Page 46 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Wade shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did. “You guys are nuts if you think you’ll be able to find them. But whatever. Do what you’re going to do.” He gave Hudson a hard stare. “You should probably just take it to the sheriff and see if he can pull prints or something. Come on. Let’s get back to the ranch and tell the girls that we’ve solved the problem. If we’re lucky, we’ll get home by supper time.”

22

Rachel

Rachel stared at the letter in her hands. It was the exact same as the email she’d received last night, and yet it still had her floored. To be asked to run a charity was an honor, especially one that focused on reuniting children with their biological parents when they were in the foster system. It also helped children who had been adopted find their biological parents when they reached a certain age.

Her heart soared with the possibilities of all the change she could enact. Not only was it important for someone to find their family again for that closure and the emotional bond it provided, but it was also smart to have a full medical history.

There was one glaring problem.

The charity was being run out of New York. She would have to pack up and move across the country. There was no telling how much time she’d be able to commit to the sanctuary. Could she hire someone to do the work? Sure. Delegation wasn’t something she struggled with. However, too much of her money was wrapped up in this place.

Her gaze scanned her small office, and her heart constricted. Her sanctuary for wild horses was important to her. And it meant a lot to the community. She could see herself settling down here without looking back.

And yet this other program called out to her for very personal reasons. Her history was already known. She’d found the only family she had left to find. The only reason she would have even considered the opportunity was because she knew she’d really be able to make a difference.

Rachel tossed the letter to the table with a sigh. The words glared at her from where they sat a few feet away, making her guilt grow by the second. She hadn’t planned on even responding to the letter. Doing so would make her whole situation more real than it already was.

How easy it would be to list this place for sale and ship the horses off to another sanctuary. Then she wouldn’t have to deal with the vandals. She wouldn’t have to cut through the red tape and the legalities of owning this place. There would be no fear or anxiety about waiting for the next problem to arise.

But there would be no more Hudson.

Rachel spun around so she didn’t have to see the accusatory look from the letter. She’d made her choice. She wasn’t going to walk away from what she had here. She’d worked too hard for it.

But children were more important than horses. At least they came in higher on her personal scale.

Except, there was one thing that stood in her way of that logic. She was loyal to a fault. How could she just walk away from something like this? She wasn’t a quitter. She refused to let people bully her into doing something she wasn’t prepared to do.

Rachel heaved a sigh and shot up out of her chair. She nibbled on her thumbnail as she paced back and forth in front of her desk. Hudson hadn’t come back last night, so she’d opted to stay the night with her sister. But this morning after she’d gotten the mail, she’d come home to check on the house and see what was in the envelopes. Now she regretted even opening that one.

Well, she’d come to a decision. She wasn’t going to respond to the letter—or the email. At least not until Hudson came back and told her what he’d found. Rachel had found a home here. It was meant to be. Nothing in life was supposed to be easy, anyway, right?

She got to her feet and moved to the window. Somewhere on the property, Hudson’s brother was wandering around, keeping an eye on things. Elijah had insisted on escorting her home. Thankfully, nothing seemed to have gone wrong during the daylight hours. But then, why would it? The people responsible for the damages wouldn’t want their faces seen.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she took in the beauty of everything she had here. Even with all the uncertainty of the sanctuary, she had so much to be grateful for. Hudson being at the forefront of that thought.

A smile touched her lips. He had certainly turned out to be more than she’d bargained for, and she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him.

The flurries in her stomach exploded. For the first time that she could remember, she’d found someone she could see herself spending her future with. There was no more running or keeping the guy at a distance. Hudson wasn’t the type of guy to use her for her money. His desires were simpler than that.

Male shouts and exclamations drew her attention, and she shifted her gaze to get a better look as far as she could. Four horses with riders came into view, and she jumped backward to race out to them. Her heart hammered even harder as she ran across the grassy yard in her bare feet. Her eyes locked onto Hudson as relief poured over her. He climbed down from his horse just in time for her to fling herself into his arms.

Warm, strong and sure, Hudson’s hold on her grounded Rachel more than she could have thought possible. The fact that he was back safe and sound only added to the elation she felt. He’d come back for her.

Rachel pulled back and framed his face with her hands. Emotion ran high. If she could have told him right then and there how much he meant to her, she would have. But with their audience, she opted to wait until later. “I take it you figured out what was going on?”

It was then that she noticed the shadow that crossed over his countenance. He wasn’t thrilled about what he’d found, but then could she blame him? He’d gone out of his way to find trouble, and he had.

“Yeah, we figured out—” Liam started, but then Hudson gave him a look that stopped him in his tracks.

She peered at Hudson with concern. Was he really trying to keep something from her? That wasn’t good. This was her property and her problem. He couldn’t just leave her out in the cold like that. Figuring out everything was very important to finally being able to settle down. Her frown deepened until Hudson met her gaze.

“It’s what we expected.” His words were short and closed off. The way he said it left no room for questions.

Well, if he thought she wouldn’t push him to tell her, then he had another thing coming. “Okay, so what was it? How did they keep the water from coming? What does this mean for the future?”

The men all exchanged glances, and she heaved a groan. “Come on, guys. I can handle whatever it is. I’m not some girl who needs to be saved.”

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