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Her bottom lip trembled, her eyes liquid brown pools. “But I don’t want you to die.”

“I’m not going to.” He kissed her fingertips. “Trust me.”

She stared up into his face, one lonely tear trickling down her cheek. “It’s so hard.”

His chest constricted so tightly he thought he would have a heart attack. That one tear ripped at him until he leaned forward and kissed it away. “Quit worrying, boss lady, you were wrong about the cows.”

“I was?”

“They’re steers.” He pulled her against him and kissed her, giving up on all his resolve to keep at a distance. How could he when she looked at him with frightened doe eyes?

Surprising him even more, she kissed him the way she had the night before when they’d lain in each other’s arms with a storm raging around them. This woman had a truckload of worries on her shoulders and she worried about him. It was about time someone looked out for Mona Grainger.

He pushed her away and brushed the shattered glass from the seat. Then he shifted into park and twisted the key in the ignition. The engine turned over and died. Reed closed his eyes for a second, sending a prayer heavenward. Mona didn’t need to walk home, not in her condition.

He opened his eyes and turned the key. The engine started, coughed and roared to full power.

Once on the road, Reed hurried back to Amarillo to report the incident to the sheriff’s department. By the time they were back on the road to Rancho Linda, the sun had set and all the stars of the heavens shone down on them from a clear black sky.

Halfway back to Prairie Rock, Mona heaved a big sigh. “Do you think this nightmare will ever end?”

“Yes.” Of that he was certain. He wasn’t so sure about when or how.

The cell phone in his pocket vibrated against his chest before the ring tone sounded. “Reed here.”

“It’s Jim. Reed, I found something interesting about that name you asked me to check on.”

“Shoot.”

“I knew there was something familiar about the name Chase Molderhauer, just couldn’t put my finger on it. So I ran a scan against known offenders.”

“And?”

“Came up with nothing.”

Disappointment knotted in Reed’s gut. One more dead end. “Thanks for checking, Jim.”

“Hey, wait up. I said he didn’t show up in the known-offenders list, but the name rang a pretty big bell. I knew it from somewhere. So I did some digging and found a missing persons report for one Chase Molderhauer. The case was opened five months ago. As far as all the reports state, the man was never found. The family and state officials suspected foul play.”

Chapter Fourteen

“That leaves us with more questions than answers, if you ask me.” Mona stared at the truck parked in front of her house and moaned. Why did he have to show up when she had bigger problems to solve? “Is Molderhauer hiding from his family, having found cattle rustling more lucrative than sales? Or has someone assumed his identity to sell the stolen cattle without himself being fingered?”

“My friend said that Molderhauer’s car was found with traces of blood on the steering wheel in Palo Duro Canyon. My bet would be whoever is rustling the cattle had something to do with Molderhauer’s disappearance and possible death.”

Mona dragged her feet through the front door of her house, tired to the bone and so dejected by the lack of definitive information she struggled to lift one foot after the other.

The last thing she needed was a confrontation from an estranged uncle paying her a visit so late at night.

“At last. I thought you’d never get here.” Uncle Arty rose from the couch in her living room and strode toward her, looking so much like her father, Mona wanted to cry.

Sucking in a shaky breath, she squared her shoulders, prepared for battle. “What do you want? If you came to gloat, well, then get the hell out.”

Her uncle stopped in midstride, his hat in his hands. His gaze raked over her from head to foot before he shook his head, a sad smile playing around his mouth. “I guess I deserved that.” After a glance down at the black Stetson in his hands, he cleared his throat. “We have a problem.”

Reed stepped up behind her and laid his hands on her tight shoulders, leaning her back against him. “Which one?”

“We found Dusty Gaither’s body in the canyon close to where the cattle were taken. He’d been dumped behind a bush.”