Page 59 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Her head pounded, and her hope shriveled. At this point she hadn’t progressed at all. The only thing she had was the conversation with that stranger—a man she’d never seen before in her life. Not only that, but he wasn’t in any of the pictures at the company. There was literally nothing to connect him to the developer who wanted to buy the sanctuary.

A whimpering sound drew her eyeline to the floor near the door. Cookie scratched at the door with her paw, then stood and turned in a circle. The puppy sat and glanced over her shoulder toward Rachel.

Those soulful eyes were heartbreaking. Lately, Rachel hadn’t allowed Cookie to be outside without her, and right now, she was too busy to go out. Odin remained on guard where he’d been since Hudson had left. Rachel didn’t know if Henry and Athena were here or if they’d gone out to run errands. Based on how quiet it was in the house, she figured they were alone.

“Not right now, sweetie. I have to do some work first.”

Cookie whined again and plopped down onto her stomach.

Rachel turned back to the computer and continued scrolling. Dead ends everywhere she turned. Why couldn’t she find even one crumb that could lead her in the right direction? She placed her chin in her hand.

While she’d managed to get the bank to tell her the name of the company that had shown an interest in the property, that was where her hopes ended. Charity after charity populated the screen. For no other reason than her personal interest in that sort of nonprofit work, she continued going back to the organizations that were linked to this developer.

There were footsteps outside her office door, and Cookie lifted her head before the door opened a crack. Cookie scampered to her feet, with her tail wagging so hard it thumped against the wall at her side. She stuck her nose through the door, sniffing and whimpering again.

The second Athena pushed the door wide enough, Cookie charged through the opening. Rachel heaved a sigh. Now she was going to have to track down the dog and make sure she didn’t get into trouble.

Athena leaned against the doorjamb. She folded her arms and gave Rachel a pointed look. “You find anything?”

Rachel shook her head.

Her sister frowned. “That guy was a creep. There’s seriously nothing? He has to have a criminal history.”

“Unfortunately, without his name, I can’t look him up. And it was dark. I don’t think I’d be able to recognize him even if I saw a mugshot.” Rachel ran a hand through her hair and sat back with a frustrated breath. “The problem is that there is literally nothing tying this developer with crime. No one on their board has a criminal history. They’ve got their fingers in several charitable organizations. How much do you want to bet that everyone they employ has had background checks and wouldn’t set off any red flags? We just have to face the fact that there is nothing we can do.”

Athena pushed away from the door and moved into the room to sit on a chair. “Don’t say that. You can’t give up when you’ve been working so hard to figure this out.”

“I’m not giving up. I’d rather die than let that happen. But sometimes we have to accept that things will be tough. I don’t think they’re going anywhere. If they were willing to put someone’s life in danger, what are they going to do next? I just don’t know how long I’ll have the energy to deal with their nonsense.” Rachel’s eyes darted to the computer screen. “I can’t believe how many charities they’re involved in. It’s not normal. I feel like there’s something there, but I just can’t see it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that usually when a bad company is involved in stuff like that, they’re using it in a nefarious way. Why can’t I see what’s going on?” She asked the question more to herself than anything, and yet her sister still responded.

“Because you’re too close to the situation.”

Rachel’s eyes shifted to her sister.

“I know you already know that. But it’s true. You care too much. You’re worried that you’re going to get it wrong. Something is blocking you from seeing what’s right in front of your face.” Athena shrugged. “Maybe it’s Hudson.”

“I’ve barely talked to him.”

“No, I mean, maybe it has to do with the fact that he got hurt. No one wants to see the person they love get hurt.”

Rachel tore her eyes from her sister and returned them to the screen. She wasn’t ready to discuss her feelings for Hudson. While she’d decided to stick around and protect the sanctuary she’d put her heart and soul into, she hadn’t told him anything. She didn’t want him coming back for any other reason than he wanted to fight for her.

Face flushing, she scooted closer to the computer and grabbed her mouse. There had to be at least three dozen charitable organizations. It would take all night to comb through each one and look at all the people involved in them. But maybe that’s what she would have to do to find that guy who had threatened her the other night.

Rachel moved the mouse to the top one on the list. She clicked through the web page and the contact page. It was a charity for a big hospital that served most of the Pacific Northwest. For all intents and purposes, it was legitimate.

Athena hadn’t left the room. She continued to stare at Rachel, even while Rachel kept her focus on the computer.

“I’m not going to say something about Hudson if that’s what you’re waiting for,” Rachel said.

“I’m not.”

Rachel clicked on the next one down. “Good.”

“I was going to ask you about something, though.”

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