Page 26 of The Cowboy's Magic Touch

“I’m sorry, Brody. It looks that way.”

“Dammit. What’s the good news?”

“I have the name and phone number of the person Annie needs to speak to about her press release, Jenny Miller. But more importantly, I also talked with the FBI agent assigned to her case, Special Agent Kevin McCade. I explained how she’d been in fear of her life from her manager, Geoffrey Palmer, and that I believe he’s still here in Smoky Hill. He wanted to speak with her right away, so I gave him her parent’s telephone number, and yours as well.”

“I assume this agent will be coming here.”

“He will, but he said he’d put out a statement right away. He thinks it will stop Geoff taking his vendetta any further.”

“I hope he’s right. Any advice? Should Annie stay with her parents now?”

“I’ve been thinkin’ about that. If Geoff Palmer finds out she’s there, he just might break into the family home and threaten to hurt her mother if she doesn’t go back to Nashville with him. Maybe even her father too. That’s a scenario we want to avoid. I believe your place would be safer. I’ll contact the county office and get some deputies over there, and tell them to keep their eye on the family home as well.“

“Her brother’s there now. Does that make a difference?”

“Yes. I know Andrew and he’s a great kid, but if anything happened he’d try to be a hero. Annie is definitely better off with you.

“Ah, I understand. I’m just not sure her parents will want her leavin’.”

“I’ll drive over and talk to them. They need to hear about Geoff anyway, and I should tell them in person. I’ll call you when I’m done and let you know how it goes.”

“Thanks, sheriff. I’ll be at the ranch until around six, then I’ll be headin’ over there to join them for dinner.”

“I’ll be in touch soon. Bye, Brody.”

“Bye, sheriff.”

Rolling down his driveway and stopping near his back door, Brody climbed from the truck. As Bella jumped out after him, he stared across at the paddocks, the barn, and the forest beyond. Geoff and his thugs would be exposed if they tried to approach the house from the back. Even trying to creep in from the road would be difficult. The brush clearance to help prevent fires had just been finished so there was no cover there either. When the deputies arrived and their cruisers made their presence known, Brody was confident his ranch would be a safe haven until the bastard was found.

“Come on, girl, let’s get that fencin’ repaired,” he said, but as he was bending down to pet her, his phone announced a call. “Dammit, now what?”

His impatience quickly left him.

It was Annie.

“Hey, baby, is everything okay?”

“Better than okay. I just spoke to the FBI agent in charge of finding me. He believed everything I told him and he’s going on national television in a few minutes to announce that I’ve been found, and also to say something about Geoff.”

“You’re kiddin’. How can they make that happen so fast? Never mind, you’re famous and the entire country has been lookin’ for you. I forgot that for a minute.”

“He pretty much said the same thing. Anyway, before you go out to the horses and start doing your thing, turn on your TV. He should be on any minute now.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Hurrying inside and into the living room with Bella at his side, Brody turned on the television set and clicked through to one of the major networks. The show airing was a soap opera, but he only needed to wait a minute or two before it was interrupted and a solemn reporter sitting behind the news desk faced the camera.

“Just in—breaking news. I’m pleased to report country music superstar Annie Baker is alive and well, but her whereabouts remain confidential, as do the reasons for her disappearance. Authorities wish to speak to her manager, Geoffrey Palmer, as soon as possible,” he continued as a photograph of Geoffrey appeared on the screen. “If you know of his whereabouts, or Mr. Palmer if you see this, please contact a local law enforcement office immediately. Once again, country singer Annie Baker is alive and well. We’ll now return you to the regular programming.”

“Damn, Bella, that should keep Geoff away from her, but I hope it doesn’t backfire. He might disappear,” Brody exclaimed, turning off the set and quickly calling Annie.

“Hi, did you see it?” she asked excitedly.

“I sure did, darlin’. Now Geoff will have nowhere to hide.”

“I hope he doesn’t disappear.He has the money to go anywhere.”

“But he might not have seen it, and even if he did he can’t exactly roll up to an airfield and charter a jet. The FBI will have sent out notifications everywhere.”

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