Red and blue lights swirled through the kitchen windows when the deputy finally arrived, followed in a few minutes by another patrol car.
He banged on the back door, and when Jess opened it, the burly deputy was standing to one side with his gun drawn.
“Everything is under control, Bill. Come on in.” Jess tipped his head toward Phil, who was still on the floor. “I got tired of keeping an eye on him so I tied him up for you. Early Christmas present.”
Soon three more deputies had crowded into the kitchen. Bill shrugged a shoulder. “All of us showing up probably looks like overkill. But domestic situations are dangerous and we don’t like to take chances. So, what’s going on here?”
By the time Abby finished explaining, Betty had brewed a pot of fresh coffee and plied them all with cookies.
Bill finished writing on his clipboard, then looked between Jess and Abby. “So what we have here is simple assault and an attempted sexual assault. Do you want to press charges?”
“I want him off my property and as far away from here as possible,” Jess ground out. “Just thinking about what he wanted to do makes me—”
Abby put her hand on his arm. “I don’t know if Phil is a sexual predator, but his background check was clear and that gave him a chance to find potential victims on this ranch.” She lifted her chin. “So yes, I want to press charges. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
Long after the deputies hauled Phil outside and Betty went to bed, Jess sat on the sofa with his arm around Abby’s shoulders. The flames flickering in the fireplace sent amber light and dark shadows dancing through the room, adding to the intimacy of the moment.
“When I saw you on the floor, holding that man down, my heart nearly stopped,” he murmured. “I’m still amazed at how you handled the situation.”
“Yet I doubt anything much will happen to Phil, even though he was arrested. Maybe an overnight at the jail, bail and a suspended sentence at most, and then he’ll be on his way.” Abby sighed. “But I couldn’t just let it go. I needed to show him that women aren’t pushovers.”
“He won’t be thinking that anytime soon. He got taken down by my grandma and a nanny who barely weighs a hundred pounds.” Jess gave her shoulders a little squeeze. “That humiliation has to bite.”
“What are you going to do now? With him gone, you’re back to working this ranch on your own. Have there been any other applicants?”
“No, but I’ve handled it all on my own for a long time. With you covering the house and the twins, it won’t be hard. If I can find a ranch hand by calving and foaling season, things will be fine.”
They both fell silent, watching the fire. After a while Abby’s breathing turned slow and even, and he was left to mull over his thoughts...and what he’d said before the patrol cars arrived. I can always look for another hired hand, but the people you love can never be replaced.
In that first split second when he’d walked into the house, he’d only registered two things—Abby was in trouble somehow, and she could already be hurt.
Nothing else had mattered. Not the ranch. Not anything he had strived for all his life.
Just her.
His words had come straight from his heart. A truth he’d been denying since the day she’d walked out of his life when they were both just twenty-one.
He brushed a kiss against her golden hair and she stirred, then settled more deeply against his side as the futility of ever spending their future together struck him.
She had dreams. Big dreams. Far beyond what she could ever accomplish on this isolated Montana ranch. A PhD, then research efforts to help those with autism, where her bright mind and determination might make a real difference.
What right did he have to selfishly keep her away from that bright future? She might be tempted to make the wrong choice and the world would not be a better place for it.
He would be grateful for every single day she was here at the ranch. But in the end, he had to make sure she didn’t stay.
* * *
Abby finished mixing up the herb butter and began working it under the skin of the turkey. She glanced at the recipe she’d printed off the internet. “This really does sound like it’ll be nice and moist, doesn’t it?”
Betty gave the turkey a jaded glance and continued chopping onions, celery and parsley for the dressing. “Spatchcock, cooking bags, deep fryers—all frippery, in my book. I still like what my mother always did. Just a big ole bird, grease that skin up real good and throw it in the oven. Nothing wrong with that.”
Abby hid a smile. “No, of course not.”
Jess had taken the girls out to the barn to ride Lollipops and had taken the puppy with them, so the house was surprisingly quiet. Once the turkey was prepared, Abby put it into the oven and wiped down the counters with sanitizer. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard the girls mention their mom.”
“It’s sad to think of them giving up hope that she’ll come back. Yet if Lindsey shows up and whisks them off to California before Christmas, it will really be hard on everyone—even them.” Betty dropped a couple sticks of butter into a large pan, waited until they melted, then added the onions, parsley and celery. Soon a wonderful aroma filled the kitchen.
Abby consulted the menu list she’d typed up. “Looks like we’re doing really well with everything here. If you’re tired, I can take over the dressing so you can put your feet up awhile. We’re not eating until three.”
Suddenly the house phone rang and Abby’s heart skipped a beat. She exchanged glances with Betty. They’d just been talking about Lindsey. What if this was her?
It took several rings before Abby could spur herself to answer. “The Langfords’ Broken Aspen Ranch. This is Abby.”
“It’s Bill, from the sheriff’s department. I’m sorry to have to call you on Thanksgiving, of all days. But I thought you’d want to know. We had your ranch hand in a holding cell, waiting for transfer up to Billings last night. But...well, he overpowered the deputy, knocked him out and got his key ring while being taken out to the squad car.”
“So he got out of his handcuffs.”
“Yep. We think he’s the one who stole a silver SUV from behind the grocery store. The night stocker says he always left his keys in the ignition.”
“Are you looking for him?”
“We’ve got an APB out on him and the car. Of course, by now he might have switched vehicles or hopped a bus. But now he’s wanted on even more charges, so we’ll get him sooner or later.”
Abby glanced out the windows at the light snow that had been falling since last night. The landscape was pristine white again, so peaceful. But the thought that Phil might be out there somewhere made her shiver. “You’ll call if you hear anything, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Say hey to Jess and his grandma, okay? And if you can pack up Phil’s things and put them in the front of his pickup, we’ll send someone out to get it. Better to have it in our parking lot than give him a reason to ever come out your way again.”
“Thanks.” Feeling numb, Abby put down the receiver and turned to Betty. “It was Bill. Phil escaped from jail, and they haven’t found him. That’s a cheerful thought.”
Betty took the saucepan of the buttery, fragrant onion mixture off the stove and poured it over a pile of cubed bread in a roaster pan, then began to lightly stir it together. “Those boys should have been a lot more careful. But now Phil knows what kind of man Jess is, and he won’t want to mess with him. And everyone knows ranchers have varmint weapons—if only to protect calves and foals in the spring.”
Abby managed a weak smile. “And their grandmas are armed, too. But still.”
She thought about the massive, curtainless windows in the living room at night. The way someone could find cover between the highway and the house because of all the pine trees.
If Phil was smart, he would have headed like a rocket out of Montana. If he was smart. But she had her doubts.
“I’m going out to the barn to give Jess a heads-up, Betty.” She shrugged into her jacket and pulled on her boots. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”
Snow had already blanketed the trees when she stepped outside, turning the world into a fairyland. To the west, the snow-covered pine forest of the foothills looked like a glittery Christmas card. It would be so hard to leave all of this beauty behind.
In the distance she heard the sound of an approaching diesel motor. Phil?
She broke into a jog for the barn. But just as she opened the tack-room door, she looked over her shoulder and recognized the truck as it pulled up next to the barn.
Dad?
He climbed from behind the wheel and met her halfway. “I hope it’s okay that we decided to come.” He hitched his chin toward Darla, who had stayed in the front seat. “It took some convincing, but this will be good for her. She even made a pie.”
Abby enveloped him in a big hug and he awkwardly patted her back in return. “We’ll all enjoy having you here. Would you two like to come to the barn with me and see the horses? I just need to tell Jess something.”
Dad pursed his lips. “Darla isn’t much interested in livestock. Maybe I should just take her on up to the house, if that’s all right.”
Abby gave Darla a cheerful wave. “Of course it is, Dad. I’ll catch up with you two in just a minute.”
She watched him get back into his truck and park closer to the house. He opened Darla’s door, then took a pie from her and they walked up to the house hand in hand.
Despite Darla’s rough edges and prickly attitude, Dad was so sweet, so attentive, that Abby just had to smile.
Would she ever find someone who loved her that much?
She stepped in the warmth and bright light of the tack room and found the twins playing with their puppy. He was now wearing a dress, with a bow taped over one ear. “Where’s Uncle Jess?”
Sophie pointed to the door leading to the barn aisle. “He got a phone call. He told us to wait here.”
Abby hesitated, then went to the door and stepped into the aisle.
His cell phone propped between his ear and shoulder, Jess was saddling Bart. He looked up at Abby and motioned her to come closer, then ended the call.
“I’ve got to go. A guy from town was driving past and noticed a silver SUV parked out along the highway. He slowed to see what was going on and the vehicle took off like a shot.”
Her stomach knotted. “Phil?”
“My guess is that he wanted revenge before he disappeared, so he opened a pasture gate to cause trouble.” Jess checked the cinch one last time. “Now there’s a dozen head of cattle wandering along the highway. Drivers coming over the hill might not see them in time to stop, so I’ve got to get them before someone dies.”
“If I hadn’t pressed charges, he would’ve just left town. This is my fault.”
Jess turned and put his hands on her shoulders. “Never think that. Phil got what he deserved. Period.”
He pulled her close for a moment, brushed a quick kiss on her mouth, then turned away to bridle Bart.
“I’ll take the girls up to the house, and then I’ll catch up with you. I want to help.”
Jess shook his head. “You’ve got a big dinner going, and Betty will try to do too much. I can handle this.”
“It won’t be easy by yourself. What if the cattle spook and scatter?”
“Once I get them headed down the ranch lane, they’ll have fence on both sides and nowhere else to go but back down here to the barns.”
Abby ran for the door. “Dad and Darla just pulled in, so they can take care of things at the house.” She called over her shoulder. “I’ll be a few minutes behind you.”
It took more than a few minutes to take the girls and the puppy to the house and explain the situation. When Abby got back to the barn Jess was gone. But he’d taken a different horse and left Bart—her favorite—saddled and ready for her. A quiet, thoughtful gesture.
She swung into the saddle and sent Bart into a jog along the shoulder of the lane toward the highway. In the distance she could hear the rumble of a semi engine idling and see its headlights and flashers glowing faintly through the veil of snow.
Amid distant whoops and hollers—voices she didn’t recognize—she saw the cattle start coming toward her single file.
She sidestepped Bart farther off the road and watched them pass. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. And then a straggler. Thirteen.
From somewhere behind them she heard Jess call out his thanks to unseen strangers, and then he seemed to materialize through the snowfall like a vision from an old Western movie. A rugged, laconic cowboy on his horse. Competent. Relaxed. Powerful. In command.
She felt transfixed as he drew closer, and it dawned on her that if she never again saw him after she left the ranch, she would never forget this moment. Never forget the way her pulse raced whenever she saw him. And she knew he would always, always possess her heart.