Cowboy Protector

Although Hannah had tried to keep her fear of large animals she was unfamiliar with from her voice, the amused look the little girl gave her along with what she said underscored her failure. At the stall entrance Hannah glanced back over her shoulder at Misty and Candy. The mare kept her head lowered so the child could continue to pet her as if the horse knew something was wrong with Misty, that the child couldn’t stand. No, Misty would be fine, and Hannah would have to get used to Candy because weather willing she planned on bringing the girl down to the barn a lot. Misty came alive in here.

When she checked her watch, Hannah realized they had stayed longer than she had planned. She could picture Austin combing the house for them, anger building on his face when he didn’t find them. Hurrying toward what she believed was the storage room, she burst through the closed door and came to an abrupt halt.

A small, wiry man with his back to her stood in the corner by some boxes. As he swung his gaze to her, surprise flittered into his expression. He made a scraping movement with his foot then whirled around. “What are you doing in here?”

His furious tone caused her to step back into the doorway of the storage room, the faint odor of smoke accosting her. “I’m getting Barney’s food,” she said and spied the bag several feet from the man. “Misty’s going to feed him.”

Some of the tension in him deflated. “Oh, I just didn’t expect anyone to come in here at this hour. I’ll bring it out to you.”

His dismissal of her heightened her suspicion. He was probably the hired hand who was smoking in the barn. She couldn’t ignore the faint odor of cigarette smoke. This wasn’t any of her business. She needed to back out of the room and dismiss what he had been doing. Getting involved and doing the right thing five years ago ruined her life. Austin would discover the guy soon enough.

What if Austin didn’t and something happened? For the past years, she had done what she needed to survive, but she couldn’t turn a blind eye to what this man was doing. If the man flicked the cigarette into some hay, the barn could be destroyed. Animals killed.

“That’s all right. I can get it.” She headed toward the bag on the floor, forcing the hired hand to move.

His glare chilled her. He stepped to the side, planting one foot and dragging the other to him. The scent of smoke hanging in the air was stronger the closer she came to him, confirming her suspicions.

Hannah bent over to lift the twenty-five-pound bag but almost instantly dropped it back to the floor. “On second thought, could you please carry this bag out to Misty? It’s heavier than I thought.” Straightening, she watched his every action.

Austin’s employee pawed the wooden planks with the toe of his boot, then reluctantly covered the space between them and scooped up the bag as though it only weighed a few pounds. “After you, ma’am.”

Near the entrance Hannah stopped. “Oh, I forgot the cat food. You go ahead. I can manage that bag.” She sidled away, backing up toward where she saw the cat food.

The man grumbled something under his breath, but he left. Hannah rushed to where he had been standing and searched the floor. Nothing. He had to be smoking. Unless he came in right after someone had just finished. Doubt began to nibble at her when she zeroed in on the tip of the cigarette butt under the shelving where he’d shoved it with his booted foot.

She pulled it out and murmured, “Gotcha.”

Someone cleared his throat behind her.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.