Page 37 of The Cowboy's Magic Touch

“No sense tryin’ to think clearly on an empty stomach. We need to take this in stride and not panic. The sheriff will help us figure out where we go from here.”

* * *

When Geoff woke up he immediately reached for the bedside phone and called the restaurant. With nothing to eat the night before except the two muffins in Brody’s kitchen he was starving. Identifying himself as Gabe Wilson, he ordered a large breakfast.

“I’m expecting some calls. If I don’t answer the door please tell the delivery person to set everything up on the dining room table and add a twenty-percent tip,” he declared. “And I would appreciate putting a rush on the order. I may need to leave soon.”

“Of course, Mr. Wilson.”

“Let that be a lesson, Gabe,” he muttered as he hung up the receiver. “The reservations are in your name, and now you’ll be stuck with the bill.”

Still snickering, he stretched and yawned, then headed into the bathroom, but as he turned on the shower and stepped under the steaming water his thoughts turned to Annie. His contract with her was ironclad, and a new album was already in the works. Not only were millions of dollars at stake, his reputation was on the line. He absolutely had to return her to Nashville and get her back under his control.

A plan of action began to take shape.

First, he had to get her alone, then he’d show great remorse about how he’d treated her, apologize profusely, and promise not to be so controlling in the future. If she gave in, he’d ask her to call the local sheriff and tell him everything had been worked out, then beg her to return to Nashville and finish the album she’d already started.

But if she refused to listen he’d be forced to use more drastic measures.

Stepping from the shower and toweling off, one of his favorite sayings flashed through his head.

Expect the best and prepare for the worst.

He knew how to get onto the ranch without being seen, and where the key to the house was hidden. It was possible he’d have to take her by force.

Stepping into the bedroom and dressing, he opened the door to the lounge and saw his breakfast laid out and waiting. Ravenous, he strode across to the table, sat down and began to eat. He was enjoying hash browns with his cheese and tomato omelette when the cabin phone rang, but he wasn’t about to leave the delicious meal. After downing the last of the coffee, he ambled across to the desk and picked up the receiver to listen to the message.

“Uh…would you please call the office when you get this? It’s important. Thank you.”

A chill pricked his skin.

Fearing Gabe had called, he marched into the bedroom and hastily packed, throwing in all the complimentary toiletries. As he was looking around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything he heard voices. Hurrying to a window and peeking through a crack in the curtains, he spied a deputy walking towards the cabin with one of the staff.

There was not a second to spare.

Grabbing his bag, he slipped out the French Doors that led from the bedroom to a deck, then hurried through the trees to his car.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Brody and Annie had finished breakfast and were clearing up the dishes when they heard a car roll up the driveway. Looking out the window and seeing the sheriff coming to a stop they hurried out to meet him.

“Hey, Brody, hello, Annie. You got a minute?”

“Sure,” Brody replied. “Come on in. I was about to call you.”

“About what?” the sheriff asked.

“Someone broke into the house last night. It must’ve been during the storm. We had to bring the horses in and we were waitin’ in the barn until it passed. We were pretty wiped out when we got back and I didn’t notice anything at the time, but this mornin’ I found my coffee cup on the table. I’d left it on the counter, and there were four muffins in a container when we went out, but now there are only two. Most importantly, that frog,” he finished as they approached the back door. “I keep my key under it. The key is there, but the frog has been moved. Thanks to the rain it’s easy to see where it usually sits.”

“I’ll be damned,” the sheriff muttered, staring down at the obvious impression in the dirt. “Don’t touch it. I’ll see if we can pull some prints. Let’s go inside, I have some news as well.”

“Sure. You want coffee?”

“Normally I’d say yes but I’m coffee’d out,” he replied as they settled at the table. “So—here’s the long and short of it. Geoffrey Palmer had two men with him. It seems they’ve taken off.”

“You mean they left with Geoff?” Annie interjected.

“No. We have reason to believe Geoff Palmer is still here. It’s the two men who are gone. One of them was named Gabe Wilson. He checked into the Moonshine Lake Campgrounds claimin’ it was just him and his friend John Hammond. Then last night at the bar someone recognized Geoff Palmer from the police alert. Unfortunately he was gone before we arrived. This mornin’ a man called the restaurant from Gabe Wilson’s cabin and ordered breakfast to be sent over, but a short time later Gabe called the campground and said he’d left in a hurry last night, and not to allow anything to be charged to his card.”

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