Page 48 of Operation: Chosen

“If I didn’t have to go back to work and I could figure out something to do, I’d probably stay as close to you as I could. I’ve never been one to make friends easily.”

“That comes with having trust issues.” He rested his hand over hers and felt her muscles jump under his touch.

“All I ever really wanted was someone who wanted to look after me. And the only one I could rely on to do it without question was me.” She slipped her hand from under his and reached for the door.

“I wanted the job.” The words clogged in his throat, but better now than never. This was what Connor had wanted. This was the second chance that Eric had been sure he didn’t need. He’d needed a second chance to say what he hadn’t thought he needed to say the first time.

“I wanted to take care of you every day of my life,” he continued. “I wanted to be the one to watch you succeed. Even if I didn’t share the same goals as you, I wanted to be the one to tell you to go for your dreams with all your might. There are horses everywhere. I could’ve trained horses no matter where you were transferred. I thought we could make our differences work.”

She froze and looked unsure as she closed her eyes. He didn’t move, willing her to say something so he didn’t feel like he’d bared his soul for nothing. Ali reached over and threaded her fingers in his. “I didn’t know. I didn’t think you had enough drive and that’s why you wanted to leave. I had to put myself first.”

He loosened his fingers from hers and cupped her cheek. Her skin was so soft it momentarily shook him. “I would’ve put you first.”

She slowly opened her eyes. “I don’t think so. If you had to choose between Wayside or me, which would you choose?”

He couldn’t answer that. He didn’t know her now like he knew her then. What if he said one thing and couldn’t live it, or worse, made her feel guilty and she agreed to stay even if she didn’t want to, just because of how he answered?

She pulled away from his touch. “Your hesitation speaks volumes, but I’m not hurt by it.” She took a deep breath. “Both of us found parts of our lives to make up for the loss of each other. Both of us threw ourselves into our work. I don’t know what the answer is, but now is not the time to figure it out.” She turned away from him and climbed out of the pickup.

Eric followed, his mind racing. What could he say or do to get her to tell him the truth? How would she answer a similar question? Would she be able to answer without thinking? There was no way he could make a choice like that without taking a pulse check on his life.

Officer Blake strode toward him and held his arms out wide. “That’s definitely Skyfall, but the guy that Lacy said was here and confronted them is gone. There’s no one here. Worse. The four other horses we found were also stolen.”

Eric strode past the deputy toward the fence and whistled for Skyfall. His silver mare trotted toward him and nuzzled him through the fence. Officer Blake stood behind him. “Maybe you should take a look at the other horses in the pasture and see if you recognize any of them. If you can, maybe I’ll have some lead to follow up on. If not, this feels like a dead end.”

Ali crossed her arms. “Who owns the property? Wouldn’t they be suspect number one?”

Officer Blake frowned. “I wish it were that easy. This farm was owned by a huge ranching operation. They kept some of their stock here, on this side of their land, and some on the other. The owner recently died, and all his land was divided up between his two sons. Neither of them want anything to do with ranching, so they are waiting for the land to sell.”

“So, it’s basically abandoned until they get it sold,” Ali confirmed.

“Correct. Dead end.” Officer Blake rubbed his forehead. “Worse, all the horses come from different areas. If I hadn’t called Dr. Willis to let him know that I had these horses that might need a look-see, I wouldn’t have known they were stolen.”

“So, what now?” Eric leaned against the fence and scratched Skyfall’s neck.

“I think we need to leave a little something here for whoever is coming for these horses. A way to track them and catch them.”

Ali slowly nodded, then her brow furrowed. “Is there any connection between the horse theft and the boys at the ranch? It seems like a reach, but I never overlook a possible connection.”

Officer Blake scrunched his nose. “Not that I know of. Connor hasn’t shared much with me about your guests since he’s trying to keep them there and us out of it. But if he has any information, we’d be happy to look anything up that we can.”

Eric glanced down the fence, looking for the gate to let Skyfall out. “I can’t see any connection, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. I’ll have Connor send you everything in the morning. In the meantime…” He strode farther down the fence and found the gate, then opened it to let Skyfall out. She still wore her bridle, making leading her a lot easier. “I volunteer to be here when they come back.”

ChapterNineteen

Ali sat on the other end of the bench seat in the pickup feeling a million miles away from Eric, though he was only on the other end. She fidgeted with the long sleeve of her tee, wishing for the clothes that made her comfortable. Was she out of words because she couldn’t think beyond herself?

“You’re going to lie in wait for someone to come back for the horses we have in the trailer?” She swallowed hard, worried what would happen to him if he did. There were very few places to hide, and the horses were outside. If he were hiding, he might not even see anyone.

“Yes. That’s my plan. I’m going to bring them home and make sure Skyfall is fine, then I’m getting back in this pickup and returning. I’ll park it down the road where it won’t be seen, then I’ll walk onto the property and find a place to hide.”

“And the deputy is okay with that?” Rural living must be vastly different from what she knew. The police force where she lived had many layers, with each layer having specific jobs. The Piper’s Ridge force seemed to be three men and two cars, all doing everything.

“I think ‘okay’ is a pretty strong word. He’s not going to arrest me if I can figure out who is doing this.”

She closed her eyes, unable to think of anything but Eric waiting to face criminals in the dark with a broken arm and no protection. “Isn’t that their job?”

“Sure it is.” He nodded once emphatically. “But there’s only so much they can do. This is a small force, and they aren’t even from Piper’s Ridge. All three are shared between about four little towns. Their jurisdiction spreads about fifty miles in every direction. When Connor offers help, they usually take it.”

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