Page 57 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Hudson pulled the empty cigarette pack from his pocket and pushed it across the bar. “Have you seen anyone smoking in here—this brand?”

The bartender picked up the box and turned it over in her hands. “I’m sorry. I don’t really pay attention to the brand of smokes the guys bring in here.” Her smile turned apologetic.

“That’s okay, I figured it would be a long shot.” He let his focus sweep through the darkened establishment, then heaved a sigh. As much as he knew he should stick around and see if anyone familiar would show up, he could already tell his mood was getting worse just by being here.

Thoughts of Rachel pulled on him, making him second-guess what he was even doing here. Finding someone responsible for the damage that had been done was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He wasn’t much closer to breaking the case than he was when he’d left Rachel behind.

On top of those emotional traumas, he was still dealing with the physical one on his shoulder. The burn had healed for the most part, but the hot, stinging sensation continued to flare up. Maybe Rachel was right. He needed to go home and just give in.

He got up from the bar and shoved the box into his pocket. He’d been disillusioned into thinking he could solve this problem, and he’d ended up losing everything anyway. As he got to the door, it opened, and a group of guys entered.

The last one bumped against his shoulder, sending a sharp pain sparking through Hudson’s body. The guy looked up at him with a scowl. “Watch it!” His face was familiar. A faint memory yanked Hudson out of his disappointment. He peered at the guy in the dim lighting.

The guy continued past him and headed toward the bar.

Hudson turned, his focus locked on the stranger. He couldn’t confirm if the guy was one of the men from the break-in. And he wasn’t stupid enough to go poking the bear. Still, he wandered back to the bar and chose a seat where he had a clear view of the man.

The guy didn’t seem to notice him. He ordered a drink and then turned to his buddies. They were loud and obnoxious, and even the bartender didn’t seem pleased they were seated there.

Twenty minutes went by before Hudson started questioning his reason for sticking around. He was just about to get ready to leave when the man pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Hudson was too far away to be able to confirm the smokes were the ones he’d found at the creek and at the barn.

Still, alarms were going off in his head. Something about this guy was giving Hudson dark, twisty feelings in his gut. More than once he nearly got caught staring. The guy grew visibly agitated from where he was sitting, and eventually, he nudged his comrades and insisted they leave.

Shoot, he took his cigarette with him.

Hudson internally berated himself for not getting closer. He should have moved his seat and gotten a better look at the guy. Now that he was gone, there was an even slimmer chance that he’d end up finding him again.

He pushed away from the bar and charged out of the building. The only thing he saw was the red flash of brake lights as they turned the corner at the end of the street. Now he didn’t have a make and model of the truck or a confirmation that the man was the guy he’d seen running off when Rachel had been attacked.

He’d been so close. He could feel it. Why did he hesitate?

Hudson paced up and down the street. There wasn’t a chance he could catch up to the truck, and there was no way he’d get lucky enough that the guy would show up to this bar again while Hudson was staking it out.

His frustration continued to mount until he thought he might burst. The door to the bar opened, temporarily distracting him from his spiral and giving him a moment to take a deep breath and center himself.

It wasn’t the end of the world. He was getting closer. He could taste it. If Rachel could hold out just a little longer and not sell, then he might have a chance to keep her from leaving.

He pulled out his phone and opened her contact information. His thumb hovered over the icon that would allow him to call her. Hesitation and fear were the only things holding him back from following through with contacting her.

Hudson shook his head and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He couldn’t call her, not after she’d reached out to him and asked him to come back. He’d look like he regretted his decisions. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

The first thing he needed to do before he called her was to confirm he’d found someone who could lead them to the end of this nightmare.

Hudson spun around and charged into the bar. There was only one person who might be able to confirm that he might see the familiar looking man again. His only chance was that the guy was a regular. If he could get that information, he’d get back on track.

The second he reached the bar, he placed his palms on the counter, getting the bartender’s attention. She jumped and glanced around nervously. “Can I help you?”

“The men who were sitting here, are they regulars?”

She blinked several times.

“The cowboys. One of them was smoking right here.” Hudson jabbed his finger hard on the counter beside him. “I think he might be the guy I was looking for. Does he come here frequently? I just need to find him so I can ask him a few questions.”

The woman hesitated. He couldn’t blame her. In fact, she was probably considering calling the security guy over to have Hudson removed.

“Please,” his voice softened. “I just need to find out if he knows something.”

She pursed her lips together and then nodded. “He’s a regular. I don’t know his name, though. I haven’t been working here too long.”

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