Page 23 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

“I’ll be fine. I can take a few naps tomorrow when my brothers help out.” He could see it in her eyes. She wanted to protest. This woman, who had pretended to be strong up until this evening, had finally let her walls crumble to reveal just how scared she was. Hudson muttered a curse under his breath. The reasons he hated people only continued to mount. At this point in his life, the only people he could tolerate were either bonded to him by blood or they were under this very roof. “Well, are you going to get some shut-eye or not?”

She ducked her head and moved past him, murmuring a quiet “Thank you” as she did.

Once he turned out the lights, he headed for the rocking chair in the corner by the window. He’d already moved it to the perfect location, where he could keep an eye on the main road in the distance. Any headlights that passed the ranch would catch his attention immediately.

Hudson took a seat and placed the rifle across his lap. He stared out the window, but his mind was elsewhere. He was so attuned to Rachel climbing under the covers that his ears twitched. The whole thing felt far more intimate than he’d anticipated, and he found his pulse quickening just thinking about how close she was. It wouldn’t take much for him to turn his head and watch her sleep.

But that felt like a violation of privacy.

So, he continued to look out the window. Several minutes passed by and he thought for certain that she’d drifted to sleep. But then her quiet voice broke through the stillness.

“Hudson?”

He stiffened, then peeked at her, though all he could see was the silhouette of her body under the covers. Hudson turned his focus to the window once more and grunted.

“Do you think things will escalate further?” Her voice no longer trembled, and the fear in her tone had disappeared. All that was left behind was a broken curiosity. It was as if she’d accepted her fate.

“They’d be idiots if they did.”

“Maybe.” She sighed, then she grew quiet again, but only for about five minutes this time. “Hudson?”

His breath was heavy as he glanced toward her once more. “Yeah?”

“Do you ever wonder if you’re making a difference?”

He frowned at her in the darkness. “What’s that supposed to mean? You run charities, don’t you? Of course you make a difference.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. Do you wonder if you make enough of a difference… or if all your efforts are for nothing?”

He didn’t know what to say to that. What was she getting at?

“I suppose you might not be the kind of person who cares about something like that.” Her voice had turned almost sleepy. “But I like to think that sort of thing matters—even to you.”

“I don’t know.” It was an honest answer. He hadn’t considered whether he was making a difference or if it mattered. All he cared about was making the right choice for the general community, and doing right in the eyes of the Lord. In a way, that meant he was trying to make a difference. But there was also a strong possibility that he was simply being selfish and doing what he wanted most. “You’re a better person than I am,” he murmured. “What you do is for everyone but you.”

She snorted. “Not really.”

That didn’t make a lick of sense. He nearly pressed her for an answer, but then she offered one of her own volition.

“It’s mine.”

Hudson shifted in his seat and stared hard at her silhouette. “You’re going to have to be clearer than that.”

“The sanctuary. It’s mine. I bought it with the trust my parents gave me. It was on a whim—but something that was most definitely all for me.” The confidence in her voice wavered. “Sometimes I wonder if I should have done it at all. Maybe that’s why this is happening to me. I bought it for selfish reasons, and now I’m paying the price.”

They might have only been a few feet apart, but they might as well have been separated by entire worlds. “Now it makes since why you care about it so much. You are the least selfish person I can think of,” Hudson said, his voice subdued. “No one would spend their money on a project to save wild horses just because they liked the town and liked animals. What you did wasn’t just for you. I hope you know that.”

“Maybe.”

There was that word again, though this time it was a little more hopeful than the last. She rolled over onto her side and adjusted her pillow. Hudson watched her for several moments before he finally forced himself to stare out the window.

This place wasn’t just some client’s. It was Rachel’s, and she’d gone and done one of the most miraculous things she could have with the wealth she’d been given.

And confound it if that new information didn’t make him like her that much more.

Hudson’s mind was reeling. Athena couldn’t possibly know about this expenditure, or Henry would have found out and word would have spread through the family ranks. Wade would have known for sure. Maybe Elijah. Hudson would have liked to think that since he was dedicating so much time to helping Rachel out, Henry would have given him a heads up.

He couldn’t help glancing over at her. The sound of heavy breathing filled the air. She’d finally found enough peace to fall asleep. Good. She deserved it. Something told him that things were only going to get worse from this point forward. Whoever wanted her gone wasn’t going to stop until they were caught.

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