Page 21 of The Undercover Cowboy

Nash regarded her for a long moment. Finally, he sighed, nodding in reluctant agreement. “Stay close to me, understand? I don’t want anything happening to you.”

“Deal,” she agreed. “We should check on all the animals. Make sure there isn’t anything funny going on with them,” she said.

“Isn’t that Reba’s job?”

“Yeah, but she’s not there at night.”

“Okay. I guess that’s a good of a place to start as any.”

Dolly wasn’t sure she’d be able to spot a drugged animal, unless they were acting weird. But going out with Nash right now would be a nice distraction for her too. She didn’t really want to be alone right now. Doing something productive might make her feel a little better. Not to mention, she might get a chance to hug Nash again.

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll join you.”

“I don’t…” He started to say more, but she was already rushing back to the Winnebago.

Dolly pushed open the door to her Winnebago, bracing herself for the fear and anger she’d feel when she looked at the uniform. She stepped inside and stopped short at the sight of Loretta and Taylor hastily jumping apart—their flushed cheeks and tousled hair evidence of what they had been up to. They must have come back while she was out.

Dolly’s gaze slid to the gift that she had left on the table. They hadn’t seemed to notice it. Likely, they’d been too distracted.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Dolly drawled.

She didn’t bother hiding her amusement, but she knew better than to push too hard. Loretta deserved her happiness, even if it came wrapped in secrecy and stolen moments. Dolly sidled over to the table, hoping to keep their attention off the contents of the package.

“Um, yeah,” Loretta stammered, her cheeks flushed. “We were just…talking.”

“Sure,” Dolly replied, smirking as she located her sneakers beneath the small kitchen table. She picked them up and nonchalantly scooped up the package from the table. “I’m actually on my way back out. I just came back to change my shoes.”

After stuffing the package under her bed, Dolly kicked off her sandals and put on her sneakers. Swiping a hand over her face, she was proud there weren’t any tears. She’d figure out who send that awful gift tomorrow. Right now, she was going to get her Nancy Drew on. After grabbing a light jacket, she slid her bedroom door closed and headed for the door.

“Is everything okay?” Taylor asked, concern etching lines across his face, his eyes darting between the sisters.

“Yeah, great.” Dolly shot Loretta a knowing look. “Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, all right?”

Her sister nodded, her expression a mix of gratitude and embarrassment. With a final smirk, Dolly left them alone to finish what they had started. She hoped that Taylor wouldn’t break her sister’s heart. She’d hate to have to break his face.

Dolly was glad that Nash was still where she had left him. “I figured you’d be long gone by now.”

“You would just follow me,” he said. “And it’s hard to sneak around when someone is actively looking for you.”

“Smart man,” Dolly said.

“What’s going on?” Nash looked at her curiously.

“Why?” she asked.

“You’re all flushed and you’ve got a scowl on your face. Something to do with this gift you received?”

She really wished he would forget about that. “No. It seems while I was out here, my sister just came back from her dinner date. I walked in on them making out. I guess I need to stay out a few more hours to give them the time they need to finish what they started.” She shook her head, bemused. “She could have given me a heads-up or something. A text. A scarf on the doorknob. A little warning?”

“Maybe she got carried away,” he said.

“I worry about her.”

“I get it. I worry about my sister, too.”

Dolly nodded. “Yeah, you’re a good brother.”

“Not really,” he said. “But I’m trying to be. Let’s get going. We stick together, and if anything feels off, we get out of there. I’m not expecting anything dramatic to happen, but you never know.”

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