tried to walk as normally as possible toward her worn-out car. There had to be a way to get Holly into her car seat without giving that sinister looking man a chance to grab her. The stroller could be abandoned if need be.Telling herself to be calm and not to overreact, Jill shuffled the bag of bread and her purse down to her wrist as she unlocked the car door. Too frightened to look up to see if she’d been followed, she tossed her things to the car floor. Swiftly, she picked Holly up and fastened her into the car seat, all the while acting as though she weren’t petrified out of her wits. Risking a quick peek, she saw that the man had gone into the bakery and was locked in confrontation with the shop girl. Jill could see her head moving back and forth in an emphatically negative response to whatever the man was asking her. He glanced toward Jill’s car, pointing purposefully. Jill grabbed the stroller
Being Yours BOOK 6
‘What was that?’ Sadie gasped.Her mother didn’t reply. She stared at the window. ‘Did you lock the front door when you came in, Sadie?’‘I don’t know. I was so upset I might not have.’ She couldn’t bear not knowing what was outside her window. ‘You go check the door, Mama.’‘Okay.’ Vera ran from Sadie’s room. She stood, slowly going to the window. Cautiously, she pulled back the second-hand curtain her mother had bought at a garage sale.Curtis jiunped up from his hiding place under the ledge. Sadie bit back a scream, knowing he was deliberately trying to frighten her.‘What do you want?’‘You, babe.’ His laughter came through the thin window pane, mean and calculated to hurt.‘Mama’s calling the police. You get out of here and don’t come around anymore.’He held his hands up to his heart, faking fear. ‘I can only stay a minute, babe. Just wanted to let you know I found our little girl, safe and snug as a bug in a rug up at the Reed Ranch. You really didn’t think I’d let that skinny-
Being Yours BOOK 6
Dustin awakened to the sound of pounding on the front door. He’d spent an uncomfortable night in front of the fireplace, which was now letting in drafts of cold air. Cursing to himself, he got up to open the door.‘I should have known it’d be you. You’re going to have to get your own eggs and sausage out of the kitchen. I’m not cooking, and nobody else is awake,’ Dustin grumbled at Marsh.‘Breakfast sounds good, but actually I need to talk to you. You look like hell. Didn’t you sleep last night?’Dustin scrubbed a hand over the prickly growth on his chin. Lord, he needed a shave and a shower. ‘No. Orange juice?’Marsh glanced into the parlor as he walked by it. Dustin knew he hadn’t missed the blankets on the floor. He went into the kitchen, mentally bracing himself for Marsh’s question.‘Heat go out upstairs or something?’‘No,’ Dustin growled. ‘I spent the night in front of the fire because I thought it was a cool thing to do.’‘Hm.’ He looked at Dustin closely. ‘Why do you have pin
Being Yours BOOK 6
Dustin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His mother was well-recognized in Lassiter as an upstanding pillar of society, a model for other women to follow. Why would anyone suspect her of having an affair?A soft knock kept him from unleashing the harshedged question whirling in his brain. He flung open the door.‘What is it?’ he demanded. Jill jumped, obviously alarmed by his tone.‘Um, would you like me to take Joey downstairs?’ She peered around the door. ‘And Holly, too?’The baby was sleeping, totally unaware of Dustin’s fury. He glanced at his son, who had nestled up against Eimice, in either a protective or lookingfor-protection stance. Sighing, Dustin held the door open further. ‘If you wouldn’t mind. Holly can stay in here, though.’Jill’s gaze flew to Joey. She gestured to him, and he went to her without hesitation. Quietly, the door closed. Dustin could hear footsteps hurrying downthe stairs. His temper had definitely made an impression on his housekeeper. His mouth thi
Being Yours BOOK 6
Whatever minor easing of tension they’d managed to achieve had reverted to friction again. She couldn’t help thinking that the Reed Ranch might not be her home much longer.It was a very painful thought.Dustin was letting Rooster pick his way along a stream when he heard Marsh’s loud whistle. He returned the signal, then waited for his friend to appear. Moments later he did, astride one of Dustin’s geldings.‘You must have news or you wouldn’t have ridden out here to find me,’ he said.‘Yep. And I’m a damn good friend to do it, too.’He pulled his hat a little further down over his eyes to shield them from the light. Marsh had managed to park himself in the path of west-riding sun. ‘Give me the bad newsr.’‘They’re gone, Dustin. Sadie and her mother have left town. They’ve had their mail routed to a post office box and canceled their newspaper.’‘Where did they go?’Marsh shrugged. ‘No one seems to know. Or else they’re not telling. Would your mother have an idea of where any of Vera
Being Yours BOOK 6
Dustin stared at the piece of paper. ‘Curtis Lynch?’ he muttered to himself. The wind picked up, blasting chilly breezes against him, but he didn’t move. It wasn’t a family name he knew. Dissatisfied, he thrust the paper into his jacket pocket and went inside to leave a message for Marsh to call him.After calling the police station, Dustin himg up the phone, knowing he could no longer avoid talking to Jill. He walked up the stairs and knocked on her door. There was no answer. He tapped softly again, but when she didn’t open the door, he got worried. Slowly, he turned the knob.Only Jill’s nicely rounded, denim-covered rear end was visible from the doorway as she knelt inside the closet. Though that sight definitely got his attention, he was more interested in what the rest of her was doing, engaging in a task that looked suspiciously like packing.‘What are you doing?’ he demanded.She shrieked and whirled to glare at him. ‘What are you doing in my room?’He took a deep breath and re
Being Yours BOOK 6
‘Hi, son,’ he said.Joey jumped onto the plank bench and dug into a dinner roll. Dustin sat next to his son, glancing up to find Jill smiling at him, that big gorgeous smile of hers that he loved.‘I’m learning,’ he told her.‘Yes, you are.’He didn’t want to think about how good her praise felt. Instead, he said, ‘Well, what should we do this evening, since we’re basically houseboimd?’Jill’s delicate brows arched inquiringly.‘If not for Holly’s sake, then the weather would have us shut in.’ Dustin tucked into a big helping of mashed potatoes.‘Was Marsh concerned?’ Jill asked with a protective look Joey’s way.He knew she was trying not to voice too much in case of upsetting his son. Dustin slid a careful look at Joey before nodding. ‘He’s going to have extra patrols tonight.* He cleared his throat, wishing he could say more to soothe her but Joey’s presence made it difficult. ‘We should just be on our guard.’Joey glanced up, looking back and forth between the two of them. ‘So,’ J
Being Yours BOOK 6
‘What is it?’ Dustin leaped to his feet, feeling his heart hammer against his chest as he looked out the window. The whirling red light drew a blazing warning signal in the frosty night. T’ll go check it out.’‘Be careful.’ Jill met Dustin’s gaze. A high-voltage current jumped between them, stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. She couldn’t bear to think of hini getting hurt. Or worse.‘I’ll be fine.’ He turned and went into the entry hall to shrug into his jacket. Her heart clenched when he picked up his shotgim. Pulling open the door, he disappeared into the frigid darkness. Cold draughts hit her in the face, making her gasp, so when his truck roared to life, she closed the door and hurried back into the kitchen.‘Joey, why don’t we go upstairs?’ For some reason, she felt like she needed to be up there keeping an eye on Holly. With all of them forming a protective shield of sorts, they’d have the best chance of keeping her safe.‘Are we ... we going to make popcorn?’‘Oh.’
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