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While the girls finished folding and packing their clean laundry, Harlan and I saddled up to take the cameras to the back of the thousand acres and install them.

We rode back to the last field before the property boundary line and that’s when we heard the pounding of hooves far away to the east.

Staying aboard the horses, we concealed ourselves in trees along the fence line and waited to see who was going to show up.

First came four mustangs thundering across the back of the ranch and not far behind them were two rustlers hollering to each other and twirling ropes over their heads.

I took off at a gallop urging Outlaw to catch up. I sucked in a big breath and tried doing something I had never tried before. I pulled out my Sig and took a couple of shots from Outlaw’s back.

He shied a bit and his ears twitched when I fired, but he kept going at a full gallop.

I got close enough to see I’d hit the one guy. He slumped a little in his saddle as he turned and yelled to his buddy that they had to go back.

The two of them beat it back the way they’d come and disappeared through the trees and over the hill on the next property. The mustangs thundered west and disappeared onto government land.

That’s Hannah Hargrove’s property next to mine.

After the mustangs had run to safety and the rustlers were gone back where they came from, Harlan and I installed the cameras and turned them on.

When we got back to the house, Savanna was there drinking a can of Miller and playing hold ‘em with the girls.

Harlan and I grabbed beer out of the fridge and joined in the game without mentioning the rustlers.

Savanna and the girls made burgers for dinner and then it was time to run them to Shelby to Marilyn’s ranch.

Pellegrino Ranch. Shelby.

The girls seemed just as excited to get back to Marilyn’s ranch as they were to come home for the weekend. They grabbed their bags full of clean clothes and ran to the barracks to mingle with the other girls.

All of their nervousness had worn off and they were comfortable at Marilyn’s now.

“Wow, did they even say goodbye to us?” asked Harlan.

“Nope. In too much of a hurry to get back to their friends.”

“Or get back to those cowboys again,” mumbled Harlan.

“Stop worrying about the hired hands,” I said. “Marilyn has those hormones in hand—at least she should have.”

Harlan rolled his brown eyes. “What if she doesn’t know about the sneaking around in the barn?”

“You’re making that up.”

Harlan shrugged. “Bet it is true.”

“Better not be.”

Hargrove Ranch.

On the way back to my ranch, I told Savanna about the rustlers and feeling pretty sure I had winged one of them. “I’m going to stop into Hannah’s ranch for a few minutes to see if the guy I shot is one of her hands.”

“Sure,” said Savanna. “Do it. I like watching you work.” She winked at me.

I knocked on the door of the ranch house and Hannah answered with a big smile on her face. “Travis, how nice to see you.”

“I need to ask you about something, Hannah.”

“Sure. What is it?” She stepped out onto the porch and didn’t invite Harlan and me inside.