Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (10 page)

TEN

T
onya slipped past him and headed for the barn. The heat of the afternoon washed over her, but it couldn't stop the shiver that slipped up her spine.

What if it had been Hank in the grocery store? What if he'd been watching them and followed them out to the ranch? Were she and Seth's family now sitting ducks? No, it couldn't have been him. He'd have no way to find her.

But what if somehow it was?

Anger swept through her. This was not fair to Seth's family. It wasn't fair to her either, but...life wasn't fair. She got that. However, this was ridiculous. A four-year nightmare that had to end.

“Sorry about this,” Seth said.

Jerked from her thoughts, she tucked her phone in her back pocket and blinked at him. “Why?”

“Putting you to work like you're some hired hand,” he grumbled.

She gave him a small smile. “I don't mind. It's good to stay busy.”

“All right, well, you're not doing it all by yourself. I'm not completely helpless.” He handed her a pitchfork and she walked to the first stall.

She clicked to the horse, slipped the halter over him and led him to the side, where she clipped a hook into the silver ring of the halter. “Just stay here, boy, while I get you all fixed up.”

They worked in silence, Seth in one stall—favoring his left leg, she noticed—and she in another. Finally, she leaned the pitchfork against the wall and stepped into the restroom next to the office. She ran cold water and splashed it on her hot face. It felt good to be working with the animals. At least she didn't have to watch her back with them.

The barn was as familiar to her as the back of her hand. All barns smelled and felt the same, in her opinion. She'd taken note of the layout. An L-shaped building, it had forty stalls total—twenty stalls down one part and twenty down the other. Each row of stalls held ten on each side with a dirt floor and hay in between. In the main area, she'd seen the office and restrooms at one end, the horse bathing area at the other. Bales of hay rested neatly in the loft, waiting to be thrown down and fed to the horses. Outside, she had a clear mental picture of the trees, pasture and riding trails out behind the barn. It was a classy place for sure and she could see why Seth loved it.

“Seth? You in here, son?”

“Over here, Dad.”

At the sound of the voices, Tonya came out of the bathroom in time to see Ross stepping out of the office, envelope in hand, looking all riled up. Seth set his pitchfork aside and faced his father. “What is it?”

“Mortgage payment. Thought your mom mailed it two weeks ago. Now I've got to get it there by Monday or they'll charge us a late fee.” His jaw tightened. “We can't afford to throw money away like that.” He threw his hands up. “But I can't find a stamp. Thought I had a whole roll of them in my desk.” Tonya could hear the man's frustration.

“I've got a stamp in my trailer,” Seth said. “Come on. We'll get it and run it down to the box.” He looked back at Tonya. “I'll just be a few minutes.”

She nodded and Ross followed Seth out of the barn. A simple trip to the mailbox at the end of the long drive could take a bit more than a few minutes. But it would give Seth some time with his father. Tonya turned back to the horse, stroked its neck, then simply stared at the opposite wall. The horse nudged her and she absently rubbed his ears as she took a moment to review her options. And came to the sad conclusion that they hadn't changed since the last time she'd considered them.

She could leave. Climb in her motor home and take off... Or she could stay and potentially put the Starke family at risk. Neither option sounded good to her.

Or she could call Grant. If she found a pay phone in town. Did they even have those anymore? Or she could borrow a cell phone. It might sound paranoid, but she had a feeling Hank had a way to monitor incoming calls to her family and would track down any call that came from out of town. Especially one with a Tennessee area code. He'd done it before; she felt sure he would do it again.

A door opened and shut and she stiffened. “Seth? Ross? Did you forget something?”

Silence answered her.

Her nerves tightened and she moved to grasp the pitchfork she'd discarded earlier. Her fingers curled around the wooden handle and she hefted it into a defensive position. She listened, ears tuned to her surroundings, seeking that one sound that didn't belong.

A shuffle, a shoe scraping the floor.

Her nose twitched. No cologne. But could the barn smells cover it? Probably not. Then again, what if he just hadn't put any on?

She looked around, her pulse accelerating, heart thudding in her chest. She swallowed and moved toward the stall she'd just cleaned. One door was at the opposite end of the barn. The strange noises she'd heard were coming from the other part of the L-shaped building and she'd have to go toward them to get to the second door.

She wasn't near an exit or a window. She moved slowly, taking the pitchfork with her.

The footsteps drew closer. Lighter footsteps. Not heavy like a man's. Like Hank's. Tonya crouched in the rear of the stall, the business end of the pitchfork aimed toward the door. A pair of boots appeared in front of her.

A door opened, then slammed. “Tonya?”

Tonya stiffened at Julianna's voice. The boots turned and hurried in the opposite direction. Tonya lunged for the stall door and threw it open. Seth's mom walked toward her, a smile on her face and a plate of cookies in her hand. “Thought you might enjoy a treat.”

“Did you see someone just now? Right outside this stall?”

Julianna frowned. “No. Why?”

A chill slithered up Tonya's spine. If it hadn't been Julianna, Ross, Seth—or even Hank—standing outside the stall door, who had it been?

Seth stepped back into the barn to find his mother and Tonya sitting on the feed bins eating oatmeal-and-chocolate-chip cookies. He stopped and stared and his heart gave a joyful thump in his chest. The barn was dim, most of the lights being left off until they were needed. But Tonya sat under one of the brighter lights, completely focused on what his mother was saying.

Never had she looked more beautiful to him than at that very moment. He knew he'd always liked her, liked her smile, her compassion, her friendliness. He'd admired and respected her because of her skills and her exemplary work ethic. But seeing her sitting there with her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, dirt streaking her left cheek, sweat ringing her T-shirt at the armpits, he felt something else stir in his heart. Not just attraction, although that was definitely there, but more of an emotional connection. A desire to know everything there was to know about her—and to have the time to get to know it.

But what would she say if she knew? He supposed he'd suffered enough rejection in his life that if she only wanted to remain friends, he would survive. Maybe. The sharp bite of pain in the vicinity of his heart told him he was kidding himself. He wanted more than friendship with her.

He cleared his throat and the two women looked up. Tonya smiled at him and gestured to the plate. “We left you a couple.”

“Thanks.” He walked over and snagged three.

Tonya eyed his leg. “You're walking better.”

“It's loosening up a bit.”

“And the Motrin is helping?” his mother asked with a raised brow.

He flushed. “Definitely.”

She grinned and Tonya gave a low chuckle. But the mirth didn't reach her eyes.

His mother stood and brushed off the seat of her jeans. “Guess I'll take the rest of these into the house so we have some for after supper tonight. I'll see you two later.”

She slipped out the door and Tonya rose. “I like her.”

“She likes you.”

“How can you tell?”

“She made cookies and shared them with you.” Tonya laughed. A more sincere sound this time. “What's wrong?” he asked.

“Someone came in the barn after you and your dad left.”

“Who?”

“I don't know. I called out your name and Ross's but no one answered. I could hear him getting closer and closer and I panicked. I couldn't get out the door, so I hid in the stall with the pitchfork. I saw a pair of boots stop in front of the stall door. Then your mother came in and the person left. Fast.”

Seth frowned. “One of the hands who came in from the pasture?”

“I don't know. If so, why not answer me and let me know who was there?”

Seth narrowed his eyes. “And the person never said anything?”

“No, nothing.”

“It could have been anyone, Tonya,” he said quietly. “But it
is
weird the person didn't answer you. Maybe you called out too soon and he didn't hear you?”

“Maybe.”

Seth was concerned, but not overly so. “We have a lot of people working today. Part-timers mostly, filling in with riding lessons and such, but I'll ask around.”

“Okay.” She gave a quiet sigh. “It was probably nothing. I'm being jumpy.”

He exhaled roughly. “With good reason. We won't take any chances. We'll find out who was here.”

“Thanks.” She whispered the word and Seth moved closer.

He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. “I won't let anything happen to you, Tonya.”

“I know.”

“You have chocolate on the side of your mouth.” His gaze dropped to her lips.

She flushed. A bright red that he found endearing. And she didn't move away. Seth kept his eyes on hers and lowered his head until his lips touched hers. She gave a small sigh and leaned into the kiss. Seth kept it light but let it linger when she didn't protest. When he lifted his head, she opened her eyes. Hope and wonder stared back at him. Along with a little bit of trepidation? “Ah...do I need to apologize?”

She stepped back. “Um... I don't know.”

“Are you telling me you don't feel the attraction between us?”

“I feel it,” she whispered. “I just don't know if I want to.”

Hurt slammed him. He kept his face expressionless, his reaction hidden. “Okay.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Then I'll keep my distance.”

“Seth—”

He held up a hand and let the hurt fade. “No, it's okay. It's not fair of me to add that to your already overflowing plate. You need to focus on staying safe and one step ahead of Newman.”

“Yes, that's true, but—”

He covered her lips with a finger. “So. Want to help me finish up in here?”

She nodded and lifted a finger to wipe away the chocolate. He caught her hand. “I got it.”

She flushed and he grinned. Tonya turned away, but not before he caught her slight smile. But it wasn't long before her smile faded. For the next half hour, they worked in silence. A tense silence. Not because of the kiss but because he knew she was wondering if Hank was out there.

Watching and waiting.

He had to admit he wondered the same.

* * *

Sunday morning, Tonya brushed her hair and washed her face. Last night had been a fun dinner with Seth's rather raucous family. It made her homesick for her own loud and obnoxious brothers. Brothers whom she loved and missed with an ache that never went away. And her mother... What she wouldn't give for a midnight chat, sitting on the end of the bed and drinking decaf coffee. And oh boy, did she ever have stuff to discuss with her mom. Like kissing Seth. Now, that had been amazing. And stomach twisting. And she wanted to do it again. What would her mother say to that?

“Don't let him get away, baby girl.” Her mother's voice echoed in her head. Yeah, that was what she would say. And Tonya vowed to get through this hard time in order to have that conversation with her mother.

She swallowed against the tears and decided to be grateful that the night had passed with no sign of Hank—or anyone else. She didn't believe for one second that he'd given up and left the area, but she was beginning to believe he wasn't in Wrangler's Corner. Not yet, anyway.

But who'd been in the barn? her brain taunted.

Seth had asked around as promised and no one could figure out who had been there.

She sighed and put the finishing touches on some mascara even as Seth's reassurance that it was going to be all right kept looping through her mind. She hoped his proclamation didn't turn out to be famous last words.

“It
is
going to be all right,” she whispered to the mirror.
Please let it be all right.
She washed and dried her hands and walked out of the cottage Clay used to call home.

Seth stood next to a bright red Ford truck. Police still patrolled the area near the trees in the distance. Clay would make sure his family was protected. Tonya just felt bad there was a need.

She should have called Grant the minute she saw Hank and had him meet her somewhere, have his US marshal friend put her up in a safe house. Something—
anything
—except put Seth and his family in danger. Granted, nothing major had happened yet. She wanted to keep it that way. As did everyone else. Which was why Clay and Lance had decided to follow them to church.

“I still don't know that this is a good idea,” she said as she approached. “We don't know who that man was in the grocery store and we don't know who was in the barn.” She noticed Clay in one cruiser and the deputy in another. One would lead and the other would follow.

“Clay wouldn't let us go if he really believed Hank was here, but he's not taking any chances.” His eyes flicked to her face. “You can't just stop living because he might be here.”

“I don't know—”

“Clay will be behind us. He'll be watching to see if we're followed.”

“And if we are?”

Stepping forward, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “He'll stop whoever follows us.”

“But the people in the church... They'll be a target if I walk in there.”