Page 21 of Falling For Her Cowboy (Silver Creek Ranch #9)

Chapter Twelve

“ W e’ll alert everyone to what happened,” Buck said. The elder cowboy’s scowl was embedded in his face. He stepped out of the women’s house and turned to eye the building.

“How do we know someone on the ranch didn’t do this?” Aimee asked.

“They better not have. We have good men here. I’m not going to go around blaming anyone unless we have proof.” He rested his hands on his waist. His gaze cut to Melah. “We’ll call the police and file a report. You’re sure nothing is missing?”

“No. Nothing was missing.” Melah folded her arms.

After Aimee had placed the call to Buck, the lead hand had showed up almost immediately.

It shook her to her core that someone had invaded her space.

She wondered how the person had got in without either her or Aimee noticing.

Had she left the door unlocked when she’d come in and they’d locked it on their way out?

“I’m going to tell you now, anyone coming in this building without announcing themselves will get their ass shot,” Aimee warned.

“Same,” Melah agreed.

By the time Buck had arrived, Melah was fully dressed, and she even had on her thigh holster that she loved. The sense of having someone going through her personal items gave her a bad taste in her mouth.

“I don’t blame you gals at all. Make sure you call me as soon as you do shoot whatever fucker— I mean asshole—idiot who comes unannounced,” Buck said, stumbling over his words. He may be a hardened rancher, but he still tried to be a gentleman around women.

Another truck rolled up to the house and parked. Melah stiffened for a moment, then relaxed when she saw the driver.

It was Andy.

He cut the engine to his pickup truck and slid out.

The elder Harvey man ambled over to them, and in his gaze, she immediately saw Draven and Ridge.

There was no doubt in her mind who their father was.

His hair was grayed, and he was still physically fit for his age.

At the moment, his gaze landed on her. It dropped down to her weapon on her thigh. Something clouded over in his gaze.

“Everyone all right?” He came to stand by Buck who immediately brought him up to speed.

Buck had called him and told him something urgent had happened at their bunkhouse before he had arrived.

“If you ladies don’t feel safe tonight, you are more than welcome to stay at the main house. We have a few guest bedrooms that family use when they visit,” Andy said.

“There won’t be a need,” Aimee said. “I’m not going to lose any sleep. They can try to come in again if they want to.”

The woman’s voice hardened, and Melah felt the same emotions as the Air Force veteran. She’d be sleeping with her gun under her pillow tonight.

“I’m good, too, but thanks,” Melah said.

“Buck is going to have a deputy out here to file a report. No matter what happens, we need to have this documented. Hopefully it was some silly kid prank or something,” Andy said, but he didn’t look too convinced of his own feeble excuse.

“Kids don’t come in then leave without a trace or a sound,” Aimee muttered.

“Well, we’ll be changing the locks. We’ll give the house a once-over to make sure there’s no easy way into it.” Andy folded his arms.

The way he zeroed in on her made her think of Ridge. Should she call him and tell him? She brushed off that thought. She didn’t want him worried or leaving work.

Plus…he wasn’t really her man.

They’d had sex. He’d said he wanted what she had to offer, but at the moment she didn’t know what she had to offer besides a few fun nights together.

No, there wasn’t a need to call him.

Andy and Buck entered the house, speaking in low, even tones.

Aimee turned to her with a frown. “You sure you’re good?”

“As ever. It’s just weird that they went in my room only and not yours,” Melah said.

“Maybe I scared them off. I left the shower room before you.”

That did make sense. Melah had stayed in the shower room and worked on her hair. Aimee had jumped in and out quick since they had to be at work.

“Yeah. Too bad you didn’t see them,” Melah said.

They walked toward the house and went inside. Andy and Buck were walking around the common area checking out the windows.

“I’ll have everything taken care of by the end of the day, ladies. Don’t worry. This won’t happen again. I’ll even have some cameras installed, too, and make sure the lights are bright at night,” Andy said.

Melah appreciated everything he was doing.

He obviously took their safety seriously and didn’t brush it off.

He was a good man and cared for every person who came to work at the ranch.

She’d heard nice things about him through the grapevine.

He was a man of his word, and whatever he promised, he always followed through.

“We’re going to wait outside for the deputy. They shouldn’t be too much longer.” Andy motioned to Melah. “Can we speak with you for a moment, Melah?”

“Um, yeah. Sure.” She glanced at Aimee who arched an eyebrow at her. She shook her head and followed behind Andy and Buck.

They stepped back outside and walked over to Andy’s truck. He turned and leaned back against his vehicle.

“What’s going on, boss?”

“You don’t think this could be that fella you had issues with when you were enlisted, do you?” he asked.

She stiffened. Well, he certainly didn’t beat around the bush. She glanced away from him and blew out a shaky breath. There was no need for her to lie or try to hide anything from him.

“Listen, we know this is a sore subject, but we do backgrounds on everyone who comes through the Silver Creek Ranch. We want to know who’ll be working here,” Buck said.

“I understand. I just don’t know the answer to the question.

I don’t think Theo is out of prison.” Just saying his name had her feeling nauseated.

She ran a palm along her face and saw that her hand was trembling.

She clenched it into a fist. She was told that she’d be notified if he was released from prison.

“I’m not trying to be in your business, Melah, but if he’s here, you need to tell us immediately.” Andy narrowed his gaze on her.

She held her breath, waiting to hear what he was going to say. Would she have to leave to keep the peace on the ranch? She was just liking it here, and if she had to pack up and go, she truly didn’t know what her next step would be.

“You are a good woman. Dependable, and everyone appears to enjoy your company, and you are Army. You are one of us, and we protect our own here.”

“We sure as fuck do,” Buck growled. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his graying hair. His eyes crinkled in the corners as a deep chuckle escaped him. “You couldn’t be more safer on the Silver Creek than anywhere else.”

She gave a nod. Her heart swelled at their words. She blinked back tears and glanced away again. She didn’t know what was going on with her, but it must be something in the air.

“Thanks. It means the world to me. I like the ranch. It’s given me so much in my short time here,” she admitted. She thought of all the guys she had gotten to know and worked with. They were all working through shit like she was.

“Well, you know there’s no rush for you to leave. There’s always work to be done.” Andy smiled.

She barked a laugh. Boy, did she know that. With a ranch this size, she was surprised anyone was allowed to go home and get sleep .

“And then today, I go and be late to work,” she joked.

“Don’t worry about it. I hear your boss is a big softie,” Buck said.

“Say what now?” Andy sputtered.

A police SUV made its way down the dirt road toward them. Melah may have felt better at the moment, but her thoughts were now racing.

Was it Theo?

It couldn’t be. Why would he seek her out?

She remembered that day in court as they’d taken him away. He had turned toward her and stared at her with the most menacing glare. According to him, she’d ruined his career. His life.

“You bitch!” he screamed. Theo’s dark hair fell forward in his face.

The bailiffs gripped him and dragged him toward the door.

“Everything is going to be all right,” her father said. Through the entire trial, he’d been by her side. He took her hand in his and brought her to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “He can’t hurt you any longer, baby girl.”

“I know, Dad,” she whispered.

She held Theo’s gaze until he disappeared behind the doors. She wasn’t going to back down from him. Not ever again. He’d thought he’d intimidate her through the entire trial, but he’d failed.

Melah blinked and came back to the present. The sheriff’s vehicle stopped. Buck walked over to it and met the officer who stepped from the truck. She inhaled sharply, prepared to answer all of his questions.

If this was Theo, he was going to wish he’d forgotten her.

“What they calling a meeting for?” Trent muttered, coming to stand next to Melah.

She already knew what it was for, but she shrugged. Andy and Buck had sent out a message to all the hands who were working that day to stop at the barn for an important meeting before they left.

She eyed the group of about thirty who gathered around.

Everyone had the look of working a hard day.

It had been a long one. Melah would love to take a soak in a hot bath, but unfortunately, the bunkhouse only had showers.

Today, she had brought Daisy out and she had done amazing on her foot.

There was no limp, and she’d jumped right into work when it was time to move cattle to another area .

“We aren’t going to keep you. We know today was hard, and I’m sure you’re ready to get the hell up out of here,” Buck said.

Chuckles went around the group. Some of the hands were permeant employees, but most were like her and Aimee.

Former servicemen and women who needed help.

She eyed them and saw a few men from her therapy group.

Seeing their faces reminded her that they had another session scheduled for tomorrow. She wasn’t going to miss it.

“Is something wrong, boss man?” a thick drawl called out from the back of the crowd.

“We just want to alert everyone that there has been a security breach at the women’s bunkhouse. Now I’m not going to go into too many details unless the ladies want to share, but someone broke into their house,” Andy announced.

Silence fell across the group. Where there had been small, quiet conversations going on before, they all ceased. Tension rose in the air.

“Was anything stolen?” Ethan’s gaze landed on her through the throng of people.

Aimee was standing not too far behind her.

“No, nothing was stolen.” Melah tilted her chin upward.

She refused to show weakness. She didn’t know every person who worked the ranch, but if Andy and Buck believed it had to be someone from the outside, then she’d listen to them.

“But I promise you, this will be the last time they enter our house unannounced.”

“They sure as shit won’t be walking out,” Aimee chimed in.

Tense chuckles went around at her comment.

But she wasn’t joking, and neither was Melah.

Melah was a deadly shot. She had earned plenty of awards for her marksmanship, and even deployed, her shot always hit its mark.

“If you ladies need anything, don’t hesitate to call,” Trent said.

In her short time on the ranch, she had already felt Trent would be a person she could call a friend. She jerked her head in a nod at his offer.

“Want some of us to do walk throughs at night for the next couple of days?” someone else offered.

Other suggestions were made, and it warmed Melah’s heart. Andy’s words came back to her.

You are one of us, and we protect our own here.

“What do you think?” Aimee asked. She came to stand next to Melah.

She didn’t have an issue with any of the guys driving by at night to ensure everything was safe and sound for them .

“I’m good with it if you are,” she said.

“A few days should be fine, just to ensure whoever this fucker is don’t come back,” Aimee announced.

“Don’t worry about wondering if we’ll lose sleep.” Trent smirked. He ran fingers through his hair. “I can’t even remember the last time I got a full night’s rest.”

“Same,” other men muttered.

“Well, I appreciate it,” Melah said.

Some of the guys got together and started coming up with a plan of patrolling.

Andy and Buck shouted out other announcements before releasing those who wanted to leave. The hairs on the back of Melah’s neck rose. She glanced over her shoulder, feeling as if someone was watching her. She glanced around, and her gaze met a familiar set of blue eyes.

Ridge.

And he was pissed. He pushed off the side of the barn and stalked toward her. Melah swallowed hard and watched him. Another figure trailed behind him who had an inch on him in height and wider.

Draven.

Melah felt like a deer caught in headlights as the Harvey brothers made their way to her. She at first thought about turning around and scurrying away, but she was no coward. She could handle Ridge and him being upset.

Draven, on the other hand, with his dark, threatening look, she was ready to sprint away from that man. No amount of military training would prepare her to face him in a dark alley.

“Ridge,” she said.

He stopped in front of her. She had never seen him look like this.

He reached for her and cupped her face in his hand.

“Why didn’t you call me?” he growled.

Draven silently came to stand next to them. His gaze flicked back and forth between them. Something dawned in his eyes. He remained quiet and folded his arms.

“What are you talking about?” She glanced around, and all eyes were on them.

He tightened his hold on her.

“When this happened, why didn’t you call me?” Ridge demanded. His chest was rising and falling fast. There was a slight flush to his skin. He glared at her.

“Everything happened so fast. Aimee called Buck who then called your dad. Everything was taken care of,” she explained.

But he shook his head and brought her closer to him. If there was any question on whether or not there was something going on between them, it was now answered for the entire ranch to know.

“And you didn’t think to call me?” he asked.

She inhaled sharply and rested a hand on his chest to try to calm him down. “Can we talk about this in private?”

He blinked as if forgetting they had an audience. He jerked his head in a nod and took her by the hand. He spun on his heels and tugged her behind him, leading her away.

Her heart raced. Ridge was upset because she hadn’t called him. With the way he gripped her hand, she didn’t utter a word. She was left speechless by him. They arrived at his truck that was parked out front with Draven who’d remained a few steps behind them.

Ridge spun on her and faced her again.

“Now tell me everything.”