Page 68 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

I wasn't going to get out of this. I could see that now. Miko was getting stubborn. "How about we do it together, huh?" I'd rather be by his side if there was danger than split up. At least then I could protect him better.

"Hai."

"You'll do everything I say?"

Miko nodded quickly. "Hai."

I shook my head as we continued to ride silently toward the main house. This was a really bad idea. I could feel it in my bones. We were headed right into danger. If I was smart, I'd tie Miko up somewhere he'd be safe and go deal with this on my own.

I was just afraid he'd never forgive me.

As we drew closer to the main house, I couldn't shake the feeling that trouble was waiting for us. When we reached a small cove of trees, I grabbed Miko's reins and pulled both of our horses to a stop.

When Miko looked at me, I held my finger to my lips and then slid off my horse. I looped both our reins around a low hanging tree branch, not tight enough to keep the horses there if they needed to run, but just enough to keep them in one place and out of danger.

I grabbed Miko and pulled him down from Sally's back. I pointed a finger at him. "You do exactly what I say and do not leave my side for any reason. Understood?"

"Hai."

I grabbed Miko's hand and pulled him along with me as I headed toward the bunkhouse, keeping in the shadows as much as possible. With the lights out in both the bunkhouse and the main house, that was pretty easy.

When we reached the backdoor to the bunkhouse, I cautiously opened it and stepped inside the mud room. After Miko stepped in, I closed the door and then turned to face the other entrance, my head cocked as I listened for sounds that would alert me to someone's presence.

I was getting nothing and that in itself was worrying. This was a bunkhouse where several fully grown cowboys lived. There should be some noise.

I tugged on Miko's arm and started for the entrance to the main room of the bunkhouse. I had expected Miko to follow along with me, but he pulled away.

When I turned, he was looking toward the large shower room attached to the mud room. It had three individual walk-in shower stalls inside, enough for more than one person to take a shower at the same time.

Before I could stop him, Miko opened the door to the shower room. He quiet gasp sent me running for him. What I found in the shower room made me totally understand his gasp.

There were five bodies inside, none of them moving.

I squatted down next to the first one and reached out to feel for a pulse. When I felt a steady thump under my fingertips, I blew out a relieved breath.

Wade was alive.

I quickly checked the others. Each of them had steady a heartbeat. That was a good sign. What was a bad sign was that they were all unconscious and had their hands tied behind their backs.

This was done on purpose.

I grabbed my cell phone off my back and sent Sheriff Ken a 911 text, telling him we had trouble at the ranch and to come in silent as there might be armed assailants on the ranch. I also told him we were going to need an ambulance or two, but they also needed to be silent when they arrived.

I didn't want to call him case someone overheard. A text was better.

Ken immediately texted back that he and his deputies were on their way, maybe ten minutes out. I hoped that was enough time for them to get here before something else happened.

Miko tapped me on the shoulder and then nodded to one of the shower stalls.

Yeah, that might work.

I picked Wade up and dragged him into the shower. I propped him against the shower stall wall and then turned on the cold water, spraying it right on him.

It took a moment, but then Wade started to sputter and bat at me with his hands. I covered Wade's mouth with one hand and turned the water off with the other.

By the time I looked back at Wade, he was staring at me with wide eyes. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Intruders on the ranch. Sheriff is on his way."

I removed my hands from his mouth when Wade gave a simple nod. I backed out of the shower and then held an arm out to Wade to help him. He might have woken up, but he was still a little unsteady on his feet. I did this four more times until every ranch hand was awake and moving.

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