Page 50 of Cowboy Don't Go

But most of the guests were laughing at the puppies’ cuteness, not upset at the disturbance and some were trying to help corner the pups. Then Ray—who had appeared in the middle of the madness—and Cooper managed to corral and catch them both. Panting with excitement, Poppy slobbered all over Ray’s face as Cooper apologized for the disturbance. But the newly married Creightons had waved the photographer over to capture the moment and the bride couldn’t stop petting Poppy once he was in Ray’s arms. Even the flower girl had stopped crying and was laughing, teary-eyed, at the puppies now.

After checking that everyone was okay, Shay addressed the crowd. “I’m so very sorry. We just rescued these two little miscreants. Obviously, manners are not high on their priority list yet. Although, suddenly, they are on ours. But clearly, Elizabeth and Daniel,” she added, addressing the bride and groom, “these two are ecstatic about your beautiful marriage and wanted only to give you a puppy blessing. With their wet little tongues. So, consider that accomplished. Now, the puppies bid you good night. Please, please get back to your celebration.”

The crowd laughed appreciatively and broke into a round of applause as they carried the puppies back toward the apartment.

“Holy bail out, Batman.” Cami swooned as the four of them left the circle of lights. “That was some smooth talking back there, Shay.”

“It was either that or sob,” she said, scratching Pippa behind the ears. “Good thing they’re so dang cute.”

“It was all my fault,” Ray said. “I opened the door to take out some trash and they just scooted out past me—”

“Slippery little devils,” Cooper said as Pippa licked his face. “Yeah, you’re cute all right.”

“Disaster averted,” Shay told Ray, then stopped dead at the sight of a shadowy shape moving away from the office in the small barn. Running, actually. “Did you see that?”

“What?” Cami asked, oblivious.

“That,” she said, pointing at the open stretch of field beyond the small barn. But whoever it was, was already swallowed by the darkness there. “There was someone in the barn.” Someone who didn’t belong there.

Shay started running toward the open barn doors, and Cooper handed the puppy off to Cami and ran after her. “Wait. Don’t,” he called after her. “Shay, stop!”

She ignored him.

*

“Hold up!” Cooper said, chasing her down as she hurried through the barn doors. The horses were stirred up in their stalls, restlessly moving and whinnying. Cooper grabbed her arm. Pulled her to a stop. “You don’t even know what you’re running into here.” He fumbled for the light switch and flooded the barn with light.

That’s when they saw the office door wide open. Papers were strewn everywhere, and stuff was pulled off the shelves, lying broken on the floor.

“What in the world—” Shay sucked in a breath. “I was worried about the horses, but—”

Cooper held onto her, quickly assessing that they were alone in the barn. “Whoever it was, obviously they were looking for something.”

“For what?” she asked, staring at the mess. “And did they find it?”

“I don’t think we’ll know until this mess gets cleaned up. What do you keep out here? Anything valuable?”

“Just paperwork mostly, I think. Plans. This was my father’s office primarily until Liam took things over. There’s some personal stuff, too, like awards, certificates. Photos.” She bent down to pick up a broken picture frame with a photo of Tom Hardesty and Sarah standing in front of a penful of mustangs. Broken glass fell out of the frame. “Like this. And this.” She picked up a large fragment of what looked like old ivory. “Part of a woolly mammoth tusk. My father found it right here on the ranch. What could they have been after? More importantly, who was it? It couldn’t have been anyone from the wedding. Nobody would’ve—”

“More like they used the wedding as cover to break in, knowing no one would be back here,” Cooper suggested, still wary about the thief’s return. “Looks like they were looking for a safe.” The large painting of the nearby Absaroka mountains on the nearest wall was dangling by its wire, but there was nothing behind it. “We should call the police.”

“No,” she said. “Not with the wedding party going on. We’ll call in the morning. Let’s just leave it all as it is tonight.” She was shaking. Cooper put an arm around her, pulled her close. She didn’t resist. In fact, she leaned into him. Her skin felt cool to the touch and his only thought was to protect her.

“Call me crazy,” she said, “but even in the dark, I could’ve sworn it looked like a guy I’ve seen twice now in the last week. A guy who doesn’t belong here.”

“Say what now?”

She shook her head. “Probably just my imagination. It can’t be connected.”

With a frown, Cooper wondered if it was.

Cami and Liam appeared at the barn doors. “Oh. My—What happened here?”

“You tell her,” Cooper instructed Shay. “I’m going to camp out here for the night in case our unwelcome caller returns.”

“There’s a gun up at the house.” Shay closed the door to the office.

“A gun?” Cami threw her hands up. “What’s happening here?”

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