Page 27 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

“What happened?” Athena demanded. She’d taken to the older sister role nicely. Though she still had a lot to learn.

Rachel let out a nervous laugh. It was the one she used to cover up when she was upset about something but wanted people to leave her alone. Hudson very nearly left his post after hearing that sound.

Almost.

What was he to her? Nothing. They weren’t anything. Had they gotten to a point where they could trust each other a little more? Sure. But she didn’t need him to protect her. To be honest, she probably didn’t want his help. He’d seen the way she’d had a hard time with him bossing her around after last night’s debacle.

Rachel retold the whole story—the same one she’d told the sheriff. “That’s all I know. Hudson couldn’t see them well enough to get an ID. We’re basically still at square one.”

“And you don’t know why they’re doing this? What could they possibly want from you?”

There was a pregnant pause. Rachel clearly wasn’t ready to tell anyone that someone had it out for her personally. That would only make things messier.

“Where’s Hudson?” That wasn’t Athena. Wade’s strong, quiet voice used to be a comfort to Hudson when he was younger. Now it just meant that he had to do more work. Hudson let out a sigh and placed his cold coffee on the counter. If Rachel could keep Athena preoccupied, Hudson wasn’t against telling his brothers what they were up against. They had to do something to keep Rachel safe. And that started with a new security plan.

Wade materialized in the doorway, with Henry on his heels. Liam sauntered in behind the both of them.

Hudson scowled at Wade. “What’s he doing here? I told you, just you and Henry until we know more.”

Wade glanced at Liam. “He’s still working for the Callahans. I thought he would be able to bring some insights to the table. I’d bet that he has noticed the way Zeke runs things well enough that he’d be able to give us some ideas.”

When Hudson didn’t stop giving his brother the death stare, Wade rolled his eyes. “He was with me at the hardware store when you called. I wasn’t about to drop him off at home before coming out here. That’s a waste of time and gas.”

“He could have stayed in the truck.”

Liam shrugged. “I don’t have to be here. I really don’t care what’s going on.” Before he could turn around and leave the kitchen, Wade held up a hand to stop him from taking even one step.

“I meant what I said. You’re not going anywhere. Zeke is the wealthiest person in this town.”

Hudson snorted. That wasn’t true anymore.

“Fine. Shane might come close. But Zeke is the one who has a good piece of land that’s hard to keep an eye on. He’s got the woods, and he’s combined his projects with other ranchers. How much do you want to bet that he’s had to deal with people who don’t want him succeeding?”

Liam nodded. “It’s true. A couple years ago, there was this guy who showed up out of the blue and asked him to sell some of his land. I don’t remember if he said what he wanted to use it for, but Zeke told him to take a hike.”

Wade glanced at Liam with surprise. “I didn’t know that.”

Their younger brother chuckled. “Yeah, it was pretty great, too. The guy wouldn’t listen, and Zeke had to pull out his shotgun. That got the guy’s attention. He didn’t want anything to do with Zeke after that. And we haven’t heard from him since.”

Hudson gave Liam a look of disbelief. “You can’t be serious. That’s your answer? We should just walk around with shotguns? The guys who were here last night wouldn’t have shied away from a threat like that. They were ready to do some real damage. You saw the window. It was smashed. We’re just lucky they didn’t use their own firearms.”

Henry shook his head. “He’s right, guys. Whoever these guys were, they meant business. They really want Rachel to vacate the property.” He turned to Hudson. “Do you think her client would sell if they heard about all these problems? Surely there’re other options out there for her little pet project.”

“It’s not just a pet project,” Hudson said, glaring at Henry. “It’s a sanctuary. We’re ready for another inspection by the end of the week. If everything goes well, then the wild horses will be dropped off and Rachel can continue running things.”

“A wild horse sanctuary?” Wade said. “I didn’t know that was what she was trying to do here.”

“Well, it is. And all of you know how important that kind of conservation effort is. She’s going to do what we could only hope to accomplish, and she just so happened to find a piece of land that someone doesn’t want her to have. So, what are we going to do about it?”

Wade rubbed his jaw. His age was starting to show. Being the oldest, it wasn’t a surprise. They’d all put him through the wringer throughout their younger years. “I suppose the only thing we can do is enlist the help of some of the people in town. We have plenty of able-bodied men who could take shifts.” He glanced to Henry and Liam. “The place is pretty big, though. We would need a lot of volunteers running shifts. I just don’t know how we’re going to do it without drawing more attention.” He turned to Hudson. “You’re sure the guys from the other night weren’t locals?”

Hudson nodded his head firmly. “I know they’re not. I’ve never seen them before.”

Wade’s grim expression was a perfect mirror of how Hudson had been feeling since this whole ordeal had started. The fact that he hadn’t completely disregarded Hudson’s concerns was the only thing keeping Hudson calm in this moment. “I think we need to be frank with everyone we ask to help. They could be putting their lives on the line, and if they’re not on board, then there should be no pushback. I want to make that perfectly clear.” He gave Hudson a look, and Hudson threw his hands into the air.

“I’m not going to argue. I just want to make sure that Rachel stays safe.”

It was that statement that had all his brothers looking at him funny.

---