Page 49 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Hushed voices broke into his dreams again, but this time he felt more refreshed, and it wasn’t nearly as hard to open his eyes. Hudson chose to keep his eyes closed to see if whatever was being spoken of would be something he needed to hear.

“Are you sure that he doesn’t smoke?” The voice was familiar, and yet he couldn’t place it.

“I’m positive.” It was Liam. What was he doing here? Shoot! Of course Rachel would call his family, but to have them here watching him when he was in a hospital bed? “He doesn’t drink either.”

“We didn’t find any signs of a drinker on the property. But there was an empty pack of cigarettes. What about anyone you have on staff.”

“No.” Rachel’s quiet voice came next. “I haven’t had any hired help on the premises for the last couple of weeks. The only people we had were helping build shelter structures. Other than that, it was just Hudson and his brothers.”

“And no one in your family smokes?”

“It’s like I said, Sheriff, the only vices we’ve dealt with that I know of are the occasional drink. And my siblings are doing their best to kick that habit. Whoever left that box has to be responsible for the fire.”

“Unfortunately,” the sheriff sighed, “one empty box isn’t much to go on. If we found additional evidence from that night the house was broken into, or around the other parts of the property that had been damaged, then I might be able to make a case for it. As of now, there is nothing I can do.”

“That’s a load of bull?—”

“Liam. He’s just doing his job,” Rachel murmured. “I’ll let you know if I find any other evidence around the property.”

“Thank you, Miss Walton. Give my regards to Hudson. Tell him what he did was a brave thing.”

“He’s not a seven-year-old—” Liam snapped but was cut off again, presumably by Rachel. “What about the water?” he demanded. A cool sort of feeling fell over the room, one that even Hudson could feel.

“What about the water?” The sheriff’s voice grew a little louder as if he’d come back into the room. “What water are you talking about?”

“The creek,” Liam amended. “The creek was diverted, and we found an empty box of cigarettes. I would bet my next month’s wages that it’s the same brand as the one you found.”

“There was a cigarette box out there?” Rachel said.

Hudson could hear the betrayal in Rachel’s voice this time. He’d kept it from her. He’d wanted to shield her from it. It had somehow made sense that if he didn’t tell her about the box, then he could pretend it wasn’t as serious as it was—if only when he was spending time with Rachel.

“I’m sorry, Liam. But your brother didn’t turn anything in. I’d have to check to see if it was the same before I could draw any conclusions.

Another growl from Liam was all Hudson heard before one set of footsteps exited the room.

“I’m going to get some coffee,” Liam muttered. “Let me know if he wakes up again.”

For a moment, Hudson didn’t hear anything. Then a pair of warm hands wrapped around his. “You can open your eyes now.”

Hudson did as he was told and found Rachel’s eyes. He couldn’t hold her accusing stare for long—already knowing what she was going to ask him.

“When were you going to tell me about the cigarette box?”

He opened his mouth and only a raspy sound escaped. “I didn’t think…”

“No, you didn’t.” Her tone was sharper this time. “You didn’t think. How could you have found something like that and not tell me? For heaven’s sake, Hudson. I need to know what I’m dealing with.”

“What good would it have done?” he wheezed. “I’m not even sure it was from the same people who set the barn on fire.”

She shook her head with disdain. “You and I both know that the probability is high they have a connection. And yet, you still kept it from me. I can’t believe you would do that.”

This time he met her scowl with one of his own. “I was protecting you.”

“I don’t need protecting.”

He snorted.

Rachel got to her feet, dropping his hand in the process. “Now you’re in a hospital bed with burns and smoke damage in your lungs. You and the horses and Odin almost died, and it’s all my fault.”

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