Page 50 of The Cowboy's Second Chance Bride

“Let’s partner up and practice on each other. Without making actual hits, though. Oh, and one last question; what color was the jacket I was wearing when we first started?”

People shouted out colors. They were just going through the rainbow.

I held up a hand to get their attention. “Not knowing is a clear example of the white level: oblivious to your surroundings. If you said blue, come stand by me.” A handful of people, a mix of ages and genders, moved to stand next to me. “You all are at the yellow level,” I told them. “Calm but alert. Aware. Congrats.” I turned back to the crowd. “This is where you want to be at all times. Slow down and stop to take a moment to survey your surroundings when you are out. That will pay off in dividends.”

For the rest of the afternoon, people practiced, and I moved around, showing them how to perfect the move. At dinnertime, as the group dispersed, some lingering, an older woman about my mom’s age approached me. She was worrying her hands, her expression tight.

“Excuse me. I have a question. What do you do if someone won’t leave you alone?” Her eyes darted over her shoulder, and I followed her gaze to a young woman in scrubs talking to Hannah, the veterinarian’s wife.

“Can you explain what you mean by not leaving you alone?” I gestured for her to take a seat, which she did. She rubbed her hands down her legs nervously.

“It’s my daughter. All I know is that she went on one date with a guy, and he shows up at her place at all hours, won’t leave her alone. Calls her incessantly with no concern for time. She said he’s also been showing up when she goes out with her friends.”

“Does your daughter live here in town?”

She nodded.

I made eye contact with Fort, the sheriff, and with a quirk of the head, told him to come over. “Let’s get your daughter over here so we can all talk.”

The woman shook her head. “She thinks she’s got it all under control. But I’m scared. I was reading up on stuff online and…” She pressed a hand to her mouth.

Fort took a seat on the other side of the woman. “What’s going on, Sally?”

Sally shook her head, so I brought him up to speed.

The sheriff gave a heavy sigh. “Is it one of the hired hands that have come in with the Nickelson ranch?”

“I think so,” said Sally.

Fort explained that one of the locals had sold out to a billionaire looking for a pet project, and the staff he’d brought in had had a tough time learning about what they were and weren’t entitled to. He signaled for the daughter to join them. She came over and stood in front of her mother, with her hands on her hips. Sabrina joined them and took a seat by my side.

“What did you tell them, Ma?” The daughter was clearly irritated.

“Casey,” Fort said. “I’m curious why your mom seems worried about this guy and you don’t.”

“It’s so embarrassing,” Casey said.

I stood and offered Casey my seat. “That’s exactly what he’s using to manipulate you. Your embarrassment, being self-conscious. I bet he even says things that hint to your being bitchy. Things like ‘I’m just being nice’ and ‘I’m sorry if you are misunderstanding me.’”

She nodded.

“When people get scammed out of money online, who do they tell? Usually no one because they are embarrassed. But did you know you can report the scammer to the FTC, your local police, and even your bank? That’s the same thing in your case. There are steps to take and acts to put into place to protect you and stand up to him.”

“File a report with me, and I’ll ride out myself and have a talk with him,” Fort said.

“Which could escalate him. Before Fort does that, make sure you’re secure. Take a picture of him to your work, and tell them he is not allowed near you. Let’s talk about your routine and home security.”

Casey nodded and took her mom’s hand.

They went over everything. I even offered to drive to her apartment, check it out, and install the motion detector and cameras, but the woman said some family would help. I hoped they wouldn’t waste a moment. But this right here was why I wanted this app to be successful. With the app, people too afraid to ask for help could get solid information about what to do without stumbling across the misinformation the internet was wont to offer.

Fort said he’d drive by and check things out, as well, and to call if they had any issues. He would drive to the ranch in two days’ time.

I caught Sabrina’s eye. Her face showed her pride and admiration, and I knew that, yeah, I’d gone into personal safety because I’d liked it but also because I’d felt useless when it came to protecting her, my mother, and my sister from my father, so I’d set out to protect everyone else. But this look Sabrina was giving me—it was everything. It was better than money, time on a morning TV show, or a book deal. The ease on Sally’s face when they started talking strategy was the reward too.

Dammit all. This was what life was all about, helping people and getting an adoring look from the woman I loved and had never stopped loving. My company be damned. I was going to fight for Sabrina. There was no use pretending that I didn’t want a life with her.

ChapterTwenty

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