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“I will too, then.”

“Hey, Natalie,” Vaughn called.

“Yeah?” She appeared hopeful, like maybe Vaughn had changed her mind about her coming with.

“Did the house get cooled off enough to sleep?” She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of the temperature in the cottage sooner. It had been closed up for weeks with the AC off to save money. And now she expected a guest to sleep in it after only a few hours of the air cooling.

“It’s doable,” Natalie said.

“Because we have an extra bedroom. In the main house, if you’d like to sleep there for the night.”

Natalie seemed grateful but resigned. “I’ll be okay, thanks.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Vaughn waved and Natalie returned it before she walked away for good. Vaughn watched her go, thinking about the crazy day and how it had all turned out. She never would’ve imagined coming across a beautiful woman on the side of the road, car on fire, needing a place to stay. As Gram would say, you couldn’t make this shit up.

She tugged on her cowboy hat and climbed on the four-wheeler. And as she rode out to the far edge of the ranch, Natalie crossed her mind once again. She thought about the way her dark bangs hung over her eyes and the way she brushed them back as if it were a nervous habit. She thought about her laugh. Though hesitant at times, it resonated and left Vaughn feeling lighthearted and full of laughter herself. She thought of her bruises and her story about a violent ex-husband. It hurt her heart to think about someone doing that to her, or any woman for that matter.

She slowed as she came to the edge of the east property, shining her Maglite along the fence line. She spotted the loose wire almost immediately; a tangle of it had settled at the base of the fence. She crawled off the four-wheeler, slipped on her leather gloves, and cut the wire free. Hazel was lucky she didn’t get tangled and caught up in the fencing in the heat of the day. That would have been very bad indeed. And still she wondered, how the hell the horses got out to the pasture to begin with.

With the wayward wire in hand, she walked over to the Quadrunner and secured the wire to the back. She headed back to the house, ready to call it a night, with Natalie Brewer already on her mind once again.

Chapter Five

Natalie shifted on the sofa and brought the soft fleece throw to her chest to snuggle up in. The night was warm, but the apartment was chilled since Gayle kept the AC set to “morgue.” Natalie had opened the front door a little to even out the temperature since Gayle wasn’t home. Boomer, Gayle’s fat cat, was home however, and he jumped down from the back of the couch to stand at the screen door. He meowed as if he wanted to go out.

“No, Boomer, you can’t go.” He was forever asking to go outside, but she and Gayle were concerned about the nearby coyotes, so they were diligent about keeping him safe indoors.

He meowed again, longer and louder, angling his furry orange head back at her.

“You can’t go. So, give it a rest, okay?” At this rate, she’d have to shut the door. She didn’t want to listen to him crying all night.

She snuggled deeper into the sofa with the throw and thumbed up the volume on an episode of Alone on Netflix. She wasn’t quite sure why, but watching individuals battle the elements of nature while completely alone resonated with her. She could do without the hunting scenes, but she rather enjoyed the show and enjoyed seeing how the contestants overcame various obstacles. She’d had to overcome quite a few herself in life, and she was having to do so again, so she enjoyed watching people battle the odds.

Boomer cried again and she smacked her forehead in frustration. “Boomer. For the love of God.” But the light to the front porch clicked on, surprising her. It was motion-sensor, but she didn’t see anyone nearby.

“Probably just a bird,” she said as she returned her attention to the program. The porch light, which she could see out of the corner of her eye, switched off and she relaxed. Boomer began pawing at the screen door, rattling it and scaring her to death.

“Boom!” she shouted, as she tore off the throw and marched to the door. The porch light remained off, but she heard a scattering noise, like dry leaves scraping across concrete. “There’s nothing out there,” she said, although she wasn’t so sure. “And you can’t go out.”

He cried again and she shooed him away from the door. He returned at once, pawing again at the metal screen. She knelt and scooped him up. She carried him to the couch and set him down. But Boomer darted for the door again and the light once again clicked on.

“Alright,” she said. “I’ve had enough.” She turned off the porch light and went to lock the screen door, intent on shutting the main door as well, but to her shock, the screen door was yanked open, and she was shoved quickly back inside, tripping over her feet. The fall to the floor was forceful and painful and she scrambled for bearing. But before she could even sit up, her ex-husband, Allen, was on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

She tried to call for help, but he stifled her mouth with a leather-clad hand.

“Shut up,” he seethed. “Shut the fuck up. You scream, I’ll kill you. Understand?”

She blinked at him, fighting for breath. He released her and stood, tugging her up alongside him, spinning her so she was against the wall, held in place with his hand to her throat.

She stared into his eyes. They looked wide and demented, the pupils fully dilated. Spittle dotted the corner of his tight mouth.

“You think you can get away from me? Do you? Well, you’re wrong. You can’t ever escape me, Nat, you hear me?” He smiled wickedly and she was certain he was going to kill her. The shiny blade he brandished next to her face all but convinced her. And when he caressed her cheek with the back of the blade, her heart nearly tripped over itself.

“Please,” she managed, his grip growing tighter. She could hardly swallow, and black spots were now dancing in her vision. “Don’t hurt me.”